Healing Interrupted Lives: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Process-Based Work to Recover from Trauma
Presented in English, also available for session attendees (in Buenos Aires) via simultaneous AI (artificial intelligence) translation software in Spanish and Portuguese. More details available here.
Tuesday, 23 July 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, 24 July 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
(13 total contact hours)
Workshop Leader:
Robyn Walser, Ph.D.
Workshop Description:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a rich tapestry of verbal and experiential processes designed to empower clients to align their choices with deeply held values. Therapists can learn and understand the behavioral processes within ACT on various levels. Yet, their seamless integration within complex relational contexts can prove to be a persistent challenge. In the landscape of therapeutic engagement, for instance, multiple layers of processes can unfold, encompassing intrapersonal, interpersonal, and overarching dynamics entailed in the arc of the intervention. Using trauma as the guiding example, we will explore how ACT operates on multiple levels of process, helping trauma survivors to recover from lost and interrupted lives. The workshop will include role-plays, guided skills development, and information on integrating ACT with other trauma interventions. Participants will engage in exercises designed to refine and develop their ACT process skills, attuning to the relationship and therapeutic stance. Didactics and discussion will be oriented to increasing flexibility in using the core processes and consistent application of the model.
About Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D.:
Dr. Robyn Walser is the Director of TL Consultation Services, Staff at the National Center for PTSD, and is Assistant Clinical Professor at University of California, Berkeley. She maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice as a licensed psychologist. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-authored 7 books, including Learning ACT. She also has expertise in traumatic stress and substance abuse and has authored a number of articles and chapters and books on these topics. She has been doing ACT workshops since 1998; training in multiple formats and for multiple client problems. She is invested in developing innovative ways to translate science into practice and continues to do research and education on dissemination of ACT. She has had a number of leadership roles in international and national organizations, and she served as President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, Dr. Walser is best known for her dynamic, warm, and challenging ACT trainings. She is often referred to as a clinician’s clinician. Her workshops feature a combination of lecture and experiential exercises designed to provide a unique learning opportunity in this state-of-the-art intervention.
Following this workshop participants will be able to:
1. Define therapeutic presence within the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework.
2. Explore the fundamental ACT processes inherent in the therapeutic relationship.
3. Analyze the significance of process levels in the treatment of clients with a history of trauma.
4. Examine obstacles hindering the smooth implementation of ACT and strategies for overcoming them, with a specific focus on trauma therapy.
5. Explore intrapersonal processes through the lens of ACT principles.
6. Discuss the purpose and utilization of self-disclosure in ACT, emphasizing its role in trauma treatment.
7. Elaborate on interpersonal processes within the ACT framework.
8. Investigate the purpose and application of interpersonal work and feedback within the context of ACT.
9. Recognize the pivotal role of the ACT therapeutic relationship in shaping client outcomes.
10. Clarify how case conceptualization serves as a guiding framework for the progression of ACT therapy.
Target audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Clinical
Components: Conceptual analysis, Literature review, Experiential exercises, Didactic presentation, Case presentation, Role play
Topic Areas: Clinical intervention development or outcomes
Package Includes: A general certificate of attendance
CEs Available (13 hours): CEs for Psychologists