ACT for Special Populations

ACT for Special Populations

Other Resources on the ACBS website

There are several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) focused on specific populations and settings.  This is a partial list of SIGs.  To see the full list of SIGs, click here.


 

ACBS staff

ACT with Children, Adolescents, Parents, Teachers, Etc.

ACT with Children, Adolescents, Parents, Teachers, Etc.

Resources on the ACBS Website

 

There are Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that ACBS members can join:

 

Books for Children, Adolescents, and Parents

Therapist guides

  • Challenging Perfectionism: An Integrative Approach for Supporting Young People Using ACT, CBT and DBT (2020) by Dawn Starley
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Clinician's Guide for Supporting Parents (2019) by Koa Whittingham and Lisa Coyne
  • Parenting a Troubled Teen: Manage Conflict and Deal with Intense Emotions Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (2017) by Patricia E. Zurita Ona PsyD
  • EMPOWER Your Students: Tools to Inspire a Meaningful School Experience (2017) book by Lauren Porosoff and Jonathan Weinstein
  • Acceptance & Mindfulness Treatments for Children & Adolescents: A Practitioner’s Guide
  • ACT for Adolescents: Treating Teens and Adolescents in Individual and Group Therapy
  • Mindfulness and Acceptance for Counseling College Students: Theory and Practical Applications for Intervention, Prevention, and Outreach (The Context Press Mindfulness and Acceptance Practical Series)
  • Teen Anxiety: A CBT and ACT Activity Resource Book for Helping Anxious Adolescents
  • The Thriving Adolescent: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology to Help Teens Manage Emotions, Achieve Goals, and Build Connection

Client books

  • Acceptance and Mindfulness Toolbox for Children and Adolescents: 75+ Worksheets & Activities for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Anger & More
  • The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD
  • Becoming Mum
  • Dark Agents, Book One: Violet and the Trial of Trauma
  • EMPOWER Your Students: Tools to Inspire a Meaningful School Experience, Grades 6-12
  • Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens: A Guide to Living an Extraordinary Life
  • The Gifted Kids Workbook: Mindfulness Skills to Help Children Reduce Stress, Balance Emotions, and Build Confidence
  • The Joy of Parenting: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Guide to Effective Parenting in the Early Years
  • The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens: Skills and Exercises from ACT and CBT for Healthy Thinking
  • The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety: Activities to Help You Overcome Fears and Worries Using
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Instant Help Book for Teens)
  • Nuna and the Fog
  • Parenting a Troubled Teen: Manage Conflict and Deal with Intense Emotions Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance: A Powerful New Approach to Overcoming Fear, Panic, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Stuff That Sucks: Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What You Can
amymurrell

Miscellaneous Resources

Miscellaneous Resources

Community

ACT For Kids: Living a Valued Life

ACT For Kids: Living a Valued Life

This ACT for Kids manual was developed by Steven Gordon, Michael Asher, and Michael Selbst

Please note: due to copyright laws, ACBS removed images from the document. Therefore, some of the formatting might be slightly off. 

ACBS staff

ACT in College Counseling -- Book Interview

ACT in College Counseling -- Book Interview

In this interview (2013), psychologist Dr. Jacqueline Pistorello discusses the latest research on challenges faced by college students, as well as new attempts at supporting them with mindfulness and acceptance interventions. In her recently editted book, Mindfulness and Acceptance for Counseling College Students, Pistorello and others explore how mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are being utilized in higher education settings around the world to treat student mental health problems like severe depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders, and/or to help students thrive--both in and out of the classroom.


Q: Are college students more distressed these days?

For adults whose idea of college is this carefree time full of fun and little adult pressures, the current statistics on college mental health may be startling. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among college students (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2004). Over 20% of college students have seriously considered suicide and 8% have attempted it in their lifetime (American College Health Association (ACHA), 2012). Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is also prevalent: 15.3% have engaged in it in their lifetime and 6.8% in the past year (Whitlock et al., 2011). Nearly 50% of college students have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder (Blanco et al., 2008); one in five has suffered from depression and two out of three have experienced overwhelming anxiety in their lifetime (ACHA, 2012). Severe drinking problems are common, with one third engaging in binge drinking (Wechsler & Kowalik, 2005) and 20% experiencing an alcohol use disorder (Blanco et al., 2008); college students are more likely to drink and drive, to engage in binge drinking, and less likely to seek treatment for substance abuse, than their college-aged counterparts in the community.

The question of whether this is an actual increase in pathology is being debated, but the data are compelling. One study examined birth cohort increases in psychopathology among young Americans and demonstrated that American high school and college students reported a gradual increase of symptoms of psychopathology relative to previous generations over the last 70 years, with the current generation of young adults scoring about a standard deviation higher on clinical scales. University counseling center directors overwhelmingly state that the number of college students seeking mental health treatment for serious concerns at counseling centers is increasing. One study showed that the percentage of students presenting with depression, suicidality, and personality disorders doubled within a decade (Benton, Robertson, Tseng, Newton, & Benton, 2003).


Q: Do we need to think differently when treating college students specifically? Aren't college students the same as adolescents or adults, depending on their age?

Traditional college students fall into a special category developmentally. The period between the ages of 18-26 has recently been coined as “emerging adulthood” (Arnett, 2000). This age bracket encompasses the majority of undergraduate students in Universities in the US and even abroad. Researchers have shown that this stage of development is different from adolescence, in that it is characterized by fast transitions into novel and varied social contexts bringing greater freedom and less social control than experienced during adolescence. College students face special pressures as well: a greater proportion live away from home and they are pressed to do well academically; to live up to parents’ expectations; to co-exist with other students, sometimes in very closed quarters; to become more comfortable with those who hail from different socio-cultural-economic backgrounds; to figure out where one stands in terms of sexual orientation, religion, politics, and so on. Thus, what may work with adolescents may not work with this population. Some studies have found, for example, that factors affecting the trajectory of substance abuse among adolescents differ for those in emerging adulthood.

In addition to developmental issues affecting traditionally aged college students, the treatment of students, traditional and non-traditional (students who return to college at an older age), within the context of a campus pose unique challenges. The “therapist” working at a College Counseling Center has a broader role than might typically be expected, balancing mental health and educational issues, balancing the student’s individual needs with campus safety, having to manage confidentiality in the context of parent phone calls, dealing with administrators’ inquiries, and so on.

