People struggling with long-term conditions, such as diabetes and chronic pain, often experience challenges to their mental, emotional, and social well-being. As many as 1 in 5 Americans are living with one of these two conditions, and, in an ideal world, they would be able to access care from a provider trained to address behavioral aspects of both their physical and psychological well-being.
This 2-day hybrid workshop in Philadelphia introduces an approach that prepares healthcare workers to offer whole-person care in a brief format that can make services more readily available to people living with co-morbid medical and mental health problems. Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or “FACT”) is a transdiagnostic, strength-based approach that targets function and planned experimentation to enhance psychological flexibility.
On day 1, participants will learn to use several important FACT tools for assessment and intervention. They will view a demonstration of how to use the Four Square Assessment (Four Square A) tool to develop an understanding of the function of behaviors related to coping with diagnosis and management of diabetes. They will use the Pillars Assessment Tool conceptualize strengths and needs related to a person’s overall level of psychological flexibility (PF). Then, they will observe use of the FACT Four Square Intervention (Four Square I) tool to select and attempt one or more interventions to enhance PF. The day will also include introduction of a FACT Tool kit to use in learning FACT during and after the workshop.
On day 2, participants will consider the problem of pain from a FACT perspective. A brief introduction to predictive coding theory will pave the way for a demonstration of an intervention that emphasizes mindfulness of the body and creation of a new perspective on pain. Participants will experiment with implementing the “mindfulness of the body” intervention in role plays. Later, participants will learn the Life Path intervention, a versatile FACT intervention that may be used in individual and group service formats. The day will conclude with the introduction of the FACT Core Competency Tool. This 17-item tool describes skills and knowledge areas that participants can assess and target in their on-going efforts to learn FACT and progress towards mastery.