Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Basics: 6 Processes to Improve Therapeutic Outcomes

Clients come to therapy wanting to feel better, and it is easy to fall into the trap of trying chase relief with them. After all, traditional treatment approaches often center around symptom reduction as the primary aim. However, centering one's life around getting rid of discomfort can come at a high cost and prolong suffering.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a more nuanced and counterintuitive therapeutic framework. Whether it is a client with multiple diagnoses, or a client not fitting any particular DSM criteria, ACT aims to undermine the stance pain (challenging thoughts, feelings, memories, sensations) is abnormal or maladaptive. Accepting that which we cannot control and committing to behaviors that create meaningful lives are primary tenets of the ACT approach.

In this 2-hour continuing education webinar for therapists, Melissa Stringer, LPC and Diana Garcia, LMHC will begin by introducing the concept of psychological flexibility and provide the rationale for this being the goal of ACT. They will also briefly discuss the foundation of ACT, including its theoretical and philosophical underpinnings. The bulk of the presentation will be spent taking a deep dive into the six core processes of ACT, using clinically applicable metaphors, tools, and experiential exercises for a richer learning experience.

This introductory continuing education webinar is designed to help mental health professionals:

1. Define the underlying aim of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
2. Describe how ACT conceptualizes problems presented by therapy clients.
3. Name the underlying theory ACT is based upon.
4. Explain the role of functional contextualism within the ACT model.
5. Identify six core processes of ACT and implement one to two tools per process.

Statement of program material's accuracy, utility, and risks: This program introduces the core principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This program is intended for the mental health professional looking to understand the basics of ACT and relevant tools to apply in their clinical work. No prior knowledge of ACT is needed to attend this introductory training. Sources are cited throughout the presentation, and knowledge is adapted from the various source materials on ACT. ACT applies to a wide array of populations, and each individual should use their clinical judgment when applying the concepts and principles presented. As always, misapplication of the concepts with various populations could lead to unintended outcomes.

Declaration of conflicts of interest and commercial support: No commercial support was obtained for this CE program or the instruction content that could be construed as a conflict of interest. No commercial support is being sought to endorse any product (e.g., books, programs, etc.).

If you have any questions or would like information regarding disability accommodations, please contact us here.

Continuing Education (CE) Information

2 CE contact hours will be provided by GoodTherapy for attending this web conference in its entirety. To receive CE credit hours for an archived recording, you will need to complete a survey as well as a 15-question exam, verifying that you listened to or watched the event in its entirety. Archived CE events are generally considered "homestudy" by licensing boards.

GoodTherapy is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEPTM) and may offer NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements.

GoodTherapy.org, provider #1352, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. GoodTherapy.org maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 3/30/2022 – 3/30/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 2 continuing education credits.

GoodTherapy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. GoodTherapy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

GoodTherapy, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0395. GoodTherapy, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0022 and for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0031.

To receive CE credit hours for an archived event, you will need to complete a survey as well as a 12 or 15-question exam, verifying that you listened to or watched the event in its entirety. Archived CE events generally are considered "homestudy" by licensing boards.

Registration Information

Premium and Pro Membership with GoodTherapy includes access to this web conference at no additional cost, as well as other member benefits such as a profile listing in GoodTherapy's Therapist Directory. Not yet a member? Sign up for a Premium or Pro Membership, here.

Just want CE credits? Sign up for a monthly or annual CE Subscription with GoodTherapy to get unlimited access to our CE Program, including this event, other live CE web conferences, and hundreds of hours of homestudy courses.

Mental health professionals who are not members can attend this live web conference for $30.95 or access the homestudy recording for $15.50. Sign up here to purchase this CE course and earn a CE certificate.

If the event is canceled by GoodTherapy, registrants who purchased the event will be notified and the charge for the event will be refunded

If you have any questions or would like information regarding disability accommodations, please contact us.

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