John P. Forsyth & Jamie R. Forsyth – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Experiential Intensive ACT Training

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Experiential Intensive ACT Training – John P. Forsyth & Jamie R. Forsyth

• Cultivate fluid and flexible use of ACT in practice
• ACT techniques for a broad range and severity of mental health disorders
• An interactive workshop including experiential exercises, demonstrations, clinical worksheets and practical tools
• Transformative for you and your clients!

How often do you review your appointment calendar and start wondering how you’re going to, finally, help a regular client who seems to progress for a while – and then regress?

Each time he/she arrives, you use the same tools and techniques you’ve used for so long – and mostly successfully – but this one client is testing your skills. Now, you can begin to integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into your practice – and see improved outcomes.

Researched and developed by world-renowned researcher, speaker and author Steven Hayes, PhD, ACT has fast become the treatment approach that gets to the heart of human suffering and what is needed to restore psychological health and wellness.

Join ACT experts, Drs. John & Jamie Forsyth for this workshop where you will develop highly practical, evidence-based skills, case conceptualization techniques, and powerful therapeutic strategies that will help you when working with a broad range of mental health concerns including:

• Anxiety Issues
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Mood Disorders
• Substance Abuse
• Anger Management
• Trauma
• Personality Disorders
• And many more!

View this intensive, engaging and transformative workshop and start a new path for healing you can use with your most difficult clients.

1. List the three pillars of ACT.
2. Define the ACT model of human suffering (six inflexahex processes).
3. Define the ACT model of psychological health (six hexaflex processes).
4. Explain a functional contextual approach to ACT case conceptualization.
5. Recognize clinical concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, problem anger) within an ACT framework.
6. Identify exemplars of excessive struggle and avoidance and describe mindful and compassionate alternative behaviors.
7. Distinguish between “fusion” and “experiential avoidance” and their role in various forms of human suffering.
8. Practice essential ACT intervention skills to cultivate psychological flexibility.
9. Deliver values clarification exercises in dyads and small groups.
10. Demonstrate experiential exercises and metaphors in dyads and small groups.
11. Discriminate ACT consistent and ACT inconsistent strategies in clinical practice.
12. Describe strategies to foster the ongoing development of ACT consistent clinical competencies.
13. Apply and integrate mindfulness and acceptance processes with commitment and behavior change processes in dyads.

Get Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Experiential Intensive ACT Training of author John P. Forsyth & Jamie R. Forsyth

ACT Model and Case Conceptualization

• Centering Exercise
• Why It’s Hard Being Human
• Pervasiveness of Human Suffering
• The Light and Dark Side of Language & Cognition
• ACT Case Conceptualization
• ACT Model of Human Suffering
• ACT Model of Psychological Health
• Self-Assessment Exercise: Eyes On
• ACT in a Nutshell Role Play Demonstration

Use Creative Hopelessness to Weaken the Control Agenda

• Why Creative Hopeless in ACT?
• Exploring Workability
• Establishing Creative Hopelessness
• Exercise and Role Play: Tug of War with Anxiety Monster
• Exercise: Metaphors to Weaken Illusion of Control
• Exercise and Role Play: Chinese Finger Trap
• Exercise: Quick Sand and Swamp Metaphors
• Dyad Practice of Creative Hopelessness Exercises

Do Effective Values Work in ACT

• The Nature of Values in ACT
• Distinguishing Values from Goals
• Connecting with Values
• Exercises: Funeral Meditation & Tombstone Exercise
• Values Clarification and Assessment
• The Values Directions & Life Compass Worksheets
• Life Compass Cards
• Barriers to Valued Action
• Exercise: Barriers Clarification Using Barriers Worksheet in Dyads
• Values in ACTion

Cultivate Mindful Acceptance & Defusion

• Opening Up: The Nature of Mindful Acceptance in ACT
• Exercise: Getting in Contact with the Present
• Exercise: Take Your Mind for a Walk
• Exercise: Acceptance of Thoughts & Feelings
• Self as Context vs. the Conceptualized Self
• Defusion: Overview and Purpose
• Mindful Defusion Exercise: Wise Mind
• Mindful Defusion Exercise: Chess Board
• Thoughts on Cards: Demonstration and Role Plays

Nurture Self-Compassion, Willingness, and Value-Guided action

• Self-Compassion and Kindness – Powerful Antidotes to Suffering
• Exercise: Loving Kindness Walking Meditation
• Exercise to Nurture Self-Compassion: Tonglen Practice
• The Nature of Willingness
• Exercise: Trying vs. Doing
• Compassionate Exposure in a Value-Guided Context
• Exercise and Demonstration of Exposure in ACT
• Building Patterns of Committed ACTion
• The Role of Behavioral Activation in ACT
• Distinguishing Good from Poorly Stated Goals
• Setting SMART Value Guided Goals
• What to do When Clients Feel Stuck