Training Standards

The ACBS Training Committee has developed a set of training standards and procedures which were unanimously accepted by the board in July, 2007. These are attached. (The application to be a listed as a Recognized ACT Trainer is under revision and will be available in early April 2008.)

The committee to put these recommendations into place is now formed and Chaired by Kelly Koerner, Ph.D.

Please submit your application to be listed as an ACT Trainer in electronic format (pdf or doc) using the attached "For Applicants on the Website" document below as a template.

Please submit your completed application to the Executive Director at doact@nvbell.net or via the "contact us" link at the top of this website.

If you submit video of your training along with your electronically submitted application, you may mail it to:

ACBS
933 Gear St.
Reno, NV 89503
USA

Brigham Young University - Predoctoral Internships in Professional Psychology

For the 2005-2006 academic year, the Counseling and Career Center (CCC) at Brigham Young University (BYU) offers four full-time, 12 month internships for doctoral-level graduate students in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. The internships for the school year begin August 22, 2005. Each position carries a stipend of $25,500 and includes all benefits accorded full-time University personnel (vacation and sick leave, holidays; medical, dental, and life insurance; library privileges; bookstore discount; and discounted tickets to University events). The CCC Psychology Internship, which began in 1989, is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. The program provides supervised training experiences in a full range of psychological services. Interns function as colleagues of the professional faculty and staff and participate in all services and staff development activities of the Center.

One of the supervisors, Kirk Dougher, is very active in teaching people the process of using acceptance in their theory and practice. Full info on the internships can be found at www.byu.edu/ccc/apa/.

Kirk Dougher can also be contacted for information about the supervision and the primary applications in the rotations.

Kirk Dougher, BYU, 1500 WSC, Provo, Utah 84602

1-801-422-3035 phone

kirk_dougher@byu.edu

Brown Medical School, Providence, RI

The internship at Brown Medical School has 4 tracks--neuropsychology, behavioral medicine, adult, and child (general and pediatrics). Both the adult and the behavioral medicine tracks are "ACT friendly." I know less about the child tracks--others might add their input about the child rotations.

In the adult track, there is a women's partial program that trains in DBT, and interns familiar with ACT have mentioned that they gained a better understanding of ACT principles through this rotation. There are also some people familiar with ACT in the alcohol center at Butler Hospital and at the RIH inpatient rotation (mood disorders rotation).

In the behavioral medicine track, there is one rotation (RIH behavioral medicine track--anxiety and sleep disorders) that is very ACT friendly. Both of the Miriam rotations (A and B) are also open to ACT and mindfulness concepts (chronic pain, weight management, smoking cessation).

Overall, the internship is hospital-based, and 4 hrs/week are reserved for research. You are required to submit at least one research project by the end of the year. Keep those details in mind when applying to make sure it's a good fit aside from the ACT friendly rotations.

Brown Medical School, Providence, RI

The internship at Brown Medical School has 4 tracks--neuropsychology, behavioral medicine, adult, and child (general and pediatrics). Both the adult and the behavioral medicine tracks are "ACT friendly." I know less about the child tracks--others might add their input about the child rotations.

In the adult track, there is a women's partial program that trains in DBT, and interns familiar with ACT have mentioned that they gained a better understanding of ACT principles through this rotation. There are also some people familiar with ACT in the alcohol center at Butler Hospital and at the RIH inpatient rotation (mood disorders rotation).

In the behavioral medicine track, there is one rotation (RIH behavioral medicine track--anxiety and sleep disorders) that is very ACT friendly. Both of the Miriam rotations (A and B) are also open to ACT and mindfulness concepts (chronic pain, weight management, smoking cessation).

Overall, the internship is hospital-based, and 4 hrs/week are reserved for research. You are required to submit at least one research project by the end of the year. Keep those details in mind when applying to make sure it's a good fit aside from the ACT friendly rotations.

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System - Predoctoral Internship

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) is a two division, consolidated, medical center with medical, surgical, psychiatric, and rehabilitation units, plus nursing home facilities. This VA Medical Center includes every major VA program and was commended by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as being "Outstanding" at their last accreditation review. The CAVHS Psychology Internship has been fully accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1979. The Psychology Internship program provides three training tracks: General, Behavioral Health, and Neuropsychology.

The “Outpatient PTSD” rotation offers interested interns an opportunity to learn and practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Training opportunities include co-facilitating group psychotherapy sessions, conducting individual therapy sessions, performing functional analytic/case conceptualization interviews, participating in a weekly experiential group for staff practicing ACT, doing supervised readings on Relational Frame Theory (RFT), the basic science underlying ACT, and individual/group supervision.

