Investigation of the utility of the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) framework for fostering self-care in clinical psychology trainees

Clinical psychology trainees (CPTs) are susceptible to elevated stress. Despite recognition of the need for training in self-care strategies for CPTs, research in this area is limited, with little progress in the evaluation of effective models for guiding self-care training. This study explored the utility of the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) framework for identifying processes and strategies to enhance self-care in CPTs. A total of 116 CPTs completed questionnaires in the first year of clinical training. The ACT processes constituted the predictors: values, defusion (measured as thought suppression), mindfulness, and acceptance. The adjustment criterion variables included: stress, distress, life satisfaction, and clinical training satisfaction. The ACT processes explained significant amounts of variance in all of the adjustment outcomes, and thought suppression, values, and acceptance each emerged as significant predictors of 1 or more of the outcomes. With the exception of mindfulness, the ACT processes were related to better adjustment as predicted. The adverse effects of thought suppression were pervasive, whereas the beneficial effects of acceptance and values varied across adjustment outcomes. Acceptance had unexpected suppressor effects on mindfulness in regression analyses on distress and stress. Findings support the utility of the ACT framework for explaining and enhancing adjustment and self-care in CPTs.