Equifinality in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Different Strokes for Different Folks

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is an interpersonal behavior therapy that relies on a therapist's ability to contingently respond to in-session client behavior. Valued behavior change in clients results from the therapist shaping more effective client interpersonal behaviors by providing effective social reinforcement when these behaviors occur in or between sessions. One crucial discrimination for therapists to make is the distinction between the topography or physical form of their behavior versus how well or poorly it actually functions to shape client behavior. We notice that there are times when some therapists may focus too sharply on how similar their behavior is to that of a supervisor or prototypical therapist rather than focusing on how effectively their behavior functions as reinforcement. A review of some traditional psychotherapy adherence and competence literature suggests that therapists and supervisors may overly attend to the topography of behavior in assessing treatment fidelity. This paper will suggest strategies to minimize an over-reliance on topography, including shifting the focus from technique to principle.