Date of Award

12-2012

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Scott T. Gaynor

Second Advisor

Dr. Galen Alessi

Third Advisor

Dr. Amy Naugle

Keywords

FAP, intimacy, therapeutic alliance, social relating, session evaluation

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Abstract Only

Restricted to Campus until

12-15-2032

Abstract

Functional analytical psychotherapy (FAP) is a behavioral analytic approach to interpersonal psychotherapy. It shares with client-centered approaches an emphasis on establishing a therapeutic relationship, marked by positive regard and empathic attunement. It shares with other interpersonal approaches a focus on the client's interactions in important social relations and how she/he engages the social milieu. It also shares with both of these approaches the notion that much psychological distress is linked to difficulties forming and maintaining meaningful social relationships.

FAP is conceptually unique from these other approaches in the explicit importance it places on using the in-session interactions between the therapist and the client as the basis for shaping a more adaptive social repertoire. In the present study, nine individuals of either sex who reported difficulty with social-relating were each be provided ten therapy sessions. Using an alternating treatments design, each participant received five sessions of non-directive support. The other five sessions consisted of FAP. In the FAP sessions, the therapist added an emphasis on the in-vivo behavior of the client, attempting to preempt (or extinguish) the clinically relevant behaviors of CRB1s and to prompt and reinforce CRB2s.

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