Developed by Steven C. Hayes in the 1980s, ACT focuses on helping people accept their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. It is a rich, integrative approach, and has been shown to be effective for many clinically-relevant concerns.
Incorporating ACT into your treatment approach will have a significant impact on your clinical effectiveness and the well-being of your clients. Because ACT takes a different perspective on psychotherapy, some clinicians wonder how to blend the applications into their own therapy approach. Other clinicians who have embraced the ACT concepts still have questions about certain aspects of the therapy.
Join Dr. Moran, author, ACTrainer and Board Certified Behavior Analysis for an immersive and transformative workshop on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, designed to demystify the ACT concepts and equip you with powerful tools to enhance your therapeutic practice.
Kick off the training with a comprehensive introduction to ACT, including participation in engaging exercises to deepen your learning. Reflect on personal commitment challenges and how to navigate them effectively.
Don’t miss this opportunity to both develop and enhance your skills and bring powerful ACT techniques into your therapeutic practice. Register now to secure your spot!
Educational Objectives
After attending this webinar, participants will be able to
- Discuss the six basic tenets of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Identify the problem of experiential avoidance in clinical work
- Explain the value of psychological flexibility and how it can be improved with clients.
- Discuss practical applications of ACT in clinical settings.
- Discuss the importance of commitment in ACT practice.
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Putting ACT in Practice
- The ACT Model
- The nature of human suffering
- “Healthy normality” is a myth
- Language: The double-edged sword
- Undermining unhelpful thoughts
- Aiming for psychological flexibility and why
- Introducing the ACT hexagon model
- Acceptance: Strengthening a willingness to have emotions
- The opposite of acceptance is experiential avoidance
- Experiential avoidance throughout the lifespan
- Why acceptance is important
- Case example: Teenage shyness & Hoarding
- Defusion: Looking at thoughts rather than from thoughts
- Dealing with automatic thoughts
- The power of words
- The problem with cognitive fusion
- Addressing CBT-based Disputation techniques with Defusion
- “Taking Your Mind for a Walk” exercise
- Case example: Eating Disorders & Social Phobia
- Perspective-taking: Understanding the “Self” in ACT
- Self-as-content, self-as-perspective, self-as-context
- The Observer Self exercise
- Dealing with identity issues
- Case examples related to PTSD & Childhood Sexual Trauma
- Mindfulness: Contacting the Present Moment
- Why being in the Here-and-Now is critical for mental health
- The relationship between mindlessness and psychopathology
- Meditation, mindfulness, and mindful action
- Exercises for mindful action
- Case example: Anger, Personality Disorders, Alcoholism
- Consolidation and Wrap-up