Training

The ultimate purpose of ACT and RFT is the creation of a progressive psychology more adequate to the challenge of human suffering. We are attempting to do this by fostering an open and responsible scientific culture that is non-hierarchical, self-critical, and that makes it easy for everyone to play a role.

In furtherance of these values the ACT Community has decided not to formally certify therapists, trusting an open process of development to weed out problems. We have felt the need to help others find ACT trainers, however, so that the early developers do not become de facto gate keepers, which could place a hierarchical and closed process at the heart of ACT development.

Below you will find listings of ACT trainers and ACT internship/supervision opportunities. You should also check the calendar frequently for additional ACT training workshops, conferences, institutes, and other events.

Academic Training & Research Labs

The ACBS community has provided detailed information on their research labs in the child pages at the very bottom of this page -- some of which are not located within academic training programs per se. Each of these labs conduct research relevant to, or informed by, functional contextualism, RFT and/or ACT. Labs in medical schools or hospital settings (for example) may be opportunities for you to gain experience as a research assistant (often after finishing your bachelor's degree), post-doctoral fellow, or other colleague.

For information on academic programs that provide some form of clinical training in ACT, please visit the Full List of Academic Programs Training in ACT provided for you below. Click on the link for the program or school's name to learn more about it.

ACBS Members: If you would like to add your research lab to this list, click on the "add child page" link at the bottom of this page.

Full List of Academic Programs Training in ACT

ACT Training Programs

Masters Degree Programs

Chapman University, Orange, CA
a. Georg Eifert
Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
a. J. T. Blackledge
San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
a. Jen Gregg
Southwest Missouri State University
a. Ann Branstetter
Towson University, Towson, MD
a. Alix Timko
University of South Carolina, Aiken
a. Chad Drake

Doctoral Degree Programs

Non-US

University of Wollongong (Australia)
a. Joe Ciarrochi

University of Almeria (Spain)

a. Carmen Luciano
University of London (UK)
a. Frank Bond
Tampere University (Finland)
a. Raimo Lappalainen
National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Ireland)
a. Yvonne Barnes-Holmes
b. Dermot Barnes-Holmes
University of Uppsala (Sweden)
a. JoAnne Dahl
United States

The Chicago School
a. Sandra Georgescu
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
a. James Herbert
b. Evan Forman
Illinois Institute of Technology
a. Patty Bach
Georgia State University
a. Aki Masuda
LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA (PsyD)
a. Frank Gardner
b. Jennifer Block-Lerner
Suffolk University, Boston, MA
a. Lisa Coyne
b. Sue Orsillo
University at Albany (NY)
a. John Forsyth
University of North Texas (Psychology, not Behavior Analysis)
a. Amy Murrell
University of Massachusetts, Boston
a. Liz Roemer
University of Denver (PsyD)
a. Ragnar Storaasli
b. John McNeill
c. Chad Emrick
University of Missouri - St. Louis
a. Laurie Greco
University of Nevada, Reno
a. Steve Hayes
b. Victoria Follette
University of Mississippi
a. Kelly Wilson
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
a. Doug Woods
b. Jonathan Kanter (more interested in FAP, but knows ACT well)
University of New Mexico
a. Mike Dougher
University of Maryland, College Park
a. Carl Lejuez
Utah State University
a. Mike Twohig
Western Michigan University
a. Scott Gaynor
b. Amy Naugle
Wichita State University
a. Robert Zettle

Bowling Green State University: Mindful Behavior Therapy and Psychophysiology Lab (MAPLab) - William H. O'Brien, Ph.D.

The fundamental mission of the Mindful Behavior Therapy and Psychophysiology (MAPLab) is to develop knowledge and methods that can be used to alleviate preventable/unnecessary human suffering and enhance well-being. We strive to advance this overarching goal by: (a) engaging in basic research designed to better understand the nature of biobehavioral disorders; (b) engaging in applied research focused on the development and evaluation of innovative clinical procedures; (c) sharing our learning through teaching, supervision, and scholarly writing; and (d) providing direct clinical services to persons in hospital settings, nursing homes, community medical settings, and outpatient mental health settings using a scientist-practitioner model of service delivery.

Visit the Lab webpage for additional information.

Center for Comprehensive Services Carbondale, Illinois - John M. Guercio

Research Focus:

The use of RFT technology to impact sexually deviant behavior in adults with acquired brain injury (ABI).

Using relational operants as part of a treatment package to address substance abuse issues in ABI.

Analysis of racial bias in the ABI population and interventions that employ RFT treatment protocols.

Chapman University (Orange, CA) - Georg H. Eifert

We have developed ACT treatment protocols for anorexia, anger, and anxiety disorders. The two books on anger and anorexia were written for lay people, whereas the anxiety book is a therapist guide.

We are currently investigating the effectiveness of our new unified treatment protocol -- ACT for Anxiety Disorders -- compared to standard CBT for persons suffering from anxiety disorders. The study itself is conducted in the Anxiety Disorders Behavioral Research Lab at UCLA (directed by Michelle Craske) in collaboration with John Forsyth (SUNY Albany). Our ACT for Anxiety Disorders website provides more detailed information on our approach and downloadable therapist resources.

For more information and a list of recent publications, please visit Georg Eifert's faculty home page

For more information on our ACT books on anorexia, anger, and anxiety disorders click here

Drexel University: Acceptance Based Behavior Therapy Program - Evan Forman & James Herbert

Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy Program

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Our research team has a number of overlapping research interests that span psychotherapy processes and outcome, acceptance-based behavioral strategies for emotional and behavioral health problems, the nature and treatment of various anxiety disorders, and science versus pseudoscience.

Visit the Forman Herbert Lab Group for more information.

Duke University Medical Center, Duke Center for Eating Disorders - Rhonda M. Merwin

Research and Treatment Program. Contact Rhonda Merwin for more information.

Goldsmiths College, University of London - Frank Bond

The work in this lab focuses on several ACT/RFT-related areas:

1. Testing the outcomes and mediators of change of ACT interventions in work organisations.
2. Examining the effects of psychological flexibility on health and productivity in the work place.
3. How to measure psychological flexibility.
4. The effects of psychological flexibility on learning and performance.
5. The effects of micro ACT interventions on analogue pain.

Visit Frank Bond's research website.

Text from Frank's website:

"There are two overriding aims of my current research, which is in the area of Occupational Health Psychology. First, I am examining the organisational and psychological factors that determine work effectiveness (e.g., productivity, absenteeism) and employee health (e.g., mental/physical health). Second, I am developing and testing theory-driven interventions for improving these outcomes. These interventions are of two types.

The first involves redesigning people's work, in order to create an organisation, or department, that allows people to use their knowledge, skills, and abilities most effectively and efficiently. This is accomplished by, for example, giving people more control over how they carry out tasks, changing communication patterns, or clarifying roles so that they are less ambiguous and conflicting.

The second type of intervention attempts to train individuals to cope more effectively with the normal, everyday stressors that exist at work. In particular, my team is now developing and evaluating training programmes that are based on cognitive-behaviour therapies, including newer 'acceptance-based', or 'mindfulness', ones. We are currently implementing and testing all of our interventions in both public and private sector organisations."

Hofstra University, New York: Psychological Evaluation Research and Counseling Clinic: ACT Specialty Clinic

This specialty clinic/lab serves the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at Hofstra University. Doctoral stuudents interested in learning acceptance-based approaches, particularly ACT and MBSR, do their practicum work here. It is common that students in the lab serve as therapists for dissertations of upper level graduate students. In the past, we have evaluated the efficacy of the acceptance-based approach for chronic pain, pain tolerance, anxiety, and driving anger. We have also been using acceptance-based approaches to help people with medical conditions, such a hypothyroidism, lead more fulfilling lives.

Contact the ACT Clinic at 516-463-6633 or e-mail at ACTclinic@hofstra.edu

Illinois Institute of Technology - Patty Bach

Patty Bach's research laboratory investigates Acceptance and commitment therapy; Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and the role of verbal behavior in psychopathology and problem behavior; disordered eating and stigma. Visit her academic website for updated information.

Intercollege, Cyprus- Maria Karekla

Clinical Psychology Research Laboratory

This is a newly founded laboratory. We have recently acquired excellent laboratory facilities within Intercollege's training clinic, The Center for Therapy, Training, and Research (KESY). Numerous projects are currently either in the planning stages or under way (more information will be forthcoming).

Projects that have received funding to date include:

2006 Psychosocial relation among exercise involvement and smoking in Adolescents and Young Adults in Cyprus (Η ψυχοκοινωνική σχέση άθλησης και καπνίσματος ανάμεσα στους ‘Εφηβους και Νεαρούς Ενήλικες στην Κύπρο). Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation. (Funded = £40 000 CYP).

2005 Cognitive and Physiological Reactions in Anxiety Disorders (Γνωστικές και Φυσιολογικές Αντιδράσεις στις Διαταραχές του Άγχους). Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation Infrastructure Grant. (Funded = £100 000 CYP).

2005 Smoking in Adolescents and Young Adults in Cyprus. Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation. (Funded = £40 000 CYP)

2005 Epidemiology and Psychosocial Factors of Type I and Type II Diabetes in Cyprus. Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation (Funded = £40 000 CYP)

La Salle University - Jennifer Block Lerner

Jennifer Block Lerner

My research interests primarily relate to understanding processes of change in acceptance and mindfulness-based clinical interventions. I co-lead a research team with Dr. LeeAnn Cardaciotto, and this group has numerous ongoing projects related to assessment of these processes in various clinical and nonclinical populations, the interpersonal implications of mindfulness practice, and related topics.

Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena- Todd Kashdan

Click on the link below to learn more about the Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena directed by Dr. Todd B. Kashdan at George Mason University

http://mason.gmu.edu/~tkashdan/

Click on the following link to download articles or book chapters (email if you have any problems):

http://mason.gmu.edu/~tkashdan/publications.html

Morehead State University -- JT Blackledge

At the MSU ACT/RFT Research Lab in Morehead, Kentucky, I am currently conducting ACT process and outcome research with advanced undergraduates and Masters students.

National University of Ireland, Galway - Ian Stewart & Denis O'Hora

Dr. Stewart's research interests span both the experimental analysis of language and cognition and applications of RFT (including ACT) to education and other settings. Current RFT projects include work on derived equivalence relations; interference between non arbitrary and arbitrary relational responding; hierarchical relational responding; Crel and Cfunc control; the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure; analogical reasoning; Training and Assessment of Relational Precursors and Abilities (TARPA); and the precursor skills required for arbitrarily applicable relational responding. Current ACT projects include the experimental analysis of the effect of values in the context of acceptance.

"My research is influenced by a number of philosophies or approaches. These include Skinner's experimental analysis of behaviour or operant psychology, Hayes, Barnes-Holmes and Roche's relational frame theory, Kelso's coordination dynamics and Spivey's (and Dale and Richardson's) continuity of mind. The common feature of these approaches is that they consider the person to be an ever-changing collection of responses to an ever-changing world. That is, we are continually learning from the world around us and changing through that learning. The constant world that we see around us (including the constant person that we think we are) is both the result of relatively stable attractor states in the responding of our perceptual equipment, and consistencies established in language. Current specific research lines include the effects of goal statements on behavior over time (with Tammemagi and Maglieri), how we interpret the passing of time using the concepts of Before and After (with Hyland, Smyth and Leslie), brain changes that correlate with category formation (with Sigurjonsson, Stewart and Leader). I am also interested in the applied utility of my research in organizational, educational and care settings. I am a member of the Perception, Cognition and Action research group and the Clinical, Biological and Behavioural Psychology research cluster."

National University of Ireland, Maynooth - Dermot & Yvonne Barnes-Holmes

The Language & Cognition Research group in the Psychology Department at NUI Maynooth is one of the most active and prolific RFT research labs in the world. The lab encompasses research activities relevant to many fields of psychology, including child language development, the development of perspective-taking, metaphor, rule-following, goal-setting, emotional responding, and human sexuality, as well as a variety of conceptual issues relating to contextualism, derived relational responding and Relational Frame Theory more generally.

Oregon Research Institute (ORI) - Shawn Boles

Current RFT/ACT Research and Development Projects at ORI:

  • RFTMain - Shawn Boles. Developing a web-based system to serve multiple laboratories via management of experiments using any RFT Method (e.g., IRAP)
  • ACT and Adolescent Smoking Cessation - Tony Biglan
  • ACT and Teacher Burnout- Tony Biglan
  • Exploring the Verbal Networks of Adolescents with respect to Healthy and Harmful Behaviors - Shawn Boles, Tony Biglan and Miwa Yasui

Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC - Portland, Oregon

The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC currently consists of Jason Luoma, Jenna LeJeune , and a postdoctoral resident (in 2009-2010 this is Brian Thompson). Each year, we hire a new postdoctoral resident who provides evidence-based psychotherapy, particularly Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in our clinic, along with substantial time devoted to research. We have also developed a specialty clinic devoted to the treatment of mood disorders and hope to begin collecting data there soon.

Current research projects include:

  • Developing an ACT and RFT-based intervention for chronic shame
  • Stigma toward addiction, particularly in the context of addictions treatment systems
  • Effectiveness of various approaches to training practitioners in ACT, particularly those based on methods such as elearning and videoconferencing

We are open to collaborating with anyone with similar interests and will take on students for mentoring in research, even if this is done remotely.

We regularly offer trainings through the clinic that are mainly in the Pacific Northwest area.

Suffolk University - Lisa Coyne

Our research lab is interested in the following broad areas of investigation:

1. Adaptation of ACT-based principles to enhance behavioral prevention and intervention approaches for children, adolescents, and families

2. Parent experiential avoidance and its role in the development and maintenance of impaired parenting, emotion socialization practices, and
child behavior problems

3. Using ACT to enhance teacher behavior management strategies

4. Developing methodology to assess the impact of experiential avoidance in parent-child relationships

Current Research Projects in the Child Research Lab at Suffolk University:

1. Treatment Development & Pilot of an Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based OCD Protocol for Young Children (Aged five to eight)

2. The Role of Parental Experiential Avoidance during In-Session Exposure for Pediatric OCD

3. The Impact of Parent Experiential Avoidance on Parent-Child Interaction in Mindful Awareness vs. Emotion Control Conditions

4. Parental Experiential Avoidance and Context-Specific Stress Tolerance

5. Childhood Reactive Aggression, Emotion Socialization, and Experiential Avoidance

Click here for more information.

Suffolk University: Acceptance, Mindfulness and Emotion Lab - Sue Orsillo

The Acceptance, Mindfulness and Emotion Lab at Suffolk University is coordinated by Sue Orsillo, faculty in the clinical psychology doctoral program. Learn more about current projects by clicking the links below.

Swansea University (Wales): Louise McHugh & Simon Dymond

The RFT & ACT Lab is a sub-group of the Learning and Behaviour research group at Swansea University in Wales.

Co-coordinated by Louise McHugh, current research projects include work on perspective-taking, derived semantic priming, transformation of functions, experimental psychopathology (fear, avoidance, thought suppression), and the development of hierarchical relations. A growing group of undergraduates, postgraduates, and externally funded researchers participate in lab meetings, conferences, and workshops. A new Masters in Behaviour Analysis commenced in September 2006 during which students will have the opportunity to pursue a research project in RFT or ACT related topics.

Visit Louise McHugh's academic website.

Visit Simon Dymond's academic website.

