Introductory ACT Workshop (introductory/intermediate)- Steve Hayes
Steve HayesIntroductory ACT Workshop
Registration is now closed.
Workshop Leader: Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada
Dates & Location: May 26 & 27, 2008, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago).
Workshop Description:
Difficult clients tend to be both harder to treat successfully, and to be emotionally difficult for therapists, resulting in higher levels of stress and burn-out. These clients are generally more complex and chronic, and they often been through the therapy mill. Because of the growing popularity of empirically supported methods, difficult clients may have already had courses of more traditional empirical treatments (e.g., various forms of cognitive behavior therapy) and are unlikely to be moved by another attempt within the same model. Something else is needed that is empirically based, that provides relief for clinicians, and that allows for a new, more powerful approach to difficult cases. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is such an approach. The core conception of ACT is that psychological suffering is usually caused by experiential avoidance, cognitive entanglement, and the resulting failure to take needed behavioral steps in accord with core values. According to this view, trying to change difficult thoughts and feelings as a means of coping might can be counter productive, but new, powerful alternatives are available, including acceptance, mindfulness, cognitive defusion, values, and committed action.
ACT teaches clients and therapists alike how to alter the way difficult private experiences function mentally rather than having to eliminate them from occurring at all. This empowering message has been shown empirically to help clients cope with a wide variety of clinical problems, including depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, and even psychotic symptoms. Research has shown that these methods are as beneficial for the clinician as they are for clients, quickly alleviating therapist burn-out.
This two-day workshop will discuss and demonstrate ACT techniques, particularly acceptance, cognitive defusion, and behavioral commitment strategies. While the procedures are broadly useful, the workshop will focus in particular on issues of multi-problem patients. Data supportive of this approach will be discussed. The workshop will at times be experiential, not merely didactic. The intention of the workshop is to provide clinicians with a workable set of ACT skills, and with personal experiences that will allow further development of these skills based on their application with difficult clients.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will learn:
1. Why experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion underlie most forms of psychopathology
2. How modern research in human language and cognition is revealing a key source of human suffering
3. How to formulate cases in terms of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion
4. The major steps in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
5. How to foster psychological acceptance
6. How to quickly reduce the impact of negative thoughts
7. How to mobilize and make use of the spiritual side of clients
8. How to help clients get more into contact with their core values
9. How to build larger patterns of committed action
10. How to apply these same methods to the stressful impact of working with difficult clients
Target Audience: Beginners and above.
- Printer-friendly version
- Login or register to post comments
User login
Upcoming Community Events
- Introductiecursus ACT in Blooming te Bergen (Noord Holland)(Event)(15 days)
- Introductory Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Workshop(Event)(15 days)
- ACT Practical Skills Development Sessions with Mary Sawyer(Event)(20 days)
- ACT Core Skills and Competencies Workshop: Utilizing Acceptance and Mindfulness in Your Practice(Event)(23 days)
- Ciclo Formativo sull'ACT: Workshop introduttivo Teorico ed Esperienziale all'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (due giornate)(Event)(28 days)
- Openings for ACT Supervisor Consultation Group - Robyn Walser, Ph.D., September 19, 2:00 EASTERN(Event)(29 days)
- Two-day Introductory Experiential ACT Workshop with Russ Harris in Boulder, Colorado September 28, 29 2008(Event)(38 days)
- Introductiecursus ACT in Blooming te Bergen (NH)(Event)(43 days)
- ACT 3-day workshop w/Kelly Wilson; Bath, UK(Event)(43 days)
- ACT in Italy: Kelly Wilson due giornate di Workshop a Milano(Event)(47 days)
- Kelly Wilson 3 days in France (Aix-Les-Bains)(Event)(49 days)
- ACT Core Skills and Competencies Workshop: Values-Directed Behavior Change(Event)(51 days)
- Using Mindfulness & Acceptance to Create a Powerful Therapeutic Relationship - Tempe, AZ, Steve Hayes(Event)(64 days)
- Portland, Maine: Introduction to ACT by Joel Guarna & Elizabeth Kubik(Event)(64 days)
- L'émergence de la 3e vague en thérapie cognitive et comportementale:Implications théoriques et pratiques- F. Dionne PhD-Montreal(Event)(72 days)
- ACT Core Skills and Competencies Workshop: Case Conceptualization in ACT with Application to Difficult Clients(Event)(79 days)
- ACT introductiecursus Amersfoort/Utrecht - Netherlands(Event)(92 days)
- Brief Therapy Conference - San Diego(Event)(112 days)
- ACT introductiecursus Utrecht - Netherlands(Event)(281 days)