Interested interns are encouraged to contact Vincent Roca, primary supervisor for the Outpatient PTSD rotation, for additional information. Full info on the internship can be found at http://www.vamclr.org/psychology/

J. Vincent Roca, Ph.D.
PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Team Leader
501-257-3227
John.Roca@med.va.gov

Family Counseling Center: A Division of Trinity Services - - Chicagoland, IL

The Family Counseling Center is a division of Trinity Services, Inc, a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization providing a wide range of behavioral health programs, supports, and services for children and adults. The Family Counseling Center is a full-service community mental health network with several facilities in the metropolitan area of Chicago, Illinois.

Interns have the opportunity to help people exhibiting a wide variety of clinical concerns. Our didactic training experiences will consist of weekly group consultation sessions, a monthly journal club, guest lecturers, and specialized ‘clinic’ meetings focused on performing and researching empirically supported treatments for different disorders.

Supervision focuses on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and contextual-behavioral models of psychotherapy intervention, and we currently run weekly didactic training in ACT and DBT. An optional rotation in one of Trinity’s psychosocial rehabilitation units using mindfulness-based treatment for individuals with psychotic disorders is also available.

For more information, please visit our website:
(http://www.trinity-services.org/home.htm)

For inquiries, please contact D.J. Moran:
djmoran@trinity-services.org

Harbor- UCLA Medical Center - Post-Doc Fellowship

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP IN CBT AT HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center's Division of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry is accepting applications for it's APA-accredited one year postdoctoral fellowship in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. This training program is based in empirically validated treatments, including: Cognitive Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) with some exposure to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The program is designed to prepare fellows to make the transition to professional psychologists with expertise in empirically validated treatments with difficult to treat populations. The fellowship provides training in therapy as well as supervision, administration, consultation, teaching and research with real world populations. Fellows are actively involved in the training of practicum students, and have the opportunity to teach clinicians from a variety of disciplines who are re-specializing in CBT or DBT. Fellows also participate in program evaluations that often result in research and presentations at national and international conferences.

Requirements and Application:

Only Candidates from APA-accredited programs in clinical or counseling psychology including an APA-accredited predoctoral internship will be considered.

For more information and application instructions, please visit www.psychology.labiomed.org. This is a new position, so please read the description for Adult Psychiatry. The inpatient portion will no longer be required. Our website will be updated shortly.

Minneapolis VA Medical Center

The Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is an affiliated teaching facility that provides comprehensive inpatient primary, secondary and tertiary care, in medical, surgical, neurological, rehabilitative, and short-term psychiatric modalities, primary and specialized ambulatory care, and rehabilitative nursing home care. This medical center is one of eight in the VA system that house a Women Veterans Comprehensive Health Center, which provides clinical service, education, and research in primary care, preventive medicine, gynecology services, and sexual trauma intervention for female veterans. Psychologists in the department currently have more than $1,000,000 in merit-reviewed, multi-year research grants.

We offer a yearlong seminar in contemporary behavior therapies, with emphasis on DBT and ACT, including experiential workshops, weekly didactic seminar, and weekly small group supervision. We also have a weekly consultation group for DBT and ACT therapists. There are multiple ACT-fluent staff here.

Here is the link to our website:
http://www1.va.gov/minneapolis/education/psychology/psyc_home.html

For information regarding ACT training, contact:
John P. Billig, PhD, ABPP
email: john.billig@va.gov
phone: 612-725-2073

Palo Alto VA

We have an ACT friendly internship program here at Palo Alto VA with an opportunity to be trained in ACT and co-lead ACT groups.

I also run an ACT Mini-Rotation.

Purpose of Mini Rotation:

Many individuals suffering from mental health issues often actively work to avoid their personal experiences of emotion, thought and sensation. However, these very actions often result in loss and increased suffering. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behaviorally based intervention designed to address avoidance of internal events and the role that language plays in human suffering. The therapy specifically uses a number of verbal, experiential and homework interventions to help patients make experiential contact with previously avoided private events (thoughts, feelings, sensations), without excessive verbal involvement and control – and to make powerful life enhancing choices. ACT is a manual-based intervention that can be applied with a number of populations. The proposed mini-rotation will provide a combination of didactic and supervised clinical experience in the use of ACT with PTSD patients at the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD).

Structure of the Mini-Rotation:

Time Commitment: Trainees interested in the mini-rotation would agree to participate as a co-facilitator/trainee in group psychotherapy sessions. The group time-slots depend on the unit where the therapy is being conducted. All ACT groups are currently being held at the Menlo Park Division. Trainees would also be expected to attend a weekly, one-hour, individual or group supervision and read relevant materials. The time commitment is approximately 4 hours per week. The trainee needs to negotiate with the supervisors of his/her major rotations for the necessary time or do this rotation as an add-on above the basic 40 hours.

Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D.
National Center for PTSD
Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Mail Code PTSD 334 MPD
795 Willow Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
robyn.walser@med.va.gov
mirecc.stanford.edu
650-493-5000 ext. 22039

Togus VA (Togus, Maine)

The Clinical Psychology Training Program at the Togus, Maine VA currently offers ACT training in the PTSD and Primary Care rotations.

The Intensive Outpatient PTSD Program (IOP) is an intensive ACT training experience. ACT is presented to a cohort of veterans in a "workshop" format across 14 classes (groups) in five days. All aspects of ACT (Let Go, Show Up, and Get Moving) are experienced in the 14 sessions. Veterans who have graduated from a week-long cohort are offered unlimited follow-ups in the form of additional groups or individual "coaching" via the phone or in person. The program conducts 26 cohorts per year. The other 26 weeks are for assessment, individual sessions, research and program development. Interns and Residents become integral parts of the entire process.

Each morning the staff meet to talk about the current cohort, program development, Functional Contextualism, Relational Frame Theory and ACT. Plus we often are providing training to visiting clinicians.

The PTSD IOP strives to remain on the cutting edge of effective treatment for veterans struggling with trauma-related suffering. Interns and Residents will get a rich and moving educational experience in this dynamic and often entertaining process.

The IOP staff are Kevin Polk, Ph.D. and Jerold Hambright, Ph.D.

The IOP is engaged in ACT research and interns and postdoctoral residents become part of that process.

The Primary Cary Behavioral Health is and ACT rotation headed by John Agee, Ph.D. (a graduate Resident of the PTSD IOP). The rotation involves learning and implementing brief (as little as one session) psychological interventions based on ACT and other third wave therapies.

While the PTSD IOP is intense and dynamic, at the same time it is part of a laid back and friendly Togus Psychology Training program.

Contact Kevin Polk, Ph.D. at polkkev@gmail.com

University of Maryland School of Medicine / VA Maryland Health Care System Consortium

We have a large, APA-accredited internship program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine / VA Maryland Health Care System Consortium. At our consortium, there are actually several psychologists who could provide ACT supervision in the areas of PTSD, substance abuse (and the two problems concurrently), and an intern could thus spend a good portion of his/her training year honing ACT skills. In addition, we have a weekly ACT consultation group meeting where professionals of many disciplines come together to sort through issues of applying ACT to their clinical populations.

Contact Sonja Batten for details (svbatten@earthlink.net).

University of Texas Medical School at Houston

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science

In addition to broad-based training in inpatient and outpatient settings, interns can gain experience implementing ACT within the context of a NIH-funded treatment study targeting methadone detoxification. I am looking for ACT-trained interns who are interested in implementing the treatment protocol, training and supervising masters-level clinicians, and well as learning about clinical trial research.

Potential applicants are welcome to contact me, Angela Stotts, for further info:

Angela.L.Stotts@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-2720 phone

How to Start and Run a Peer Supervision Group - Julian McNally

Starting and Running ACT Peer Supervision Groups

The Who

Who are you going to invite? Who do you see as the natural constituency for this group? This will depend on the purpose (see ‘The Why’). You may have a focus on a specific clinical population, or you may have a group comprised simply of people in the same geographical area who can get to the meeting each week.

The other important person-focused issue though is whether to have a ‘closed’ or ‘open’ group. Open groups let new members come in at any time and attend for as little as one session or as many as they like. Closed groups run a bit more like a club, where the same people commit to attending regularly with only occasional intakes of new people. The main advantage of open groups is that there is continual ‘fresh blood’ as new people join, so it is less likely that the discussion will feel ‘stale’. The main advantages of the closed group are that levels of trust and safety are higher and this may lead to a greater sense of continuity in participants’ learning.

The Why

Decide your group's purpose and focus:
•    learning techniques
•    'troubleshooting' applications
•    debriefing from clinical work
•    learning to develop ACT interventions
•    applying ACT to specific clinical populations (e.g. eating disorders)
•    or in specific practice contexts (e.g. residential substance abuse)
•    overall ACT practitioner development

The Where: Have Your Premises Serve Your Purposes

The ideal ACT PSG venue has the following qualities. Think of these as ways of 'lowering resistance' to attendance. Since many people will be attending in unpaid time, possibly at the end of a hard day's work, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to arrive and as enjoyable as possible to stay.