The Chicago School - (M.A. & Psy.D. programs) Sandra Georgescu

The Chicago School http://www.thechicagoschool.edu/content.cfm/programs offers both M.A. and Psy.D. level training in clinical psychology and applied behavioral analysis. Interests among faculty are broad - see faculty profiles for descriptions

University at Albany, SUNY - John Forsyth

Our lab -- the Anxiety Disorders Research Program (ADRP) -- is about understanding processes that transform normal human thoughts and painful emotions into life shattering problems associated with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and even problem anger. We focus on these problems to understand human suffering, not as ends in themselves.

The ADRP laboratory has an explicit process-oriented translational focus. Everyone in the lab is involved in basic and applied treatment oriented research with subclinical and clinical populations. We struggle intensely with philosophical and conceptual issues and make efforts to integrate this activity with our basic and applied work. Students are treated as junior colleagues. This is the model. This is the model that paved the way for the early success of behavior therapy. It is a model that is reflected in the collective lab values statement (see attached below) that we, as a group, have developed.

To date, we have focused on understanding the role of excessive thought and emotion regulation in the development, maintenance, and treatment of anxiety disorders. Included here are studies on how emotion regulation transforms normal fear learning and other experiential processes into clinical problems, the measurement of experiential avoidance, acceptance, and defusion. We are now underway with a multisite collaborative project (the UCLA-Albany Study) testing of our new unified treatment protocol -- ACT for Anxiety Disorders -- vs. standard CBT for persons suffering from anxiety disorders.

Our lab also routinely provides consultation and both brief and intensive professional training workshops for professionals interested in learning more about ACT for Anxiety Disorders.

For additional information please contact Dr. John P. Forsyth at the following address:

John P. Forsyth, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Faculty Director, Anxiety Disorders Research Program
University at Albany, SUNY
Department of Psychology, SS369
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222 U.S.A.
Ph: (518) 442-4862
Fax: (518) 442-4867
Email: forsyth@albany.edu

Relevant Links
Dr. Forsyth's Lab
University at Albany, Psychology Department
Acceptance and Mindfulness Books
ACT for Anxiety Disorders OnLine Research

University of Almería - Carmen Luciano

View the spanish presentation of the lab:
http://www.ofertacientifica.ual.es/descargas/investigacion/documentos/HUM595_58.ppt#42

The research group with the name of Experimental and Applied Behavior Analysis began in the University of Granada in 1985 and continued in the University of Almería since 1994 under the direction of Carmen Luciano Soriano, professor in the University of Almería, Spain.

The research conducted has been focused in the functional analysis of verbal behavior with special interest in the basic-applied dimension. The research conducted has involved children, parents and adults as well as some research was done with non-human organisms. In the last ten years, the research has been –and it is- tracking the functional analysis of Language and Cognition in the context of the Relational Frame Theory and the analysis of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

The basic-applied dimension research projects concerns:
(1) the conditions to establish relational frames, the analysis of the verbal regulation and the analysis of the transformation of functions,
(2) analyzing the verbal contexts defining the unflexible verbal regulation involved in problematic Experiencial Avoidance,
(3) the transformation of functions in the ACT clinical methods,
(4) the extension of ACT brief protocols to several domains, and
(5) the extension of the analysis of relational frames to establish verbal behavior in children with delayed psychological development.

ACTUAL RESEARCHERS working in the projects:

Dr. Carmen Luciano Soriano, Univ. Almería (mluciano@ual.es)
Dr. Inmaculada Gómez Becerra, Univ. Almería (igomez@ual.es)
Dr. Francisco Molina Cobos, Univ. Almería (fjcobos@ual.es)
Dr. Olga Gutiérrez Martínez, Univ. Granada (olgaguti@ugr.es)
Dr. Marisa Páez Blarrina, Spanish Assoc. Cancer (marisa.paez@aecc.es)
Dr. Carmelo Visdómine, (jcvisdomine@hotmail.com)
Dr. Francisco Cabello, Univ. La Rioja (francisco.cabello@dcst.unirioja.es)
Dr. Francisco Montesinos, Spanish Association Cancer (francisco.montesinos@aecc.es)
Dr. Sonsoles Valdivia Salas, Univ. Almería (sonvaldivia28@hotmail.com)
Dr. Miguel Rodríguez Valverde, Univ. Almería (mvalver@ual.es)
Dr. Mónica Hernández, Univ. Valladolid (mohernan@ual.es)
Laura Carmen Sánchez, Univ. Almería (lss250@ual.es)
Israel Mañas Mañas, Univ. Almería (imanas@ual.es)
Francisco Ruiz Jiménez, Univ. Almería (frj939@ual.es)
Javier Hilinger Sánchez, Univ. Almería (jhilinger@hotmail.com)

Also, Dr. Dermot Barnes-Holmes, Dr. Ivonne Barnes-Holmes (Maynooth, Ireland), and Dr. Michael Dougher (Albuquerque, New Mexico) are colloborating in several of the main projects.

ACTUAL FUNDING:

Actual funding projects directly connected to RFT and ACT are:

* “Derivation of Functions: Analysis of verbal contexts in Experiential Avoidance and in ACT clinical methods”. Financed as Excelent Projects Program by the Andalusian Govertment, 2006-2008.

* “Analysis of Experiencial Avoidance and defusion methods in ACT”. Financed as I+D+I Ministry of Education Program. (2006-2008).

* “Addictive behaviors and altering functions in young people” by Andalusian Govertment”, (Grant to Javier Hilinger), 2004-2006.

* “Development of a telehealth resource for young people engaging in problematic Cybersex on the Internet” by European Comission (Project coordinated by E. Quayle, Cork, Ireland) (Grants to Francisco Ruiz Jiménez and Sonsoles Valdivia Salas)

* “Transformation of Functions according to several relational frames” financed by Ministry of Science and Education (Grant to Miguel Rodríguez Valverde, 2003-2006).

* “Analyzing equivalence” financed by Andalusian Govertment (Grant to Israel Mañas Mañas, 2004-2006).

* “Multiple Esclerosis and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” by University of Almería (Grant to Laura del Carmen Sánchez Sánchez).

THESES

The following theses to achieve the doctor degree (Pre-doc theses are not included here) that have been done under the umbrella of the research group are:

1. Miguel Ángel Delgado Noguera: Influence of a educational training in Sports Education. University of Granada, Ph.D. in 1989.

2. Luis Valero Aguayo: Experimental analysis of new behaviors through equivalence relations. University of Granada, Ph.D. in 1990.

3. Antonio Fernández Parra: Experimental analysis of the formation of phobic behaviors. University of Granada, Ph. D.. in 1990.

4. Javier Herruzo Cabrera: "Say-do" correspondence training. University of Granada, Ph.D., in 1992.

5. Mercedes Vernetta: Diferential effect of two methods in gymnastic skills. University of Granada, Ph. D. 1995.

6. Inmaculada Gómez Becerra: (In)sensitivity to contingencies and verbal behavior. University of Almería, Ph. D. 1996.

7. Francisco Javier Molina Cobos: Learning behaviors through imitation. Implications of verbal behavior. University of Almería, Ph.D. 1997.

8. Serafín Gómez García: Rupture of equivalence relations (co-directed with Dermot Barnes-Holmes). University of Almería, Ph. D. 1998.

9. Mª Carmen Vives: Vocal articulation deficits and generalization. University of Almería, Ph. D. 1999.

10. Carmen Berrocal: Functional analysis in obesity (co-directed with Flor Zaldívar). University of Málaga, Ph. D. 2000

11. Olga Gutiérrez Martínez: Comparison between acceptance and control strategies in a paradigm of self-control. University of Almería, Ph. D. 2003.

12. Carmelo Visdómine: Locus of control and transference of functions. Univesity of Almería, Ph. D. 2004.

13. Marisa Páez: Avoidance and control strategies in patients with breast cancer. University of Almería, Ph. D. 2005.

14. Francisco Cabello Luque: Equivalent relations and protocol analysis by the silent dog method (co-directed with Dermot Barnes-Holmesd). University of Almería, Ph. D. 2005.

15. Francisco Montesinos: Psychological impact of "cancer" and defusion strategies. University of Almería, Ph. D. 2005.

16. Sonsoles Valdivia: Motivational analysis and transfer of functions (co-directed with Michael Dougher). University of Almería, Ph. D. 2005.

17. Mónica Hernández: Quitting smoking and control versus acceptance strategies (co-directed with Jesús Gil Roales-Nieto). University of Almería, 2006 (next presentation).

Relevant publications are:

Related ACT/RFT books:

Luciano, M. C. (dir) (2001). Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso. Libro de Casos (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Cases book.). Promolibro: Valencia.

Wilson, K. G., & Luciano, M. C. (2002). Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso. Un tratamiento conductual orientado a los valores. (Acceptance and Commtiment Therapy. A behavioral treatment oriented to values). Pirámide: Madrid.

University of Houston, Clear Lake - Chad Wetterneck

Chad Wetterneck, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor for the clinical program at The University of Houston – Clear Lake’s. He currently heads a lab focused on investigating anxiety and ACT related constructs and collaborates with Mary Short, Ph.D. in co-leading investigating factors related to Internet pornography use.

Recent projects from Dr. Wetterneck’s research labs have examined:

  • Variations in the report of OCD related symptomology by ethnicity
  • The acceptability of ACT and CBT based on treatment rationales for social anxiety and treatment expectations for ACT and CBT based on treatment rationales for social anxiety
  • The nature and frequency of sexually intrusive thoughts and their relationship to experiential avoidance and past experience of traumatic sexual events
  • The relationship of experiential avoidance, sexual compulsivity, and impulsivity to Internet pornography (IP) use

Dr. Wetterneck has excellent training in ACT including multiple training workshops, serving as the lead therapist in a randomized controlled trial of acceptance-enhanced behavioral treatment of trichotillomania, and co-leading an ACT supervision group in the greater Houston area. He received his doctorate from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under the supervision of Doug Woods, Ph.D. and completed his internship at Baylor College of Medicine under the supervision of Carla Sharp, Ph.D. Dr. Wetterneck has specific interests and experience with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

University of Massachusetts at Boston - Liz Roemer

Visit the link below to view Liz Roemer's current and former graduate students and examples of their recent research on experiential/emotional avoidance, emotion regulation and mindfulness as they relate to anxiety as well as recovery from traumatic exposure.

Liz Roemer's lab webpage

Liz Roemer's faculty webpage

University of Mississippi - Kelly Wilson & Kate Kellum

This is the short version of the two-part mission of the Wilson-Kellum Lab at Ole Miss:

Part 1: The Content Mission. Yes, the lab has a mission. To make theoretical and empirical analyses of the role of basic verbal processes in complex human behavior; to aim these analyses at topics that seem central to a life lived well; and, to pursue the applied implications of these analyses in the service of improving lives.

Part 2: The Process Mission. To create an environment in which behavioral scientists are nurtured. The lab will mindfully pursue the professional development of its members in order to equip them to play an important role in the bettering of the human condition through the development, dissemination and application of this science. Professional development is understood in our group in the very broadest possible sense. Too often in psychology and other disciplines, professional development has been very narrowly construed--i.e., becoming a competent psychologist. In our lab, we are interested in the development of whole persons. Joining the lab means making a commitment to have lab be about supporting others, and in allowing yourself to be supported, in the development of a whole life.

Click on the Lab Manifesto link for the full lab mission statement.

We have an APA accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology and also offer Ph.D.'s in experimental psychology at the University of Mississippi. Kate Kellum and I co-direct this lab. If you are interested in doctoral training with us, you should look at the Lab Manifesto and at my Academic Homepage. Surf around my website and you will get a pretty good sense of the culture of our workgroup. If you are thinking about doc training, please do yourself a favor and think hard about the culture of the place you are trained. If you pick well, your graduate training will end with sweet sorrow. You will know it is time to go, but, there will be tears shed as you leave. We are not the most famous or richest place to be trained, but we offer something here that you cannot get elsewhere.

If you are interested in training opportunities and upcoming workshops, visit my training pages.

If you are interested in running RFT studies our lab gives away its software.

University of Mississippi Medical Center: Personality and Emotion Research and Treatment (PERT) Lab-- Kim Gratz and Mathew Tull

Kim Gratz, Ph.D. and Matthew Tull, Ph.D. are Co-Directors of the PERT Laboratory at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. The PERT Lab offers opportunities to get involved with research at the volunteer, undergraduate research assistant, pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral levels. Visit the PERT lab web page to find out more information about on-going projects and current opportunities.

Dr. Gratz is Director of Personality Disorders Research and Director of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinic. Dr. Gratz's clinical and research interests focus on the role of emotion dysregulation and experiential avoidance in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and deliberate self-harm. In particular, her research focuses on understanding the nature and consequences of emotional dysregulation and avoidance in BPD and self-harm (through the use of novel behavioral/experimental paradigms), and applying this understanding to the development of more effective treatments for these conditions. She is also interested in the emergence of borderline personality and related pathology among children and adolescents, and the intergenerational transmission of borderline personality pathology between mothers and their children. Recent projects include: experimental investigations of emotion dysregulation, experiential avoidance, and emotional unwillingness in BPD and deliberate self-harm; an experimental investigation of the validity, markers, and associated consequences of an anxious-avoidant subtype of BPD; an examination of the personality traits and underlying processes associated with borderline personality symptoms in childhood; an examination of the rates and correlates of deliberate self-harm among children and adolescents in low-income communities; a laboratory-based study of BPD-relevant personality traits and emotion regulation capacity among women and their 12-23 month-old children; and the further development of an acceptance-based, emotion regulation group therapy for deliberate self-harm among women with borderline personality traits.

Dr. Tull is Assistant Professor and Director of Anxiety Disorders Research. Dr. Tull's research focuses on emotion regulation within the anxiety disorders, with a particular focus on PTSD. His research examines the ways in which: (a) emotion regulation strategies that function to avoid emotion (and internal experience in general) may serve as a vulnerability factor for the development and maintenance of post-traumatic symptoms; and (b) emotional approach and acceptance (such as through mindfulness) may serve as a protective factor for anxiety disorder-related pathology. This research stems from a growing body of theoretical and empirical literature that suggests a paradoxical effect of emotional avoidance/control and, conversely, the potential benefits of accepting and being mindful of one's internal experience.

University of Missouri, St. Louis - Laurie Greco

Research emphases include: Investigation of the nature and role of ACT-relevant processes over time; Development and evaluation of ACT interventions for adult/adolescent populations (current focus on military veterans with chronic pain); Development of ACT-relevant measures (e.g., Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth; Greco et al., 2006; Children's Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure; Greco & Baer, 2006); Integration of ACT principles and methods into family, school, and medical settings.

Visit Laurie Greco's faculty site for additional information.

University of Nevada, Reno - Steve Hayes

The University of Nevada lab is focused on creating a scientific paradigm that supports human transformation.

It seeks the development of a coherent, pragmatically useful, innovative, empirical, behavioral approach to psychological science that will enable significant steps forward in our understanding of human beings, the creation of human progress, and in the alleviation of human suffering.

It consciously tries to give away its research program by supporting the development of successful research laboratories with these goals world wide.

The lab has been at the forefront in the development of functional contextualism, Relational Frame Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Labbies with Steve Hayes after he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies in 2007Labbies with Steve Hayes after he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies in 2007

Doctoral graduates from Steve Hayes's lab who also agree to a "science oath" receive the "Behavioralis Junkus degree" and learn the secret behavioral handshake.

Below are links to the current labbies, a list of "Behavioralis Junkus degree" recipients, and a comprehensive list of all dissertations to come out of the lab.

