ACT is a flexible, process based, trans-diagnostic model of therapy that can be integrated into most therapeutic approaches.About this Event
Course Description:
Ever find yourself stalled out with a client, wondering “Why are we so stuck?”, “Why does my client keep doing things that don’t work?”, “Why am I feeling so ineffective?” Welcome to the life of the therapist! Luckily, there is hope, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help us get unstuck. In ACT, we focus on mindfulness and values-based living in order to help our clients (and ourselves!) move toward better outcomes both inside and outside of the therapy room
ACT is an interactive, experiential approach to therapy. It is a flexible and effective treatment approach that has empirical support for the treatment of a range of client difficulties (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, relationship problems, and chronic pain). And because ACT is a transdiagnostic, process-based approach to therapy, it can be integrated into CBT, DBT, IFS, and many other therapy modalities.
In this workshop, you’ll learn core skills that are immediately applicable to your work with clients. It will be highly experiential with a focus on helping participants practice and build skills that they can start using right away. It’s designed to give participants a strong foundation in ACT theory and practice and is ideal for beginning practitioners new to the model as well as those already practicing ACT who want to broaden their repertoire.
Over the course of two days, we will work with participants to effectively utilize ACT for a variety of client struggles. We will practice interventions to help clients change their relationship with unwanted thoughts and feelings and to clarify their core values - so that they can reconnect with vitality and meaning and take action toward what really matters to them. In addition, we will use the ACT model to identify and address avoidant and counterproductive behavior, learn and practice skills related to the core process of ACT, and use metaphors and exercises relevant to each of the 6 core processes. We will use demonstrations, small group and dyad work to bring ACT interventions to life. Perhaps most important, we will create a safe space in which to participate in experiential exercises and to practice and enhance new skills.
Target Audience: This workshop is for clinicians who are new to ACT or who would like to add to their current ACT repertoire. It is appropriate for mental health professionals, including Psychologists, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, and Psychiatric Nurse-Practitioners.
12 CE Credits
- This has approval for 12 CE credits for social workers, psychologists and counselors (who are able to use APA or ACE CE credits)
- You must attend the course in its entirety in order to receive continuing education credits.
After attending this training you will be able to:
- Identify and describe experiential avoidance
- Identify and describe cognitive fusion
- Explain psychological flexibility
- Identify and describe the 6 core processes of ACT
- Explain what is meant by “context” in ACT
- Explain what is meant by “function” in ACT
- Explain the pragmatic truth criterion or “workability”
- Describe at least 2 challenges in identifying values
- Identify and employ at least 3 ACT in-session exercises
- Describe how self-compassion work can be integrated into the ACT model
- Describe at least one consideration in adapting ACT to different cultural contexts
- Practice moving fluently between ACT processes
Instructor Bios:
Miranda Morris, PhD is a psychologist and Peer Reviewed ACT Trainer who trains internationally in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), and related approaches. A Fellow and Past President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), she remains an active member of both the broader ACBS community and its Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Miranda is Co-founder of True North Therapy & Training, a practice dedicated to bringing contextual behavioral therapies to clients, practitioners, and the broader community through evidence-based psychotherapy, professional training, and consultation. She is also Co-founder and Facilitator of Perspective(s) Psychedelic Training Retreats, which offers ACT-informed psychedelic preparation, guidance, and integration training for clinicians, and of Women Summit LLC, an ACT-informed retreat program for women allied health professionals focused on fostering connection and meaningful living.
Temple Morris, LCSW-C, is a clinical social worker based in Bethesda, MD, specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration therapy (HRIT). She is a co-founder and therapist at True North Therapy & Training who provides supervision in ACT and has conducted numerous ACT workshops worldwide. In addition, Temple is MAPS-trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy and serves as a consultant therapist and clinical investigator at Sunstone Therapies in Rockville, MD, where she works on multiple psychedelic-assisted therapy trials. She is a co-founder and trainer at Perspective Retreats, which offers professional training retreats integrating ACT with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Erin Pressman, LCSW-C, LICSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker and board-certified supervisor who has specialized in ACT for children, teens, and families for over ten years. She is an AMI certified Montessori Elementary school teacher and her background spans bilingual education, theater, and yoga work with youth. Erin is actively involved in training for professionals, research projects using ACT for teens, the development of ACT based protocols, and ACT consultation for this population. She is a former Member at Large within the MAC- ACBS board. Erin is a Psychiatric Clinical Social Worker at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Developmental and Behavioral Health and works at True North Therapy and Training.
Kathryn Wood, LCPC, RDT, is a licensed clinical professional counselor and registered drama therapist specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and the intersection of talk therapy with creative, experiential techniques. She works with adults and emerging adults navigating life transitions, anxiety, depression, and questions of meaning, purpose, and connection, and is a kink/poly-affirming practitioner serving clients across the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum. Kathryn is licensed as a Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Maryland and is a Registered Drama Therapist with the North American Drama Therapy Association.
Kate McSpadden Leinweber, LCSW-C is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice at True North Therapy & Training. She treats a broad range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, and grief. She has extensive training and experience using various evidenced-based treatments, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). She primarily utilizes ACT as the groundwork for helping clients cultivate meaningful, values-based patterns of living.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Please email Miranda Morris at [email protected]
No commercial support was obtained for this CE program or for the instruction content that could be construed as a conflict of interest. No commercial support is being sought for an endorsement of any product (e.g., books, drugs, etc.).
After attending this training you will be able to:
- Identify and describe experiential avoidance
- Identify and describe cognitive fusion
- Explain psychological flexibility
- Identify and describe the 6 core processes of ACT
- Explain what is meant by “context” in ACT
- Explain what is meant by “function” in ACT
- Explain the pragmatic truth criterion or “workability”
- Describe at least 2 challenges in identifying values
- Identify and employ at least 3 ACT in-session exercises
- Describe how self-compassion work can be integrated into the ACT model
- Describe at least one consideration in adapting ACT to different cultural contexts
- Practice moving fluently between ACT processes
Event venue
The Journey Space - A Healing Arts Center, 6110 Oberlin Avenue, Glen Echo, United States
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