How do I become an officially certified ACT therapist?
There is no ACT certification process. ACBS, as a community, has decided to forego this, as it could create a hierarchical and closed process which would be antithetical to our values. Rather, we aim to foster an open, self-critical, mutually-supportive community which, working together, builds a progressive psychology more adequate to the challenges of human suffering. There is no such thing as an officially certified ACT therapist. Read more to learn how high quality training is maintained and promoted in this context.
So, how do I learn ACT?
One great place to start would be to receive training from one of our peer-reviewed ACT trainers. The ACBS community uses a peer-review process to balance the need to protect and foster the high fidelity of ACT training with the need to keep the community open to new talented, innovative, qualified trainers. The peer-review process is multi-faceted, and is taken very seriously. Learn more about it here. You can find a list of peer-reviewed trainers here.
Often times, trainers will lead workshops for those wishing to learn ACT. These can usually be found on our events calendar.
Is that all there is to it?
No! There are many ways to strengthen your ACT skills, including: books, peer consultation groups, formal academic training, participation in a Chapter or SIG, the ACBS Annual World Conference, and therapy DVD’s. You can find lots of information about these resources in our website’s training section.
This page, for example, gives a great list of resources.
And, of course, you can always join one of the professional listservs, and ask for advice.