• Located near public transport, cheap or free parking and cafes, restaurants or bars for after-group discussions.
• Easy to find. In a well-marked or prominent building or if you don't have access to such a building, at least provide a map and directions. Note that if you're posting details of your group here (ACBS web site) you can easily provide links to GoogleMaps or Mapquest maps. Go to their websites and enter the address and they will provide you with a map you can paste into documents, but also with links you can paste into your PSG description.
• The room. Large enough that fifteen people can talk among themselves comfortably, but small enough that three people won’t ‘rattle around’. Minimal room equipment is a whiteboard or blackboard, but even this can be foregone if your group doesn’t ‘do’ diagrams (Hexaflex etc.) or if you do them on large sheets of paper that everyone can see. Other handy things to have can be overhead or slide projectors and other such teaching paraphernalia and of course, the usual ACT ‘props’: Fingercuffs, rope for Tug Of War With A Monster, etc.

The How

There are books written on how to run PSGs (a good one is Brigid Proctor’s Group Supervision: A Guide To Creative Practice) and it might be a good idea to consult one before starting your group. Caution: the following reflects my opinion on our experience in Melbourne. It’s not the official ACT PSG system, rather just a way to set up and run a group.

A little history about our group first. The Melbourne ACT peer supervision group has run since Russ Harris first contacted interested practitioners in October 2004. Initially it was set up as an ‘interest group’. The problem we encountered with this label and purpose was that once you’ve shown you're interested then what? People attending in these early days tended to have one of the following two responses. Either they learnt a little information about ACT at these meetings and because they put it in the ‘that’s interesting, I might explore that more one day’ category stopped attending the meetings. Or they were enthused to start learning skills and applications of the approach immediately but became frustrated that there was no progression in knowledge and skill.

At one of our meetings Russ repeated Kirk Strosahl’s observation that workshops produce zealots, supervised practice produces practitioners. This prompted Russ to suggest that the group ‘morph’ into a peer supervision group which he led through 2005 and part of 2006. At this time I was able to secure a venue at RMIT University which gave us a home and consequently I started convening the group in June 2006.

At the end of this document is the format for supervision that we have used at the group since at least late 2006. From the feedback our members have given, this format has worked well, although for a small group (five or fewer members) two supervisors is probably overkill. We instituted this though at a time when our numbers were around 8-10 people regularly.

Rotating the supervisor and presenter roles through the group on a published roster maintains an egalitarian spirit and ensures everyone accesses similar learning experiences.

If you plan to use this format, then for the first few meetings it may be advisable to formally chair the meeting. This helps ensure people stay focused and adhere to the functions of their roles.

Tips and Challenges

•    How do I keep the number attending high?
This is the biggest challenge especially early on. Short answer: time in the game. The longer you run the group the more chance of word getting around. Don’t give up when numbers drop to two or three people. It helps if you have someone locally who is running ACT workshops as Russ did, but if you don’t have that, then ask visiting ACT trainers to publicize your group at their workshops. It goes without saying I hope that you would set up a page for your group here on the ACBS site.

•    Too many people are attending! What do I do now?
First tell me how you did it! Seriously the simplest answer, apart from get a bigger room is to split the group and run two groups. You may need to train someone to take over your role as leader for the other group.

•    People keep giving non-ACT suggestions. How do I keep this an ACT supervision group and not something else?
It’s natural for people to go to what they know when they don’t have an answer for the problem that the supervisee is presenting. Model and encourage a ‘non-expert’ stance frequently, for example by offering yourself as the first supervisee. Ask how the suggestion fits the ACT model. Suggest that we all sit with the not knowing for a while (this may actually be something the supervisee needs to do as anyway!)

•    Keep the case presentation section to under 20 minutes. Allow 30-50 minutes for case discussion. It should be easier to stick to these limits if you keep the discussion focused on answering questions such as those in the format below.

•    Choose a standardised case formulation protocol. Russ Harris provides a couple – brief and briefer – in his workshops and you can access these through his site, www.actmindfully.com.au. The ‘gold standard’ protocol, also the most comprehensive, is the one Jason Luoma developed, available here at www.contextualpsychology.org.

ACT Peer Supervision Group Guidelines – Melbourne ACT Supervision Group
•    One supervisee presenting the case, two supervisors providing guidance/supervision. The remainder of the group is to observe the supervision process and provide feedback to the supervisors.
•    Supervisee needs to have a specific question(s) to ask the supervisors. Examples of good questions might be:
“Is there an ACT process I’ve overlooked?”
“What would you do?”
“What does it sound to you that the client needs from me or from the treatment process?”
“What more do I need to find out from/about the client?”
•    Supervisors should aim to focus on core ACT therapeutic competencies.
•    Format is:

1.    Supervisee presents the case.
2.    Supervisee asks first supervisor for their guidance – relevant to the question the supervisee has about the case. Supervisor can ask questions about the client to clarify issues such as history, strengths, previous treatments, family background, etc. Supervision interventions can include demonstrations, role-plays, exercises for the whole group or the supervisee as well as questioning and explanation.
3.    Repeat for second supervisor
4.    Rest of group provide feedback to the supervisors on what they think the supervisors might have done differently, any ACT components missed or competencies not followed up on. NOT an opportunity to ‘re-interview’ the supervisee about the case. (This means supervisees need to get good at case presentation)
5.    The group should start the following session by following up with the supervisee to find out what ideas were tried or what was different in the subsequent session(s) with that client.