Understanding how different approaches can be implemented with emerging adults and within a college context, can be very useful to clinicians and researchers alike. 

Q: We understand that you have an edited book coming out on mindfulness and acceptance in counseling college students, by New Harbinger. Why are mindfulness and acceptance important for college students?

That’s a great question. It used to be the case that people could limit their exposure to the amount and kind of information. These days, particularly because of technology, the world moves very fast (e.g., constant texting, Tweeting, rapid video games, multi-tasking) and we are bombarded with a steady stream of information, sometimes gruesome pictures that stay in our minds. We can probably all still picture the planes going into the Twin Towers or more recently, the two blasts during the Boston Marathon bombings. Social networks like Facebook also promote constant comparisons among young adults, and some of their most private matters, sometimes in the context of cyber bullying, may be revealed en masse in ways that cannot be taken back. Unlike those of us who are middle aged now, typical college kids are growing up this way, and we don’t know what effect this will have on their mental health. The research on experiential avoidance is virtually undisputed, suggesting that unless emergent adults learn ways to bring their attention back to this present moment and be able to “carry” difficult emotions, memories, urges, and thoughts, including perhaps constant self-judgments, the repercussions are likely to be dire.

Mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches have something to offer emerging adults that might very well not only be unique but utterly necessary given the current socio-cultural context.

Q: So, tell us a little about your book. What is it? What mindfulness approaches are discussed in it?

This is an edited “how to” book. It provides illustration of how different mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches are being utilized with college students. A thorough review of specific mindfulness based approaches with college students at this point would be premature. Although this is a burgeoning field, and more and more studies are being conducted every month, the empirical evidence specifically with college students is building. The book emphasizes ACT, it also provides exposure to how DBT, MBSR, MBCT, and Ellen Langer’s mindful learning can be applied with college students and/or campus settings. This book is primarily geared towards practitioners or researchers working with college students or young adults. However, the book may be useful for anyone trying to implement ACT or other mindfulness based approaches outside the more typical therapy setting. The chapters are diverse and some of the initiatives go outside the box and may be helpful to individuals who are entertaining applying ACT or mindfulness based approaches in different settings.

This is a practical guide. The chapters are written by extremely knowledgeable authors who are not just theoreticians but are "in the trenches" and know how to explain what works best in a very practical, step-by-step way. The book also includes an extensive online Appendix where protocols, Power Point presentations, and modifiable Word documents (e.g., group flyers) developed by chapter authors can be accessed; this can be a huge time saver. 

Q: What new research is included that will be of interest to the ACT community?

We do have some hot off the press research findings mentioned in this book, hailing from across the globe (Australia, Italy, England, and the United States), that will be of interest to the ACT community in general. For example, one of the chapters summarizes findings from a study comparing ACT and MBCT. Although there were almost no differences in outcome, the authors discuss which individuals may benefit more from each approach. Another chapter described ACT podcasts that were created for college students, and summarizes findings regarding the utility of ACT podcasts, relative to CBT podcasts; this study found that students listening to the ACT podcasts reported greater academic engagement (e.g., less reading/texting during classes). Another chapter described a transdiagnostic ACT group showing promising findings; although we often laud ACT for being a transdiagnostic approach, most published ACT research so far has focused on one specific diagnostic categories (e.g., depression, psychosis), whereas this open trial study included a range of anxiety and mood problems. Other chapters describing ACT have gone beyond the therapy room, such as applying ACT in various classroom settings (including infusing ACT into an Abnormal Psychology class or creating ACT seminars), towards the training of college student peer mentors, and via an online values intervention. The latter study showed that adding values training to an online goal-setting procedure led to statistically significant improvements in grades. The range of new approaches and methods is impressive and readers will have a lot of new ideas about how to best serve college students.
 

Douglas Long

ACT in Schools

ACT in Schools

ACBS has an ACT in Education Special Interest Group (SIG) that members can join. Read more about the ACT in Education SIG and its mission here. The ACT in Education SIG has a SIG resources webpage available to ACBS members.

 

Below are members' discussions of ACT applications in specific settings and populations.

 

 

Leslie J. Rogers

Connect - Wellbeing from the Word Go (Elementary/Primary School)

Connect - Wellbeing from the Word Go (Elementary/Primary School)

April 2020

Over the past 2-3 years, a small group of colleagues and I have been developing a children’s psychological flexibility/wellbeing curriculum for the primary phase of education (4-11 years). The curriculum structure is such that:
* Each one of the six terms in a school year has a theme that is aligned with one or other of the New Economics Foundation’s (NEF’s Five Ways to Wellbeing: Exercise; Give to Others, Connect with Others; Challenge Yourself; and Embrace the Moment. One further theme has been added to make up the sixth term for the year. This theme is around Self-Care, which also featured strongly in the NEF’s (2008) analysis.
* Each lesson, within any given term, focuses on developing one or other of the six core wellbeing skills outlined in Louise Hayes and Joseph Ciarrochi's DNA-V model (2015)

For anyone interested, you can sign up to access a free trial here: https://www.connect-pshe.org/sign-up. This is immediately accessible as soon as you sign up for the free trial, which also includes a sample of lesson plans and associated ppt slides, handouts and other relevant resources. Please do feel free to pass on to any teachers, schools or other interested parties you think might be interested.

Overall, the curriculum consists of around 250 Connect-branded lesson plans, each with ppt sides, handouts and resources. The whole product is housed online, to reduce the use of paper, and therefore reduce Connect’s carbon footprint. Lesson plans follow the same basic structure, so teachers can quickly become familiar with how lessons are run. They are generally between 1000 and 1500 words, so plenty of detailed explanations built in.

For UK based recipients of this email, it’s also probably worth mentioning that the Connect PSHE wellbeing curriculum addresses all of the new DfE statutory requirements for PSHE Curriculums at the primary phase. We’ve designed the curriculum in this way in order to address two very closely related, important and relatively recent developments in government guidance for schools:
1. The new statutory requirements to deliver PSHE curriculums (2019): Relationship Education, Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education.
2. The expectation that schools will be front and centre of a national effort to improve children’s wellbeing, in line with the children’s mental health green paper (Dec 2017): Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision.

