Exploring ACT: Strengthen Psychological Flexibility to Ease Human Suffering

Participants will be introduced to the ACT model of human suffering, and taken through the facets of psychological flexibility.
About this Event

Course Description: In this foundational course on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), participants will be introduced to the ACT model of human suffering, and experientially taken through the facets of psychological flexibility and inflexibility via the hexaflex. Participants will be introduced to the psychological flexibility processes including willingness, defusion, perspective taking, mindfulness, values and committed action and how they apply to various forms of human suffering including depression, anxiety, substance use, and trauma. Using clinical vignettes and experiential exercises participants will learn specific psychological flexibility skills they can use in their clinical practice that can be applied transdiagnostically to ease human suffering and help empower clients to move from a place of stuckness to one of thriving and engaged living.

Course Objectives:

1. Participants will demonstrate understanding of at least 4 of the 6 psychological flexibility processes.

2. Participants will demonstrate understanding of how to apply at least 2 psychological flexibility skills to a form of human suffering (e.g., anxiety, depression).

3. Participants will demonstrate understanding of how engaged living/ values based goals differ from symptom reduction goals.

About Your Instructor: Laurie Gallo (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of NY and CT, specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), with adults experiencing trauma related stress, PTSD, anxiety, stress related ailments, and depressive disorders. In addition to being the Founder of ACT for Thriving where she offers individual therapy, supervision and trainings, Dr. Gallo has worked as an Attending Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine located in the Bronx, NYC since 2010. During this time, she has held several clinical, supervisory, administrative, research and leadership positions in the Department of Psychiatry and Pre-doctoral Psychology Training Program. In late 2023 Dr. Gallo transitioned to founding ACT for Thriving and remains an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Psychiatric Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME), currently a clinical researcher and Co-Investigator on an NIH grant examining the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for co-morbid pain and opioid dependence in primary care patients receiving suboxone treatment. This grant is part of the larger IMPOWR-ME grant (PIs Starrels, Arnsten &Gabbay) “Integrated Care for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder” which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the NIH (RM1DA055437). Throughout her career Dr. Gallo has focused on the implementation of trauma informed and trauma specialty care in community mental health and hospital settings, and the adaptation of evidence-based psychotherapy to meet the needs of historically marginalized communities. She has published and presented at national and international conferences on these topics and would like to express gratitude to her team members as well as the community members of the Bronx that have contributed by sharing their experiences.

NYSED: AFFIRM Mental Health, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0196 and State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0695.

NBCC: AFFIRM Mental Health LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7580. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. AFFIRM Mental Health LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

ASWB: AFFIRM Mental Health, LLC, provider #1929, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 18, 2024.