Where are we at in the connections between RFT and ACT?

The relationship between RFT and ACT has become centre-stage in ACBS. There has been consensus, lively debate and at times disagreement. This is a healthy place for the organization to be, and only time and outcomes will tell if the delivery of ACT can be enhanced by incorporating the direct application of RFT concepts. On the one hand, ACT practitioners have suggested that many of the hexaflex processes can be translated directly into the more technical language of RFT. On the other hand, RFT researchers have argued that the theory’s existing concepts lack the depth and scope necessary to direct therapy in a comprehensive way. More positively, however, there is an emerging view that grounding ACT firmly in its functional-analytic roots and adhering therein to RFT concepts, such as the tracking of relational networks, can add precision and focus to our therapeutic interventions in the meantime.