Workshop 22
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Steven Hayes, University of Nevada, USA
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is based on the idea 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. Buttressed by an extensive basic research program on a associated theory of language and cognition, Relational Frame Theory (RFT), ACT takes the view that trying to change difficult thoughts and feelings as a means of coping might can be relatively unhelpful, 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 to help clients cope with a wide variety of clinical problems, including depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, and even psychotic symptoms. The benefits are as important for the clinician as they are for clients. ACT has been shown empirically to quickly alleviate therapist burn-out.This one-day workshop will discuss and demonstrate ACT processes and techniques, particularly acceptance, cognitive defusion, and behavioral commitment strategies. A few data relevant to ACT and RFT will be described. The intention of the workshop is to provide clinicians with an introduction to ACT, a beginning set of skills, and with personal experiences that will direct further development of these skills. |
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Key Objectives: Attendees will learn, at an introductory level:
1) Why experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion underlie many if not most forms of psychopathology How to formulate clinical problems in terms of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion
2) The major processes and steps in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
3) How to quickly reduce the impact of negative thoughts
4) How to help clients get more into contact with their core values
5) How to apply these same methods to themselves and to the stressful impact of working with difficult clients. |
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| Training Modalities: Experiential; didactic; and role play methods will be used. The workshop is cast at an introductory level and does not assume prior knowledge of ACT. |
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| Steven C. Hayes is Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of twenty-eight books and more than 370 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. Dr. Hayes has been President of AABT, AAAPP, and Division 25 of APA; he was the first Secretary-Treasurer of APS. He has received awards from both APA and ABA for the applied importance of his basic science research. |
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References: 1) Hayes, S. C. and Smith, S. (2005). Get out of your mind and into your life: The new Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
2) Hayes, S. C. and Strosahl, K. D. (2004) (Eds.). A practical guide to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New York: Springer-Verlag.
3) Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K, and Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An experiential approach |
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