In this episode, Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., of the Dissemination and Training Division of the Dept of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD and former president of ACBS, speaks to Jen and John about an ACT approach to treating individuals who have survived trauma and who struggle with post-traumatic stress. Listen and learn with Robyn as she discusses the role of acceptance, mindfulness, and values-based work to help individuals learn to live with, and live far beyond, their trauma histories.
About Dr. Walser:
Dr. Walser, in addition to her work at the National Center for PTSD, is Director of TL Consultation Services where as a licensed psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting and therapy practice. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-authored 3 books on ACT including Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Training Manual for Therapists, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems: A Practitioner's Guide to Using Mindfulness and Acceptance Strategies. She also has expertise in traumatic stress and substance abuse and has authored a number of articles, chapters and books on these topics. She has been doing ACT workshops since 1998; training in multiple formats and for multiple client problems. Her workshops feature a combination of lecture and experiential exercises designed to provide a unique learning opportunity in this state-of-the-art intervention and she is often referred to as a clinician’s clinician. Dr. Walser holds to the clinical science model and has presented her research findings and papers at international and national conferences, universities and hospital settings. She is invested in developing innovative ways to translate science-into-practice and continues to do research and education on dissemination of ACT and other therapies. She has had a number of leadership roles in international and national organizations and she served as Member At Large and President for the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science.