Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Training Manual for Therapists

by Jason B. Luoma PhD, Steven C. Hayes PhD, Robyn D. Walser PhD

Overview

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is among the most remarkable developments in contemporary psychotherapy. This second edition of the pioneering ACT skills-training manual for clinicians provides a comprehensive update—essential for both experienced practitioners and those new to using ACT and its applications.

ACT is a proven-effective treatment for numerous mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, addictions, eating disorders, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and more. With important revisions based on new developments in contextual behavioral science, Learning ACT, Second Edition includes up-to-date exercises and references, as well as material on traditional, evidence-based behavioral techniques for use within the ACT framework.

In this fully revised and updated edition of Learning ACT, you’ll find workbook-format exercises to help you understand and take advantage of ACT’s unique six process model—both as a tool for diagnosis and case conceptualization, and as a basis for structuring treatments for clients. You’ll also find up-to-the-minute information on process coaching, new experiential exercises, an increased focus on functional analysis, and downloadable extras that include role-played examples of the core ACT processes in action. By practicing the exercises in this workbook, you’ll learn how this powerful modality can improve clients’ psychological flexibility and help them to live better lives.

Whether you’re a clinician looking for in-depth training and better treatment outcomes for individual clients, a student seeking a better understanding of this powerful modality, or anyone interested in contextual behavioral science, this second edition provides a comprehensive revision to an important ACT resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626259492
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	12/01/2017
Edition description:	Second Edition, Revised
Pages:	456
Sales rank:	78,420
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.02(d)

About the Author

Jason B. Luoma, PhD, is director of Portland Psychotherapy, a research and training clinic based on a social enterprise model that uses business revenue to fund scientific research, where he maintains a small clinical practice. As a researcher, Luoma studies shame, self-criticism, and the interpersonal effects of emotion as well as related interventions. He is a recognized trainer in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), former chair of the ACT Training Committee, and past president of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.

Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada. He has authored, coauthored, or edited nearly 600 scientific articles and book chapters, as well as forty-three books, including Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Relational Frame Theory, and The Wiley Handbook of Contextual Behavioral Science. A past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (which awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award), and of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, he is among the most cited psychologists in the world (http://www.webometrics.info/en/node/58). He has conducted hundreds of trainings in ACT, and has graduated near fifty doctoral students in his career.

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, is director of TL Consultation Services, and codirector of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Center. She works at the National Center for PTSD developing and disseminating innovative ways to translate science into practice, and serves as assistant clinical professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice. Walser has coauthored four books: Learning ACT, The Mindful Couple, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems, and ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors.

Table of Contents

Acknowlegments
Introduction
1 The Focus of ACT and Its Six Aspects
2 Developing Willingness and Acceptance
3 Undermining Cognitive Fusion
4 Getting in Contact with the Present Moment
5 Building Flexible Perspective Taking Through Self-as-Context
6 Defining Valued Directions
7 Building Patterns of Committed Action
8 Conceptualizing Cases Using ACT
9 The ACT Therapeutic Stance
10 Adapting ACT to Cultural Contexts
11 Bringing It All Together
Appendix A: The ACT Core Competency Rating Form
Appendix B: Resources for Further Development
Appendix C: Using ACT in Different Settings
Glossary
References
Index

Interviews

Luomo resides in Portland, OR; Hayes resides in Reno, NV; Walser resides in Richmond, CA.

Editorial Reviews

In this authoritative text, Luoma, Hayes, and Walser present a clearly written and practical step-by-step guide for therapists who are using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Firmly rooted in contextual behavioral science and derived from a well-articulated theory, this text clearly describes and illustrates the concrete strategies to target a set of key processes that are critical to improve the lives of people. Every clinician should be familiar with it. It is a masterful book. I highly recommend it.”
—Stefan G. Hofmann, PhD, professor of psychology at Boston University, past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and author of Emotion in Therapy

“This second edition is an exceptional guide for the skillful and flexible implementation of ACT principles. The chapters outline the six core flexible ACT processes and their methods, with case examples and dialogues that bring the information to life. The book includes a unique and invaluable set of training tools and tests of core competencies. This is a masterful ‘how to’ for ACT suitable for clinicians at any level of training and experience.”
—Michelle G. Craske, PhD, distinguished professor, and director of the Anxiety and Depression Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles

“Firmly grounded in contextual behavioral science (CBS), superbly organized with lucid and comprehensive explanation of all ACT concepts and competencies, and loaded with clinical pearls and pitfalls to avoid, this book lives up to the title and then some, as one of the best books for learning ACT. Further, the clinical vignettes and self-reflective exercises will deepen and advance the practice of more seasoned practitioners of ACT. The updated text and the new inclusion of an excellent chapter on culture and diversity make this edition more relevant and invaluable than ever in this diverse, globalizing world. This book is simply a ‘must-have’ for any serious ACT practitioner!”
—Kenneth P. Fung, MD, FRCPC, MSc, associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto; clinical director of the Asian Initiative in Mental Health at the University Health Network; and president-elect of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture

“ACT has been at the forefront of the pioneering third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies for many years. Not only has it uniquely linked the human evolution of language and symbol formation to mental processes that can cause suffering (relational frame theory [RFT]), but it has articulated six clear processes for therapeutic intervention centered around developing psychological flexibility. For both novice and expert therapists of any orientation, you could not want for a more clearly articulated, easily accessible, and therapeutically wise approach than this by these leaders and pioneers in the field. Full of therapeutic transcripts with clear, insightful descriptions of the therapeutic process, this beautifully written book is an outstanding contribution to therapeutic literature that is bound to become a classic and an essential text.”
—Paul Gilbert, professor at the University of Derby, creator of compassion-focused therapy (CFT), founder of the Compassionate Mind Foundation, and author of The Compassionate Mind

“The tremendous dedication of thought and care Luoma, Hayes, and Walser infused into this second edition of Learning ACT is evident in the breadth and depth of every chapter. Their labor of love resulted in a preeminent and indispensable guide for novice and advanced ACT practitioners alike. Especially valuable are the fifty core competency exercises that stimulate experiential engagement. The chapter on adapting ACT to cultural contexts makes this a cutting-edge treatment for individuals from every walk of life who want to move in valued directions while welcoming all their thoughts and feelings.”
—Mavis Tsai, PhD, coauthor of A Guide to Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, and research scientist and clinical faculty at the University of Washington

From the Publisher