Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) is a worldwide nonprofit professional membership organization focused on the development and dissemination of contextual behavioral science. Established in 2005, the association brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, students, and other professionals interested in functional contextualism and its applications to human behavior. Its work spans both basic and applied science, with especially strong associations with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). Contextual behavioral science treats behavior as understandable in relation to environmental, historical, social, and situational contexts. In applied settings, this perspective informs contextual forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior analysis, organizational behavior, education, health work, and related interventions. ACT is the best-known applied approach associated with ACBS. It emphasizes psychological flexibility and behavior change guided by personally meaningful values, rather than treating symptom reduction as the sole objective. Relational Frame Theory is a related research program concerning language and cognition. Its experimental and theoretical work examines how humans learn and use relations among events, including phenomena associated with grammar, metaphor, perspective-taking, implicit cognition, and reasoning. ACBS functions as a professional network, educational platform, and scholarly community. Its activities include an annual World Conference, regional and national chapters, special interest groups, professional and public listservs, grants, scholarships, and online resources. The association's chapters and interest groups support geographically focused and subject-specific communities, including groups concerned with children and adolescents, health, social work, veterans' services, organizational applications, and foundational behavioral science. Reference material describes approximately 45 chapters and more than 40 special interest groups, with slightly more than half of the membership located outside the United States. The organization also supports publication and dissemination. Since 2012, the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science has served as the official journal associated with ACBS and has provided a venue for basic, applied, conceptual, and methodological work in the field. The association's website offers professional materials such as therapist tools, workshops, metaphors, protocols, assessment resources, and information about books concerning ACT, RFT, and contextual behavioral science. ACBS additionally supports access to its international conferences through scholarships for participants from developing countries and funds projects through a grant program. ACBS is not a commercial consumer brand or a clinical treatment provider. Its role is that of an international professional association whose identity is closely connected to a scientific and therapeutic movement. The association promotes contextual behavioral research and practice while providing infrastructure for collaboration, training, communication, and dissemination. Its activities are relevant to mental-health professionals and researchers, but the organization also maintains public-facing educational channels, including a listserv for people reading ACT self-help materials.

The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science was established in 2005 as an international nonprofit professional organization for people working in contextual behavioral science. The association developed around a broad scientific approach known as functional contextualism, which examines behavior in relation to its environmental and historical context and emphasizes useful prediction and influence of behavior. From the beginning, ACBS connected basic research with practical applications rather than treating them as separate communities. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy became one of the association's most visible applied areas. ACT is a contextual form of cognitive behavioral therapy concerned with psychological flexibility, values-guided action, acceptance, and behavior change. It has been investigated across mental-health and health-related applications and is recognized in evidence reviews for a range of conditions, with particularly strong research support reported for chronic pain and more modest support in several other areas. ACBS has supported communication and collaboration among ACT researchers, clinicians, educators, and trainees, while also maintaining a broader remit that includes other contextual therapies and applied behavioral work. Relational Frame Theory forms the principal basic-science counterpart in the association's intellectual program. RFT studies learned relational responding and its implications for human language and cognition. The research program has been used to investigate subjects such as metaphor, grammar, perspective-taking, implicit cognition, and reasoning—topics that have often been approached through nonbehavioral frameworks. Through conferences, special interest groups, listservs, and publications, ACBS has provided a shared institutional setting for debate and research in these areas. The organization expanded its international structure through chapters and special interest groups. Reference material describes approximately 45 chapters across regions including Europe, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East, as well as more than 40 groups focused on particular populations, applications, and research questions. This structure allows members to participate through local communities while remaining connected to the global association. More than half of the membership is described as being outside the United States. ACBS's activities have included an annual World Conference, scholarships intended to help participants from developing countries attend the meeting, and grants for contextual behavioral science projects. Its communication infrastructure includes professional listservs for ACT and RFT, additional lists maintained by special interest groups, and a free public listserv for readers of ACT self-help materials. The website has also served as a repository for therapist tools, workshops, metaphors, protocols, assessment materials, and information about books. A significant publication milestone occurred in 2012, when Elsevier began publishing the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science as the official journal associated with ACBS. The journal strengthened the field's scholarly infrastructure by providing a dedicated outlet for conceptual, experimental, clinical, and applied work. In the 2020s, the association continued to organize its international conference program, with reference material identifying New Orleans for 2025, Lyon for 2026, and Hong Kong for 2027. ACBS remains an active professional network rather than a commercial brand, with its influence expressed through scientific exchange, training, professional communities, and dissemination of contextual behavioral approaches.

• 2026

  Planned World Conference in Lyon

  [1]Association for Contextual Behavioral Scienceen.wikipedia.org

  Lyon, France, was identified as the planned host city for the 2026 World Conference.

• 2025

  23rd World Conference in New Orleans

  [1]Association for Contextual Behavioral Scienceen.wikipedia.org

  The association's 23rd annual World Conference was identified as taking place in New Orleans, United States.

• 2012

  Official journal publishing begins

  [1]Association for Contextual Behavioral Scienceen.wikipedia.org

  Elsevier began publishing the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, the official journal associated with ACBS.

• 2005

  Association established

  [1]Association for Contextual Behavioral Scienceen.wikipedia.org

  ACBS was established as a worldwide nonprofit professional membership organization devoted to contextual behavioral science.

• Planned World Conference in Hong Kong

  [1]Association for Contextual Behavioral Scienceen.wikipedia.org

  Hong Kong was identified as the planned host location for the 2027 World Conference.

An international professional and scholarly network advancing contextual behavioral science across research, clinical practice, education, organizational work, and public education.

• Professional conference

  ACBS World Conference

  The association's annual international meeting brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, and students working in contextual behavioral science. It serves as a forum for presentations, training, professional networking, and discussion of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Relational Frame Theory, and related basic and applied topics.

• Academic journal · 2012

  Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science

  Published by Elsevier since 2012, the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science is the official journal associated with ACBS. It provides a scholarly venue for research and conceptual work concerning contextual behavioral science, including basic behavioral research, RFT, ACT, and related clinical and applied domains.

• Professional education and clinical resources

  Acceptance and Commitment Therapy resources

  ACBS supports a professional community around Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, including discussion channels, workshops, therapist tools, metaphors, protocols, assessment materials, and information about relevant books. The resources are intended to support training, clinical practice, research communication, and public learning.

• Research network

  Relational Frame Theory community

  The association provides an institutional home for researchers and professionals interested in Relational Frame Theory, a behavioral research program concerning language and cognition. Related communication channels and special interest groups support work on relational responding, metaphor, grammar, perspective-taking, implicit cognition, and reasoning.

• Professional support program

  Scholarship and grant programs

  ACBS operates programs intended to broaden participation in contextual behavioral science. Its scholarship activity has supported participants from developing countries attending World Conferences, while its grant program funds projects in the field. Specific award amounts and recipient histories are not specified in the supplied reference material.

1. 1Association for Contextual Behavioral Scienceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Association for Contextual Behavioral Science official websitecontextualscience.org