Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

I noticed that it has been some time since I posted to my blog. I guess I'm not much of a blogger. I don't know if anyone is interested in what ACT things I am up to, but if you are, here goes.

My workshop schedule 2008-2009 academic year

EABCT in Helsinke Sept 10-13
Counseling Skills conference Vegas Oct 2
Mindfulness Conference Vegas Oct 6
Summit for Clinical Excellence in Tempe Oct 24-25
Nov 3 - 4 Vancouver ACT workshop
ABCT Nov 13-16
Oregon Psychological Assn Dec 5
Brief Therapy conference Dec 11-14 in San Diego
Workshop in Aarhus Denmark Dec 4 - 5
Talk at the Karolinska Dec 5 or 6
March 10 PESI conference talk in Las Vegas
March 25-26 Talk and workshop at Yale
March 27 - Talk and brief workshop at McGill Univ.
April 2 San Diego mindfulness conference talk

I have been thinking about the applicability of ACT concepts to what has traditionally been called “counter transference issues. I wonder if sometimes we as therapists can become fused with the client’s fusion – accepting the emotions the client presents as realities rather than being aware that we are aware of the client, who is having the emotion, and aware of ourselves being aware of the clients.

A small group of therapists in Ann Arbor, Michigan are starting an ACT study group using the Learning ACT book. Contact Lauren Ungar laurenungar@yahoo.com or Diane McCarthy diane_mccarthy@sbcglobal.net for more information

ACT in New England List
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Mailing #4: August 8, 2008
Contents:
1. Welcome
2. ACT Trainings in New England
3. Online Trainings & Distance Learning
4. Online Audio Programs
5. Other Trainings
6. Next annual ACT/RFT event

Posting is attached

"Wherever progress is measured in terms of technology and not in terms of right understanding, the perfecting of the machine rather than of man will be the guiding ideal." - W.Y. Evans-Wentz

This is a handout I developed to introduce clients to self-as-context vis-a-vis the bus metaphor. It works nicely so far, and functions partly to increase willingness of folks to participate in "the bus" as an experiential exercise in group therapy or "taking your mind for a walk" type of stuff in individual sessions.

Feel free to use this in your own work. While no idea is truly original, and the content of the handout is of course borrowed, I will take credit for doing this drawing in microsoft paint, for what it's worth! :)

Hi everybody, I wanted to let you know of the existence of the Babuschka. It’s a tool that can be used in ACT. Vince Vijsma (artist/designer) and I have developed it to support the therapy process. The Babuschka can support the application of ACT principles and interventions. It can be used to physically embody ACT concepts. Each therapist can use the Babuschka according to what fits them and their client best.

In the attachment you can see some photos.
I would love to hear reactions.
What follows are examples of ways the Babuschka can be used within ACT:

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Mailing #3: June 23, 2008

Contents:
1. Welcome
2. ACT Trainings in New England
3. Online Trainings & Distance Learning
4. Other Trainings
5. Reflections on the ACT/RFT Summer Institute in Chicago
6. Next annual ACT/RFT event.

Addendum: Resources for attendees at the June 20 training in Portland.
(…and anyone else who wants them!)

(Posting is attached.)

For latest news and upcoming events check out my homepage at:www.joannedahl.com

Hi all, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm a clinical psychologist
in New York City, always looking for others who are close by to
talk to about ACT. I just attended the Chicago conference, and loved it. I'm ACTing out all over the place. And thinking of ways that I can
begin to consult with organizations here in the city using ACT. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rob
drrobh@hotmail.com

I recently tried out a new way of training ACT, specifically for the New England Vet Center Counselors in Mystic, CT. They gave it some rave reviews. Based on feedback I have included more practice for the trainees.

After the basic introductions, CEU stuff, etc. I explain that I am going to demonstrate how I go about Setting Up the Therapeutic Context for ACT (The Set Up for short). I then do that demonstration. It includes Informed Consent, the iView and the Life Manual.

Hello,

I am new to this group.

Wondering if anyone would provide a glossary of ACT terminology so that I do not have to reinvent the wheel. I am introducing ACT to a class in the Holistic Spirituality Graduate program at Chestnut Hill College on Thursday Night. The course is the Spriituality and Psychology of Relationships. ACT would be an excellent overlay to the course.

Please help with a termonolgy handout if you are able.

Thanks so much.

Sharon White, SSJ, D.Min, LCSW

Adjunct Professor

Chestnt Hill College

Here are my slides for ACT SI 4: The slides for the two plenaries and the workshop. The workshop slides are similar to other recent workshops ... but I promised I would post them.

- S

I had an exciting week at Togus and traveling to train Vet Center therapist in Mystic, CT. I noticed some things and wrote them up. They are attached.