Current UNR Labbies

The current members of the ACT/RFT Lab at UNR include:

Post-Doctoral Fellows:

  • Jason Lillis
  • Matthieu Villatte
  • Chelsea MacLane

Graduate Students:

  • Kara Bunting (on internship)
  • Lindsay Fletcher (matched for internship)
  • Merry Sylvester (matched for internship)
  • Jennifer Plumb
  • Jennifer Boulanger
  • Mikaela Hildebrandt
  • Roger Vilardaga
  • Michael Levin
  • Jamie Yadaivia
  • Tami Jeffcoat (formerly Lazzarone)
  • Doug Long

Research Assistants

Former RA's who have gone on to graduate school in psychology

  • Lindsay Martin (Towson University)
  • Kate Morrison (Utah State University)
  • Dahlia Mukherjee (University of Pennsylvania)

Labbie Fellow Travelers (primary advisor not Steve):

  • Tom Waltz (matched for internship)
  • Claudia Drossel (matched for internship)

UNR Dissertation List

Here are the dissertations that have come from the lab over the years (including those from UNC Greensboro, prior to UNR):

COGNITIVE THERAPY OF DEPRESSION: A CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPONENT AND PROCESS ISSUES
by ZETTLE, ROBERT DOUGLAS, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1984, 560 pages

STIMULUS EQUIVALENCE AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN (RETARDATION)
by DEVANY, JEANNE MARIE, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1985, 82 pages

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO CLASSES OF MEASURES EXAMINED IDIOTHETICALLY AND NOMOTHETICALLY
by TURNER, ARLINZA EARL, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1986, 332 pages

THE USE OF THERAPIST RULES, SELF-RULES, AND CONTINGENCY-SHAPED FEEDBACK IN THE TREATMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS DEFICITS IN ADULTS
by ROSENFARB, IRWIN SHIMON, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1986, 258 pages

HIGHER-ORDER CONTROL OVER EQUIVALENCE CLASSES AND RESPONSE SEQUENCES: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALOGUE OF SIMPLE SYNTACTICAL RELATIONS
by WULFERT, EDELGARD, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1987, 131 pages

CONDITIONAL CONTROL OF EQUIVALENCE AND THE RELATIONS DIFFERENT AND OPPOSITE: A BEHAVIOR ANALYTIC MODEL OF COMPLEX VERBAL BEHAVIOR
by STEELE, DAVID LEE, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1987, 136 pages

The effects of verbal consequences for rule-following on sensitivity to programmed contingencies of reinforcement
by Haas, Joseph Raymond, PhD
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO, 1991, 209 pages

Client metaphor use in a contextual form of therapy
by McCurry, Susan Melancon, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1991, 262 pages

An analysis of the process of client change in a contextual approach to therapy
by Khorakiwala, Durriyah, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1991, 240 pages

A behavior analysis of complex human functioning: Analogical reasoning
by Lipkens, Regina, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1992, 214 pages

The evaluation, and remediation of obstacles to Japanese/European-American intercultural communication from a behavior analytic perspective
by Leonhard, Christoph Harald, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1994, 180 pages

Transfer of function through equivalence: Modification effects based upon nodality and contextual control
by Kohlenberg, Barbara Saree, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1994, 117 pages

Examining the differential effects of feedback in ply-form and track-form on staff training of consumers in a sheltered workshop
by Huntley, Kenneth Robert, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1995, 104 pages

A study of paradoxical cognitive responding in thought suppression
by Afari, Niloofar, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1996, 148 pages

Acceptance, suppression, and monitoring of personally-relevant unwanted thoughts in women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
by Pistorello, Jacqueline, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1998, 240 pages

The effects of suppression and acceptance on thought and emotion
by Walser, Robyn Darleen, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1998, 189 pages

Relational acquisition of stimulus function in substance dependence: A preliminary examination of drug versus nondrug related equivalence classes
by Wilson, Kelly Gene, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1998, 104 pages

An experimental analysis of the effects of an intrusive academic advising package on academic performance, satisfaction, and retention
by Sayrs, David Michael, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 1999, 101 pages

Acceptance and commitment therapy in the treatment of symptoms of psychosis
by Bach, Patricia Ann, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2000, 87 pages

Dismantling instruction to distract from a painful stimulus: Approach/avoidance functions of distracting instructions
by Grundt, Adam Matthew, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2000, 155 pages

Toward an empirical analysis of verbal motivation: A possible preparation for distinguishing discriminative and motivational functions of verbal stimuli
by Ju, Winifred Chin-Teh, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2000, 255 pages

Processes of change: Acceptance versus 12-step in polysubstance-abusing methadone clients
by Bissett, Richard Thorman, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2001, 351 pages

Culture and acceptance and control-based strategies: Predictors of psychological adjustment among Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans
by Cook, Dosheen, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2003, 99 pages

Acceptance-based treatment of regulatory internal stimuli in nicotine-dependent smokers: A controlled comparison with transdermal nicotine replacement
by Gifford, Elizabeth Ruth van der Veen, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2003, 181 pages

A randomized controlled effectiveness trial comparing patient education with and without acceptance and commitment therapy for type 2 diabetes self-management
by Gregg, Jennifer Ann, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2004, 291 pages

Acceptance and commitment training and stigma toward people with psychological disorders: Developing a new technology
by Masuda, Akihiko, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2006, 117 pages

The impact of training deictic frames on perspective taking with young children: A relational frame theory approach to theory of mind
by Weil, Timothy M., Ph.D.
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2006, 90 pages

Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of obesity-related stigma and weight control
by Lillis, Jason, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2007, 144 pages

The role of acceptance in cognitive behavioral treatment for chronic pain in an HIV-positive community sample
by Pierson, Heather M., PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2008, 206 pages

A randomized clinical trial of acceptance and commitment therapy versus progressive relaxation training in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder
by Twohig, Michael P., PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2007, 181 pages

The effect of acceptance and commitment training on clinician willingness to use empirically-supported pharmacotherapy for drug and alcohol abuse
by Varra, Alethea, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2007, 176 pages

Examining the motivational effects of verbal stimuli: An application of motivative augmentals
by Jackson, Marianne, PhD (primary advisor: Larry Williams)
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2008, 139 pages

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with dually diagnosed individuals
by Pankey, Julieann, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2008, 151 pages

Relational coherence and transformation of function in ambiguous and unambiguous relational networks
by Quinones, Jennifer L., PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2008, 88 pages

In search of operant classes in the real world: A case for synonyms and antonyms
by Berens, Nicholas, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, 2009, 119 pages

UNR Lab Graduates

This list of lab graduates is in order of first to most recent. Below their names are their first major post-doctoral and / or current positions.

  • Robert Douglas "the Z" Zettle
    Wichita State University
  • Jeanne M. Devany
    Auburn University
    (now at The Grove Clinic, Asheville, NC)
  • Arlinza E. "Sonny" Turner*
    Albert Einstein School of Medicine
    * deceased
  • Irwin Rosenfarb
    Auburn University
    (now at Alliant University)
  • Edelgard Wulfert
    State University of New York at Albany
  • David Steele
    Greensboro Area Health Education Center
    (now at a US military clinic in Germany)
  • Joseph Raymond Haas
    Children's Behavioral Services, Reno, NV
  • Susan Melancon McCurry
    University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Durriyah Khorakiwala
    Keiser Permanente Hospital
    (now in private practice, Pleasanton, CA)
  • Regina Lipkens
    University College of North Wales
    (now at Sancta Maria Psychiatric Hospital, Sint-Truiden, Belgium)
  • Christoph Leonhard
    Harvard Medical School
    (now at Illinois School of Professional Psychology)
  • Barbara S. Kohlenberg
    Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Reno
    (now at the University of Nevada, Reno)
  • Niloofar Afari
    University of Washington School of Medicine
    (now at the VA San Diego Healthcare System)
  • Jacqueline Pistorello
    University of Nevada, Reno
  • Robyn Walser
    Weber State University
    (now at the Palo Alto VA, National Center for PTSD)
  • Kelly G. Wilson
    University of Mississippi
  • David M. Sayrs
    Pierce College
    (now at the University of Washington)
  • Winifred C. T. Ju
    Center for the Disabled, Cohoes, NY
    (now at the West Salem Clinic, Salem, OR)
  • Adam M. Grundt
    Dartmouth College
    (now at the Hazelton Institute)
  • Patricia Bach
    University of Chicago School of Medicine
    (now at the Illinois Institute of Technology)
  • Richard Bissett
    University of Nevada, Reno
    (now at Rural Regional Clinics, Carson City, NV)
  • Dosheen Cook
    Rural Regional Clinics, Carson City, NV
  • Elizabeth Gifford
    Center for Health Care Evaluation
    Palo Alto Veteran's Administration and Stanford University
  • J. T. Blackledge
    University of Wollongong, Australia
    (now at Morehead State University, Morehead, KY)
  • Jennifer Gregg
    San Jose State University
  • Akihiko Masuda
    University of Texas, Houston Health Sciences Center
    (now at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA)
  • Timothy Weil
    University of South Florida
  • Jason Lillis
    Palo Alto Veteran's Administration and Stanford University
    (now at the University of Nevada, Reno)
  • Michael Twohig
    Utah State University, Logan, UT
  • Alethea Varra
    VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA
  • Julieann Pankey
    University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  • Heather Pierson
    VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA
  • Nicholas Berens
    Center for Advanced Learning, Reno, NV

Additional esteemed lab graduates:

Ken Huntley

and

Jennifer Quinones

University of Nevada, Reno - Victoria Follette

Victoria Follette's research laboratory focuses on third-wave approaches to research and treatment for trauma related difficulties, couple problems and domestic violence. Members of the laboratory conduct both basic and psychotherapy outcome research, examining acceptance and mindfulness processes and practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. For more information please visit Victoria Follette's faculty page.

University of North Texas - Amy Murrell

My lab is quickly growing. Our work group now includes me, a post-bac. student, an undergraduate, and 8 graduate students. We have 2 MTS RFT tasks up and running. One examines sexual fantasies in college women. We have an IRAP on that subject pending IRB approval as well, so we should be going on that soon. The other ongoing piece is a replication/extension of my parenting study (dissertation). It includes two experiments examining class acquisition and flexibility, transformation of function, etc.

We have several other projects in the research phase, just being designed- two on ACT treatment of children and parents, one on improving the measurement of acceptance and willingness in child populations, and one on the relationship between worry and relational framing. We are committed to having these projects running next academic year, and I will be submitting at least one application for federal funding. I will keep the group posted on that.
Here is a link to my website, where you can read about the further about our most current research projects.

You can check it out here.

University of South Carolina Aiken - Chad Drake

The department of psychology at USCA offers an M.S. degree in clinical psychology. I teach graduate level courses in clinical behavior analysis and ACT and conduct related research. Contact me at chad.e.drake@gmail.com for more information.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Behavior Therapy and Research Lab - Doug Woods

Research in the BTRL has two related foci. One focus is on understanding and developing treatments for OC-Spectrum disorders in children and adults. A second focus is on evaluating the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and trying to understand the related mechanisms of change. The BTRL is directed by Dr. Doug Woods. Visit the lab website to view the most current research projects.

ONGOING ACT-RELATED RESEARCH

Treatment Studies

Behavior Therapy for Adults With Chronic Skin Picking
This study is funded by the Trichotillomania Learning Center, Inc. We are looking for adults over the age of 18 with a Chronic Skin Picking problem. The study is being conducted to compare ACT+HRT to a TAU condition for CSP. Treatment is free for those who qualify. The study has not started yet, but should begin sometime in the Summer of 2005. Please contact Chris Flessner for more information on this study, or call (414) 229-6078.

Behavior Therapy for Adults with Trichotillomania
This study seeks to evaluate the best way to administer a ACT+HRT for trichotillomania in adults. The study is being conducted in conjunction with the Trichotillomania/BFRB Specialty Clinic, and is offered to Clinic clients as one potential option for treatment.

ACT Related Studies Examining Factors Underlying Psychopathology

Experiential Avoidance as a Mediator Between Unpleasant Private Experiences and CSP

COMPLETED RESEARCH

Treatment Studies

Woods, D. W., Wetterneck, C. T., & Flessner, C. A. (2006). A controlled evaluation of acceptance and commitment therapy plus habit reversal for trichotillomania. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 639-656.

Teng, E. J., Woods, D. W., & Twohig, M. P. (in press). Habit reversal as a treatment for chronic skin picking: Comparison to a wait-list control. Behavior Modification. Twohig, M. P. & Woods, D. W. (2004). A Preliminary Investigation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Habit Reversal as a Treatment for Trichotillomania. Behavior Therapy, 35, 803-820.

ACT Related Studies Examining Factors Underlying Psychopathology

Begotka, A. M., Woods, D. W., & Wetterneck, C. T. (2004). The relationship between experiential avoidance and the severity of trichotillomania in a non-referred population. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 35, 17-24.

Marcks, B. A. & Woods, D. W. (2005). A comparison of thought suppression to an acceptance-based technique in the management of personal intrusive thoughts: A controlled evaluation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 433-445.

Norberg, M. M., Woods, D. W., & Wetterneck, C. T. (2005). Examination of the mediating role of psychological acceptance in relationships between cognitions and severity of chronic hairpulling.

Wetterneck, C. T., & Woods, D. W. (2005). Hair pulling antedecents in trichotillomania: their relationship with experiential avoidance.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Depression Treatment Speciality Clinic: Jonathan Kanter

The UWM Depression Treatment Specialty Clinic is a clinical research laboratory devoted to understanding depression and improving access to services and treatment for depression in the Milwaukee area.

In our lab we encourage developing an understanding of behaviorism as a way to understand and research psychotherapy. The basic ideas are:

1. Behavior is best understood in terms of the context in which it occurs or has occurred in the past. We look into people's lives and the world they live in to understand why they feel and act the way they do.

2. The relationship that a therapist forms with the client is extremely important. Good, intense client-therapist relationships are incredibly powerful and can lead to powerful changes.

3. We do not consider a psychological problem to be solved until the person’s behavior has improved. We aim to help people enjoy active and meaningful lives that they feel are worth living. This means that treatment may not be about reducing depression (although it may be) but it may also be about finding one’s values and how to live life in the service of those values.

Visit the lab site and Jonathan Kanter's faculty page for more information.

University of Wollongong, Australia - Joseph Ciarrochi

The University of Wollongong research lab, located in New South Wales, Australia, is dedicated to conducting ACT & RFT research at all levels of the basic-applied continuum. Currently, Joseph Ciarrochi's work focuses primarily on validating the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training with normal populations (e.g., the NSW Police Force; secondary school-based ACT interventions), as well as on ACT-relevant instrument validation and population-based studies.

Joseph provides research supervision to University of Wollongong students, and is happy to consult on/participate in ACT/RFT research conducted in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere.

Uppsala University, Sweden - Joanne Dahl

The ACT Lab in Uppsala at the department of psychology represents a concerted effort in forwarding ACT clinical research. It aims at supporting students doing or interesting in doing clinical research in ACT at all levels. The vision of the Lab is to work towards a breadth of application, clarity of protocols, ease and clarity of training therapists, clarity of adherence and competence , adequacy of process measures, tightness of the control conditions, tests against known technologies, links to basic processes and large scale effectiveness. The Lab is open to all interested student at the department of psychology, both the clinical psychology program as well as the other programs at the department. It is open to students of all levels but will probably be of most interest to those involved in or close to being involved in the masters level thesis or doctoral dissertation. The program scheduled for every other Friday afternoon between 13-1600 is comprised of a combination of smaller lectures in general methodological areas such as the use of END NOTE reference system, statistical programs, update on research followed by a practical part where students may use the group to practice clinical skills of ACT needed for research projects.

