The use of the manual assumes that therapists have a working knowledge of the principles of FAP (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991) and have an understanding of the administration of assessment devices in accordance with the ethical principles of test administration, or are receiving training in one or both of these areas. It is also highly recommended that users have a basic understanding of the FAP Rating Scale (FAPRS- 2; Callaghan, Ruckstuhl, & Follette, 1999). Understanding of Response Classes. Users are also expected to have an understanding of behavior analysis, particularly of functional response classes of behavior. A response class is a group of Clinically Relevant Behaviors (CRBs) that all function to have a particular effect regardless of form the response might take (i.e., its topographical features). This distinction requires therapists to differentiate the effect the client’s behavior is having rather than merely watching what the client is doing. Functional classes are understood idiographically and are based on the analysis of each particular client’s problem and effective behaviors. For example, a client may cry, attack, or skip sessions. If each of these behaviors functions to allow the client to avoid talking about an emotional experience, even though the behaviors have different topographies, they could all be instances of the same response class. It is the therapist’s task to recognize the function of a response rather than identifying a behavior based merely on its topography.
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