Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Experiential Introduction With Skills Training

Trainers: Martin Wilks MSc, C.Psychol and Henry Whitfield MSc .
8-9 June (Group Experiential) + 13-14 July (Skills Training) 2013
4 day course run over 2 weekends
Fee: £525
Location: 2mins from Kings Cross Station, London WC1.

How does the very nature of human language lead to suffering? How can a person commit to living a vital and more meaningful life right now, in spite of emotional or physical pain barriers? Developed within a coherent theoretical and philosophical framework, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a unique empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behaviour change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility means contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being, and based on what the situation affords, and changing or persisting in behaviour in the service of chosen values

Introductory Workshop details

This workshop includes the traditional two day experiential introduction to ACT followed by a two day skills training workshop.

The first weekend has an emphasis on applying ACT to oneself in the group, the second weekend focuses on applying ACT to one on one practice, making use of a variety of ACT video demonstrations.

These two weekends are prerequisite to our intermediate ACT skills training workshop. The key concepts of ACT will be addressed, consistent with the book Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change by Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly Wilson.

The 'Six Core Processes' of ACT:

• Acceptance
• Cognitive Defusion
• Being Present
• Self as Context
• Values
• Committed action

Clinical Skills Training: (second weekend)

• Analysing videos of leading ACT therapists in action
• Participants practice the core processes of ACT in clinical work, (following live and video demonstrations of key ACT processes).
• Creative hopelessness: confronting an unworkable agenda
• Applications of ACT to specific presenting issues
• Control is the problem
• Mindfulness in ACT
• Behaviour change and willingness to change.
• Using core processes together in pairs or 'couplings' that complement each other well.

Martin Wilks Chartered Psychologist, BPS , AFBPsS , BSc. Psychol (hons), Dip PC Couns. MSc Couns Psychol, Dip Couns Psychol.

Martin has cultivated his personal mindfulness practice for over 25 years. For 17 yrs, working as both psychologist and visiting Buddhist minister, he facilitated mindfulness-based groups and counselling services in a central London prison. In private practice, since 2002 he has been developing the use of ACT in short term work and weaves many ACT & MBCT practices and procedures into longer term mindfulness-based psychotherapy. His research interests focus upon qualitative, participant inquiry methods exploring the integration of mindfulness meditation with counseling.

Henry J. Whitfield MSc (CBT/REBT) MBACP, Accredited Advanced TIR trainer and TIR practitioner (TIRA)

Henry began Mindfulness Training Ltd in 2006. His research interests include the theoretical and practical integration of mindfulness with cognitive behavioural theories, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes and in case-formulated applications of mindfulness. After 4 years as a trauma specialist for Victim Support Lambeth, Henry has since conducted empirical research for City and Hackney Mind, and SPCP Regents College, London investigating psychological process in counselling. He also works in private practice, and teaches widely on the subject of Mindfulness-consistent therapies.