Read updates at Joanne Dahl's website.

The following is a list of the areas of ACT where there are ongoing studies at some stage, along with areas that need to be addressed. This organisation may help new students see where they might like to aim research efforts.

  • Breadth of Application
  • Behavior medicine
  • Chronic Pain

    Long term musculoskeletal pain
    Chronic headache

  • Epilepsy

    Treatment of partial complex seizure drug refractory
    Treatment of partial complex seizures for people in developmental countries with no access to anticonvulsant drug therapy
    Lab studies: dismantling effects of ACT and BT on seizure process

  • Diabetes
  • Eating disturbances

    Anorexia
    Obesity

  • Constipation
  • Asthma
  • Psychiatric disorders
  • Social Phobia
  • Psychometric studies
  • Process measures: ACT specific

    Bull’s eye
    AAQEP (AAQ for epilepsy)
    AAQ in Swedish

  • Biological measures such as the use of EEG, EMG, GSR, MRT or other psychophysiological measures to study process of treatment.
  • Relational Frame Theory

    Study circle
    Stigmatization study for epilepsy
    Cooperation with RFT labs in the UK
    Development of IRAP/RFT Lab (may involve younger students)

  • Values work

    Standardization of values compass protocol
    Values workbook
    IRAP RFT lab study for Values frames

  • Protocols

    Uppsala 4 session base protocol (a good place to start)
    Create video tapes of individual and group sessions
    Development of a base manual.

  • Education and training

    Vertical organization of students where students with experience train new students in protocols, ACT core skills and the use of measurements. Students doing clinical thesis may use the lab to practice skills, get help with problems in developing manuals, clinical skills, measurement problems, statistics and writing up of the project.

Utah State University - Michael Twohig

I am an assistant professor in the clinical psychology program at Utah State University. Our (the lab's) research generally focuses on treatment development and treatment evaluation. We work to determine the effectiveness of particular treatment modalities, but we have an equal emphasis on determining why these treatments work (mechanisms of action). Our work focuses on therapies in the "behavioral" and "empirically supported" tradition including ACT, CBT, and BT or exposure therapies. I have done a lot of work in anxiety disorders, especially OCD and trichotillomania, but I am very interested in many clinical areas. I also work with both adult and child populations.

I have very good training in ACT. I received my Ph.D. under Steve Hayes at Reno. Steve and I continue to collaborate on a NIMH grant that tests ACT for OCD. I am also well trained in CBT after doing my clinical internship under Maureen Whittal, Melisa Robichaud, and Jach Rachman at UBC in Vancouver, BC.

I work very hard to help my students do well in whatever area of psychology they are interested in whether it be clinical, research, or both. We have a very active research lab and students should expect to publish quite a lot while working with me. I also offer training in ACT throughout your entire time at USU.

We have a very nice research space and student's are generally funded throughout their time at USU.

Finally, the snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing, ect. are wonderful in Utah!

If you have an interest in working with me please contact me by phone or e-mail.

You can also look me up on USU's psychology webpage.

Mike

Wichita State University - Rob Zettle

Dr. Zettle is a tenured professor in the clinical psychology program at Wichita State University. Dr. Zettle was Steven Hayes' first doctoral student and thus has had extensive training in ACT (>20 years). Students who enter the clinical psychology doctoral program at Wichita State University and work with Dr. Zettle can receive training in ACT.

The common thread running through Dr. Zettle's research is an attempt to better understand the roles that languaging and verbal behavior play in the initiation, maintenance, and alleviation of human suffering from a functional contextualistic perspective. Some of the research projects are more basic in nature, while others are more explicitly applied and clinical in their focus. More basic research projects focus on the development of both self-report and behavioral ways of assessing processes that contribute to psychological flexibility/rigidity as well as experimentally manipulating these same processes in impacting analogues of clinical forms of human suffering, such as anxiety and mood disorders. More applied research projects compare the clinical outcomes and related processes associated with traditional cognitive-behavioral interventions in treatment of depression versus ACT and related acceptance and mindfulness-based approaches.

Recent and upcoming publications from Dr. Zettle's lab include:

Gird, S., & Zettle, R. D. (in press). Differential response to a dysphoric mood induction procedure as a function of level of experiential avoidance. The Psychological Record.

Petersen, C. L., & Zettle, R. D. (in press). Treating inpatients with comorbid depression and alcohol use disorders: A comparison of acceptance and commitment therapy versus treatment as usual. The Psychological Record.

Zettle, R. D. (in press). Acceptance and commitment theory of depression. In P. L. Fisher & A. Wells (Eds.), Treating depression: Principles and practice of CBT, MCT, and third wave therapies. Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley.

Zettle, R. D. (2005). The evolution of a contextual approach to therapy: From comprehensive distancing to ACT. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 1, 77-89.

Zettle, R. D., Barner, S. L., & Gird, S. (2009). ACT with depression: The role of forgiving. In J. T. Blackledge, J. Ciarrochi, & F. Deane (Eds.), Acceptance and commitment therapy: Current directions (pp. 151- 173). Bowen Hills QLD: Australian Academic Press.

Zettle, R. D., Petersen, C. L., Hocker, T. R., & Provines, J. L. (2007). Responding to a challenging perceptual-motor task as a function of level of experiential avoidance. The Psychological Record, 57, 49-62.

If you are interested in joining/working with Dr. Zettle's lab, more information about his lab and his contact information can be found at: www.wichita.edu or http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=psychology&p=/graduate/clinical/clinicalphd/

ACT Trainers

The list of trainers below is meant to help learners more easily locate qualified and effective ACT Trainers.

Trainers listed here have committed to help others learn ACT with high fidelity and to work from a shared set of values. They are viewed as able to train ACT accurately, fully conveying the model both didactically and experientially. In the past this was evaluated by a committee of developers of ACT/RFT (see actual invitation) and now is evaluated by peer-review based on defined criteria.

Trainers pay no fees to anyone to be listed. This list is not meant to be de facto certification: there are other trainers equally qualified who simply choose not to be on such a list (because, for example, they would rarely be available; they are primarily researchers or academics; they are still students; etc.). If others in your area are apparently available to train in ACT they may be equally qualified: if you want input on that issue you can contact local ACT therapists or researchers (see lists elsewhere on the website), one of the trainers below, or members of the training committee for advice.

To learn more about how to be listed here and view the application forms please see the Training Standards page.

Click on a name or picture to view that trainer's full profile and contact information.

35 total trainers

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Patricia Bach, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, Illinois
United States

Yvonne Barnes-Holmes, Ph.D.
University Lecturer
National University of Ireland Maynooth
Maynooth, Co. Kildare,
Ireland

Sonja Batten, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Georgetown University School of Medicine and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine
Silver Spring, Maryland
United States

John T Blackledge, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Dept of Psychology
Morehead State University
Morehead, Kentucky
United States

Frank W. Bond, Ph.D.
Professor
Goldsmiths, University of London
London,
United Kingdom

Martin Brock, MSc
Principle Adult Psychotherapist
Nottingham Psychotherapy Unit
Nottingham,
United Kingdom

Joseph Ciarrochi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Australia

Lisa W Coyne, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts
United States

JoAnne Caroline Dahl, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
Uppsala,
Sweden

Georg H. Eifert, Other
Professor and Department Chair
Chapman University, Department of Psychology
Orange, California
United States

1234next ›last »


Trainer Pages (for trainees)

Available pages for Trainers appear below.

Pages are created and maintained by trainers for their trainees.

They often contain general information as well as available training materials.

Jason Luoma's training page

Attached below are some documents providing information on how to obtain further training in ACT and also Powerpoint presentations from some past trainings. This page is just getting started, so more presentations will be added over time.

* Can't see the links below? Access to attachments, videos, audio, the professional listserv, etc. are a privilege of paid ACBS membership. With Values-Based Dues, you choose how much you pay for your membership ($1 min.). You need to create a login, then purchase your ACBS membership. There are detailed instructions here about how to do this.
Jason LuomaJason Luoma
For more information about training I provide, online training, and a listserv to be alerted to ACT trainings in the Pacific NW, you can go to http://www.drluoma.com/profess.html for more info.

Additional ACT-relevant handouts and audio-recordings can be found at: http://www.drluoma.com/actresources.html

Steven Hayes' Training Page

Attached below are some training resources and Powerpoint presentations from trainings I have done. This page is in its early stages, so more will be coming.

  • Can't see the links below? Access to attachments, videos, audio, the professional listserv, etc. are a privilege of paid ACBS membership. With Values-Based Dues, you choose how much you pay for your membership ($1 min.).

    You need to create a login, then purchase your ACBS membership. There are detailed instructions here about how to do this.

Training Standards

Joining the ACBS Training Community
Being listed as a trainer on the ACBS site is meant as a pragmatic way to help learners find high quality ACT training. The ACT Trainers in this community are committed to training with high fidelity to the model and work from explicit, agreed-upon shared values as they train others in ACT.

You are welcome to join this training community and be listed as an ACT trainer. Five criteria must be met to do so. You must:

  • (1) Agree to the list of values and principles for ACT trainers;
  • (2) Have a terminal degree in a behavioral health field;
  • (3) Be known to be of good character;
  • (4) Be highly effective in the core skills and competencies of an ACT therapist; and
  • (5) Be highly effective in training others in ACT.

    • The ACBS training community uses a process of peer review to determine whether a trainer meets these criteria. The spirit of the peer review process is to protect the high fidelity of ACT training through review of the accuracy and quality with which a trainer shares the ACT model while simultaneously promoting a non-proprietary open community that encourages new talent and innovation.

    If you are interested in joining the training community and being listed as a trainer, a good place to start is with self-assessment. To self-assess your qualifications, first review the values statement to see if these are values you endorse. Next, assess yourself against the list of therapist competencies and trainer competencies to see if you would rate yourself highly.

    If you view yourself as qualified, please consider requesting peer-review of your skills as an ACT trainer. See the Request for Peer Review Form which describes guidelines about materials you should or could submit to provide enough detail for peer reviewers to evaluate your qualifications on the five criteria above. (Note: peer reviewers may not know you and your work personally, so be sure to provide sufficient information to allow them to accurately see and evaluate your qualifications and competency as an ACT trainer. Also, please ask those who write you letters of recommendation to comment specifically about your character, service to ACT/RFT community and competency as an ACT therapist and trainer.)

    If you have any questions about requesting peer review or joining the training community, please contact the ACBS Training Committee chair, Jason Luoma.

    About Peer Review
    The ACBS community uses a peer-review process to balance the need to protect and foster the high fidelity of ACT training with the need to keep the community open to new talented, innovative, qualified trainers.

    The peer-review to be listed is analogous to scientific manuscript review at a top-notch journal. Peers review the materials the trainer submits. A positive review means that peers view the trainer’s work as of the soundest quality. Real effort is made to have the decision to list a trainer on the ACBS website under the influence of the data/argument in the work rather than personal or political factors like who you know or where you trained.

    Please note: Anyone is free to do/provide training in ACT without undergoing peer review or joining this training community. This peer review process is a voluntary method trainers choose to undergo because it fits their own professional development goals.

    Here’s how the peer-review process works:

  • 1. Candidates self-assess their qualifications relative to the evaluation criteria and submit their request for peer review (following the Checklist) to join the ACBS training community and be listed as an ACT trainer on the ACBS website. (All materials should be submitted electronically, unless of course you have video on tape. In this case, contact Jason Luoma about where to mail it, in triplicate.)
  • 2. The Chair of the Training Committee invites Reviewers from among currently listed trainers on the ACBS website. Each application is independently reviewed by at least three currently listed trainers.
  • 3. The Reviewers receive the invitation by e-mail. The Reviewer agrees or declines to review.
  • 4. If the Reviewer agrees, he or she reads the application and completes the peer review rating form, selects a Recommendation, and submits the review to the Committee Chair and ACBS office. Reviewers are expected to keep the information in applications they review confidential.
  • 5. The Committee Chair makes the final decision relying on peer-review feedback to guide the decision and will send a summary letter to inform the applicant of the decision along with each reviewer’s blind comments to the applicant. (The same summary and each others’ comments are sent to reviewers.) Applicants are encouraged to use reviewers' comments as suggestions regarding where they could further refine skills and competencies. The Committee Chair may need to occasionally resolve issues related to conflict of interest among reviewers. Reviewers’ identities are generally not revealed to applicants in order to free reviewers from any social pressures, allowing them to consider only the quality of the application).
  • 6. Trainer profiles of those approved by the review process are posted on the ACBS website.

    • ACT Pre-Doctoral Internship Sites

    This list includes institutions and individuals offering ACT-friendly pre-doctoral internship sites.

    ACBS Members: If you would like to list yourself, your program, or your institution here, click on the "add child page" link at the bottom of this page.

    Baylor College of Medicine

    The Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, offers a fully American Psychological Association approved internship training program in clinical psychology. Interns in the Baylor program are accepted into one of seven tracks, differentiated on the basis of the population served and/or the location of the training experience. While each track has a somewhat different clinical emphasis, all interns have core seminars and training experiences in common and carry adult psychotherapy patients in the Baylor Adult Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic. The number of positions available in each track and the sequence of rotations may vary, depending upon funding and resource availability. Training content and clinical emphasis, however, remain constant. Currently, ten intern positions are available.

    The Adult Anxiety Track is particularly ACT-friendly. This internship track consists of a year-long placement at the Menninger Compulsive Disorder Treatment Program. The treatment philosophy of the program is firmly rooted in evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy. The Menninger OCD Treatment Center, with the capacity of 15 patients, is a specialized in-patient program providing intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication management and milieu treatment for adults and adolescents with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), OCD Spectrum disorders and other anxiety disorders. Previous interns in this track have been allowed to incorporate ACT into their work.

    There are a few other psychologists at the internship site with varying knowledge on ACT. In addition, there are opportunities to learn more about and practice DBT in other areas of the internship. For more information about the internship you can visit their website http://www.bcm.edu/psychiatry/?PMID=2205

    Brigham Young University - Predoctoral Internships in Professional Psychology

    For the 2005-2006 academic year, the Counseling and Career Center (CCC) at Brigham Young University (BYU) offers four full-time, 12 month internships for doctoral-level graduate students in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. The internships for the school year begin August 22, 2005. Each position carries a stipend of $25,500 and includes all benefits accorded full-time University personnel (vacation and sick leave, holidays; medical, dental, and life insurance; library privileges; bookstore discount; and discounted tickets to University events). The CCC Psychology Internship, which began in 1989, is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. The program provides supervised training experiences in a full range of psychological services. Interns function as colleagues of the professional faculty and staff and participate in all services and staff development activities of the Center.

    One of the supervisors, Kirk Dougher, is very active in teaching people the process of using acceptance in their theory and practice. Full info on the internships can be found at www.byu.edu/ccc/apa/.

    Kirk Dougher can also be contacted for information about the supervision and the primary applications in the rotations.

    Kirk Dougher, BYU, 1500 WSC, Provo, Utah 84602

    1-801-422-3035 phone

    kirk_dougher@byu.edu

    Brown Medical School, Providence, RI

    The internship at Brown Medical School has 4 tracks--neuropsychology, behavioral medicine, adult, and child (general and pediatrics). Both the adult and the behavioral medicine tracks are "ACT friendly." I know less about the child tracks--others might add their input about the child rotations.