Case Formulation Questions
1.    What thoughts or feelings are fused and unworkable? (Fusion)
2.    What values is the client removed from? (Remoteness from values)
3.    What experiences such as emotions, thoughts, reminders, contexts and behaviours is the client avoiding or having difficulty accepting (Experiential avoidance or unwillingness)
4.    What is the client’s story about self? (Self as Content)
5.    What is the quality of the client’s presence? How do they absent themselves from life, engagement or connection? (Contact with the present moment)
6.    What does the client fail to start or fail to finish? Where does the client fail to or lose focus, or fail to engage in committed action? (Committed Action)

Feel free to comment below, on the ACT Listserve or directly to me (act [at]julianmcnally.com) with questions, reports of success or challenges you encounter in running a group.

Jason B. Luoma

One of my central career interests is in training other therapists in how to do ACT and researching the effectiveness of such training. Towards this end, I have given training workshops at the local, national, and international level. I have had the pleasure of co-leading several workshops with Steven Hayes, Ph.D. and have trained under him at the University of Nevada, Reno. For two years, I supervised a team of 9-15 clinical psychology graduate students who were learning ACT at the University of Nevada, Reno. I was the director of the First Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Summer Training Institute and was on the Program Committee for the Second Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Summer Training Institute. I am currently Director of Training for a large ACT grant that is training therapists nationwide through ACT workshops (Steve Hayes is the PI). You can find out more about me at www.drluoma.com/ACT.html

I also run a website called www.learningact.com which is linked to my book, Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills-Training Manual for Therapists (2007). The website has a discussion forum for those who are learning ACT and want to discuss how it is going and get feedback from like-minded individuals. www.learningact.com also has a blog where I post regular updates with information of interest to people interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

We have been running an ACT peer consultation group in the Portland, OR area since November, 2005. Any therapists who are interested in learning ACT are invited to attend. Just send me an email at email@drluoma.com if you are interested. Also contact me if you are interested in supervision or consultation on ACT.

I recently completed a study on phone consultation as one form of training of ACT therapists. As part of this study, I developed a protocol for phone consultation with professionals wanting to learn ACT. I provide supervision over the internet and phone and have also lead online workshops. If you would be interested in phone consultation on learning ACT, but are afraid you can't afford it, please call me and we can discuss it. I work on a sliding scale. The first consultation is free for anyone interested in learning ACT.

If you are interested in contracting me please email me at email@drluoma.com, or call me at (503) 260-8424.

Kevin Polk

Training based on the ACT Life Manual

Kevin Polk, Ph.D. Togus VA and Private Practice. I have been involved in training interns and post doctoral fellows for 17 years. Since September of 2005 I helped develop an quick/intensive form of ACT treatment and training utilizing the Life Manual*. My goal in ACT training is to quickly teach someone the core skills of ACT. We can accomplish the basic training in just a few phone calls. If you like ACT we will then work on developing your "ACT Stance." I have done several private workshops in the state of Maine. The ACT community was introduced to my therapy and training style in "ACT Gone Wild" at ACT Summer Institute III in Houston. So far in 2008 I will be doing training in the Netherlands and Israel. I regularly do phone consultation/training with individuals or groups.

I am currently working on two books based on this simple approach to ACT. One is with my colleagues with the running title ACT Training Made Simple. The other a self help book called Turning Stress Into Success.

*The Life Manual is a powerful tool for rapidly training someone in the basics of ACT.

Drop me a line to inquire about my rates and schedule polkkev@gmail.com

ACT Interest Group - Sheffield/ Yorkshire/ North Midlands, UK

An informal group formed in March 2006, meeting monthly in and around Yorkshire/Trent region, for health professionals, academics, students interested in ACT, mindfulness and other 'third wave' approaches. The general format is discussion of a paper/ book chapter and some time on the rehearsal and application of clinical skills. For dates see the 'Upcoming Events' section or(if dates not posted) contact joe.curran@sct.nhs.uk.

Melbourne, Australia - ACT Interest Group

Interest Group meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month from 6pm to 8pm. The agenda for each meeting – whether it be case consultation, theoretical discussion, practise of techniques, and/ or role plays – is usually decided on the night, but can be made in advance if there’s something important you want to focus on.