The dream for this curriculum is that all children will have the opportunity to learn key wellbeing skills, proactively and preventatively, based on the best possible developmentally sensitive understanding the science of human wellbeing.

We really hope that schools, children, families and colleagues within our ACBS community will find the Connect wellbeing curriculum a useful resource for developing psychological flexibility skills with children.
I also just want to recognise the incredible help and support - in so many forms - during the development of this curriculum from Louise Hayes and Joseph Ciarrochi and so many other wonderful members of the ACBS community. It is a wonderful privilege to be part of such a kind, supportive, collaborative community.

Here's a link to the home page: www.connect-pshe.org

Best wishes,
Duncan and the rest of the Connect Team (Nic Hooper, Freddy Jackson-Brown, Corinna Grindle, Katie Parker & Emily Goyen)

Community

Teacher's Guide to Evolution, Behavior, and Sustainability Science

Teacher's Guide to Evolution, Behavior, and Sustainability Science

Humans are a highly cooperative species - cooperation is what brought us to the global society that we are today. And yet, the biggest problems facing the well-being of individuals, our species, and our planet seem to be the result of our inability to work together.

Humans are a highly flexible species - we inhabit almost all the ecosystems of the world. And yet, the biggest problems facing the well-being of individuals, our species, and our planet, seem to be the result of our inability for flexible behavior change.

How can teachers engage students in these apparent paradoxes?

The second edition of the Global ESD creative commons publication, A Teacher's Guide to Evolution, Behavior, and Sustainability Science, provides educators with an interdisciplinary road map to understanding the origins, development, and flexibility of our uniquely elaborated human capacities to cooperate around things that matter, and provides tools and approaches for teaching about these concepts in their classrooms. 

Download the teacher guide here: http://guide.openevo.net

- Contributed by ACBS Member, Dr. Susan Hanisch (October 2020)

su.hanisch

ACT with Children &/or Parents: State of the Research Address - ACBS World Conference II (2006)

ACT with Children &/or Parents: State of the Research Address - ACBS World Conference II (2006)

Hi all.
I am attaching a Word file that provides information about ACT and/or ACT-related work with youth. There are some quick to review charts and lists, manuscript summaries, and references, as well as contact information for individuals working with "kiddos" or parents, teachers, etc. There is some admitted overlap and also some non-repetition between those things - so, for example, some (but not all) of the stuff listed in charts is listed in summaries and some citations are in summaries but not the reference list, etc. I ask that you just read it all carefully and overlook the imperfections. One of my students (Andrew Scherbarth) and I spent a good deal of time and have worked quite hard to get it looking as good as is does. A lot of information is there. We have excluded work that is only basic in nature. Therefore, it does not address RFT, stimulus equivalence studies, or the like UNLESS there was a clear clinical application in the title or abstract of the article, chapter, etc. I think that would be a great addition to the RFT section of this website (hint, hint). We are doing some of that in my lab now and may get around to posting it later, but if someone else could do it sooner... We did include in-press, in-review, in-preparation, ongoing, and even upcoming studies that I know of in addition to the published stuff. We included people doing clinical work without research components, but not in much detail. I did my best to include everything and mention everybody that I know has done or is doing this work. Please, please, forgive me if I forgot anything/anyone. If I wrongly included you, or you don't want to be included, I apologize. Please, let us all know. Also, if I did not know about you/your work and it should be included, please, take an active role in speaking and stepping up. We need more ACT stuff with these groups! What I hope is that people interested in clinical or research work with youth and related populations will "make themselves known" by adding their contact information and interests to this list. Ideally, new communication will be fostered and known contacts will be stregthened in efforts to advance this work. I provided some suggestions at WorldCon2 about where I think we need to go. If you take up those topics or others with youth, please let us all know!
Thanks and take care,
Amy Murrell (2006)

Community

Full list of books for Children, Adolescents, and Parenting

Full list of books for Children, Adolescents, and Parenting

Therapist guides

  • Challenging Perfectionism: An Integrative Approach for Supporting Young People Using ACT, CBT and DBT (2020) by Dawn Starley
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Clinician's Guide for Supporting Parents (2019) by Koa Whittingham and Lisa Coyne 
  • Parenting a Troubled Teen: Manage Conflict and Deal with Intense Emotions Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (2017) by Patricia E. Zurita Ona PsyD
  • EMPOWER Your Students: Tools to Inspire a Meaningful School Experience (2017) book by Lauren Porosoff and Jonathan Weinstein
  • Acceptance & Mindfulness Treatments for Children & Adolescents: A Practitioner’s Guide
  • ACT for Adolescents: Treating Teens and Adolescents in Individual and Group Therapy
  • Mindfulness and Acceptance for Counseling College Students: Theory and Practical Applications for Intervention, Prevention, and Outreach (The Context Press Mindfulness and Acceptance Practical Series)
  • Teen Anxiety: A CBT and ACT Activity Resource Book for Helping Anxious Adolescents
  • The Thriving Adolescent: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology to Help Teens Manage Emotions, Achieve Goals, and Build Connection


 

Client books

  • Acceptance and Mindfulness Toolbox for Children and Adolescents: 75+ Worksheets & Activities for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Anger & More
  • The ACT Workbook for Teens with OCD
  • Becoming Mum
  • Dark Agents, Book One: Violet and the Trial of Trauma
  • EMPOWER Your Students: Tools to Inspire a Meaningful School Experience, Grades 6-12
  • Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens: A Guide to Living an Extraordinary Life
  • The Gifted Kids Workbook: Mindfulness Skills to Help Children Reduce Stress, Balance Emotions, and Build Confidence
  • The Joy of Parenting: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Guide to Effective Parenting in the Early Years
  • The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens: Skills and Exercises from ACT and CBT for Healthy Thinking
  • The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety: Activities to Help You Overcome Fears and Worries Using
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Instant Help Book for Teens)
  • Nuna and the Fog
  • Parenting a Troubled Teen: Manage Conflict and Deal with Intense Emotions Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance: A Powerful New Approach to Overcoming Fear, Panic, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Stuff That Sucks: Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What You Can

 

(This webpage was updated on August 16, 2020)

