TODD SCHMENK, MS, MEd

There is a subtle shift that often takes place in clinical work, one that can feel natural and even compassionate, yet moves us away from the core aim of Functional Contextualism. It is the drift from analyzing function in the present moment toward explaining behavior through external factors. Instead of tracking what a behavior or belief is doing for the client here and now, the clinician begins constructing explanations about why the behavior exists and what is true about t

These Prime Directives are not clinical rules or treatment protocols. They are values-based operating instructions designed to support functional decision making across therapy, supervision, consultation, and professional life. 

Functional contextualism is a philosophical framework, not a therapy model. It is the lens through which contextual behavioral science, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by extension, understands behavior, language, and change. 

As a clinician, I used to get stuck trying to make sense of everything a client brought into the room—the stories, the thoughts, the memories, the symptoms. It's how I was trained after all, and most likely, it was n your training too.

When it comes to all the labels out there, it seems that after all these years, the inception of the first version of the DSM-V that the approach is not giving us the types of results that we had been hoping for. This makes sense when you think about the birth of psychological approaches coming from within the medical system.