WISE CHOICES 

ACT groups for people with borderline personality disorder (or borderline traits)

'Wise Choices' is a book-length acceptance and commitment therapy group treatment manual. It describes in detail a protocol developed by clinicians at Spectrum, a public sector specialist service in Melbourne, to meet the needs of people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. It was written by Jane Morton and Leanne Shaw, together with Michelle Gopold, Natasha Tisbury and Katie Wyman.

After many years of running ACT and DBT groups in the Spectrum residential treatment unit, we decided to trial our ACT group treatment in outpatient settings. We conducted a successful, randomised controlled study using Wise Choices ACT groups for clients of local mental health services with four or more symptoms of borderline personality disorder (Morton et al. 2012). (See attached.)

Wise Choices groups have since been used in a range of different residential and community treatment settings, and with a wide range of issues, including substance abuse, eating disorders and gambling addiction. They have been used in a community health centre and in a women's prison. They have been found useful for people with a wide range of difficulties.

Our book includes advice on setting up a group, a detailed description of each session and over 60 coloured handouts. We aim to enable ACT clinicians with limited group skills to run ACT groups for clients with significant interpersonal issues. There are outlines and materials for ten sessions introducing ACT skills (Series 1) and another ten sessions that deepen the practice of ACT skills and apply them to interpersonal relationships. We also include general guidance and some handouts for running a third series of less structured groups for graduates of Series 1 and 2. 

The book is now out of print, but we are keen to continue to make it available to clinicians, so we are sharing it here. Please feel free to pass it on to colleagues. Any questions, please email [email protected]. 

(The webpage was created by Jane Morton on July 6, 2026)