- The Story of Language & Why We Suffer with It
- Language as a double-edged sword
- Goal: Psychological flexibility
- Limitations of the research & potential risks
Module Two — Components of the ACT Model
- Acceptance: Foster Client Acceptance of Emotions to Increase Values-Based Action
- What should be accepted?
- The problem with controlling thoughts
- Spot common phrases of non-acceptance
- Experiential avoidance
- How to help clients understand acceptance
- Experiential Exercise: The finger trap
- Defusion: Change the Way Clients Interact with Their Thoughts
- Undermine unhelpful language processes
- Give clients skills to notice their thoughts
- How to decrease the influence of unhelpful thoughts
- Aid clients in changing the functions of their thoughts
- Experiential Exercise: Notice and diminish the impact of language
- Self-As-Context: Aid Clients in Establishing Their Identities
- The three different versions of the self
- How to describe the "observer self" to clients
- How to distance the self from thoughts & emotions
- The chessboard metaphor
- Experiential Exercise: "I am" exercise
- Contact with the Present Moment: Strategies to Build Attention to the Here & Now
- How language affects mindfulness
- Looking at mindfulness from a behavioural science perspective
- ThoughtFit exercises
- How do we teach clients to be mindful?
- Obstacles to teaching mindfulness
- Experiential Exercise: Mindfulness meditation
- Values: Aid Clients in Deciding What Gives Live Meaning
- What are values?
- How to help clients author their values
- Values vs. goals
- When clients are "stuck"
- Values assessment
- Batteries exercise
- Epitaph exercise
- Committed Action: Assist Clients in Behaving in the Service of Chosen Values
- Assuming persistent inaction, impulsivity, or avoidance
- Exposure & ritual prevention strategies
- Incorporating other evidence-based approaches
- The Mindful Action Plan
Module Three — ACT in Action
- PTSD
- Function of trauma symptoms
- Experiential avoidance in PTSD
- Increase psychological safety
- Dominating concepts of the past & future
- Trauma-informed mindfulness exercises
- Anxiety
- Client avoidance & escape strategies
- Assessment tools
- Address reason-giving as a barrier
- Strategies to increase willingness
- Anxiety Detector exercise
- Depression
- Values contradiction
- How experiential avoidance impacts depression
- Fusion to the damaged conceptualized self
- Behavioural activation strategies
- Personality Disorders
- Coping strategies
- Increase emotional tolerance
- Target the client's story
- Experiential avoidance from the therapist