Community

Treatment Protocols and Manuals for Children, Adolescents, and Parents

Treatment Protocols and Manuals for Children, Adolescents, and Parents

Treatment Protocol and Manuals


Community

ACT in the US Department of Veterans Affairs

ACT in the US Department of Veterans Affairs

There are Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that ACBS members can join:

 

The April 2016 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Major Depressive Disorder recommends ACT as a "first-line treatment for uncomplicated mild to moderate MDD", citing the research evidence for this recommendation as "strong"
http://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/MH/mdd/MDDCPGClinicianSummaryFINAL5192016.pdf

 

Articles from Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) pertinent to ACT in the VA:

  • O'Brien, K., Dozier, M., Lopez, J., & Ruha, A. (2021) A new treatment model for veterans?: Results from a program evaluation of a recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program for veterans with heterogeneous diagnostic presentations. JCBS, Vol. 19, Pages 57-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.12.001
  • Wharton, E., Sears Edwards K., Juhasz, M., and Walser, R. (2019). Acceptance-based interventions in the treatment of PTSD: Group and individual pilot data using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. JCBS, Vol. 14, 55-64.
  • Cox, D. W., Motl, T. C., Bakker, A. M., & Lunt, R. A. (2018). Cognitive fusion and post-trauma functioning in veterans: Examining the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation. JCBS, Vol. 8, 1-7.
  • Farnsworth, J. K., Drescher, K. D., Evans, W., Walser, R. D. (2017). A functional approach to understanding and treating military-related moral injury. JCBS, Vol. 6, Issue 4, 391-397.
  • Cobb, A. R., Lancaster, C. L., Meyer, E. C., Lee, H., & Telch, M. J. (2017). Pre-deployment trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and experiential avoidance predict war-zone stress-evoked psychopathology. JCBS, Vol. 6, Issue 3, 276-287. doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.05.002
  • Hermann, B. A., Meyer, E. C., Schnurr, P. P., Batten, S. V., & Walser, R. D. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy for co-occurring PTSD and substance use: A manual development study. JCBS, Vol. 5, Issue 4, 225-234.
  • Bryan, C. J., Ray-Sannerud, B., Heron, E. A. (2015). Psychological flexibility as a dimension of resilience for posttraumatic stress, depression, and risk for suicidal ideation among airforce personnel. JCBS, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 263-268.
  • Bahraini, N.H., Devore, M. D., Monteith, L. L., Forster, J. E., Bensen, S., Brenner, L. A. (2013). The role of value importance and success in understanding suicidal ideation among Veterans. JCBS, Vol. 2, Issues 1–2, 31-38.

 

Miscellaneous Resources

Sonja Batten

ACT for Posttraumatic Anger-Related Problems in Living

ACT for Posttraumatic Anger-Related Problems in Living
Many veterans who have survive trauma experience anger-related problems in living. This page is an open forum concerning ACT perspectives on the treatment of posttraumatic anger-related problems in living within the VA system. Some suggested topics include ACT conceptualizations of anger problems within the context of PTSD, specific protocols and interventions, and potential barriers to incorporating ACT-based anger treatment within the VA system.
Andy Santanello

H.E.A.T. (Honorably Experiencing Anger and Threat) Protocol

H.E.A.T. (Honorably Experiencing Anger and Threat) Protocol
Over the next few months I will be posting session outlines and other materials that Sharon Kelly (my co-leader) and I have been using in our HEAT (Honorably Experiencing Anger and Threat) group here in the PRRTP at the Baltimore VAMC. Please note that our protocol is still being developed and that we have not yet collected any outcome data. If anyone is interested in putting the protocol to the test or has any ideas about how it could be improved, please email me at andrew.santanello@va.gov.
Andy Santanello

HEAT Presentation at ISTSS

HEAT Presentation at ISTSS
Here is a Power Point about the HEAT group that I presented at ISTSS this past month.
Andy Santanello

Letting Go of 'Righteous Anger with Willingness

Letting Go of 'Righteous Anger with Willingness
Attached is the powerpoint presentation that Hank Robb and I did at Summer Institute III.
Andy Santanello

ACT for Returning Vets (and others)

ACT for Returning Vets (and others)

September 8, 2013

This website (http://www.mirecc.va.gov/apps/activities/lifeguard/) presents the five core ACT processes with non-jargon language. The website’s content is based upon a live workshop, named LifeGuard, that has been delivered to returning Veterans, their families, and first-line responders: police officers, firefighters, clergy, college counselors, and employers. The LifeGuard workshop is a one-time, two hour demonstration that uses skits, physical metaphors, and exercises to present the ACT skills. The workshop was evaluated, and positive findings were generated. If you want to know more about the workshop’s findings, you can read the article’s abstract at the following link: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/pro/42/1/32/

Although the workshop was developed for returning Veterans and their families, it has been delivered to numerous, diverse groups. It has been well-received and anecdotal reports from audience participants suggest that the skills have proven useful -- through a grant a website was created to deliver the material. The LifeGuard workshop and the accompanying web version are educational in nature and are not intended to be a substitute for therapy. The reason for both the workshop and the website is to present ACT skills to the general public, Veterans and non-Veterans alike, so that they can share the skills with one another: peer-to-peer assistance.

Feel free to view the workshop clips and role-play demonstrations on the site and forward the link to whomever you think could benefit from the ACT core processes. The website is free; you do not have to register or identify yourself in any way to log onto the site. 

For more information contact Vince Roca

jvroca82@yahoo.com

 

 

Other resources on the ACBS Website:

ACT in the US Department of VA

Veterans Affairs (VA) ACT Special Interest Group

ACT for Military Special Interest Group

Steven Hayes

Veterans Health Administration ACT Video Series

Veterans Health Administration ACT Video Series

Veterans Health Administration ACT Video Series (created by Matthew Boone)

Community

ACT and Islamic Research

ACT and Islamic Research

ACT AND ISLAMIC RESEARCH

This list was initially assembled in February 2022 by Ali Kolahdouzan and Hajar Movahedi Motlagh. There is a deep resonance between ACT and Islam, and there are a myriad of studies on ACT from largely Islamic countries. The list of randomized controlled trials includes literally hundreds of studies from such countries, especially Iran.
This list is of articles or studies that examine ACT ideas in light of Islamic teachings, modify standard ACT elements to fit Islamic culture, suggest how that might be done, or that compare ACT to other conditions that may reflect on such issues. This list is of relevance to the entire ACT community. There are similar efforts in other cultures, language communities, and religous groups, and while the specifics of these modifications may differ, there is much to learn about the strategy for modification across groups.  

