Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Resources
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy ResourcesWelcome to the LAMIC Resource page for ACT. This page is aimed at practitioners from Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries (LAMIC) who are new to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and would like to learn more. It.jpg)
is our hope that this page supports your own committed action to learn and makes the content more accessible for you.
ACT is pronounced as one word (not as an acronym) and has a very ACTive community. This means that new evidence, content, and resources are constantly being created. If you are looking for something that is not available on this page or have an idea of something that can be added please let us know.
We have tried our best to indicate whether each resource below applies to beginners or more intermediate practitioners. However, we recommend that you remain flexible and use the resources that are useful and meaningful for you and your context.
You will need to login as a member to see many of the linked resources, but some are available freely to the public (free resources are designated by 3 asterisks***). If you are interested in ACBS Membership you will find more information, including our values-based dues here. ACBS offers a number of membership scholarships - you can apply for a scholarship here.
Community
If you are seeking community to support your growth and learning, then please click this link https://contextualscience.org/chapters/sigs/affiliates
and explore the global ACT chapters and affiliates. If you would like to start with some self-directed learning, then please check out the resources below.
Books
Books for the beginner. These books are a useful ‘first look’ into ACT and how it can be applied. These are also readings that can be given to clients/patients/the general public who are seeking to know more and understand how to apply ACT to their lives.
- The Happiness Trap (Dr Russ Harris). Is a book that covers the basics and gives experiential exercises and is written for those with no training in mental health.***
- A Liberated Mind (Dr Steve Hayes), How to Pivot towards what matters. A self-directed learning book with a greater emphasis on explaining the more technical terms of ACT.***
Books for the beginner: technical stuff
The books below are useful for the practitioner who would like to start actively using ACT in their own professional space. They provide an insight into the theoretical foundations of the model and how it is applied in a real-world context:
- ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Russ Harris). This book is aimed at newcomers but useful to experienced practitioners too. It offers a clear introduction to the 6 core processes and guidance on how to apply these with clients.***
- Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Training Manual for Therapists (Jason B. Luoma, Robyn D. Walser, and Steven C. Hayes). This book has a skills-training focus. The authors recommend reading once you are familiar with some of the basic metaphors and processes of ACT.***
Once you have some ideas about specific things to try using ACT, feel free to use them yourself daily… this is by far the best way to really get the hang of the six processes and associated tools and techniques.
Articles
There are more that you might find interesting (and in other languages) so check out the full Publications list.
- Hayes, S. C. (2004). Behavior Therapy, 35, 639-665.
- Hayes, S. C. (2004). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the new behavior therapies: Mindfulness, acceptance and relationship. In S. C. Hayes, V. M. Follette, & M. Linehan (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive behavioral tradition (pp. 1-29). New York: Guilford.
- Hayes, S. C. (2000). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the treatment of experiential avoidance disorders.
- Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J., Bond, F., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes, and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25.
You will find a list of studies in low and middle income countries here.
Videos
There are many video presentations, examples & trainings available to the beginner practitioner. The list below aims to serve as a starting point, if your passion for ACT is ignited, we hope you continue to explore as more videos are created and shared throughout the ACBS community.
- Louise Gardner - Your ACT Auntie Series (ACT and Mindful Moments Videos)***
- Janina Scarlet, Yonatan Sobin - Superhero Therapy: Using Pop Culture to Strengthen Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Dr. Russ Harris - About ACT in simple terms***
- Tom Lavin - New Skills for Living - Experts on using ACT in daily life***
- Hank Robb - Being Where You Are and Doing What's Important***
- Louise Hayes - How we can use CBS to help humanity
- Robert Whelan - Thinking Big (Data) For Contextual Behavioral Science
- Rachel Collis - Why 21st Century Leaders Often Feel In Over Their Heads and How Psychological Flexibility Can Help
- Pam Katz - Creative Metaphors in ACT
- Luoma, Walser and Hayes - Learning ACT - Skills and Comptencies for Clinicians***
- Daniel J. Moran, Patricia Bach, Sonja V. Batten - Committed Action in Practice: Blending Evidence-Based Interventions into the ACT Model
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Interview with Steve Hayes - ACT, RFT and their clinical applications (subtitles in Portuguese - Rolê Contextual Entrevista - Steven Hayes - ACT, RFT e suas aplicações clínicas)
If you are familiar with ACT already and are looking for some more intermediate videos to explore then try these:
- Stefan G. Hofmann - An Individual Complex Network Approach to Intervention Science
- Paul Atkins, Gareth Holman, Benjamin Schoendorff - Meaning and Resilience In Our Organizational and Community Work
- Dr. Peitao Zhu - Cultural Humility in Counseling and Clinical Supervision
- Maggie McCulloch, RSW - ACT for Psychosis: Supporting individuals and their families
- Jane Morton, MA - Wise Choices: ACT for people with symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
Online courses
You can search for online courses in the ACBS Community Events Calendar. There are many online courses out there…. Please reach out to the DNC (Developing Nations Committee) who may be able to provide some low cost / no cost options to you.
Podcasts
If you are looking for content you can listen to, there are a number of podcasts available. Browse the podcast links below to listen to insights from the leaders in our field.
John Dehlin & Jennifer Plumb - An introduction to ACT Part 1***
John Dehlin & Jennifer Plumb - An introduction to ACT Part 2***
Steven Hayes - The History and Development of ACT with Steven Hayes***
Sonja Batton - An Introduction to Acceptance with Sonja Batten***
Russ Harris - An Introduction to Defusion with Russ Harris***
Matthieu Villatte - An Introduction to Self-As-Context with Matthieu Villatte***
Kelly Wilson - An Introduction to Contacting the Present Moment with Kelly Wilson***
Joanne Dahl - An Introduction to Values with Joanne Dahl***
DJ Moran - An Introduction to Committed ACTion with Daniel J. Moran***
Robyn Walser - ACT for Coping with Trauma and PTSD with Robyn Walser***
Louise Hayes - ACT with Adolescents with Dr. Louise Hayes***
Worksheets & in-practice resources
For the practitioner who is already applying ACT or would like to start using it in a real-world setting. Below are some resources you can use to support these processes. Worksheets and handouts are a great way to facilitate Committed Action.
ACT Handouts***
Joseph Ciarrochi - Choice Point Model
Russ Harris - Handouts from Introductory and Advanced ACT Workshops
Protocols
Protocols are usually developed for research purposes and are useful in that context. They are not an essential part of ACT therapy; this is because ACT is designed to be flexibly applied and is not a rigid set of techniques. However, for the beginner practitioner protocols can be a useful starting point. They give an “inside-look” into the structure of a session and an unfolding of the process. Protocols can also be useful to explore how ACT can be tailored to a specific problem or client presentation. If you think protocols may be a useful resource for you and your work then please use the link below to explore.