The Heart of ACT: A Process-Based, Client-Centered Approach to Creating Meaning
Dates and Location of this IN-PERSON 2-Day Workshop:
IN-PERSON at the Sheraton, New Orleans
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
CE credits available: 13
Workshop Leaders:
Robyn Walser, Ph.D.
Workshop Description:
The heart of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) lies in its relational work, emphasizing the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for meaningful change. ACT helps clients connect with their values and make life-enhancing choices through a variety of verbal and experiential processes and techniques. While these processes can be learned at many levels, their nuanced and subtle applications within the therapeutic relationship often present challenges. Implementing ACT’s behavioral processes in a flexible, consistent, and effective manner within complex relational experiences requires skill and practice. This immersive workshop is designed for mental health professionals seeking to deepen their capacity to apply ACT in real-world therapy, focusing on the dynamic interplay of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and overarching processes. By grounding the work in the therapeutic relationship, participants will learn how to foster authentic connections, facilitate transformative dialogues, and empower clients to live in alignment with their personally held values. Through experiential learning and practical application, clinicians will refine their ability to bring ACT’s core processes—including mindfulness, compassion, and values-based action—to life, creating lasting and meaningful change for their clients.
About the Workshop Leaders:
- Robyn Walser, Ph.D.
Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, educator, and author. She serves as the Director of Trauma and Life Consultation and Psychology Services and is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Walser is also the Director of Research at Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services and works National Center for PTSD. Dr. Walser has been deeply involved in the dissemination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), playing a key role in its implementation within one of the largest national healthcare systems in the U.S. She has co-authored several books on ACT, including The Heart of ACT: Developing a Flexible, Process-Based, and Client-Centered Practice Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which reflects her commitment to client-centered and flexible therapeutic approaches. Since 1997, Dr. Walser has led ACT workshops worldwide, sharing her understanding of process-based, experiential learning with therapists and clinicians. She values the integration of evidence-based practices with human connection and adaptability, aiming to make therapy both effective and transformative. Through her writing, teaching, and clinical work, Dr. Walser seeks to support professionals in their efforts to navigate complex psychological challenges with compassion and heart. For more information about her work, visit robynwalser.com.
Following this workshop participants will be able to:
- Describe the foundational principles of ACT as a process-based, client-centered therapy, emphasizing the role of process over content in creating therapeutic change.
- Analyze the distinction between content, process, and function in therapy and develop skills to identify and work with these dimensions effectively in clinical practice.
- Differentiate between interpersonal and intrapersonal processes within the ACT framework, and learn how these dynamics shape a client’s experiences and challenges.
- Identify and analyze behavioral patterns and their underlying dynamics within the therapeutic relationship.
- Demonstrate the ability to track and reflect on the unfolding emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of clients during therapy sessions, utilizing ACT's six core processes.
- Assess the critical role of the therapeutic alliance and learn how to leverage it to address both interpersonal and intrapersonal processes effectively.
- Facilitate client self-awareness by identifying and addressing patterns of avoidance and cognitive fusion, fostering greater insight into their relational and emotional experience.
- Apply ACT techniques to promote emotional expression and regulation, focusing on how these processes interact within both internal (intrapersonal) and relational (interpersonal) contexts.
- Develop a clear framework for determining therapeutic targets in ACT, identifying which processes and behaviors to address for meaningful change.
- Apply ACT-based case conceptualization as a dynamic and ongoing process, integrating an understanding of interpersonal and intrapersonal influences to inform therapeutic strategies.
Target audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Clinical
Components: Conceptual analysis, Literature review, Experiential exercises, Didactic presentation, Role play
Topic Areas: Clinical intervention development or outcomes, Professional issues
Package Includes: A general certificate of attendance
CEs Available (13 hours): CEs for Psychologists