Journal Articles

Qazanfari, A. (2020). Evaluation and Critique of Modifying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Therapeutic Approach Based on Quranic Teachings and Hadith. The Journal of Educational Doctrines in Quran and Hadith, 6(1), 125-145. Retrieved From: https://www.magiran.com/paper/2262567

Montazer, A., Nemati, F., Rahimi Nasab, M. H., & Mazidi Sharafabad, A. M. (2016). Enrichment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) using Islamic teachings and Islamic mysticism. Second National Conference on New Studies and Research on Educational and Psychological Sciences in Iran, Qom. COI: CTCONF02_042 Retrieved From: https://civilica.com/doc/677908/

Jamshidian Qaleh Shahi, P., Aghaei, A., & Golparvar, M. (2017). Comparison between the Effect of Positivistic Islamic Approach modified with Persian Cultural Teaching and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Psychological Well-Being of Infertile Women in Isfahan. Nursing and Midwifery Journal, Urmia Univeristy of Medical Sciences, Iran, 15(1), 48-57. Retrieved From: https://www.sid.ir/fa/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=286682

Borghei, S. H., Roshan, R., & Bahrami, H. (2018). Effectiveness of a Group Therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment and Spirituality Therapy on Obsessive Beliefs and Quality of Life of People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies, 10(6), 6-16. Retrieved From: http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=137900

Burghai, Sh., Roshan, R., & Bahrami, H. (2020). Comparison between two group therapies based on a religious spiritual therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on improving mood and depressive disorder of Women with obsessive-compulsive disorder.. The Journal of Psychology and Religion, 13(1). 39-56. Retrieved From: https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/1612966/

Jahanbakht, M., & Bagheri, F. (2017). Analysis of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Step Toward Normative (Monotheistic) Psychology. The Journal of Educational Science from Islamic Point of View, 5(8), 5-33. COI: JR_EDUC-5-8_001. Retrieved From: https://civilica.com/doc/703893

Khanaliloo, R., & Lotfiekashani, F. (2020). The Effectiveness of Spirituality-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Depression and Dysfunctional Attitudes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. The Journal of Quran and Medicine, 5(1), 93-109. Retrieved From: https://www.sid.ir/fa/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=577948

Aghili, S.M., & Malek, F. (2021). Comparison between acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on spiritual health and blood pressure of hemodialysis patients in Gorgan. Shenakht Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry, 8 (5), 81-94. Retrieved From: http://shenakht.muk.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1566-9& slc_lang=fa& sid=1

Hassanzadeh, R., Mirzaian, B., Fazeli, M., & Khajvand, A. (2019). Effectiveness of Positivist Psychology Education with the Islamic Approach on Psychological Capital in Cardiovascular Patients. Religion and Health, 7(1), 39-48. Retrieved From: https://www.magiran.com/paper/2029658

Zamani, E., moharrami, R. (2021). Psychological Analysis of Rumo Poetry Based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Approach. Research on Mystical Literature (Gowhar-I-Guya), 15(1), 195-214. DOI: 10.22108/jpll.2021.126847.1565 Retrieved From: https://jpll.ui.ac.ir/article_26075.html

Noruzi, A., Moradi, A., Zamani, K., & Hassani, J. (2017). Comparison of the effectiveness of Logotherapy based on Rumi's thought with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the psychological well-being of the elderly. The Journal of Research in Psychological Health, 11 (3), 41-61.
DOI: 10.29252/rph.11.3.41 Retrieved From: https://rph.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3021-en.html

Tanhan., A. (2019). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Ecological Systems Theory: Addressing Muslim Mental Health Issues and Wellbeing. The Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 3(2), 1-23. DOI:10.47602/jpsp.v3i2.172. Retrieved From: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336107155_Acceptance_and_Commitment_Therapy_with_Ecological_Systems_Theory_Addressing_Muslim_Mental_Health_Issues_and_Wellbeing

Laela, F. N. (2013). Bimbingan dan konseling islam dengan Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) terhadap seorang ibu yang minder mempunyai anak cact fisik di Desa Tambakromo Kecamatan Cepu. Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam, Dakwah dan Ilmu Komunikasi IAIN Sunan Ampel. Retrieved From: http://catalog.uinsby.ac.id//index.php?p=show_detail& id=81057

Bahattab, M. & AlHadi, A. N. (2021). Acceptance and commitment group therapy among Saudi Muslim females with mental health disorders. The Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 19, 86-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2021.01.005 Retrieved From: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212144721000065

Kaplaner, K. (2019). Spirituality in the context of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The Journal of Spiritual Psychology and Counseling, 4, 351–358. DOI: 10.12738/spc.2019.4.3.067 Retrieved From: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/979325#:~:text=In%20the%20process%20of%20ACT,threatening%20diseases%20is%20spiritual%20coping

Shah, N., & Shah, M. (2021). Incorporating Islamic Principles into Therapy with Muslim American Clients. In: Pasha-Zaidi N. (eds) Toward a Positive Psychology of Islam and Muslims. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, 15. Springer, Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72606-5_11 Retrieved From: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-72606-5_11

Karekla, M., & Constantinou, M. (2010). Religious coping and cancer: Proposing an acceptance and commitment therapy approach. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 17(4), 371–381. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2009.08.003 Retrieved From: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-07125-001

Kara, E. (2020). Main Strategies of Mindfulness and Acceptance Psychotherapies and Islam. The Journal of Eskiyeni, 40, 377-406. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37697/eskiyeni.672921 Retrieved From: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/eskiyeni/issue/53109/672921
 

Thesis and Dissertations

Kolahdouzan, S. A., Kajbaf, M. B., Oraizi, H. R., Abedi, M. R., & Mokarian, F. (2020). Development of two death anxiety treatment packages based on the treatment of acceptance and commitment and Abrahamic religions with emphasis on Islam and comparing their impact on mental health and quality of life of cancer patients [Doctoral dissertation, Isfahan University]. Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology Research Repository. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/6a9d884fe36706a1cbfd49b24a99f6b0