    In the adult track, there is a women's partial program that trains in DBT, and interns familiar with ACT have mentioned that they gained a better understanding of ACT principles through this rotation. There are also some people familiar with ACT in the alcohol center at Butler Hospital and at the RIH inpatient rotation (mood disorders rotation).

    In the behavioral medicine track, there is one rotation (RIH behavioral medicine track--anxiety and sleep disorders) that is very ACT friendly. Both of the Miriam rotations (A and B) are also open to ACT and mindfulness concepts (chronic pain, weight management, smoking cessation).

    Overall, the internship is hospital-based, and 4 hrs/week are reserved for research. You are required to submit at least one research project by the end of the year. Keep those details in mind when applying to make sure it's a good fit aside from the ACT friendly rotations.

    Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System - Predoctoral Internship

    The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) is a two division, consolidated, medical center with medical, surgical, psychiatric, and rehabilitation units, plus nursing home facilities. This VA Medical Center includes every major VA program and was commended by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as being "Outstanding" at their last accreditation review. The CAVHS Psychology Internship has been fully accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1979. The Psychology Internship program provides three training tracks: General, Behavioral Health, and Neuropsychology.

    The “Outpatient PTSD” rotation offers interested interns an opportunity to learn and practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Training opportunities include co-facilitating group psychotherapy sessions, conducting individual therapy sessions, performing functional analytic/case conceptualization interviews, participating in a weekly experiential group for staff practicing ACT, doing supervised readings on Relational Frame Theory (RFT), the basic science underlying ACT, and individual/group supervision.

    Interested interns are encouraged to contact Vincent Roca, primary supervisor for the Outpatient PTSD rotation, for additional information. Full info on the internship can be found at http://www.littlerock.va.gov/careers/psychology/internship/overview.asp.

    J. Vincent Roca, Ph.D.
    PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Team Leader
    501-257-3227
    John.Roca@va.gov

    Duke University Medical Center

    The Duke internship has been known for providing quality DBT training, but a critical mass of ACT-trained faculty are increasingly available to provide experience using ACT with eating and anxiety disorders, among others. It is expected that over the next several years, opportunities for ACT-specific training at DUMC will grow as a result of recently awarded grant-funding to develop ACT for adolescent anorexia nervosa (Duke PI: Rhonda Merwin; Towson PI: Alix Timko). The Durham VA (adjacent to the med center campus) is also ACT-friendly and currently has an ongoing ACT consultation and study group.

    Family Counseling Center: A Division of Trinity Services - - Chicagoland, IL

    The Family Counseling Center is a division of Trinity Services, Inc, a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization providing a wide range of behavioral health programs, supports, and services for children and adults. The Family Counseling Center is a full-service community mental health network with several facilities in the metropolitan area of Chicago, Illinois.

    Interns have the opportunity to help people exhibiting a wide variety of clinical concerns. Our didactic training experiences will consist of weekly group consultation sessions, a monthly journal club, guest lecturers, and specialized ‘clinic’ meetings focused on performing and researching empirically supported treatments for different disorders.

    Supervision focuses on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and contextual-behavioral models of psychotherapy intervention, and we currently run weekly didactic training in ACT and DBT. An optional rotation in one of Trinity’s psychosocial rehabilitation units using mindfulness-based treatment for individuals with psychotic disorders is also available.

    For more information, please visit our website:
    (http://www.trinity-services.org/home.htm)

    For inquiries, please contact D.J. Moran:
    djmoran@trinity-services.org

    Minneapolis VA Medical Center

    The Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is an affiliated teaching facility that provides comprehensive inpatient primary, secondary and tertiary care, in medical, surgical, neurological, rehabilitative, and short-term psychiatric modalities, primary and specialized ambulatory care, and rehabilitative nursing home care. This medical center is one of eight in the VA system that house a Women Veterans Comprehensive Health Center, which provides clinical service, education, and research in primary care, preventive medicine, gynecology services, and sexual trauma intervention for female veterans. Psychologists in the department currently have more than $1,000,000 in merit-reviewed, multi-year research grants.

    We offer a yearlong seminar in contemporary behavior therapies, with emphasis on DBT and ACT, including experiential workshops, weekly didactic seminar, and weekly small group supervision. We also have a weekly consultation group for DBT and ACT therapists. There are multiple ACT-fluent staff here.

    Here is the link to our website:
    http://www1.va.gov/minneapolis/education/psychology/psyc_home.html

    For information regarding ACT training, contact:
    John P. Billig, PhD, ABPP
    email: john.billig@va.gov
    phone: 612-725-2073

    Mississippi Psychology Training Consortium

    University of Mississippi Medical Center/ Veteran's Affairs Medical Center Residency Consortium in Jackson, MS

    This consortium has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since its inception in 1964. There are five major areas of concentration (as of June, 2009) with sub-rotations within them, including: 1. Behavioral Medicine, 2. Neuropsychology, 3. Child, 4. Addictions, 5. Adult

    ACT-Friendly Rotation:

    Community-based Dual Disorder Rotation (Personality Disorders focus)
    Dr. Gratz

    The goal of this rotation is to learn how to treat psychiatric difficulties that co-occur with substance use disorders. The primary focus will be on the use of empirically-supported principles to treat co-occurring mood, anxiety, and personality disorders (particular, borderline personality disorder [BPD]) among substance users in residential treatment. Core treatment elements include conducting skills-based groups at two community-based substance use treatment programs. Groups at one of these sites will include behavioral activation for depression and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for Axis II pathology and emotion dysregulation. Groups at the other site will incorporate skills from DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and behavioral principles to increase emotion regulation, decrease risk-taking, and manage HIV. Individual therapy will focus on the treatment of BPD and related pathology using DBT. Residents will have the opportunity to work with underserved populations and to participate in multidisciplinary treatment teams. Opportunities to train staff in DBT and behavior therapy, provide in-services on specific psychiatric disorders, and provide general program consultation to the treatment centers may also be available. Finally, opportunities will be available to develop targeted group therapies and participate in ongoing data collection at one of the sites.

    Research opportunities include access to data from completed studies on borderline personality disorder, self-harm, and emotion regulation, as well as the co-occurrence of these difficulties among inpatient substance users. Opportunities to become involved in ongoing data collection examining the role of emotion dysregulation and emotional avoidance in co-occurring substance use and personality disorders are also available. Finally, there may be opportunities to become involved in ongoing research on the intergenerational transmission of borderline personality and related difficulties between mothers and their infants.

    Visit the consortium site to find out more.

    Northampton VA

    Interns interested in ACT are provided ample opportunities to gain clinical experience and receive supervision in this model at the Northampton VA.

    Interns interested in conducting ACT-based groups may select a four-month rotation on the Specialized Inpatient PTSD Unit, where ACT forms the backbone of the program philosophy. While on this unit, interns will have opportunities to colead and lead ACT groups that follow a flexible 15-session protocol. They also will colead daily ACT-based groups that are more free-form in nature. In these intensive six-week groups, they will learn how to identify and target key ACT processes in-the-moment. They will learn how ACT may be paired with behavioral activation and "in vivo" exposure, and they will learn how to bring acceptance skills into the work with veterans as they begin approaching previously avoided situations in the community (e.g., crowds). Opportunities also exist to colead an ACT-based anger group through the Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse program.

    Interns interested in building ACT competencies in individual psychotherapy may select a year-long ancillary rotation in ACT where the central focus is on outpatient treatment. Interns on this rotation build a small caseload of clients experiencing a range of problems and they practice working with these clients from an ACT-consistent perspective. Sessions are audio-taped for review by the intern and supervisor.

    Interns interested in thoroughly emersing themselves in the ACT model may select both the inpatient and outpatient rotations simultaneously. We have found that the combination of these two rotations provides a rich training experience, and has helped our interns establish a solid foundation in core ACT competencies.

    Scott Cornelius, Psy.D. Director of Training, and Staff Psychologist on the Specialized Inpatient PTSD Unit is the supervisor for these rotations.

    Palo Alto VA

    We have an ACT friendly internship program here at Palo Alto VA with an opportunity to be trained in ACT and co-lead ACT groups.

    I also run an ACT Mini-Rotation.

    Purpose of Mini Rotation:

    Many individuals suffering from mental health issues often actively work to avoid their personal experiences of emotion, thought and sensation. However, these very actions often result in loss and increased suffering. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behaviorally based intervention designed to address avoidance of internal events and the role that language plays in human suffering. The therapy specifically uses a number of verbal, experiential and homework interventions to help patients make experiential contact with previously avoided private events (thoughts, feelings, sensations), without excessive verbal involvement and control – and to make powerful life enhancing choices. ACT is a manual-based intervention that can be applied with a number of populations. The proposed mini-rotation will provide a combination of didactic and supervised clinical experience in the use of ACT with PTSD patients at the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD).

    Structure of the Mini-Rotation:

    Time Commitment: Trainees interested in the mini-rotation would agree to participate as a co-facilitator/trainee in group psychotherapy sessions. The group time-slots depend on the unit where the therapy is being conducted. All ACT groups are currently being held at the Menlo Park Division. Trainees would also be expected to attend a weekly, one-hour, individual or group supervision and read relevant materials. The time commitment is approximately 4 hours per week. The trainee needs to negotiate with the supervisors of his/her major rotations for the necessary time or do this rotation as an add-on above the basic 40 hours.

    Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D.
    National Center for PTSD
    Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
    VA Palo Alto Health Care System
    Mail Code PTSD 334 MPD
    795 Willow Road
    Menlo Park, CA 94025
    robyn.walser@med.va.gov
    mirecc.stanford.edu
    650-493-5000 ext. 22039

    Pikes Peak Mental Health, Colorado Springs, CO

    Pikes Peak Mental Health in Colorado Springs, Colorado is a community mental health center serving both adults and children, with an internship program focused primarily on adult work. Casey Capps, Psy.D. (head of the internship training program) does ACT and enjoys supervising therapists in the ACT model.

    Check out the website: www.ppbhg.org

    Contact Casey Capps for more information.

    Togus VA (Togus, Maine)

    Updated July 14, 2008

    The Clinical Psychology Training Program at the Togus, Maine VA currently offers ACT training in the PTSD and Primary Care rotations.

    The Intensive Outpatient PTSD Program (IOP) is an intensive ACT training experience. ACT is presented to a cohort of veterans in a "workshop" format across 14 classes (groups) in five days. All aspects of ACT (Let Go, Show Up, and Get Moving) are experienced in the 14 sessions. Veterans who have graduated from a week-long cohort are offered unlimited follow-ups in the form of additional groups or individual "coaching" via the phone or in person. The program conducts 26 cohorts per year. The other 26 weeks are for assessment, individual sessions, research and program development. Interns and Residents become integral parts of the entire process.

    Each morning the staff meet to talk about the current cohort, program development, Functional Contextualism, Relational Frame Theory and ACT. Plus we often are providing training to visiting clinicians.

    The PTSD IOP strives to remain on the cutting edge of effective treatment for veterans struggling with trauma-related suffering.

    We have recently started up a strong research program in conjunction with the University of Maine at Orono.

    Interns and Residents will get a rich and moving educational experience in this dynamic and often entertaining process.

    The IOP staff are Kevin Polk, Ph.D. and Jerold Hambright, Ph.D.

    The Primary Cary Behavioral Health is and ACT rotation headed by John Agee, Ph.D. (a former postdoctoral Resident in the PTSD IOP). The rotation involves learning and implementing brief (as little as one session) psychological interventions based on ACT and other mindfulness-based therapies.

    While the PTSD IOP is intense and dynamic, at the same time it is part of a laid back and friendly Togus Psychology Training program.

    Contact Kevin Polk, Ph.D. at polkkev@gmail.com

    University of California, San Diego/San Diego VA Healthcare System

    The University of California, San Diego/San Diego VA Healthcare System offers an ACT friendly internship. Faculty include Dr. Niloofar Afari, an ACT researcher and former graduate student of Steve Hayes. The Psychology Service at the VASDHS represents one of the most academically oriented staffs in the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital system. Currently, fully accessible by the interns are 24 positions assigned to the Psychology Service. Many of the major sub-specialities of professional psychology are represented on the staff, including clinical psychology, neuropsychology, geropsychology, marital and family therapy, alcohol treatment, behavioral medicine, post-traumatic stress disorder, and related psychology research. Located approximately 12 miles from the hospital in Mission Valley, there are extensive medical facilities and mental health programs for outpatient care at the VA Outpatient Clinic, housed in a modern building which opened in November, 1998. Mental health programs located at the VA Outpatient Clinic include a Mental Health Clinic, the Family Mental Health Program, and the PTSD Clinical Team. The VA Psychology Service also sponsors a Behavioral Medicine Program located in Mission Valley. For more information about this internship site you can access their website here http://psychiatry.ucsd.edu/psychology/faculty.html.

    University of Maryland School of Medicine / VA Maryland Health Care System Consortium

    We have a large, APA-accredited internship program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine / VA Maryland Health Care System Consortium. At our consortium, there are actually several psychologists who could provide ACT supervision in the areas of PTSD, substance abuse (and the two problems concurrently), and an intern could thus spend a good portion of his/her training year honing ACT skills. In addition, we have a weekly ACT consultation group meeting where professionals of many disciplines come together to sort through issues of applying ACT to their clinical populations.

    Contact Sonja Batten for details (svbatten@earthlink.net).

    VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle WA

    We have an ACT friendly internship program here at the Seattle VA with several supervisors and clinics involved in both ACT and Mindfulness therapies.

    Opportunities include:
    - a monthly Acceptance and Mindfulness Reading Group
    - to co-lead Mindfulness Groups
    - to co-lead ACT groups
    - to recieve individual training and supervision in ACT with supervision either through co-therapy or recorded sessions
    - participation in several acceptance based research projects.

    www.psychologytraining.va.gov/seattle/

    ACT Supervision

    There is a real need for individuals to offer tape watching, phone consultation, and other forms of consultation and supervision in ACT. We invite qualified list members to add their pages here explaining their background and what they would be willing to do. Readers need to know there is no filtering of this process, however, so buyer beware. We suggest that you look into the person's background and make careful judgments.

    ACBS Members: If you would like to list yourself, your program, or your institution here, click on the "add child page" link at the bottom of this page.

    How to Start and Run a Peer Supervision Group - Julian McNally

    Starting and Running ACT Peer Supervision Groups

    The Who

    Who are you going to invite? Who do you see as the natural constituency for this group? This will depend on the purpose (see ‘The Why’). You may have a focus on a specific clinical population, or you may have a group comprised simply of people in the same geographical area who can get to the meeting each week.

    The other important person-focused issue though is whether to have a ‘closed’ or ‘open’ group. Open groups let new members come in at any time and attend for as little as one session or as many as they like. Closed groups run a bit more like a club, where the same people commit to attending regularly with only occasional intakes of new people. The main advantage of open groups is that there is continual ‘fresh blood’ as new people join, so it is less likely that the discussion will feel ‘stale’. The main advantages of the closed group are that levels of trust and safety are higher and this may lead to a greater sense of continuity in participants’ learning.

    The Why

    Decide your group's purpose and focus:
    •    learning techniques
    •    'troubleshooting' applications
    •    debriefing from clinical work
    •    learning to develop ACT interventions
    •    applying ACT to specific clinical populations (e.g. eating disorders)
    •    or in specific practice contexts (e.g. residential substance abuse)
    •    overall ACT practitioner development

    The Where: Have Your Premises Serve Your Purposes

    The ideal ACT PSG venue has the following qualities. Think of these as ways of 'lowering resistance' to attendance. Since many people will be attending in unpaid time, possibly at the end of a hard day's work, we want to make it as easy as possible for them to arrive and as enjoyable as possible to stay.

