前言：以觉知、勇气和爱心待人

FOREWORD Treating Others with Awareness, Courage, and Love H uman beings evolved in small groups and bands. We are social beings, and the importance of others is as basic to our psychology as breathing is to our physiology. As a scientific matter we know that others are key to our functioning, but we can also feel how important that is in our daily lives. If you look at what is most important to you and what is most painful to you, it is likely that people are involved in both of those reactions. We may be tormented by rejection, or loneliness, or shame, or relationship problems: but all of these are examples of both the importance of others and other people as a focal point of our psychological pain. We may hope to achieve, or create, or contribute, or love—­but these too will implicitly involve people to share with. Most clinical problems are reflected in our relationships with others. This is true etiologically: experiences such as a lack of nurturance, interpersonal abandonment, neglect, and trauma are among the most toxic experiences known, and in the opposite direction, social support, intimacy, and caring are among the most uplifting. Is it any wonder then that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is related to the outcomes of most forms of therapy, including those that are evidence based? If social processes are central to the development of human problems, we should expect to see psychopathology appear in the relationship between clients and therapists; and in many if not most cases, we do. This is a problem if it is not handled correctly, but also an opportunity if it is, since the therapist is able to work directly with the problem behavior of interest in the therapeutic consult- ing room. To do this, however, you need a clear set of guiding principles. You need to see the function of social events, not just their form. Most clients have social relationships of importance outside of psychotherapy, but often these are not curative because people accidentally reinforce the wrong things or support unhelpful rules. If merely being in the presence of others was enough, then people would not usually need to seek out professional help. The automatic reactions that we have to others may not be what they need therapeutically. A therapist needs to be genuine, but also needs to be thoughtful and strategic. That is a tricky balance that needs to be based on principles. What functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) offers is a small set of clear guidelines that help therapists keep their eye on the features of the therapeutic relationship that most predict positive outcomes. FAP can be used as a stand-­alone treatment in many cases, but it can also be used to support the deployment and augmentation of other treatment methods—­especially those drawn from the same behavioral roots. This book positions FAP as part of contextual behavioral science (CBS). In so doing, it invites the reader to harmonize FAP principles with modern behavioral analysis, including relational frame theory (RFT). That is an interesting and important step that gives the FAP clinician a powerful additional set of concepts to apply. It puts a fresh face on the use of contingent social reinforce- ment as part of the therapeutic agenda. xForeword This book also vigorously embraces the “awareness, courage, and love” model that links more abstract functional analysis and clinically relevant behaviors (CRBs) to domains defined by common sets of functional analyses. Not all will approve of this step, but I know the line clinician will because it immediately makes FAP more vital and focused. And that, in turn, makes FAP simpler: simpler to understand, simpler to teach, and simpler to deploy. The latter part of this elegant book casts a clear light on areas of growth and difficulty. It shows how to use this model in a creative and practical way. Some issues it covers—­such as how to end therapy and to explore what was learned—­are often missed in other books. These wise sections alone are worth the price of admission. As researchers and clinicians further unpack this model I expect to see new pathways forward. My suggestion to you as you read this book is to explore this model with the awareness to see opportunity, the courage to explore new territory thoroughly, and the love of humanity to acquire new skills with humility—­to bring all of that to the task. If you do, you will be changed by the journey, as will the lives of those you serve. —Steven C. Hayes Foundation Professor and Director of Clinical Training University of Nevada, Reno