Acceptance and mindfulness-based practices are rapidly making their way into mental health care, medicine, and society. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a newer, evidence-based approach that offers empowering solutions to the problem of human suffering.

ACT seeks to transform the root sources of human suffering by balancing mindfulness and acceptance processes with commitment and behavior change in the service of living a more vital life. Through lectures, live and video demonstrations, and practical experiential exercises, we learn skills and strategies to help our clients live well and meaningfully, without first having to control or eliminate sources of emotional and psychological pain. We also learn how ACT can be integrated effectively into mental health practice.

All mental health professionals, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, are welcome. Familiarity with ACT is not required. Clinical worksheets and other practical tools will be provided.

• Define the three pillars of ACT that guides its practice;
• Define each of the six ACT processes within the ACT model of human suffering;
• Define each of the six ACT intervention processes (i.e., the hexaflex model);
• Link each of the six elements of the ACT model of human suffering with six central treatment targets of ACT in practice;
• Describe the ACT therapeutic stance;
• Explain a functional contextual approach to ACT case conceptualization;
• Utilize the ACT Sphere-a-Flex (Forsyth & Forsyth) to contextualize ACT intervention strategies and goals;
• Describe and conceptualize common mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression) within an ACT framework;
• Define creative hopelessness and its purpose within ACT;
• Apply ACT exercises used to undermine control and struggle with psychological and emotional content within an ACT intervention context;
• Identify exemplars of excessive struggle and avoidance and describe mindful and compassionate alternative behaviors;
• Define and identify "fusion" and "experiential avoidance" and their role in various forms of human suffering;
• Rehearse essential ACT intervention skills to cultivate psychological flexibility;
• Deliver ACT values clarification exercises in dyads and small groups;
• Apply ACT experiential exercises and metaphors in dyads and small groups;
• Define self-compassion and its relation to psychological acceptance;
• Apply and integrate mindfulness and acceptance processes with commitment and behavior change processes in dyads.
• Describe and conduct exposure-based strategies in an ACT consistent fashion;
• Discriminate ACT consistent and ACT inconsistent strategies in clinical practice;
• Describe strategies to foster the ongoing development of ACT consistent clinical competencies.

Faculty recommends you read the following books in preparation for the course:

• The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, 2nd ed. (2016) by John P. Forsyth & Georg H. Eifert

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner's Treatment Guide to Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Values-based Behavior Change Strategies by John P. Forsyth & Georg H. Eifert