    • Located near public transport, cheap or free parking and cafes, restaurants or bars for after-group discussions.
    • Easy to find. In a well-marked or prominent building or if you don't have access to such a building, at least provide a map and directions. Note that if you're posting details of your group here (ACBS web site) you can easily provide links to GoogleMaps or Mapquest maps. Go to their websites and enter the address and they will provide you with a map you can paste into documents, but also with links you can paste into your PSG description.
    • The room. Large enough that fifteen people can talk among themselves comfortably, but small enough that three people won’t ‘rattle around’. Minimal room equipment is a whiteboard or blackboard, but even this can be foregone if your group doesn’t ‘do’ diagrams (Hexaflex etc.) or if you do them on large sheets of paper that everyone can see. Other handy things to have can be overhead or slide projectors and other such teaching paraphernalia and of course, the usual ACT ‘props’: Fingercuffs, rope for Tug Of War With A Monster, etc.


    The How

    There are books written on how to run PSGs (a good one is Brigid Proctor’s Group Supervision: A Guide To Creative Practice) and it might be a good idea to consult one before starting your group. Caution: the following reflects my opinion on our experience in Melbourne. It’s not the official ACT PSG system, rather just a way to set up and run a group.

    A little history about our group first. The Melbourne ACT peer supervision group has run since Russ Harris first contacted interested practitioners in October 2004. Initially it was set up as an ‘interest group’. The problem we encountered with this label and purpose was that once you’ve shown you're interested then what? People attending in these early days tended to have one of the following two responses. Either they learnt a little information about ACT at these meetings and because they put it in the ‘that’s interesting, I might explore that more one day’ category stopped attending the meetings. Or they were enthused to start learning skills and applications of the approach immediately but became frustrated that there was no progression in knowledge and skill.

    At one of our meetings Russ repeated Kirk Strosahl’s observation that workshops produce zealots, supervised practice produces practitioners. This prompted Russ to suggest that the group ‘morph’ into a peer supervision group which he led through 2005 and part of 2006. At this time I was able to secure a venue at RMIT University which gave us a home and consequently I started convening the group in June 2006.

    At the end of this document is the format for supervision that we have used at the group since at least late 2006. From the feedback our members have given, this format has worked well, although for a small group (five or fewer members) two supervisors is probably overkill. We instituted this though at a time when our numbers were around 8-10 people regularly.

    Rotating the supervisor and presenter roles through the group on a published roster maintains an egalitarian spirit and ensures everyone accesses similar learning experiences.

    If you plan to use this format, then for the first few meetings it may be advisable to formally chair the meeting. This helps ensure people stay focused and adhere to the functions of their roles.

    Tips and Challenges

    •    How do I keep the number attending high?
    This is the biggest challenge especially early on. Short answer: time in the game. The longer you run the group the more chance of word getting around. Don’t give up when numbers drop to two or three people. It helps if you have someone locally who is running ACT workshops as Russ did, but if you don’t have that, then ask visiting ACT trainers to publicize your group at their workshops. It goes without saying I hope that you would set up a page for your group here on the ACBS site.

    •    Too many people are attending! What do I do now?
    First tell me how you did it! Seriously the simplest answer, apart from get a bigger room is to split the group and run two groups. You may need to train someone to take over your role as leader for the other group.

    •    People keep giving non-ACT suggestions. How do I keep this an ACT supervision group and not something else?
    It’s natural for people to go to what they know when they don’t have an answer for the problem that the supervisee is presenting. Model and encourage a ‘non-expert’ stance frequently, for example by offering yourself as the first supervisee. Ask how the suggestion fits the ACT model. Suggest that we all sit with the not knowing for a while (this may actually be something the supervisee needs to do as anyway!)

    •    Keep the case presentation section to under 20 minutes. Allow 30-50 minutes for case discussion. It should be easier to stick to these limits if you keep the discussion focused on answering questions such as those in the format below.

    •    Choose a standardised case formulation protocol. Russ Harris provides a couple – brief and briefer – in his workshops and you can access these through his site, www.actmindfully.com.au. The ‘gold standard’ protocol, also the most comprehensive, is the one Jason Luoma developed, available here at www.contextualpsychology.org.

    ACT Peer Supervision Group Guidelines – Melbourne ACT Supervision Group
    •    One supervisee presenting the case, two supervisors providing guidance/supervision. The remainder of the group is to observe the supervision process and provide feedback to the supervisors.
    •    Supervisee needs to have a specific question(s) to ask the supervisors. Examples of good questions might be:
    “Is there an ACT process I’ve overlooked?”
    “What would you do?”
    “What does it sound to you that the client needs from me or from the treatment process?”
    “What more do I need to find out from/about the client?”
    •    Supervisors should aim to focus on core ACT therapeutic competencies.
    •    Format is:

    1.    Supervisee presents the case.
    2.    Supervisee asks first supervisor for their guidance – relevant to the question the supervisee has about the case. Supervisor can ask questions about the client to clarify issues such as history, strengths, previous treatments, family background, etc. Supervision interventions can include demonstrations, role-plays, exercises for the whole group or the supervisee as well as questioning and explanation.
    3.    Repeat for second supervisor
    4.    Rest of group provide feedback to the supervisors on what they think the supervisors might have done differently, any ACT components missed or competencies not followed up on. NOT an opportunity to ‘re-interview’ the supervisee about the case. (This means supervisees need to get good at case presentation)
    5.    The group should start the following session by following up with the supervisee to find out what ideas were tried or what was different in the subsequent session(s) with that client.

    Case Formulation Questions
    1.    What thoughts or feelings are fused and unworkable? (Fusion)
    2.    What values is the client removed from? (Remoteness from values)
    3.    What experiences such as emotions, thoughts, reminders, contexts and behaviours is the client avoiding or having difficulty accepting (Experiential avoidance or unwillingness)
    4.    What is the client’s story about self? (Self as Content)
    5.    What is the quality of the client’s presence? How do they absent themselves from life, engagement or connection? (Contact with the present moment)
    6.    What does the client fail to start or fail to finish? Where does the client fail to or lose focus, or fail to engage in committed action? (Committed Action)

    Feel free to comment below, on the ACT Listserve or directly to me (act [at]julianmcnally.com) with questions, reports of success or challenges you encounter in running a group.

    Jason B. Luoma

    One of my central career interests is in training other therapists in how to do ACT and researching the effectiveness of such training. Towards this end, I have given training workshops at the local, national, and international level. I have had the pleasure of co-leading several workshops with Steven Hayes, Ph.D. and have trained under him at the University of Nevada, Reno. For two years, I supervised a team of 9-15 clinical psychology graduate students who were learning ACT at the University of Nevada, Reno. I was the director of the First Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Summer Training Institute and was on the Program Committee for the Second Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Summer Training Institute. I am currently Director of Training for a large ACT grant that is training therapists nationwide through ACT workshops (Steve Hayes is the PI). You can find out more about me at www.drluoma.com/ACT.html

    I also run a website called www.learningact.com which is linked to my book, Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills-Training Manual for Therapists (2007). The website has a discussion forum for those who are learning ACT and want to discuss how it is going and get feedback from like-minded individuals. www.learningact.com also has a blog where I post regular updates with information of interest to people interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

    We have been running an ACT peer consultation group in the Portland, OR area since November, 2005. Any therapists who are interested in learning ACT are invited to attend. Just send me an email at email@drluoma.com if you are interested. Also contact me if you are interested in supervision or consultation on ACT.

    I recently completed a study on phone consultation as one form of training of ACT therapists. As part of this study, I developed a protocol for phone consultation with professionals wanting to learn ACT. I provide supervision over the internet and phone and have also lead online workshops. If you would be interested in phone consultation on learning ACT, but are afraid you can't afford it, please call me and we can discuss it. I work on a sliding scale. The first consultation is free for anyone interested in learning ACT.

    If you are interested in contracting me please email me at email@drluoma.com, or call me at (503) 260-8424.

    Kevin Polk

    Training based on the ACT Life Manual

    Kevin Polk, Ph.D. Togus VA and Private Practice. I have been involved in training interns and post doctoral fellows for 17 years. Since September of 2005 I helped develop an quick/intensive form of ACT treatment and training utilizing the Life Manual*. My goal in ACT training is to quickly teach someone the core skills of ACT. We can accomplish the basic training in just a few phone calls. If you like ACT we will then work on developing your "ACT Stance." I have done several private workshops in the state of Maine. The ACT community was introduced to my therapy and training style in "ACT Gone Wild" at ACT Summer Institute III in Houston. So far in 2008 I will be doing training in the Netherlands and Israel. I regularly do phone consultation/training with individuals or groups.

    I am currently working on two books based on this simple approach to ACT. One is with my colleagues with the running title ACT Training Made Simple. The other a self help book called Turning Stress Into Success.

    *The Life Manual is a powerful tool for rapidly training someone in the basics of ACT.

    Drop me a line to inquire about my rates and schedule polkkev@gmail.com

    ACT Core Competency Self-Assessment for Clinicians

    The file below (see the attachment at the bottom of the page) contains the ACT Core Competency Self-Rating Form. This was created and used at the first ACT Summer Institute. The original ACT core competency items were taken from A Practical Guide to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

    You can use the following ACT Core-Competency Self-Rating Form to help you in your learning of ACT. The self-assessment describes the primary behaviors that a therapist would be engaging in if they were consistent with the ACT model. If you are learning ACT, you can use this form to forward your learning. I’d recommend you rate yourself on this form periodically and then consider the following questions in relation to your self-ratings (these are just suggestions, you could always add others). Engaging in this process can help you in determining what areas to focus on next in terms of learning ACT:

      • Notice what areas you rated yourself low on. Do you understand what the competency means? If not, you may want to consider figuring out what it would mean to engage this competency. What reading materials would you need? Could you post a question to the ACT listserv asking for advice?
      • Outline what you are doing that is inconsistent with those areas you are rated low in.
      • Consider some options on how you might change you behavior in relation to a competency. What might you do to improve your skills in that area? Is there something you need to read about? Is there some skill you need to practice? Are you willing to make room for the possible failure and sense of inadequacy or incompetence that might go along with practicing a new technique or skill, and still do it? Perhaps you could rehearse whatever it was with a colleague before you went into a session? Perhaps you could focus a whole session on that one process so that you have a chance to practice? Perhaps you post a question on the ACT listserv about how one could improve their practice in that area. What areas might you come up with to learn to improve your practice of ACT?
      • A great place to start is to just pick one action, commit to it, and get started on it. Which one could it be?
      • Go back and repeat this with other competencies where you have scored low.

    This form could also be adapted to be an other-rating form and used in supervision. If anyone adapts it and uses it this way, I'd love to know how it went (jbluoma@gmail.com).

    ACT Peer Consultation Groups

    Below are listed ACT peer consultation groups that have been formed around the world. If you are looking for a peer consultation group and don't see one here that fits your needs, consider posting something to one of the discussion boards here or on the ACT listserv (acceptanceandcommitmenttherapy@yahoogroups.com) about forming one in your village.

    If you are a member of an ACT peer consultation group and are open to new members, please post a child page below to describe your group.

    ACT - Interessegruppe i Århus, Danmark

    Mit navn er Louise Kronstrand Nielsen og jeg arbejder i privat prakis (kognitivgruppen ved morten hecksher) i Århus, Danmark. Jeg og mine kollegaer er godt i gang med at anvende ACT, har modtaget en del undervisning fra dygtige undervisere men vil gerne i gang med at træne lidt mere intensivt på egen hånd.
    Vi vil gerne oprette en gruppe, hvor vi træner ACT-øvelser og metaforer, deler erfaringer og udveksler ideer. Og ikke mindst arbejder med vores egne barrierer ift. at være en effektiv og "fleksibel" terapeut.

    Ved interesse kontakt mig på ln@kognitivgruppen.dk eller 23713772

    Hilsner fra Louise

    ACT discussion group, Sydney CBD

    We meet monthly on the second Thursday of each month from 5.30-7pm. We are located close to Wynyard station. Our group is open to anyone who has some basic ACT training (e.g. has attended at least an introductory workshop) and is working in a clinical setting.

    Our meeting topics vary depending on the groups' changing needs but include the following: case discussion, review of ACT books and chapters, sharing ACT exercises and experiential exercises.

    Most of all we aim to facilitate the ongoing support of each other and development of our ACT skills and allow the opportunity to grow through contact with colleagues (this includes the opportunity to make mistakes as we learn!!).

    Please get in touch if you would like to find out more. Contact: louiseshepherd@optusnet.com.au

    ACT Interest Group - Sheffield/ Yorkshire/ North Midlands, UK

    An informal group formed in March 2006, meeting monthly in and around Yorkshire/Trent region, for health professionals, academics, students interested in ACT, mindfulness and other 'third wave' approaches. The general format is discussion of a paper/ book chapter and some time on the rehearsal and application of clinical skills. For dates see the 'Upcoming Events' section or(if dates not posted) contact joe.curran@sct.nhs.uk.

    ACT Peer Supervision/ Interest Group Sydney with Mary Sawyer

    I have a monthly ACT peer supervision/interest group meeting at Bondi Junction at my office. This group has been meeting for 6 years now and we have a core group of clinicians and interns attending regularly.
    The meeting usually follows along these lines:
    I begin with an initial experiential exercise,
    Practice one of the core ACT skills usually from the Learning ACT text
    Sometimes watching a DVD with one of the more expert ACT clinicians
    Role play with someone being a client they are stuck with
    Some reflective practice and discussion
    A demonstration with me (Mary) as the ACT therapist
    General networking with our colleagues
    We are a freindly bunch of people who have a genuine passion for being the best ACT clinicians.
    If you want to join us, please ring mary on 02 9386 5356 or email msawyer@onetoone-counselling.com.au

    Christchurch, New Zealand - ACT Interest / Peer Supervision Group

    Kia Ora

    We are group of mental health professionals who meet once a month (3.45pm - 5pm on a Thursday) at the Princess Margaret Hospital for training and peer supervision in ACT. We would love to hear from you if you are in the area and interested in learning more about ACT as we muddle our way through! We welcome new members. Contact kathryn.whitehead@cdhb.govt.nz

    What we do:Sessions include experiential exercises, looking at the ACT core processes, discussion of chapters and papers, and peer consultation on cases. We respond to the needs and interests of group members. This group has been meeting for three years (since 2008) in a range of forms, becoming much more ACT focussed in the past year.

    Groupe de Pairs ACT Lyon France

    Bonjour, nous sommes un groupe de pairs ACT nous réunissant le mercredi soir sur Lyon. Contactez-moi si vous voulez participer.

    benjamin[point]schoendorff[arrowbase]inserm[point]fr

    Melbourne, Australia - ACT Peer Supervision Group

    Currently in recess, the group will recommence in early 2010.

    For further details email: act@julianmcnally.com
    Julian McNally

    Peer consultation group in Florida

    Hi
    I am located in Gainesville, Florida and I would like to form an ACT peer consultation group with any interested parties. If anyone is interested, please send me an email at ccamma@ufl.edu.

    Resources on how to run peer consultation/supervision groups

    There are a couple resources I know that can provide guidance on how to run ACT peer consultation groups.