Movahedi Motlagh, H., Kajbaf, MB., & Fatehizade, M. (2018). A Comparison between of the therapeutic approach based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and an Approach that Developes the Islamic Pattern of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [Master’s thesis, Isfahan University]. The library of the University of Isfahan Research Repository. http://lib.ui.ac.ir/dL/search/default.aspx?Term=16421& Field=0& DTC=

Comparison of the psychological impact of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with dhikr in Islamic teachings [Master’s thesis, Tarbiat Modares University].
Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology Research Repository. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/8330e2f6eea5164d3fbdaffda1b35916

Mohammadi, A., Mottaghi, S. H., Behjati Ardakani, F., & Kordi, E. (2019). The effectiveness of training based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Islamic teaching on impulsive decision making and the psychological flexibility of addicted Women [Master’s thesis, Ardekan University]. Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology Research Repository. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/9f50f6bd624037c1d8be0925d1283dab

Mojahedian, Z., & Dehghan Manshadi, M. (2020). The effectiveness of group therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and an Islamic approach to mental health and life expectancy of the elderly in Yazd province [Master’s thesis, Islamic Azad University of Yazd]. Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology Research. Repository.https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/5820f37baadca3f7a7885321cf05fc1b

Tashakori Bafghi, A., & Zarei Mahmoudabadi, H. (2021).The effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Islamic approach on existential anxiety of housewives in Bafgh. [Master’s thesis, Islamic Azad University of Yazd].
Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology Research Repository. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/686d09bb3a952f3a92c7e0feb6610528

Hakimian, M. M., Sadrposhan, N., & Abolhassani Shahreza, F. (2018). The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment group therapy (ACT) with Islamic approach on diabetes control, increasing self-care behaviors and reducing anxiety and depression in patients with type 2 diabetes in Yazd province[Doctoral dissertation, Yazd University]. Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology Research Repository. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/51300387b1d7c0d5859114fa92805b34

Tanhan, A., & Linnenberg, D. (2017). Spiritual Strength: The use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Muslim Clients [Master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Greensboro]. University of North Carolina at Greensboro Research Repository. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357164226_Spiritual_Strength_The_use_of_Acceptance_and_Commitment_Therapy_ACT_with_Muslim_Clients

Akter, N. (2020). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Protocol for the Treatment of Substance Abuse Among Muslims [Doctoral dissertation, Widener University]. ProQuest Dissertations Research Repository. https://www.proquest.com/openview/0ec9a5cb5b273a72b952dffa1bc105d0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar& cbl=18750& diss=y

Steven Hayes

ACT for Law Enforcement

ACT for Law Enforcement

Thank you for visiting this page dedicated to working with active or retired federal, county, state, municipal, military, or college law enforcement professionals. In providing behavioral health education and training to law enforcement professionals, I use a simple and intuitive tool that I call the "Crosshairs" (Gallo, 2017).  It's a diagram adapted from the "ACT Matrix" by Kevin Polk (2011; see also Polk, Schoendorff, Webster, & Fabian, 2016). 

The Crosshairs Diagram

Imagine for a moment that you just washed some silverware, and you’re sorting it into a kitchen cabinet drawer. You can put forks, spoons, butter knives, and sharp knives into different piles according to their common characteristics. It turns out that you can do the same thing with situations in life.

The Crosshairs diagram is a highly-effective tool to help you look at situations that show up in your life, divide, and sort the things you do in them.  Using the Crosshairs diagram results in being more aware of whether the things you do to deal with painful thoughts, feelings, and situations are helpful or unhelpful in living your values at work, home, or in other important areas of life.

 

To learn more about the Crosshairs diagram, watch the animated video below. It tells the story of the Crosshairs diagram and its different parts. It helps make the diagram simple to use and puts it all in perspective. 

The Blue Life Academy is a free website focused on behavioral health education and training for law enforcement professionals, including

  • Acceptance and commitment training
  • Breathing, mindfulness, and relaxation training
  • Critical incident support information
  • Suicide prevention tools
  • Resources for military service members
  • And more stuff...

The Blue Life Coach app is a FREE behavioral health toolkit designed to help law enforcement professionals lower stress, improve performance during challenging situations, improve sleep, reduce emotional reactivity, increase situational awareness, sharpen mental clarity and problem-solving skills, and live life with more purpose and vitality, guided by their values. The FREE app is available on the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.

References

  1. Gallo, F. J. (2017). Bouncing back from trauma: The essential step-by-step guide for police readiness. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
  2. Gallo, F. J. (2019). Police use of force. In J. Kitaeff (Ed.), Handbook of police psychology (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge, Psychology Press.
  3. Polk, K. (2011). Psychological flexibility training (PFT): Flexing your mind along with your muscles. Seattle, WA: Amazon Digital Services.
  4. Polk, K., Schoendorff, B., Webster, M., & Olaz, F. O. (2016). The essential guide to the ACT Matrix: A step-by-step approach to using the ACT Matrix model in clinical practice. Oakland, CA: Context Press.

How to Contact Me

Frank J. Gallo, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Retired Law Enforcement

Blue Life Behavioral Health
P.O. Box 8592
Cranston, RI 02920
Phone: (413) 575-8145
Email: support@bluelifeacademy.com
Blue Life Academy: https://bluelifeacademy.com 
Blue Life Coach: https://bluelifecoach.com

Frank J. Gallo

ACT in Private Practice

ACT in Private Practice

Resources for Clinicians

ACT in Private Practice Videos

There is a Research in Clinical Practice Collaborative Special Interest Group (SIG) that ACBS members can join. The Research in Clinical Practice Collaborative SIG has resources webpage available to ACBS members.

Joel Guarna

ACT in Private Practice Resources

ACT in Private Practice Resources

There are many resources throughout the ACBS website which could be useful for clinicians seeking to apply ACT in private practice. Below is a list of a few highlights. If you would like to suggest an addition to this list, please log in and make a comment below.

Note: You will need to be logged in as an ACBS member to access these resources.

