- Pain vs. suffering
- Language as a double-edged sword
- Goal: Psychological flexibility
- Limitations of the research & potential risks
Acceptance: Foster Client Acceptance of Emotions to Increase Values-Based Action
- What should be accepted?
- The problem with controlling thoughts
- How to sidestep the happiness trap
- Spot common phrases of non-acceptance
- Experiential avoidance
- How to help clients understand acceptance
- Experiential Exercise: The finger trap
- Relational frame theory & mental health
- Undermine unhelpful language processes
- Give clients skills to notice their thoughts
- How to decrease believability of unhelpful thoughts
- Aid clients in changing the functions of their thoughts
- Experiential Exercise: Notice the meaning of language
- The three different versions of the self
- How to describe the “observer self” to clients
- How to distance the self from thoughts & emotions
- The chess board metaphor
- Experiential Exercise: ”I am” exercise
- How language affects mindfulness
- Goals of mindfulness
- ThoughtFit exercises
- How do we teach clients to be mindful?
- How to build focus on values
- Obstacles in teaching mindfulness
- Experiential Exercise:Mindfulness meditation
- What are values?
- How to help clients author their values
- Values vs. goals
- When clients are “stuck”
- Values assessment
- Batteries exercise
- Epitaph exercise
- Persistent inaction, impulsivity or avoidance
- Address rule-governed behavior
- Exposure & ritual prevention strategies
- The Mindful Action Plan
ACT in Action
PTSD
- Function of trauma symptoms
- Experiential avoidance in PTSD
- Increase psychological safety
- Dominating concepts of the past & future
- Trauma-informed mindfulness exercises
- Client avoidance & escape strategies
- Assessment tools
- Address reason-giving as a barrier
- Strategies to increase willingness
- Anxiety Detector exercise
- Values contradiction
- How experiential avoidance impacts depression
- Fusion to the damaged conceptualized self
- Behavioral activation strategies
- Coping strategies
- Increase emotional tolerance
- Target the client’s story
- Experiential avoidance from the therapist


