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Introduction to Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

 
Presenter
 

Friday, April 24, 2009
8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Crowne Plaza Worcester
10 Lincoln Square
Worcester, MA 01608

www.cpworcester.com

About ACT
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a contemporary form of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that has shown much promise in helping clients with a wide range of emotional and behavioral difficulties.  ACT introduces a comprehensive model of therapy including a creative set of metaphors and experiential exercises to help clients (a) move away from unworkable change strategies, (b) make healthy contact with thoughts, feelings, and other private reactions they have feared and avoided, (c) re-connect with their deepest values to set a direction for change and to motivate change, and (d) experience their struggles differently and in a manner that permits them to move forward with their lives now. 

This Workshop
This one-day training will introduce participants to this exciting form of therapy.  The instructor will describe the ACT model and explain how it compares to and differs from traditional CBT.  The instructor will give an overview of the rapidly-growing body of research on ACT and its processes.  Attendees will learn to conceptualize client problems from an ACT perspective and how to apply basic ACT interventions.  Attendees will be invited to participate in a variety of exercises to help experience ACT processes and to better understand their clients’ perspectives and struggles.  Lastly, attendees will leave this training with many resources should they wish to further develop their proficiency with ACT.

Level of Experience
This is an introductory training.  No previous experience with ACT is necessary, though having some familiarity with the basic concepts may facilitate learning. 

Learning Objectives

1.  Attendees will be able to describe the ACT model of human suffering including the roles of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion. 

2.  Attendees will be able to list and give examples of the six ACT core processes

 3.  Attendees will be able to list two ways in which ACT and traditional CBT are different.   

4.  Attendees will be able to discuss a familiar clinical case using the ACT model and its terms. 

5.  Attendees will be able to describe a values intervention they could use with one of their clinical cases. 

6.  Attendees will be able to demonstrate the use of a specific cognitive defusion technique and a specific acceptance technique.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Joel Guarna is a licensed psychologist in the state of Maine.  He earned his PhD from Bowling Green State University in 2000 and trained at the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology as a predoctoral intern and postdoctoral fellow.  Dr. Guarna later served as a staff psychologist in the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Boston.  During this time, he provided individual, couples, and group treatment to veterans with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.  He directed an intensive outpatient program for veterans with addictions at the Brockton VAMC.  He provided training and supervision to psychologists-in-training and psychiatry residents as a Clinical Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. 

Dr. Guarna began work in private practice in 2005 and now manages his own practice, White Pine Behavioral Health LLC, in Portland, Maine.  Dr. Guarna’s areas of interest and specialization include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), mind/body health and mindfulness-based therapies, and treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, trauma and PTSD, and addictions.  He was introduced to ACT in 1999 and has attended and given numerous talks and trainings on ACT over the past several years.   
ACT Profile  |  
Practice Website  |  CV

 
You must be a healthcare or mental healthcare worker or student to participate in this workshop.  Please read our Workshop Attendee Policy.
If you experience any difficulties with online registration, please contact me immediately.
Registration
Special Registration
Worcester College Consortium Only
Regular Registration:  $115
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Continuing Education (CE) Credits
Please check with your state or locality to determine if you can receive continuing education credit for this event.  It is your responsibility to ensure that the approvals listed below meet the specific criteria for your profession.
Psychologists.  This event is being co-sponsored by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and the White Pine Institute. The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science maintains responsibility for the program.  The workshop is being offered for 6 hours of continuing education credit.  No partial credit will be offered for partial attendance.  Counselors.  This program has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (approval #: SP-1636).  The workshop will provide 6 continuing education contact hours/clock hours. No partial credit will be offered for partial attendance.  Social Workers.  This program is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Provider #: 886511458) for 6 Continuing Education Hours.  New Hampshire.   The New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice accepts continuing education units for programs approved by the APA, NBCC, and NASW; click here for the NH rules.  Professions regulated by the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice can receive 6 hours of continuing education for attending this workshop.

 

 

 

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White Pine Behavioral Health LLC

25 Middle Street ~ Portland, Maine  04101