ACT as a Brief Intervention

In this video, Kirk Strosahl, one of the developers of ACT, discusses the unique challenges faced by practioners who may have only a short amount of time to impact therapeutic change. He provides some clinical tips, as well as demonstrates their application in a role-play:
http://contextualscience.org/act_as_a_brief_intervention_clinical_training_work

ACT in the Treatment of Trauma

In this video, former ACBS President Robyn Walser provides clinical tips for the application of ACT in the treatment of trauma:
http://contextualscience.org/acceptance_and_the_treatment_of_trauma

Douglas Long

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I) by Dr Guy Meadows

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I) by Dr Guy Meadows

ACT for INSOMNIA (ACT-I) by Dr Guy Meadows (PhD)

Abstract
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a unique and gentle non-drug based approach to overcoming chronic insomnia. It seeks to increase people’s willingness to experience the conditioned physiological and psychological discomfort commonly associated with not sleeping.
Such acceptance paradoxically acts to lessen the brains level of nocturnal arousal, thus encouraging a state of rest and sleepiness, rather than struggle and wakefulness. Additional focus on valued driven behaviour also acts to avert unhelpful patterns of experiential avoidance and promote the ideal safe environment from which good quality sleep can emerge. The application and merits for using ACT approaches such as acceptance and willingness, mindfulness and defusion and values and committed action for the treatment of chronic insomnia are discussed and compared to the traditional cognitive behavioural strategies.

Introduction
Sleep involves a slowing of psychological (e.g. decision making, problem solving and emotional readiness) and physiological (e.g. heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, bowel movements and muscle tone) processes at the end of the day. It is a natural act that can’t be controlled and is characterized by an acceptance of the natural rise in sleep drive associated with nighttime and a willingness to let go of wakefulness.

By contrast, chronic insomnia is a difficulty sleeping that is characterized by a state of hyper arousal, which interferes with the natural ability to initiate or maintain sleep or achieve restorative sleep. Where insomnia is the primary disorder, the initial trigger is often resolved. But sleeplessness is maintained by a vicious cycle whereby poor sleep initiates worry about not sleeping, which in turn elevates arousal levels leading to further poor sleep. The adoption of unhelpful coping strategies and the movement away from valued living act to create an inflexible relationship with sleep.

Cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the most widely used treatment method. Its primary focus is based around symptom reduction via changing the cognitive and behavioral conditions that perpetuate the insomnia. It most commonly achieves this through a series of 1-hour interventions delivered over a 6 – 8 week period.

Whilst these interventions have been proven to be effective at reducing insomnia rates, some patients still struggle. Complaints typically focus around the non-workable nature of the process used and the continued need for patients to diarize their sleep and thoughts throughout the intervention. Dalrymple et al. (2010) investigated how incorporating principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes et al. 1999) into the treatment of insomnia could potentially enhance the adherence to and acceptability of such traditional CBT-I approaches. This opens up the debate as to whether ACT approaches alone could be an effective insomnia treatment. The rationale for using ACT approaches within the treatment of insomnia and the practical ways in which it could be implemented into therapy sessions are discussed in this poster.

Acceptance
The vicious cycle of insomnia demonstrates that it is the unwillingness of patients to experience the unwanted thoughts, emotions and physical sensations associated with not sleeping and the ensuing struggle with them that heightens arousal levels and perpetuates sleeplessness. Most insomniacs can provide a long list of control-based strategies, including traditional CBT-I techniques, they have implemented and yet which have failed to improve their sleep. This focus on symptom reduction, which if ineffective simply perpetuates the vicious cycle. It could be more effective to teach patients to adopt a more accepting attitude towards what spontaneously arises when experiencing difficulty sleeping. The greater willingness to experience poor sleep results in fewer struggles, less arousal and paradoxically greater levels of sleepiness.

Practically, any initial insomnia assessment should include a detailed review of the failed techniques previously used to improve sleep. Lundh (2005) suggests that such an awareness of the futility of control-based strategies could then be used as a starting point from which to guide a patient towards alternative acceptance based approaches.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is the ability to objectively and non judgmentally take notice of your internal and external experiences as they unfold. It can help insomniacs to stand back and observe their level of wakefulness or unwanted thoughts and emotional reactions without becoming overly entangled or judging them, a quality that is inherent in the normal act of falling to sleep. Shifting patients towards an attitude of acceptance rather than the CBT-I focus on symptom reduction seen with many of the traditional relaxation strategies could be a way of short-circuiting the vicious cycle of insomnia.

Practically, insomniacs can be taught to mindfully notice their senses and the movement of their breath, which they can then practice during the day. At night such exercises can be used to help patients to notice and let go of their struggles and return back to the present moment (e.g. noticing the touch of the duvet on their toes or the gentle movement of their breathe). Care must be taken to highlight the potential risk and futility of using mindfulness as a tool to control the level of relaxation or sleep and to confirm the benefits of objective noticing (e.g. the use of the quicksand metaphor can be helpful at this point).

Defusion
Defusion describes the ability to see thoughts and emotions for what they are (e.g. naturally occurring cognitive and emotional responses) and create space for them to exist, rather than fusing with them or seeing them as something that needs to be removed, before sleep can be restored.
Such acceptance once again bypasses the need to struggle with such internal content by changing the patient’s relationship with the content. It could be argued that such an energy efficient and low arousal approach is more nocturnally intuitive than the traditional CBT-I based cognitive restructuring, which requires patients to challenge their thoughts and then create new alternative and balanced ones in their place.
Practically, patients spend time identifying their unwanted thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and urges that show up when they don’t sleep. They are then taught basic defusion exercises such as objectively describing, naming and welcoming unhelpful thoughts when they arrive in the night such as “I am having the thought that…” or “Hello, ‘coping’, ‘medication’ and ‘ill health’ thoughts”. For emotions and physical sensations, patients can practice ‘Physicalizing’ exercises such as objectively locating and describing them and imagining them as objects and giving them a physical shape and colour.

Valued Sleep Actions
A normal sleeper has a strong relationship with their bed and bedroom, meaning they can fall to sleep or return back to sleep very quickly and with little effort. In contrast, an insomniac has a negative sleep association meaning they become cognitively and emotionally alert at the point of trying to sleep (e.g. conditioned bedtime arousal). The adoption of unhelpful coping strategies in order to control sleep (e.g. going to bed early, sleeping in the spare room or sleeping during the day), not only perpetuates poor sleep, but also results in a reduction in valued living (e.g. not being able to go out at night, share a bed with a partner or schedule early appointments), something that patients cite as one of the main reasons for struggling with sleep in the first place.

