More than two decades ago, Kohlenberg and Tsai (1987) published the first book chapter on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), an approach to psychotherapy that is based on the functional analysis of the therapist-client relationship in the individual talk therapy setting. Over time, FAP has consolidated its place among third wave behavior therapies. Third-wave behavior therapy is a strand of treatments that builds upon many of the acquisitions of first-wave (exposure-based) classical behavior therapy and second- wave (based on modifying thoughts and beliefs) cognitive behavior therapy, but differs from them in its distrust of verbal control and its focus on contextual meaning. These differentials give the third-wave behavior therapies an experiential flavor which is strongly evident in FAP. Relying on a client case conceptualization, the FAP therapist observes clinically relevant behavior when it occurs in-session. When it does not occur, he or she evokes it. The curative process depends on the therapist's allowing natural, direct consequences to affect these clinically relevant behaviors in-session. In addition, the therapist monitors and when necessary, promotes generalization. These tasks are interwoven to produce FAP's approach to the healing potential of a relationship. While FAP was developed mainly as an approach to individual psychotherapy, there have been translations into group therapy (e.g. Gaynor & Lawrence, 2002; Hoekstra & Tsai, in press). The present paper presents one such translation. It suggests that, when properly understood, FAP necessarily leads to a type of group therapy that is pragmatically quite different from traditional behavioral group therapy. How could we describe this difference? Since its early days, behavioral group therapy has been distinguished by its teaching technology, including training activities and streamlined learning modules (e.g. Rose, 1977). Group therapies in the cognitive mainstream of behavior therapy (e.g. Free, 1999; Bieling, McCabe & Antony, 2006) tend to maintain this characteristic, through activities such as lectures and structured exercises. Even when, for example, exposure for social phobia is done in-session, the programmed teaching focus is maintained (Becker & Heimberg, 2002). When we apply FAP to the group setting, however, it comes much closer to Group Psychotherapy, which has often focused on unexpected experiences and outcomes (Yalom, 1975; Rutan & Stone, 1984). However, group FAP is not a compromise between these two traditions. The combination of a flexible focus on spontaneously evolving interactions with a functional contextual approach to the healing nature of relationships adds a new dimension to group therapy.
