Learning Act For Group Treatment

For many clients, group therapy is a more practical treatment option than one-on-one therapy sessions. The financial cost of group therapy is substantially less than individual therapy, and research shows it can be just as effective. However, group therapy also presents unique challenges, and is often more difficult to administer. That’s why professionals need a solid plan of action when using group therapy to treat clients. In recent years, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has gained immense popularity. Based in values, mindfulness, and committed action, this therapeutic model has proven successful in treating a number of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, stress, addictions, eating disorders, trauma, and relationship problems. However, despite the popularity of this modality, there are very limited resources available when it comes to applying ACT in a group setting. Learning ACT for Group Treatment is a comprehensive, powerful manual for clinicians, therapists, and counselors looking to implement ACT in group therapy with clients. A composite of stand-alone sessions, the book provides detailed explanations of each of the core ACT processes, printable worksheets, tips on group session formatting, and a wide range of activities that foster willingness, cooperation, and connection among participants. In the book, professionals will see how the benefits of ACT can actually be enhanced in a group setting, particularly because there are more participants for ACT exercises. This leads to increased accountability among clients, and allows them to play both an active role and the role of the observer during treatment. The book also includes concrete tips for applying ACT to a number of treatment scenarios, including inpatient group therapy, partial hospitalization programs, outpatient programs, and community self-help groups. With detailed exercises and group activities, this book has everything therapists need to start using ACT in group settings right away.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is among the most remarkable developments in contemporary psychotherapy. This second edition of the pioneering ACT skills-training manual for clinicians provides a comprehensive update—essential for both experienced practitioners and those new to using ACT and its applications. ACT is a proven-effective treatment for numerous mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, addictions, eating disorders, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and more. With important revisions based on new developments in contextual behavioral science, Learning ACT, Second Edition includes up-to-date exercises and references, as well as material on traditional, evidence-based behavioral techniques for use within the ACT framework. In this fully revised and updated edition of Learning ACT, you’ll find workbook-format exercises to help you understand and take advantage of ACT’s unique six process model—both as a tool for diagnosis and case conceptualization, and as a basis for structuring treatments for clients. You’ll also find up-to-the-minute information on process coaching, new experiential exercises, an increased focus on functional analysis, and downloadable extras that include role-played examples of the core ACT processes in action. By practicing the exercises in this workbook, you’ll learn how this powerful modality can improve clients’ psychological flexibility and help them to live better lives. Whether you’re a clinician looking for in-depth training and better treatment outcomes for individual clients, a student seeking a better understanding of this powerful modality, or anyone interested in contextual behavioral science, this second edition provides a comprehensive revision to an important ACT resource.

In this much-needed guide, a clinical psychologist and a social worker provide a flexible, ten-week protocol based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help adolescents overcome mental health hurdles and thrive. If you’re a clinician working with adolescents, you understand the challenges this population faces. But sometimes it can be difficult to establish connection in therapy. To help, ACT for Adolescents offers the first effective professional protocol for facilitating ACT with adolescents in individual therapy, along with modifications for a group setting. In this book, you’ll find invaluable strategies for connecting meaningfully with your client in session, while at the same time arriving quickly and safely to the clinical issues your client is facing. You’ll also find an overview of the core processes of ACT so you can introduce mindfulness into each session and help your client choose values-based action. Using the protocol outlined in this book, you’ll be able to help your client overcome a number of mental health challenges from depression and anxiety to eating disorders and trauma. If you work with adolescent clients, the powerful and effective step-by-step exercises in this book are tailored especially for you. This is a must-have addition to your professional library. This book includes audio downloads.

This user-friendly workbook provides adults with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the tools they need to move beyond their disorder using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and it also serves as compact text for clinicians/practitioners to use with clients suffering from OCD at any point in treatment. The workbook offers readers hands-on ACT and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) skills for taming disturbing obsessions and filling the gap of where one stands and where one wants to go. Dr. Zurita provides evidence-based exercises to guide adults through the process of ACT. This includes learning to step back from one’s thoughts and memories, opening up to all types of unwanted thoughts and feelings, paying attention to the physical world, observing one’s thoughts and feelings, getting rid of barriers to values-based living, and developing consistent patterns of values-based behavior. Written from the office of a full-time therapist in a simple, uncomplicated, and unpretentious manner, this workbook will be useful for all clients suffering from OCD and for the therapists who work with them.

Accompanying CD-ROM "includes client worksheets, questionnaires, and inventories."

“Trauma-Focused ACT is going to go down as one of the great contributions to the field of trauma-informed care.” —Kirk Strosahl PhD, cofounder of ACT Trauma-Focused ACT (TFACT) provides a flexible, comprehensive model for treating the entire spectrum of trauma-related issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, depression, anxiety disorders, moral injury, chronic pain, shame, suicidality, insomnia, complicated grief, attachment issues, sexual problems, and more. Written by internationally acclaimed ACT trainer, Russ Harris, this textbook is for practitioners at all levels of experience, and offers exclusive access to free downloadable resources—including scripts, videos, MP3s, handouts, and worksheets. Discover cutting-edge strategies for healing the past, living in the present, and building a new future. With this compassion-based, exposure-centered approach, you’ll learn how to help your clients: Find safety and security in their bodies Overcome hyperarousal and hypoarousal Break free from dissociation Shift from self-hatred to self-compassion Rapidly ground themselves and reengage in life Unhook from difficult cognitions and emotions Develop an integrated sense of self Resolve traumatic memories through flexible exposure Connect with and live by their values Experience post-traumatic growth

A guide to ACT: the revolutionary mindfulness-based program for reducing stress, overcoming fear, and finding fulfilment – now updated. International bestseller, 'The Happiness Trap', has been published in over thirty countries and twenty-two languages. NOW UPDATED. Popular ideas about happiness are misleading, inaccurate, and are directly contributing to our current epidemic of stress, anxiety and depression. And unfortunately, popular psychological approaches are making it even worse! In this easy-to-read, practical and empowering self-help book, Dr Russ Harries, reveals how millions of people are unwittingly caught in the 'The Happiness Trap', where the more they strive for happiness the more they suffer in the long term. He then provides an effective means to escape through the insights and techniques of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), a groundbreaking new approach based on mindfulness skills. By clarifying your values and developing mindfulness (a technique for living fully in the present moment), ACT helps you escape the happiness trap and find true satisfaction in life. Mindfulness skills are easy to learn and will rapidly and effectively help you to reduce stress, enhance performance, manage emotions, improve health, increase vitality, and generally change your life for the better. The book provides scientifically proven techniques to: reduce stress and worry; rise above fear, doubt and insecurity; handle painful thoughts and feelings far more effectively; break self-defeating habits; improve performance and find fulfilment in your work; build more satisfying relationships; and, create a rich, full and meaningful life.

"This book is a guide for new therapists on the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for any psychological disorder that involves some level of struggle with inner experiences, but it is not targeted to any particular diagnosis. It is suitable for graduate students who are seeing their first client, clinicians with years of experience who have never done ACT or are just learning about ACT, and anyone who is interested in applying ACT across a range of presentations. The book also includes exercises and worksheets that will continue to be useful for sessions after the therapist is competent in ACT. The chapters walk therapists through a recommended sequence of ACT sessions, including creative hopelessness, control as the problem, acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, values, and committed action, and provide accompanying materials for clients. It also provides information on assessment, case conceptualization, treatment planning, and intervention that therapists can use as a starting point for practicing ACT. The book is intended to serve as a more structured framework from which therapists can learn and experiment with ACT concepts as they begin to learn more about the therapy"--