CBT-I approaches the problem by asking patients to follow a series of strict rules known as Stimulus Control Therapy (SCT), see table 1. The aim is to limit the time patients spend in the negative state or engaging in non-sleep activities, in the hope of developing a positive association, whereby sleep onset occurs rapidly on getting into bed. Whilst SCT is widely used, many patients complain that its strict nature is counter intuitive and goes against normal valued sleep actions, see table 1. The result is that anxiety and arousal levels associated with the bedroom and sleep are unhelpfully heightened.

In contrast, teaching patients to commit to making behavioural changes in line with their sleep and life values, whilst being willing to experience the unwanted elements of the negative association could be an effective way of re-establishing a positive association between sleep and bed. The aim is that by promoting a healthy and flexible approach to sleep, any negative associations and therefore arousal levels would be reduced, creating a platform from which natural sleep could emerge effortlessly.

Table 1. Valued Sleep Actions
Allow normal bedroom activities
CBT-I: NO - Use the bed for sleep and sex only
ACT-I: YES - Allow calm non sleep activities such as reading in bed

Go to bed when either tired or sleepy
CBT-I: NO - Only when sleepy
ACT-I: YES - Both states allowed

Stay in bed, if awake at night
CBT-I: NO - If not asleep within 15mins, go to a spare room/read
ACT-I: YES - Focus on resting and welcoming discomfort

Allow daytime naps
CBT-I: NO - Avoid all daytime napping
ACT-I: YES - Allow a short (<20mins) daytime naps

Restricting Sleep
Sleep is regulated by an internal body clock and a sleep homeostat, to keep it on time and create its cyclical drive. A normal sleeper keeps a fairly regular pattern by going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time four days per week and a little later on the weekend. A common coping strategy of many insomniacs is to change their sleep wake cycle in the hope of getting a little more sleep (e.g. going to bed earlier, lying in later or catching up during the day). Whilst such action may make cognitive sense, they do in fact worsen nocturnal sleep by lowering the sleep efficiency (SE), the percentage of time spent in bed asleep.
CBT-I approaches this problem using Sleep Restriction Therapy (SRT), which restricts the time in bed to actual sleeping time only so as sleep drive increases, so will sleep consolidation, which can then be steadily titrated back to a normal level. Whilst such an approach can be affective, some patients struggle with the concept of spending less time in bed. Many insomniacs also present with sleep anxiety and so any suggestion of restricting the amount of time in bed is often met with increased levels of anxiety and alertness, thus counteracting any of the positive benefits of an increase in sleep drive, possibly explaining the low adherence rates.

Practically, it is therefore advised that patient anxiety levels be considered before the implementation of sleep restriction. If anxiety levels are found to be high, then treatment should be focused on increasing patient willingness to experience the anxiety, before then considering sleep restriction at a later date (e.g. assuming reduced anxiety levels did not lead to improved sleep).

Conclusions
This poster puts forward the rationale for using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I) and its potential benefits over traditional cognitive behavioural treatments. It suggests that acceptance and mindfulness based approaches are intuitively, psychologically and physiologically more in tune with the natural process of deactivation associated with falling to sleep. It places importance on the act of adopting valued sleep actions, whilst being willing to experience the heightened cognitive and emotional processes that present in response to not sleeping. Ultimately it seeks to promote a high level of sleep flexibility, thus leading to less struggle and arousal, improved sleep quality and energy conservation and enhanced quality of life.

References
Dalrymple, K.L., Fiorentino, L., Politi, M.C., & Posner, D., (2010). Incorporating Principles from Aceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia: A Case Example. J Contemp Psychother, 40: 209-217.
Hayes, S.C., Strosahl, K.D., & Wilson, K.G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment t: An experiential approach to behaviour change. New York: Guilford Press.
Lundh, L.G., (2005). The Role of Acceptance and Mindfulness in the Treatment of Insomnia. J of Cog Psychother, 19: 29-39.

Additional Information
Dr Guy Meadows (PhD) is a sleep physiologist who runs The Sleep School a private sleep clinic in London focusing on the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the treatment of Insomnia. For further information please visit: www.thesleepschool.org or email: guy@thesleepschool.org.
Alternatively please follow FB: The Sleep School or Twitter: DrGuyMeadows
Or see his ACT-I book: The Sleep Book

guy.meadows

Acceptance and commitment Therapy for Sport

Acceptance and commitment Therapy for Sport

ACT for Sport

Helping Athletes Create Psychological Flexibility

by Stephen Renwick, MSc, BSc & ACT Therapist

 

After you are finished watching the video, click here for an episode of the Sport Psychology Podcast

Champions-Mindset

Bible resources for Christian clients

Bible resources for Christian clients

Over the past few years, as I have learned more and more about ACT, I have been adding to spreadsheets I started some time back. I initially named the lists after the six ACT processes.  It seems that there has been some interest in these lists and therefore I am attaching them here. I tried for some time to do this in a format that could be added to, but it seems that this is not possible.  So suffice it to say that I do not by any means consider these lists to be exhaustive of the topics at hand. They have merely grown from my own personal study, and my own experience of the processes.  I moved on to using these with clients and in workshops. So far they have been well received, to the best of my knowledge. It would be very useful to receive comments and additions to the lists.

Updated to add:

There is also a manual available for working with Christian clients at www.actwithfaithbook.com as well as a Special Interest Group for working with Christian clients..

Anonymous (not verified)

Workplace/Coaching

Workplace/Coaching

There are Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that ACBS members can join:


Books

  • Acceptance and Mindfulness at Work: Applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy And Relational Frame Theory to Organizational Behavior Management
  • Acceptance and Commitment Coaching (Coaching Distinctive Features)
  • Maximize Your Coaching Effectiveness with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • The Mindful and Effective Employee: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Training Manual for Improving Well-Being and Performance
  • Prosocial: Using Evolutionary Science to Build Productive, Equitable, and Collaborative Groups
  • The psychology of enhancing human performance: The Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach

 

Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science

 

Leadership, Organizational Behavior Management, & Public Policy SIG Resources (Available to ACBS members only)

Coaching SIG Resources (Available to ACBS members only)

Community