“Finding your values is important. You only die once.” - Analysing goal-talk in incarcerated adolescents struggling with substance use from a Relational Frame Theory perspective

Individually formulated goals are crucial in many therapeutic approaches, yet the underlying processes remain unclear. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) offers a framework for understanding language as a form of operant learning governed by contextual factors. For example, relating to a goal as superior influences the function of subordinate behaviours. The present feasibility study examined the concept of “goal-talk”, i.e., adolescents’ verbal behaviour surrounding goals, using data from interviews with twelve adolescents in compulsory institutional care who had undergone the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA). A coding manual was developed through deductive content analysis, and a preliminary exploratory analysis was conducted to examine associations between goal-talk, alignment with personal values, and behavioural change. Coding and analysing goal-talk from an RFT perspective proved feasible, and a higher frequency of goal-talk, particularly appetitive goal-talk, was associated with reductions in substance use and increased alignment with personal values. These findings provide preliminary support for the utility of goal-talk as a concept, but should be interpreted cautiously, given the small, homogeneous sample. Suggestions for further refinement of the coding manual and directions for future research are discussed.