Location:
23-27 Cardigan St, Carlton: RMIT Building 94, Level 4, Room 47.

For further details including how to find the location and how to contact us, see the following webpage: http://julianmcnally.com/Content/act-interest-group/
Julian McNally

Portland, Oregon

We have successfully organized an ACT peer consultation group for professionals in the Portland, OR area. The group has been meeting about twice monthly since 11/4/05. Meetings are usually scheduled on the first and third Fridays of every month from 3:30-5:30pm.

Some sessions focus on particular topics, while others are open to consultation on ongoing cases using the ACT model.

Attendance is open to any therapist or student who are interested in learning ACT. Just send me an email at jbluoma@gmail.com if you are curious or want more informaton abut places and times (for more info see www.drluoma.com/profess.html).

Resources on how to run peer consultation/supervision groups

There are a couple resources I know that can provide guidance on how to run ACT peer consultation groups.

One is this article on running peer supervision groups by Julian McNally.

A second is that there is a section in the appendix of Learning ACT about running peer consultation groups.

Southern ACT - Baton Rouge/New Orleans, Louisiana

Our Baton Rouge/New Orleans peer group meets monthly. We self study, work out of the original text and Learning ACT, as well as share on other texts and applications. We are a very open group - open to members, open to learning, and open about accompanying clients on their journeys. We are based in Baton Rouge.

We sponser training opportunities and we support other peer groups - please email Patt Aptaker at pmaptaker@yahoo.com and at www.ACTcounselorsandcoaches.com or call her at (225) 929-9030 for more information on Southern ACT and peer group development.

Research/Clinical Postdoctoral Fellowship in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Portland, Oregon – Deadline: February 28th, 2008

The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC is offering a clinical/research fellowship in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), starting date negotiable. This is a unique one-year postdoctoral fellowship with possible opportunities for either a second year or transition to a permanent position. The fellowship is intended to be approximately equally split between research activities and clinical work/practice development.

We are a small clinic, research, and training center with two owner/employees (Jason Luoma www.drluoma.com and Jenna LeJeune www.portlandpsychology.com) and one contractor. We run three websites (including www.learningact.com) and Dr. Luoma is grant-funded researcher with contacts at local and national research centers. Drs. Luoma and LeJeune can provide specialty training in addictions, mood disorders, trauma, and eating disorders.

The ideal candidate will have clinical training in ACT, an interest in developing a grant-funded research career, and have demonstrated potential in both areas. The area of specialty within the framework of ACT is open. She/he will need to have an entrepreneurial mindset and openness to risk, in order to do well at this position. Ideally, we are looking for someone who is interested in helping us expand what our center has to offer and who may be interested in continuing this work after the fellowship year is over.

The fellow will learn the ins-and-outs of running a fee-for-service group practice, including marketing and financial operations. She/he will receive two hours per week of expert supervision in ACT, which is sufficient for licensure in Oregon. She/he will learn how to write competitive grant proposals and will participate in analyzing research data, conducting qualitative, single case, and quantitative research, and publishing papers. At least one grant proposal will be written during the year that relates to the fellow’s areas of interest. The fellow will also learn about the use of websites, web 2.0, and remote collaboration/videoconferencing technologies in marketing, training, and research. The fellow will accumulate a small clinical case load that can leave with him/her after the year, if desired.

This fellowship has a great deal of flexibility for the person who wants to build a career around their values and life goals, rather than finding a position that they can fit into. The position will only be filled if we find someone with the right fit. If you think that might be you, don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your interest. The details of the position are flexible.

By the way, Portland is a fantastic city that is often ranked as one of the most livable cities in America. We have a vibrant and growing community of ACT clinicians and researchers here.

Minimum requirements: Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. ABD is acceptable. Demonstrated interest in and experience with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or other behavior therapies. Demonstrated commitment to research (e.g., at least one peer reviewed empirical publication). Competence with computers and web 2.0 technologies is also desired. Minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Stipend will be $20,000, a small stipend for education/travel, plus additional income based on clients seen in the clinic (likely $10,000 or more depending upon the clients). Deadline for applications: February 28, 2008.
Email curriculum vitae, a brief statement about why you are interested in this position, and phone numbers to contact three references (no letters needed) to: Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Director, Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Portland, OR. E-mail: jbluoma@gmail.com.

Togus, Maine VA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Togus offers a one-year fellowship. At least 3/5 of the fellowship is spent in the ACT Lab at Togus Contact polkkev@gmail.com for more information.

ACT 2-day Training

Presented by Steve Hayes in Boston.

ACT Colloquium

Colloquium presented by Steve Hayes in 2005. Includes Ann Branstetter's data on psychological adjustment among cancer patients.

