Swedish ABA
By Dag Strömberg
The Swedish Association for Behavior Analysis (SWABA) had 204 members at the end of 2021, which was 40 more than in 2020. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, which to a large extent hindered physical reunions, this was an unexpected increase. The chapter continued its activity on social media; at the end of the year, 1403 people were following SWABA on Facebook, a 9% increase since 2020. The association also has accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram, all with an increasing number of followers.
SWABA’s 25th anniversary conference took place 25th September 2021, in Stockholm, as a hybrid event. At the same time, it was SWABA’s 20th anniversary as an affiliated chapter of the ABAI. We enjoyed presentations by Magnus Johansson, Bud Mace, Eva Bertilsson, Hedvig Zetterberg, Maria Yttermyr, Stephanie Edlund and Emelie Johnson Vegh. Former SWABA presidents Kenneth Nilsson and Ulrika Långh, together with Dag Strömberg, participated in a panel discussion about the association’s first 25 years. We were also happy to receive an online celebratory speech by Carol Pilgrim, president of the ABAI.
In March 2022, the annual meeting took place in Stockholm, again a hybrid event. The day included an OBM presention by Kent Vikström, and another one about higher education and quality assurance for European behavior analysts by Lise Roll Pettersson and Dag Strömberg. A special international guest was Joe Layng who presented (online) about Nonlinear Contingency Analysis. Furthermore, the recipient of the third annual “SWABA-prize” was announced: Professor Lise Roll Pettersson, Stockholm University, was awarded the prize as a recognition of her important work to disseminate behavior analysis in Sweden, especially in the context of higher education.
During the year, a new network has been established, connecting six different Swedish associations for behavior analysis, contextual behavior science and/or various types of behavior therapy, as well as a newly started Swedish-speaking behavior therapy association in Finland. The aim is for the presidents to meet twice yearly to share the latest news of each association.
Following the BACB’s decision to change its certification requirements, SWABA is involved in a collaboration between representatives from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden), discussing quality assurance of behavior analysis within a Nordic context. In 2021, SWABA became a national membership organisation of the European Association for Behaviour Analysis.
SWABA was represented at the 2022 ABAI Annual Convention. As usual, a poster was presented at the ABAI Expo, which took place between 2 AM and 4 AM Swedish time. A number of convention visitors joined us in the poster’s chat room.
Our association supports the formation of special interest groups, providing information about each group on the website. This year the Animals SIG, the Certified Behavior Analysts SIG, and the PBS SIG had meetings, while some of the other groups had contacts through social media.
SWABA would like to encourage anyone who plans to visit Sweden or other countries in Scandinavia to contact the board (info@swaba.se), to explore the possibility of meeting and/or lecturing. SWABA holds its annual meeting during the first quarter of each year and a fall meeting/conference in September or October. Our fall meeting of 2022 took place in October, in Stockholm. Please visit the SWABA website for information concerning the program.
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