Cheers!

Kevin

Hi all -- Below you will find a copy of the powerpoint slides from the London ON workshop. Please feel free to review and use them. All I ask is that you not use or reproduce the content of these slides for personal gain, financial or otherwise. I give these to you freely to help you and those with whom you have contact learn ACT. The slides are a product of many long hours of tweaking. And, many of the slides contain image content that is appropriate for presentation and discussion, but not for reproduction because of copyright restrictions. I hope you understand.

Peace -john

Attached are some new instructions. The main thing is that there is now only one client; the group thing just did not work out for us. (A group of therapists tends to create a client that is beyond help.) It's faster to just have someone quickly role-play a TYPICAL client, i.e., not the worst human being you can imagine.

For folks new to ACT it can be good the help the therapist group come up with flexible, ACT-like things to say into the context.

And always...Carefully attend to all the client is saying and doing while keeping the Target in mind.

Just to let folks know, I am going to update this blog as Jerold and I gain experience in using The ACT Game as a training tool. I will try to give you a taste of how we come up with an idea, try it out, get feedback, modify, and then try it again. That is the process we used to create the Togus Protocol...

So after discussing our Chicago experience with our grad students, post doc and Benji (visiting from France), we updated the suggested ACT Game instructions:

By popular request, some instructions to get started playing "The ACT Game" are attached.

Attached is outline for the Togus PTSD IOP protocol.

The actView was designed by Kevin Polk, Ph.D. and Jerold Hambright, Ph.D. as a training aid for ACT therapists.

It is used for case conceptualization and can easily be played as a game during ACT training.

If you have questions, contact Kevin Polk, Ph.D. at polkkev@gmail.com.

Kevin

6/10/08: I just fixed the iView instructions. Now you can move to struggle with suffering or move toward values. Before I had left out the word "struggle."

In recent months Dr. Hambright and I have come to realize the importance of what we call "The Set Up." With The Set Up we are establishing the parameters of the ACT therapy context shown in the "actView." Attached you will find three files, including the iView, Life Manual, and iView and Life Manual instructions.

It was time to make a decision and he wanted to make the right one, so he had got ready everything carefully. He sat in the lotus position, in the most orthodox way, took a deep inhalation and tried to get the emptiness in his mind for he wanted to be ready for any intuition, ready for any light showing him the exit for the labyrinth of his life.

- I am open to the will of “my god” –he said as a mantra- I am ready to face my life according to my god’s will...

It was time to make a decision and he wanted to make the right one, so he had got ready everything carefully. He sat in the lotus position, in the most orthodox way, took a deep inhalation and tried to get the emptiness in his mind for he wanted to be ready for any intuition, ready for any light showing him the exit for the labyrinth of his life.

- I am open to the will of “my god” –he said as a mantra- I am ready to face my life according to my god’s will...

Era una decisión crucial y no quería equivocarse por eso había preparado todos los elementos con tanto cuidado. Entrecruzó las piernas y se sentó sobre los talones en la postura más ortodoxa de meditación. Inspiró con suavidad y, mientras exhalaba el aire, procuró hacer el vacío en su mente. Quería mantenerse abierto a cualquier intuición, a la luz que pudiera mostrarle con claridad la salida de su encrucijada vital.

- Me abro a la voluntad de mi dios –empezó a repetir como un mantra-. Quiero orientar mi vida según la voluntad de mi dios.

Another issue of Functionally Speaking has been posted at http://djmoran.podbean.com/

Chad Drake introduces you to the I.R.A.P, and Aki Masuda talks about stigma research and making ACT go international!

Have fun,

DJ Moran

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ACT in New England List
Mailing #2: 4/20/08
Contents:
1. Welcome
2. ACT Trainings in New England
3. Other Trainings
4. Summer Institute in Chicago
5. Other cool ACT stuff

Okay, so translating the text file to an email and now to this format is getting a bit tiresome. Instead, please find the Second Message from April 2008 as an attachment below this posting.

Living beyond your pain have been translated to swedish by Leva Nu publications and will be released in september 2008.

JoAnne Dahl and I will conduct two ACT ws in Uppsala fall 2008. See attached file for more information.

Je lis l'article de JOHN T. BLACKLEDGE : DISRUPTING VERBAL PROCESSES: COGNITIVE DEFUSION IN ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY AND OTHER MINDFULNESS-BASEDPSYCHOTHERAPIES.

Il aborde la question de la fonction des stimuli et de la transformation de cette fonction par le conditionnement répondant, opérant qui sont liés aux contingences directes affectant l'organisme (ce que Hayes et al. appellent l'expérience ?) et la transformation de la fonction de stimuli liée aux processus verbaux.