    One is this article on running peer supervision groups by Julian McNally.

    A second is that there is a section in the appendix of Learning ACT about running peer consultation groups.

    Southern ACT - Baton Rouge/New Orleans, Louisiana

    Our Baton Rouge/New Orleans peer group meets monthly. We self study, work out of the original text and Learning ACT, as well as share on other texts and applications. We are a very open group - open to members, open to learning, and open about accompanying clients on their journeys. We are based in Baton Rouge.

    We sponser training opportunities and we support other peer groups -please email Patt Aptaker at pmaptaker@yahoo.com or call her at (225) 929-9030 for more information on Southern ACT and peer group development.

    Tucson

    Tucson ACT peer supervision group
    Contact:
    Jonathan Kandell, LCSW, LISAC
    Director of Therapy Services
    Codac Behavioral Health Inc.
    327-4505 x1087

    USA/Maine/Downeast

    This page will serve as the "seed" for a peer supervision/study group in the Downeast region of Maine. Please look here for updates (pending) and leave a post if interested. You can also contact me at joel@whitepinepsych.com

    We are currently working on a full-day Intro and half-day Intermediate/skill building ACT training to be held in Bar Harbor, Maine. Please check here for updates. Scheduling will depend on sufficient interest so please let me know (joel@whitepinepsych.com) if you are interested.
    Other Trainings in New England

    USA/Maine/Portland

    This page will serve as the "seed" for a peer supervision/study group in Portland, Maine. Please look here for updates (pending) and leave a post if interested. You can also contact me at joel@whitepinepsych.com

    Link to upcoming Portland Training
    Other Trainings in New England

    USA/Massachusetts/Worcester

    This page will serve as the "seed" for a peer supervision/study group in Worcester, MA. Please look here for updates (pending) and leave a post if interested. You can also contact me at joel@whitepinepsych.com

    Link to upcoming Worcester Training

    Other Trainings in New England

    USA/Minnesota/Minneapolis-Saint Paul

    A new ACT peer consultation group is starting in the Twin Cities. We plan to meet once per month on Wednesday mornings in Edina. Any practicing therapist who is using or wanting to learn ACT is welcome. The first meeting is Wed, April 21st, 2010. Email Kevin Kelly at kkellyaddress@comcast.net for more information.

    USA/NH/North Conway & Fryeburg

    This page will serve as the "seed" for a peer supervision/study group in Central New Hampshire (e.g., North Conway) and Western Maine (e.g., Fryeburg). Please look here for updates (pending) and leave a post if interested. You can also contact me at joel@whitepinepsych.com

    Trainings in New England

    USA/NH/Southern NH

    This page will serve as the "seed" for a peer supervision/study group in Southern New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts. Please look here for updates (pending) and leave a post if interested. You can also contact me at joel@whitepinepsych.com

    Trainings in New England

    USA/Oregon/Portland

    We have successfully organized an ACT peer consultation group for professionals in the Portland, OR area. The group has been meeting monthly since 11/4/05. Meetings are usually scheduled on the first and third Fridays of every month from 3:30-5:30pm.

    Some sessions focus on particular topics, while others are open to consultation on ongoing cases using the ACT model.

    Attendance is open to any therapist or student who are interested in learning ACT. Just send me an email at jbluoma@gmail.com if you are curious or want more informaton abut places and times (for more info see www.drluoma.com/profess.html).

    USA/Vermont/Burlington

    This page will serve as the "seed" for a peer supervision/study group in Burlington, VT. Please look here for updates (pending) and leave a post if interested. You can also contact me at joel@whitepinepsych.com

    Link to upcoming Burlington Training
    Other Trainings in New England

    ACT Postdoctoral Fellowships

    If you know of a postdoctoral fellowship that would be relevant to students interested in ACT, you can post it below.

    Clinical/Research Postdoctoral Fellowship in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Portland, Oregon

    The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC is offering a clinical/research fellowship in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for the 2010-2011 training year that will begin in the summer of 2010. This is a unique one-year postdoctoral fellowship with possible opportunities for either a second year or transition to a permanent position. The fellow will spend approximately three days per week providing clinical services and two days on research activities.

    We are a small clinic, research, and training center with two psychologists (Jason Luoma www.drluoma.com and Jenna LeJeune www.portlandpsychology.com), one postdoctoral resident, administrative staff, and one contractor. We plan to expand to 3-4 psychologists by the summer. Dr. Luoma is an established researcher and writer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with contacts at local and national research centers. Drs. Luoma and LeJeune can provide specialty training in addictions, mood disorders, trauma, and eating disorders.

    The ideal candidate will have clinical training in ACT, behavior therapy, or other third wave approaches, an interest in maintaining a research career, and have demonstrated potential in both areas. Ideally, we are looking for someone with an entrepreneurial mindset, who is self-directed, and who may be interested in continuing this work after the fellowship year is over. We would like to expand our clinic and are interested in people who would be interested in careers that combine both direct clinical work, supervision, and research.

    The fellow will learn about running a fee-for-service group practice, including marketing and financial operations. She/he will receive two hours per week of clinical supervision in ACT, which is sufficient for licensure in Oregon, with additional administrative supervision. She/he will participate in writing competitive grant proposals and will analyze research data, write papers, and collect pilot data on an original research project. The fellow can also have the opportunity to learn about the use of remote collaboration/videoconferencing technologies in marketing, training, and/or research.

    Portland is a fantastic city that is often ranked as one of the most livable cities in America. We have a vibrant and growing community of ACT clinicians and researchers here.

    Minimum requirements: Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. We will consider ABD candidates. Demonstrated interest in and experience with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or other behavior therapies. Demonstrated commitment to research (e.g., at least one peer reviewed empirical publication). Minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

    Target salary is $28,000-35,000 (depending upon client flow), plus a small stipend for education/travel and health insurance, and good vacation benefits. Review of applications begins January 15th and continues until the position is filled (we are still accepting application as of January 20th). Feel free to email jbluoma@gmail.com if you are unsure whether to submit an application. Mail curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, and a brief statement about why you are interested in this position to: Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Director, Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC, 1830 NE Grand, Portland, OR, 97212. OR. Letters can be sent via regular mail or electronically directly from the letter writer to jbluoma@gmail.com.

    Postdoctoral Fellowship in CBT at Harbor UCLA Medical Center

    Psychology Post-Doctoral Training Opportunities in CBT,
    Behavioral Health, and Corrections

    Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA

    The Psychology Division in Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry is in its 27th year of training post-doctoral fellows in clinical psychology, and designated itself as a post-doctoral training program since 1984. The program received its APA accreditation in 1997, and was one of the first three APA-accredited post-doctoral trianing fellowships in the United States.

    Our post-doctoral fellowship operates in a setting that is rich in the traditions of public servcie, education, and research. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a 340-bed general hospital owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Health and Human Services and is affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Its 300-square mile catchment area runs from the Los Angeles International Airpost to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and encompasses 17 municipalities as well as unincorporated areas. Its service population of over 2.2 million people is economically, culturally, and ethnically divers, and the poor and underserved comprise the majority of the medical center’s workload.

    Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is accepting applications for its September, 2009 – August, 2010 fellowship period in the following areas:

    • Behavioral Medicine – Health Psychology
    o Emphasis on HIV Mental Health with opportunities in Family Medicine and Bostetrics & Gynecology – two positions
    o Women’s Behavioral Health – Inpatient Psychiatry – one position
    • Adult Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy – one position
    o Extensive training in CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    o Postdoc serves as Assistant Director to the CBT Clinic
    • Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy/Trauma) – one position
    • Correctional/Forensic Psychology – Assertive Community Treatment/Psychosocial Rehabiliation – two positions

    We are currently accepting applications, and will begin interviewing candidates in January, continuing until all positions are filled. For additional information on all of our programs and to download an electronic application form, please visit our website at http://psychology.labiomed.org/.

    Interested individuals may also contact David J. Martin, Ph.D., Director of Training & Chief Psychologist at djmartin@ucla.edu or dmartin@labiomed.org.

    Togus, Maine VA Postdoctoral Fellowship

    Togus offers a one-year fellowship. At least 3/5 of the fellowship is spent in the ACT Lab at Togus Contact polkkev@gmail.com for more information.

    ACT Presentation Materials

    This page will be the parent page for ACBS members to post/attach presentations (e.g., Powerpoint Slides), individual slides or figures, handouts, or related materials. This will also allow the community as a whole to provide feedback on the materials, offer constructive criticism, suggest revisions, and improve our collected effort to effectively educate others about ACT. If you have materials you are willing to put into the "public domain" so others may use them, you can do it here.

    ACT 2-day Training

    Presented by Steve Hayes in Boston.

    ACT Colloquium

    Colloquium presented by Steve Hayes in 2005. Includes Ann Branstetter's data on psychological adjustment among cancer patients.

    ACT for Anxiety- Kenneth Cole

    Presented by Kenneth Cole, PhD, of the VA Long Beach Health Care System in April 2007

    ACT for Anxiety-Gary Powell

    Presented by Gary Powell, Trinity School Staff Twilight Talks Session,
    6 February 2006

    ACT for Chronic Pain

    Presented by Laura Meyers, PhD, Minneapolis VAMC

    ACT for Male Sexual Problems

    This page includes a power point presentation by Russ Harris on ACT for Male Sexual Problems, from the 2nd World Conference in 2006.

    ACT for PTSD

    Two powerpoint presentations to psychology interns in Spring 2006 by Kevan McCutcheon, PhD, Center for Stress Recovery, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    ACT Gone Wild

    The Togus, VA Intensive Outpatient Program's approach to ACT in groups is presented. It reviews a bit of the old four-week ACT program and then presents the new one-week program. Values work runs throughout the program. Diffusion from struggling with suffering moves across four themes. It also includes some short videos of Dr. Polk's colleagues, Dr.s Agee and Hambright, presenting a bit of the program.

    Presented by Kevin Polk, Ph.D. at SI-3; Houston, TX, USA; July 2007

    ACT Oceania II - The History of ACT and RFT

    Powerpoint presentation on history of ACT and RFT presented by Rob Zettle at Christchurch, NZ.

    ACT Oceania II--ACT with Depression

    Powerpoint on ACT with Depression workshop presented by Rob Zettle at Christchurch, NZ.

    ACT State of the Evidence

    Originally presented by Steve Hayes at ACT SI 2; Philadelphia, PA, USA 2005. Updated July 2008.

    ACT with Couples

    This is a presentation called:

    The Application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Couples in Distress

    Presented by Casey Capps and Ragnar Storaasli

    May 30th, 2006
    ABA Atlanta

    Powerpoint presentation attached below.

    ACT with Depression

    PowerPoint presented by Rob Zettle of Wichita State University at ACT SI-3; Houston, Texas, USA; July 2007.

    ACT with Parents and Families

    Presented by J.T. Blackledge, Ph.D. on enhancing parent training with ACT.

    ACT:Model and Application

    Presented by Steve Hayes at NIMH in 2005. Includes overview of ACT processes and outcome data.

    Anxiety and Forgiveness

    The two links below are to introductory ACT-based presentations on Forgiveness and Anxiety that I gave to staff and students at the UK school where I work.

    Please feel free to use/amend/distribute them for non-commercial purposes. Thanks to the ACT artists and conceptualisers of the illustrations used therein.

    http://www.cyberpauken.com/forgiveness.ppt

    http://www.cyberpauken.com/Anxiety.ppt

    Downloadable files below.

    Gary

    ContextaFlex: Connecting FC, RFT and the Hexaflex

    A PowerPoint presentation to show beginners the importance of the underlying philosophy (functional contextualism) and theory (RFT) behind the practice of ACT.

    Presented by:
    Jerold Hambright, Ph.D., Kevin Polk, Ph.D., John Agee, Ph.D.
    Veterans Affairs Hospital, Togus, Maine, USA

    From Mechanism to Functionalism - or: What is Avoided in Emotional Avoidance?

    PowerPoint presented by Rainer Sonntag of Olpe, Germany at WorldCon II; London, England; July 2006

    Handouts from Introductory and Advanced ACT Workshops by Russ Harris

    Russ Harris (from Australia) responded to a query about handouts that could be shared with the ACT community by volunteering a couple handouts that he uses in his workshops (see below). After looking at them, I find them to be a very valuable and practical aid for ACT therapists. If you want to talk to him about them, his contact info is described in the handouts.

    Intro to ACT by Guarna and Kubik, Portland, ME June 5, 2009

    Powerpoint from full-day workshop in Portland, Maine, 6/5/09.

    Intro to ACT_Portland, Maine_Guarna_&_Kubik

    Full day training on 6/20/08 by Joel Guarna and Elizabeth Kubik.

    Introduction to ACT by Joel Guarna, Dover, NH: 3/21/09

    Powerpoint attached (must be member & logged-in).

    Introduction to ACT- Charles Morse

    Presented by:
    Charles Morse, MA, LMHC,
    Director of WPI Student Development & Counseling

    Introduction to ACT-Julian McNally

    The PowerPoint is an abbreviated form of Steve Hayes' presentation on the Hexaflex. The only original material is in the speaker's notes (under the slides and in the attached Word document) and I think the 'Chocolate' slide is original.
    Julian McNally

    Introduction to ACT_Boston Consortium_ 2005_Joel Guarna

    Intro to ACT Presentation to the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology, March 2005, by Joel Guarna and Steve Quinn (staff psychologists at the VA Boston).

    Introduction to the Hexaflex

    This power point created by Steve Hayes outlines the various features of the hexaflex model.

    Trans-Diagnostic Approach to Problems in Living

    Presented by Kelly Wilson at Boystown.

    What is this Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

    Presented in Australia by Mary Sawyer.

    Tips on how to add content to this section

    -------------------------------------------------------
    Suggestions on adding to the ACT Presentation Materials section:

    (a) For the sake of keeping this organized, I would recommend using the option for "add child page" to this main page instead of adding as comment/reply. Child pages are listed in a nice list that is easy to read and access. Comments can get quite chaotic. Also, the "add child page" format allows others to make comments and give feedback that will stick to the appropriate page/presentation instead of getting jumbled to the point where you will not know which comments refer to which postings.

    (b) Then, give your new page a short, descriptive title (e.g., "General ACT Talk, Boston 2005").

    (c) Write whatever description/comments/requests for feedback that you want directly on the new child page.

    (d) You can then either: (i) Provide a link to the location where the presentation/materials are located (on or off site) or (ii) Attach the actual presentation/materials at bottom (if you do this, be sure to mention "materials attached at bottom" as attachments are easy to miss with the format here). Personally, I would encourage folks to do (ii) for ease of downloading.

