Don't just think your clients are getting better. See them getting better.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on processes, not problems, resulting in changes so profound you’ll know you’re helping clients live rich, rewarding lives.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) full-heartedly embraces a strange contradiction: We want to help our clients change, and yet have you noticed that the most powerful change often involves the simple act of acceptance of who we are! Unlike CBT which focuses on helping a client modify irrational or unhelpful thoughts, the underlying philosophy of ACT is that trying to change or fix ourselves often exacerbates our symptoms.
With this course you'll learn how to...
- Get “stuck” clients moving forward with mindfulness exercises, metaphors and strategic interventions
- Cultivate meaningful connections with all your clients, even the ones who don’t want to be there
- Target and reshape the cognitive processes that are at the heart of your clients’ struggles
- Align clients with their values using evidence-based techniques that foster meaningful growth and change
- Facilitate in-session experiential learning proven to help both you and your clients live rich, fulfilling lives
Course Curriculum
Steven Hayes, PhD, founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), will guide you through the core processes and principles used in this evidence-based approach.
Hayes first works with Jerry, a man suffering from significant social anxiety who has very little access to his emotions. You'll then get to watch other leading ACT therapists demonstrate techniques and interventions with a variety of clients. Offering commentary throughout, Hayes discusses the key concepts of ACT as they unfold moment-by-moment in these moving therapy sessions.
Working with a client who struggles with intense social anxiety, Hayes demonstrates the principle of accepting what we cannot control and living in accordance with our deepest values. However, there's also a risk of failing too quickly: see what happens in "pseudo-acceptance"! With Hayes's insightful commentary, you'll learn to identify the signs and manage this pitfall with your own clients.
Hayes also introduces us to the classic principle of cognitive defusion, and demonstrates how to help your clients detach from their thoughts and engage more deeply in therapy.
Hayes and master ACT clinician Rainer Sonntag demonstrate a variety of cognitive defusion techniques that you can easily integrate into your clinical practice.
You'll see here, for instance, how key ACT interventions such as "The Hand Letter", separating words from their meanings to create some space between thoughts and emotions. You'll also learn about "physicalizing" thoughts—giving them objective form and definition so that clients can view them differently.
Synthesizing both mindfulness and cognitive behavioral techniques, cognitive defusion is a therapeutic tool that every therapist should have in their toolkit and will help your clients move from depression and anxiety to hope.
Get an in-depth look at core mindfulness techniques that should be in every therapist's repertoire. Hayes demonstrates "eyes-closed" exercises and other in-session methods for helping clients slow down and connect with themselves so that they can engage more deeply in therapy.
You'll also see ACT co-founder Kelly Wilson conduct a powerful piece of clinical supervision with a struggling therapist, seeking support for her work with a hostile, resistant client. Wilson introduces sacred techniques to help the therapist manage her anxiety and engage more deeply with the fear and loneliness behind her client's hostility.
Learn how to start putting ACT's powerful interventions together to help your clients overcome conflict with their most deeply held values and beliefs and uncover the link between values and emotional pain.
You'll see how the ACT model is applied in working with chronic pain patients in sessions with a teenager and an adult, each of whom struggle with severe daily pain. And in an impromptu session with a depressed young mother, master ACT therapist Rainer Sonntag quickly and deftly helps her define her values as a parent and set goals for herself.
Discover how to integrate various ACT processes into actual treatment scenarios and how therapists of every orientation can use the ACT model in a variety of contexts.
We first meet a mother having trouble letting go of her adult children. Then, Maggie, an ACT therapist, helps the client conduct a "funeral" utilizing a chair work model of ACT. Lastly, Hayes conducts a session with a man diagnosed with OCD, beginning with a detailed explanation of how exposure is integrated into ACT.
ACT founder Dr. Steven Hayes is joined by group therapy trailblazer and bestselling author Irvin Yalom for a special discussion. This webinar replay will show you how to use the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model to help your clients thrive.
Who should takes the course
This course is designed for mental health professionals who want to deepen their therapeutic impact and master the full Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) model through real clinical demonstrations and expert guidance from ACT founder Steven C. Hayes.
It’s perfect for:
- Psychotherapists & Counselors
Who want practical, moment-to-moment interventions they can apply immediately to help clients break through avoidance, anxiety, and emotional rigidity.
- Clinical Psychologists & Therapists
Looking to strengthen their ACT skills with real client sessions instead of just reading theory or protocols.
- Social Workers & Mental Health Clinicians
Who need a structured yet flexible, experiential approach to help clients gain psychological flexibility and live by their values.
- Psychiatric Nurses & Behavioral Health Practitioners
Who want evidence-based tools to improve patient engagement and reduce treatment resistance.
- Coaches, Wellness Practitioners & Mindfulness Instructors
Who want to integrate ACT’s powerful mindfulness, values, and defusion tools into their sessions.
- Therapists Working With
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
OCD
Panic disorder
Chronic pain
Avoidance & emotional rigidity
Identity struggles
Parenting or relationship issues
- Professionals Who Feel “Stuck” With Certain Clients
If clients repeat the same patterns, avoid emotions, or stay disconnected from their values — this course gives you the exact process to move therapy forward.
- Anyone Who Wants to Learn ACT From the Original Source
If you want the highest-quality ACT training available, taught by the creator himself, this is the most comprehensive program to build real clinical competence.
Meet Steven C. Hayes, Founder of ACT
Steven C. Hayes, PhD is Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. He is the founder of the ACT model, and author of 35 books and over 500 scientific articles. Hayes has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the field, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
What you get in this course
- Over 12 hours of videos featuring ACT founder, Steven Hayes conducting clinical sessions
- Thorough behind-the-scenes commentary to provide insight into ACT’s therapeutic interventions
- Supplemental skill building activities to practice some core skills demonstrated in the videos
- Written transcript of all videos
- Instant access to all course materials
10 reviews for ACT in Action: 6-Video Series