Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) With Adults

INTRODUCTION

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a third-generation, evidence-based, behavior therapy that balances mindfulness and acceptance processes with commitment and behavior change processes to weaken the unhelpful influence of thoughts and emotional avoidance in guiding behavior, while promoting greater experiential engagement and psychological flexibility in the service of valued ends.

When using ACT, the clinician focuses less on symptoms reduction and more on helping clients to engage with what matters most to them so they can live deeper, richer, more meaningful lives. ACT helps clients and therapists to learn to be with their pains and do what works.

The workshop will include didactic teachings, activities, reflection/sharing and practical experiential exercises that will be done individually, in dyads, and small groups. The exercises will illustrate the integration of connecting with our directly lived experience, recognizing cognitive fusion, and developing engaged mindfulness and acceptance strategies to disarm forms of human suffering while also promoting greater clarity of values and action in the service of living well. This workshop will encourage participants (but never force or coerce) to engage the material at a personal level, as it applies to their own lives, and then also in the context of their clinical work. Clinical worksheets and other practical tools will be provided. personal level, as it applies to their own lives, and then also in the context of their clinical work.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of the workshop is to increase awareness of processes underlying psychological flexibility and how to influence those processes in their own lives and the lives of their clients.  This workshop will encourage participants (but never force) to engage the material at a personal level, as it applies to their own lives, and then also in the context of their clinical work. The workshop will include didactic teachings, practical experiential exercises, demonstrations,  and reflection/sharing that will be done individually, in dyads, and small groups.

After completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the ACT model of human suffering and how people get stuck, in their own lives and clinical work
• Apply the ACT model of psychological flexibility, including the six processes that are the focus of ACT: contact with present moment (mindfulness), willingness/acceptance, defusion, valuing, committed action, and observing self
• Understand the central role of cognitive fusion and emotional avoidance in creating disengaged living (as well as the behaviors we identify as psychological/psychiatric symptoms) and learn practical skills for defusion and emotional openness 
• Use simple and practical "applied mindfulness" skills to contact the present moment in the service of growth and change
• Identify and liberate themselves from the dominance of their own unhelpful verbal rules, and extend this skill to clients
• Connect with deeply held values and identify valued directions for committed action
• Utilize a "compassionate mind" approach to engaging with painful experiences. 

COURSE CONTENT

• ACT perspective on human suffering, RFT , EA
• ACT Model of psychological flexibility and engaged living
• Core Hexaflex processes 
• Committed Action: Finding small steps in the valued path
• The Role of Kindness and Compassion
• Disarming an unhelpful mind
• Using ACT to engage with avoidance
• Introduce Hexaflex as a clinical model
• Using of metaphor in ACT
• Applying ACT with diverse Asian clients
• Techniques for applying Hexaflex with Depression
• Techniques for applying ACT with Anxiety

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This workshop is for mental health professionals who provide psychotherapy and counselling, including psychologists, social workers, counselors, therapists, nurses, psychiatrists, and others as well as graduate students, psychiatric residents, post-doctoral fellows. 

AWARD

Participants who meet 80% class attendance will be awarded a Certificate of Accomplishment by the Academy of Human Development.

COURSE FEES

TRAINER

Dr Benjamin Weinstein, PhD, a clinical psychologist, has been based in Southeast Asia since 2003 working as a lecturer, clinician and facilitator.  He has extensive experience training mental health professionals across the region and is adept at applying western psychological models for Asian cultural contexts (his current former clients include the Thailand Department of Mental Health, numerous psychiatric hospitals across Thailand, as well as NGOs across Southeast Asia).   Dr. Weinstein currently an adjunct lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Chiang Mai University (Thailand).  Previously, he taught at the Lynch School of Education (Boston College, Massachusetts) and the Graduate School of Psychology (MS & Doctoral Programs, Assumption University, Bangkok).   Dr Weinstein specialises in psychotherapy for adults using ACT and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for trauma/PTSD, substance abuse, depression & anxiety disorders.   His wide clinical experiences include working as a consulting clinical psychologist across Asia-Pacific region since 2003, based at Psychological Services International (PSI) in Bangkok, providing psychotherapy for adults and clinical supervision for mental health professionals.

He first graduated with Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by Master of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, majoring in Clinical Psychology. In 2001, he completed his doctoral training with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under APA Accredited Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Since 1989 Dr Weinstein had won various academic honours and awards, such as AGPA 2002 Conference Scholarship awarded by American Group Psychotherapy Association; 1999-2000 UWM Dissertation Fellowship, by University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee Graduate School; Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Academic Year Fellowship from United States Department of Education. Dr Weinstein is versatile in research since 1995 , in conjunction with Veteran Affair Health Science Research and Development, Bedford, MA, and Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center, MA and others. He is a prolific writer as well from 1997, contributing either singly or partnering, for books, numerous professional presentation and journals.

Dr. Weinstein has been practicing Acceptance and Committment Therapy since 2004, when he first attended a training with Kelly Wilson, Phd.  He subsequently attended numerous training with Dr Wilson, Stephen Hayes and Kirk Strosahl (the orginators of ACT) and started an ACT peer-study group for clinicians in Bangkok.   In 2014, Dr. Weinstein started to provide training in ACT for other clinician and mental health professionals.  At the current time, he's very excited about the possibiliesites of integrating ACT with compassionate mind training.  Dr. Weinstein is current the first and only Trained Teacher of Mindful Self Compassion in Thailand.

APPLICATION and ENQUIRIES

Dave Goh

9448 5578 (during Circuit Breaker except PH) 6593 5284 (after Circuit Breaker ends)

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