Research Review Club: Relapse of anxiety-related fear and avoidance #live

*This course will provide the participant with 1 Learning Type BACB CEUs**

Join us for our monthly Research Review Club on 7/18/21 where we will be covering: “Relapse of anxiety-related fear and avoidance: Conceptual analysis of treatment with acceptance and commitment therapy.” by Smith, Smith, and Dymond (2020). 1 General CEU will be provided for participating in an online discussion, and completing a final quiz based on the live discussion.

Research Abstract: “Excessive fear and avoidance in relatively safe situations can lead to a narrowing of one’s behavioral repertoire and less engagement with valued aspects of living. Ultimately, these processes can reach clinical levels, as seen in anxiety, trauma, and obsessive–compulsive disorders. Research on the basic behavioral processes underlying successful treatment with exposure therapy is growing, yet little is known about the mechanisms contributing to clinical relapse. Until recently, these mechanisms have largely been conceptualized in terms of Pavlovian return of fear, with relatively little research into operant processes. In the current paper, we briefly review translational research in anxiety disorders and the connections between fear and avoidance, focusing on recent work in the acquisition, extinction, and relapse of avoidance behavior and the generalization of this learning through arbitrary symbolic relations. We then introduce one possible treatment approach to mitigating clinical relapse, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and provide a conceptual analysis for why ACT may be especially well-situated to address this issue. Finally, we end with potential directions for future research on treatment and relapse of anxiety disorders.”

Research Citation: Smith, B.M., Smith, G.S. and Dymond, S. (2020), Relapse of anxiety-related fear and avoidance: Conceptual analysis of treatment with acceptance and commitment therapy. Jrnl Exper Analysis Behavior, 113: 87-104. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.573

Target Audience: Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts or anyone interested in Behavior Analytic Research!

To earn credit, you will be required to read the provided article, participate in a live zoom discussion about the article and pass a final quiz with a score of 80% or higher (you can retake the quiz as many times as needed, but you may not receive exactly the same questions each time).