The science of language: An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory; Part 1/3

All coaching is based on talking (more or less) but they lack a scientific theory of this very phenomenon (talking). Coaches use talking as a tool to facilitate change without an understanding of how this tool works. Coaching needs a theory of human language and thinking based on experimental research!

Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is such a theory: it’s a lab and field-tested scientific explanation of how the human mind works.
Unlike many theories out there, RFT tells practitioners what language and thinking are, how they come to be, what their benefits and weaknesses are, and how they can be modified to better serve the interests of our clients.
This knowledge can then be applied to many types of problems that make people seek help and therefore can help provide tools in working for change.

Who is this event for?
You don’t need any previous knowledge in psychology or behaviour science to attend this session, we will build everything from the ground-up.
This event especially benefits:

1. Anyone who works in a profession where they use language to help their clients implement behaviour changes. This includes coaches, consultants, leaders, counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists.
2. People who apply Acceptance and Commitment Training or Therapy on themselves to progress an important issue or goal and would like to make their work more effective, efficient and precise.

The benefits of learning RFT
RFT is not a method but a study of language and cognition. It help us understand how language and thinking impact human acting, feeling, sensing and remembering.
RFT can be combined with a wide range of methods. There is no guarantee that any particular method will combine well with RFT, but you may find that your existing methods can be refined and employed more effectively when combined with RFT.

If you are a coach, consultant, counsellor or therapist, learning RFT can help you:

• Progress several times faster with your clients than you did before.
• Unblock issues in just a few sessions that have been stuck for years.
• Help your clients implement changes they couldn’t with any other coach.

If you are someone who’s been using ACT, RFT can help you:

• Employ ACT much more efficiently and effectively.
• Move issues that you couldn’t move otherwise.
• Move issues faster than what is possible with ACT alone.

ACT was developed using RFT, so learning RFT can give you a deep insight into how ACT works. You can unravel what’s going on in its exercises and metaphors, enabling you to employ those exercises more effectively.

Curriculum and event structure
We learn to speak even though we cannot speak at first. Language itself is learnt through non-verbal means. To understand language and cognition, we first have to understand how non-verbal learning works which is the topic of the first webinar (out of three).
We will learn about respondents, operants, functions of behaviour, reinforcement, etc. We will also touch on how language works, but a more in-depth explanation will follow in the other two webinars.

Event structure:

• A lot of theory: RFT is science, learning science involves theory. No previous knowledge of psychology is necessary.
• Many examples: Simple examples to aid understanding and hands-on examples from many life situations and mini client case studies.
• Exploratory exercises to discover some of the concepts in depth.
• Application exercises: We will try out and then dismantle psychological exercises designed to deliver some form of change.
• Some time to learn to apply/integrate RFT into your everyday life.

Refund policy
A full refund is available 72 hours before the webinar. I operate a no refund policy for late cancellations or late joiners.

Where will we meet?
This is an online event, hosted on Google Meets, a browser-based Zoom.
You can find the joining link on the meetup event's page (under the title "Online Event").
There's no need to download anything. Just click on the link, allow access to your camera and microphone, and wait for me to let you in. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the webinar starts so that I can check you in.

About your host
I’m Balazs Hajdics. I have extensive training in behaviour science, including RFT, and base all my coaching on it.
I have spent over 13 years helping individuals and organisations achieve important changes and goals.

Disclaimer
This series of webinars is only an introduction to RFT. The goal is to provide enough information that is useful on its own (e.g. makes your work more effective with clients), even if it is far from being complete.
The topic is deep, for comparison learning RFT to an advanced level (which is still not an expert level) would take around 200 hours. This does not include the time necessary to practice application.