ACT for Anxiety- Kenneth Cole

Presented by Kenneth Cole, PhD, of the VA Long Beach Health Care System in April 2007

ACT for Anxiety-Gary Powell

Presented by Gary Powell, Trinity School Staff Twilight Talks Session,
6 February 2006

ACT for Chronic Pain

Presented by Laura Meyers, PhD, Minneapolis VAMC

ACT for PTSD

Two powerpoint presentations to psychology interns in Spring 2006 by Kevan McCutcheon, PhD, Center for Stress Recovery, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

ACT Gone Wild

The Togus, VA Intensive Outpatient Program's approach to ACT in groups is presented. It reviews a bit of the old four-week ACT program and then presents the new one-week program. Values work runs throughout the program. Diffusion from struggling with suffering moves across four themes. It also includes some short videos of Dr. Polk's colleagues, Dr.s Agee and Hambright, presenting a bit of the program.

Presented by Kevin Polk, Ph.D. at SI-3; Houston, TX, USA; July 2007

ACT State of the Evidence

Presented by Steve Hayes at ACT SI 2; Philadelphia, PA, USA 2005

ACT with Couples

This is a presentation called:

The Application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Couples in Distress

Presented by Casey Capps and Ragnar Storaasli

May 30th, 2006
ABA Atlanta

Powerpoint presentation attached below.

ACT with Depression

PowerPoint presented by Rob Zettle of Wichita State University at ACT SI-3; Houston, Texas, USA; July 2007.

ACT with Parents and Families

Presented by J.T. Blackledge, Ph.D. on enhancing parent training with ACT.

ACT:Model and Application

Presented by Steve Hayes at NIMH in 2005. Includes overview of ACT processes and outcome data.

Anxiety and Forgiveness

The two links below are to introductory ACT-based presentations on Forgiveness and Anxiety that I gave to staff and students at the UK school where I work.

Please feel free to use/amend/distribute them for non-commercial purposes. Thanks to the ACT artists and conceptualisers of the illustrations used therein.

http://www.cyberpauken.com/forgiveness.ppt

http://www.cyberpauken.com/Anxiety.ppt

Downloadable files below.

Gary

ContextaFlex: Connecting FC, RFT and the Hexaflex

A PowerPoint presentation to show beginners the importance of the underlying philosophy (functional contextualism) and theory (RFT) behind the practice of ACT.

Presented by:
Jerold Hambright, Ph.D., Kevin Polk, Ph.D., John Agee, Ph.D.
Veterans Affairs Hospital, Togus, Maine, USA

From Mechanism to Functionalism - or: What is Avoided in Emotional Avoidance?

PowerPoint presented by Rainer Sonntag of Olpe, Germany at WorldCon II; London, England; July 2006

Introduction to ACT- Charles Morse

Presented by:
Charles Morse, MA, LMHC,
Director of WPI Student Development & Counseling

Introduction to ACT-Joel Guarna

Intro to ACT Presentation to the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology, March 2005, by Joel Guarna and Steve Quinn (staff psychologists at the VA Boston).

Introduction to ACT-Julian McNally

The PowerPoint is an abbreviated form of Steve Hayes' presentation on the Hexaflex. The only original material is in the speaker's notes (under the slides and in the attached Word document) and I think the 'Chocolate' slide is original.
Julian McNally

Trans-Diagnostic Approach to Problems in Living

Presented by Kelly Wilson at Boystown.

What is this Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

Presented in Australia by Mary Sawyer.

Tips on how to add content to this section

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Suggestions on adding to the ACT Presentation Materials section:

(a) For the sake of keeping this organized, I would recommend using the option for "add child page" to this main page instead of adding as comment/reply. Child pages are listed in a nice list that is easy to read and access. Comments can get quite chaotic. Also, the "add child page" format allows others to make comments and give feedback that will stick to the appropriate page/presentation instead of getting jumbled to the point where you will not know which comments refer to which postings.

(b) Then, give your new page a short, descriptive title (e.g., "General ACT Talk, Boston 2005").

(c) Write whatever description/comments/requests for feedback that you want directly on the new child page.

(d) You can then either: (i) Provide a link to the location where the presentation/materials are located (on or off site) or (ii) Attach the actual presentation/materials at bottom (if you do this, be sure to mention "materials attached at bottom" as attachments are easy to miss with the format here). Personally, I would encourage folks to do (ii) for ease of downloading.

