Full Course Description

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT): CBT That Goes Deeper - Applying evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy in empowering ways! 

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that emerged stems from traditional behaviour therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.

ACT moves beyond the traditional focus on problems and solutions, teaching clients to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their emotions and, to accept that their feelings are normal and appropriate responses. The core of ACT is a change in both self-talk and action/verbal behaviour. Understanding these concepts supports clients to accept the issues they face and the challenges life brings with a commitment to making the necessary changes in their behaviour, regardless of their life circumstance and how they feel about them. Rather than focusing on resolving symptoms, ACT focusses on the creation of a more adaptive relationship between the client and their symptoms.

The experience of observing one’s own feelings and recognizing and accepting that feelings are a natural outcome of circumstances has been a liberating factor for clients engaging in ACT.

The ACT approach is not to pursue the elimination of difficult feelings; but to ‘be’ with them and with what life brings their way. ACT encourages people to open up to undesirable feelings, and to react to them mindfully whilst not avoiding situations where they are provoked.

This workshop will provide an overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy during which participants will experience the impact ACT techniques can make and will gain experience applying ACT to a variety of different clinical presentations.

Program Information

Objectives

Learning objectives of this training:

1. Comprehend the theory, research, and effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
2. Understand and apply the six core principles of ACT to a wide variety of clinical problems
3. Develop your understanding of mindfulness and how to use it to resolve clients’ problems​

“This workshop is for anyone wishing to include ACT in their practice regardless of prior training. You’ll take away a set of skills that can really benefit your client work and, also have a positive effect on your own wellbeing and how you care for yourself.”   

How will you benefit from attending this training?

• Understand the theory, research, and evidence behind Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
• Apply the six core principles of ACT in your clinical work.
• Strengthen your ability to use mindfulness interventions with clients.

Never Good Enough: An introduction to using ACT for unhelpful perfectionism, fear of failure & relentless self-criticism

Perfectionism is a trans-diagnostic process that causes, maintains, and exacerbates a wide range of mental health disorders and can interfere with the effectiveness of therapy. Both client and therapist can struggle with unhelpful perfectionistic patterns such as setting very high standards, fear of failure, self-criticism, procrastination, and avoidance.

This introductory webinar will provide participants with a concise framework for understanding perfectionism from a functional, contextual, behavioural perspective, including how to recognise the five key processes of perfectionism. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their own unhelpful perfectionistic habits together with those of their clients, and explore how these habits may contribute to anxiety, stress, and burnout.

Finally, the presenter will describe a framework for treatment that addresses these processes by integrating acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with mindfulness and self-compassion. Participants will leave the workshop with an understanding of how building psychological flexibility and developing self-compassion can help them, and their clients, live their best (‘imperfect’) lives.

Program Information

Objectives

At the end of the session participants will be able to:

1. Describe unhelpful perfectionism from a functional contextual behavioural perspective
2. Describe some of their own unhelpful perfectionistic clients and/or those of their clients
3. Describe several treatment strategies that can build psychological flexibility and self-compassion in people struggling with unhelpful perfectionism

Attending this one-hour presentation will give you a better understanding of what perfectionism is, how to identify it in your clients, and how you can apply ACT and self-compassion to address unhelpful perfectionistic habits. - Jennifer Kemp.

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Professionals - Learning and helping to replace blame, condemnation, and self-criticism

A growing body of research suggests that health professionals benefit from Mindfulness-Based Interventions and Loving-Kindness Meditations that increase their Self-Compassion since these practices can strengthen their relationships with clients, reduce the chances of burnout and increase overall well-being (Bellinghasu, Jones &Hutton, 2014).  Applying Mindfulness and Self-Compassion practices in personal life has the capacity to enhance professional effectiveness and increase longevity.

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion interventions have been shown to strongly enhance personal relationships, self-care and wellbeing, as well as reduce levels of depression, anxiety and pain.  Mindfulness is cultivating moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment, through a gentle, non-judgmental lens.  Self-Compassion is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering.  It comprises the conscious extension of kindness, care, warmth and understanding toward oneself when struggling in life, as opposed to beratement or self-criticism.  Combined Mindfulness and Self-Compassion can create a powerful attitudinal shift to enhance our resilience and coping ability.

This one-day workshop draws on the work of Christopher Germer and Kirsten Neff, developers of the MSC program and leaders in this area of therapy and research, Prof Paul Gilbert (creator of Compassion Focused Therapy) and Linda Graham (author of Bouncing Back: Rewiring your Brain for Maximum Resilience & Well-Being), and the global movement of Authentic Relating. Participants will have the opportunity of an experiential introduction to harnessing the power of the mind to deal gracefully with difficult emotions, care for others consistently and compassionately, move with ease between personal and professional endeavours, and relate more authenticity in personal and professional life.

Participants will be introduced to practical strategies for increasing emotional resilience and emotional regulation, changing a self-critical mindset, calming irritation, frustration, impatience and shame, increasing acceptance and positive motivation and relating to others more authentically.  Guidance through six powerful meditations that can be practised in daily life and taught to clients will be facilitated during the day.

Program Information

Objectives

Learning objectives of this training:

1. Bouncing Back: Rewiring your Brain for Maximum Resilience & Well-Being), and the global movement of Authentic Relating. Participants will have the opportunity of an experiential introduction to harnessing the power of the mind to deal gracefully with difficult emotions, care for others consistently and compassionately, move with ease between personal and professional endeavours, and relate more authenticity in personal and professional life.
2. Participants will be introduced practical strategies for increasing emotional resilience and emotional regulation, changing a self-critical mindset, calming irritation, frustration, impatience and shame, increasing acceptance and positive motivation and relating to others more authentically.  Guidance through six powerful meditations that can be practiced in daily life and taught to clients will be facilitated during the day.

“With mindfulness, our natural compassion grows. We can see that we are all carrying our own burden of tears. You and everyone you meet are sharing in some measure of the pain present on the planet….It is by first practicing self-compassion that you find not only a way to hold your own struggles and sorrows in your heart—but through them you learn how to connect with the sufferings and sorrows of all those around.”    (Jack Kornfield)

How will you benefit from attending this training?

• Gain tools for lasting and effective professional and personal self-care.
• Learn foundational meditations and practices to live with more ease and authenticity.
• Experience Mindfulness and Self-compassion firsthand so as to most effectively bring this to client work.

Congratulations to Timothy Gordon, Jessica Borushok and The ACT Approach: A Comprehensive Guide for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on winning the gold medal at the 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards for editorial and design excellence in the Psychology category!

The ACT Deck offers 55 practices based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for use in therapy, classrooms or at home. These cards ask tough questions, encourage meaningful action and provide new perspectives to help you let go of negative thoughts and live in the present moment.

Using mindfulness and acceptance strategies, this highly practical deck can help anyone suffering from:

• Stress
• Anxiety & depression
• Chronic pain
• Relationship problems
• Focus and attention issues
• Painful memories & feelings