(e) Another option: Link from here to material in your blog. Even if you opt to leave your posted presentations in your personal blog, perhaps you could add a child page here, inform members you have stuff in your blog, and then link to it by adding the URL to your child page. For example, if Steve wanted to link us to presentations in his blog, he would (a) add a child page, (b) title it "Steve's Presentations," (c) Write: Hey gang, I have some presentations you can use in my blog. You can find them at... on the page, and then (d) provide the link on the next line: "http://www.contextualpsychology.org/en/blog/steven_hayes"
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ACT Summer Institute III

CE Credits now available!

ACT Summer Institute III (a.k.a. ACT SI 3) will be held July 16-20, 2007, (with pre-institute, 2-day intensive workshops July 14-15) in Houston, Texas at the University of Houston-Clear Lake Campus. Houston is a conveniently accessible and relatively inexpensive city offering plenty of opportunities for leisure to complement your learning. It may be a bit warm, but there is plenty of air conditioning to go around!

This five-day institute will provide a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge advances in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT), in addition to other third generation approaches in behavior therapy. Students, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers will benefit from this institute and find it an excellent opportunity to learn from the very top people involved in the development and advancement of ACT, RFT, and contextual behavioral approaches.

The basic structure will include experiential workshops the weekend before the institute, targeted half-day workshops in domains of specific ACT/RFT applications, and plenary sessions where all conference participants come together. There will be a wide range of topics and presenters, with areas of interest for everyone. In addition, there will be academic and social evening events during which you can get to know your friends and colleagues in the international ACT/RFT community on a more personal basis (for anyone who hasn't been to one of these events before - these are a LOT of fun!).

The structure of the program will be similar to previously successful ACT Institute, and will be both ACT and RFT focused. Based on previous feedback, however, the program will allow more time for socializing and networking, with longer breaks. In addition to 5 workshop tracks, we will also have research papers presented at the end of the lunch break. We will host an evening cocktail poster session as well, which is intended to showcase clinical and experimental research in RFT and ACT.

Location:
University of Houston- Clear Lake
2700 Bay Area Blvd.
Houston, TX, 77058
United States

Program:
We are planning 5 workshop tracks and research papers to be presented at the end of the long lunch break. A poster session will be held the evening of July 17th. Please click on Program- ACTSI3 at the bottom of this page for more detail.

The schedule will be much looser this year as compared to previous years. There will be more free time to interact with others. The schedule will be posted as soon as it is ready.

4 two-day pre-conference workshops (July 14-15, 2007) are scheduled with Sonja Batten, Robyn Walser, Kelly Wilson and Emily Sandoz, Niklas Törneke and Jason Luoma.

Registration:
Registration is now closed. Onsite registration is NOT available for the pre-conference workshops. Limited onsite registration will be available for the Summer Institute, July 16-20, due to limitations of the venue, catering, etc.

Accommodations:
Our conference hotel is the Hilton - Houston NASA Clear Lake. Information about special conference hotel rates and how to reserve your room is available here.

Sponsors:
University of Houston - Clear Lake, Clinical Psychology Program
Houston Psychological Association
Context Press
Nevada State Psychological Association (APA approved CE credit sponsor)

The Wonderful Folks Making It Happen:
The Co-directors of the Summer Institute are Katherine DeLaune, Dub Norwood, and Kelli Wright.
The Program Chair is Angie Stotts.

ACT Summer Institute IV

(2-day, pre-institute experiential workshops, May 26 & 27)

Location:
Illinois Institute of Technology
3300 South Federal Street
Hermann Hall/ Conference Center
Chicago, IL 60616-3793

Registration:
Register Now!
(you must be logged in to register, if you do not have a login, please create a new free account here)
View registration rates, and details.

CE Credits Available:
APA, LPC, Social Worker ... check here for details.

What is the ACT Summer Institute?:
This three-day institute will provide a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge advances in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT), in addition to other third generation approaches in behavior therapy. Students, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers will benefit from this institute and find it an excellent opportunity to learn from the very top people involved in the development and advancement of ACT, RFT, and contextual behavioral approaches.

The basic structure will include experiential workshops the 2 days prior to the institute, targeted half-day workshops in domains of specific ACT/RFT applications, and plenary sessions where all conference participants come together. There will be a wide range of topics and presenters, with areas of interest for everyone. In addition, there will be academic and social evening events during which you can get to know your friends and colleagues in the international ACT/RFT community on a more personal basis (for anyone who hasn't been to one of these events before - these are a LOT of fun!).

The structure of the program will be similar to previously successful ACT Institutes, and will be both ACT and RFT focused. We will have 7 workshop tracks running simultaneously during the Summer Institute. We will host an evening cocktail poster session as well, which is intended to showcase clinical and experimental research in RFT and ACT.

Program:
View the working program.

General Schedule of Events:
View the times & locations of ACT SI events.

Conference committee: Patricia Bach & D. J. Moran