    (e) Another option: Link from here to material in your blog. Even if you opt to leave your posted presentations in your personal blog, perhaps you could add a child page here, inform members you have stuff in your blog, and then link to it by adding the URL to your child page. For example, if Steve wanted to link us to presentations in his blog, he would (a) add a child page, (b) title it "Steve's Presentations," (c) Write: Hey gang, I have some presentations you can use in my blog. You can find them at... on the page, and then (d) provide the link on the next line: "http://www.contextualpsychology.org/en/blog/steven_hayes"
    -------------------------------------------------------

    Conferences

    Future Conference information:

    ACBS Annual World Conference VIII
    (We've phased out the ACT SI, and created a combined event in the WC VIII.)
    University of Nevada
    Reno, Nevada
    June 21-24, 2010
    (pre-conference workshops June 19-20)

    Past Conference information:

    ACBS World Conference III
    The Third World Conference on ACT, RFT, and Contextual Behavioral Science
    University of Twente
    Enschede, The Netherlands (pronounced "EN-sha-day")
    July 1-3, 2009
    (pre-conference workshops June 29-30)

    ACT Summer Institute IV
    Illinois Institute of Technology
    Chicago, Illinois
    May 28-30, 2008
    (pre-conference workshops May 26 & 27th)

    ACT Summer Institute III
    University of Houston - Clear Lake
    Houston, Texas
    July 16-20, 2007

    World Conference II
    The Second World Conference on ACT, RFT, and Contextual Behavioral Science
    University of London
    London, U.K.
    July 24-28, 2006

    ACT Summer Institute II
    LaSalle University
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    July 18-22, 2005

    ACT Summer Institute I
    University of Nevada, Reno
    Reno, Nevada
    July 12-16, 2004

    First World Conference on ACT, RFT & The New Behavioral Psychology
    (organized by Psykologpartners Wadstrom & Wisung AB)
    Linkoping, Sweden
    August 13-17, 2003

    ACBS Annual World Conference VIII

    June 21-24, 2010
    (Pre-conference workshops June 19 & 20, 2010)

    Two days of intensive, experiential, 2-day workshops by leaders in the ACT & RFT communities will immediately precede the World Conference VIII.

    REGISTER NOW! (Online)

    Alternative Registration Form (Print & Fax/Mail )

    What is the World Conference?
    The World Conference is for psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, drug counselors, language researchers, students and more.... Anyone in a similarly related helping field is invited to attend.

    The conference is made up of:
    workshops, workshops, food, research papers, networking, fun, workshops, symposia, posters, workshops, panel discussions, plenary sessions with CBS researchers and practitioners, workshops, fun, more food, symposia, workshops...

    Did we mention workshops?

    The World Conference brings together clinicians and researchers to present cutting-edge research in ACT, RFT, and Contextual Behavioral Science, as well as experienced trainers to lead experiential workshops so that you can learn how to better serve your clients. Last year we had over 40 three hour workshops which were held during the World Conference that are free to attend with your paid conference registration. No additional fees required for these workshops. Check out last year's program for an idea of what to expect.

    Invited Speakers
    We have some very exciting invited speakers this year who will be adding that something special to the conference. Some of the invited speakers for this conference include:

    • Daniel Wegner speaking on the latest research on thought suppression and the implications this has for ACT, RFT, and ACBS.
    • James Gross talking about basic processes of emotion regulation and how this relates to ACT/RFT/CBS.
    • G. Terrence Wilson will give an overview of where CBT is as a field and where he thinks CBT and ACT need to go from here.
    • Robert Gallop, a prominent statistician who makes things like Hierarchical Linear Modeling understandable, will be doing a half day workshop on HLM and multi-level modeling of data.
    • Bob Kohlenberg and Mavis Tsai will do a pre-conference workshop on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy.

    About Reno, Nevada

    Reno, Nevada: Come for the conference, stay for Nevada.
    Been to Reno? If so, then you know why you want to come back. Never been to Reno? Then you're in for a real treat!

    Reno is located on the eastern side of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. From the casinos to its unprecedented natural surroundings, Reno is a city rich in both tradition and exciting entertainment.

    Forty-five minutes from world-famous Lake Tahoe (Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe pictured right), the Reno-Sparks community is surrounded by natural beauty and limitless recreational opportunities. The Reno-Sparks-Lake Tahoe region has over 18 world-class ski resorts, many just a short 45 minutes from downtown, and 40-plus golf courses. World-class fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking, and numerous other outdoor activities abound. The area also boasts 60 gaming locations with excellent entertainment and restaurants, the National Bowling Stadium, the National Automobile Museum, the Nevada Museum of Art and the historic silver boomtown of Virginia City. The Reno Rodeo will also be in town at the time of the conference (and after).

    High-peaked mountains surround the region in every direction. The geography ranges from high desert hills to valleys covered with deciduous and evergreen trees. The Truckee River flows casually through the heart of the city, winding its way through an eclectic mixture of stately manors, quaint churches, sleek high rises, city parks, and casinos. Shopping malls and new residential developments canvas the city limits and are nestled against mountains that offer endless outdoor recreation, and cradle the magnificent Lake Tahoe.

    Calling itself “The Biggest Little City In The World”, Reno offers an extraordinary mix of history and culture, world-class ski and golf resorts, gaming and entertainment, a mild climate with four distinct seasons, a healthy, diverse economy, and an enduring sense of community spirit.

    Reno now has it's very own Triple-A baseball team and a brand new stadium, within walking distance of the conference hotel. The Reno Aces have tickets available from $7-$29 dollars and there is no bad seat in the house!

    ACT Summer Institute - Now within the World Conference

    ACT Summer Institute:
    Anyone interested in the ACT Summer Institute... that event has been completely absorbed into the annual World Conference. The ACT SI was always an international event anyway, and now you'll get a chance to attend the half day workshops, as well as learn about current research going on in the ACT/RFT community. So you get it all!

    Call for Posters - Closing April 1

    Call for Poster Submissions - Open!

    Go to Online Submission Form

    Deadline for poster submissions: April 1, 2010
    Deadline for workshops, symposia, papers, panels, etc. was Sunday, February 7, 2010.

    I am happy to announce that the ACBS Annual World Conference VIII will be in Reno, Nevada, USA, from June 21-24.

    Pre-conference 2-day workshops will be held on June 19 & 20. The conference will take place at the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno. Bus service for all participants will be included in the registration cost between the conference hotel and the campus.

    The structure of the program will be similar to previously successful ACBS World Conferences, and will be both ACT and RFT focused. We are hoping to reach out broadly at this conference and bring in people from outside ACT/RFT who can bring something new to the conference and broaden the attendance to include more new attendees. We want to give research and RFT a prominent place and we are looking for innovations and new clinical, as well as non-clinical, applications.

    We will host a meet & greet evening event on June 20 at the Silver Legacy Hotel for those attending the World Conference. On June 21, after the first day of the conference, we will have a poster session/ barbecue which is intended to showcase clinical and experimental research in RFT and ACT—a great way to see what is happening around the world. Wednesday, June 23, we’ll have our famous 'Follies' night, with funny songs, skits, etc.

    At this time, we would like to put out a call for submissions to the ACBS World Conference VIII. We want to open the call broadly and encourage proposals for short workshops (3 hrs. or less), panel discussions, research symposia, research papers (looking for a symposium), consultation sessions, or other types of sessions you think would be an asset to this year’s program. Feel free to contact me (jbluoma@gmail.com) to propose sessions you would like to see, along with those you would like to conduct.

    We are eager to hear your ideas and will continue to post information regarding the conference as planning moves along.

    For further description of purpose, audience, and style of sessions please read below.

    On behalf of the program committee,

    Jason Luoma, Ph.D.
    ACBS Conference Program Chair

    ________________________________________________
    PURPOSES
    The primary purpose of the conference is to advance contextual behavioral science through sharing knowledge, scientific work, ideas, and skills. All over the world people are producing an exciting array of work, varying from fundamental research on basic processes, to clinical and nonclinical application of ACT, RFT, and related scientific approaches. We want the conference to be a place where all of these folks can meet and exchange the richness of their scientific and applied work.

    A second purpose is to increase the skill of attendees in implementing ACT. This will be accomplished through a combination of targeted workshops, symposia, poster session, video demonstrations, live demonstrations, role playing, clinically focused case discussions, and experiential work.

    A final purpose of the World Conference is to help interested attendees better understand RFT, its significance in understanding human suffering and how RFT principles can be translated into clinical practice, and to help attendees learn and develop methods and strategies for conducting ACT process and outcome studies in applied and academic settings. This will be accomplished through “user friendly” workshops and small group discussions.

    AUDIENCE
    The target audience for this conference is any practitioner, researcher, or student interested in learning more about the clinical and non-clinical application of ACT/RFT or related clinical approaches or in contributing to contextual behavioral science.

    STYLE OF SESSIONS
    We want the conference to be very interactive, with participants getting chances to increase their knowledge, enhance their understanding and develop skills, with lots of time for questions, presentations on different levels, chances to do role plays, watch videos, get feedback on difficult clients, and watch tapes of clinical work they have brought with them.

    There will also be scientific symposia presented by researchers, with one entire track devoted to RFT research and applications for those with varying levels of familiarity.

    Conference Hotel

    Conference Hotel:
    Silver Legacy Resort Casino
    407 N. Virginia Street
    Reno, NV 89501

    You can reserve your hotel room for a great rate through our conference hotel landing page here (select your dates at the very top of the page). We have an unheard-of conference rate for your stay at the Silver Legacy. Only $109 per night on the weekends, and $59-$69 during the week (Wed. & Thurs.- $59; Sun., Mon., & Tues.- $69) for double occupancy.

    • you need to select your check in date and number of nights you're staying, at the very top of the hotel landing page, to do your registration online

    The Silver Legacy has deluxe rooms with terrific views of the Washoe Valley, with either 1 King sized bed (pictured), or 2 Queen sized beds. The Silver Legacy offers a free airport shuttle, dining and shopping coupons, a convenient downtown location within walking distance to the University of Nevada, Reno, onsite car rental, onsite Adventure Desk to plan your visit, six in-house restaurants, and much more.

    Conference Venue

    Conference Venue:
    The conference will be held in the beautiful new Joe Crowley Student Union Building on the campus of the University of Nevada. (Evening event locations TBD.)

    Continuing Education (CE) Credits

    Possible credit hours:

    • 2-day pre-conference workshops: 14 hours
    • Mindfulness & Meditation pre-conference workshop: 12 hours
    • ACBS World Conference VIII (attending all events): TBD (pending program completion in the Spring [last year was 21 hours, this year will be more])

    Types of Credit Available:

    • CE credit is available for psychologists (APA type).
    • CE credit is available for LCSW and MFT credits with the State of California.

    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. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

    ACBS is an approved provider of continuing education for MFCCs and/or LCSWs by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, provider #PCE 4653.

    Refunds & Grievance Policies: Participants may direct any questions or complaints to ACBS Executive Director Emily Neilan Rodrigues, 1-775-544-0991 or through the "Contact Us" link on this website.

    • CE credit fees are included in the price of registration. No further fee is required.
    • CEs are only available for events that qualify as workshops or end of the day plenary sessions. Poster sessions, symposia, and paper presentations do not qualify for Continuing Education.
    • (Note: CE credits are only available for professionals. You may not earn CE credits with a student registration.)

    Diet / Catering (Special Needs)

    The University of Nevada is able to provide Kosher, Gluten Free, and Vegan meals if needed for attendees of the World Conference VIII, and the Pre-Conference workshops. They make the Gluten Free and Vegan meals in-house and purchse the Kosher meals from outside.

    If you require one of these special order meals or have further dietary restrictions we will do everything possible to accommodate your request. If the university is unable to provide you with your required menu (due to kitchen limitations), please talk to us about other arrangements we can make with you.

    • All requests for special meals must be made in writing to acbs@contextualpsychology.org by June 1, 2010, due to catering deadlines.

    Please email ACBS at the email address above with your meal requirements after you have registered for the World Conference or for a Pre-Conference workshop. If your dietary requirements are different from "Kosher, Gluten Free, or Vegan", please email us (Emily Rodrigues) at acbs@contextualpsychology.org before registering so that we can discuss your needs.

    We apologize that we are unable to accommodate special meal requests made after June 1, 2010.

    Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (All Transportation)

    Getting to Reno:
    By Air:
    The following airlines service the Reno-Tahoe International Airport (airport code: RNO): Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Horizon Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United, U.S. Airways.

      You probably have your own method to search for flights, but, in the USA/ Canada, I love Kayak, it has a funny name but is a great tool for finding good fares, and good schedules. The only domestic US airline that it does not include is Southwest Airlines. You'll have to create a free login, but it's worth it.

      For Europe-USA flights, I recommend trying Kayak or SkyScanner. (Please note, if you're thinking of doing some other traveling within the US while here for the conference, please check Southwest Airlines, they only fly domestically, but I'd say they're like a deluxe version of EasyJet (not quite as cheap though), and as of January, 2010, you can still check 2 bags onto the plane for free.)

    By Train:
    The Amtrak train provides service to Reno via the California Zephyr line. This line goes from Chicago all the way to Emeryville, CA (Bay Area) with service to Reno. The train station is approximately 2 blocks from the Silver Legacy conference hotel.

    By Car:
    Reno, Nevada is approximately this far (by car) from:

      Lake Tahoe (Incline Village) - 49 minutes / 37.48 miles
      San Francisco - 3 hours 42 minutes / 217.85 miles
      Las Vegas - 7 hours 11 minutes / 448.48 miles
      Portland, Oregon - 9 hours 14 minutes / 547.10 miles

    While in Reno:
    Airport - Hotel Shuttle:
    The Silver Legacy Hotel shuttle departs from the hotel at the top of the hour from 5 am to 11 pm and departs from the airport on the bottom of the hour from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm. Upon your arrival at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, proceed to the baggage claim area and follow the signage directing you to the general airport shuttle area to board the Silver Legacy shuttle. (The airport is 4.12 miles (about 12 minutes) from the Silver Legacy Hotel. If you instead chose to take a taxi, it would cost $10-$15 one-way.)

    Parking:
    Parking at the Silver Legacy Hotel is convenient and free in their 11-story self-parking garage; complimentary valet service is also available. In addition, Silver Legacy's valet can accommodate oversized vehicles such as RV’s and boats at an off property location.

    You can park at the UNR campus on the top level of the Brian J Whalen Garage (building #083 on this map) for $5 for all day. Other visitor Parking at the University of Nevada, is available for 2 hours at a time at paid metered parking on campus ($1.50 per hour). You can park at any meter on campus for free on Saturday and Sunday. Please plan to use our conference shuttle service, or the city's free Sierra Spirit shuttle.

    City Shuttle - Sierra Spirit:
    Sierra Spirit Route Map
    This is a free public bus that you can ride, every 10 minutes, between the University and downtown (where the Silver Legacy Hotel is) between 7:00am and 7:00pm every day.

    Conference Shuttle:
    The conference hotel and conference venue are about 2 miles apart, therefore we are offering a free shuttle between the hotel and the University before and after conference & 2-day workshop events. (Schedule to be posted later.)

    Reno City Buses:
    City bus information is available on the RTC website.

    Car Rental:
    You can rent with Hertz at the Silver Legacy. All other car rentals can be obtained at the airport.

    Traveling to San Francisco:
    A number of people have already told me that they are planning to go to San Francisco after the conference. San Francisco is a terrific city and I highly recommend it. You can take the Amtrak train, or I would recommend taking Southwest Airlines into Oakland, or another airline into the San Francisco Airport. From the Oakland Airport you can get a shuttle to the BART (San Francisco's public transportation train system). If you fly into the San Francisco Airport, you can directly access the BART, but it's just a few minutes farther away than Oakland. You can drive to San Francisco, but be prepared to pay $20-$30 per day for parking. When I go there, I try to stay in the "Union Square" area. It's a nice area and fairly central, although there are other great areas to stay in. Try http://www.hotels.com or Kayak for hotels and neighborhoods.

    (If you live in the area, or have visited recently and have other suggestions, please click "Add new comment" at the bottom of this page, and I'll incorporate your info here.)

    Pre-Conference Workshops (June 19 & 20, 2010)

    These 2-day workshops will be held the 2-days immediately preceding the ACBS World Conference VIII, at the same venue. (The Meditation workshop is the exception to this.) They will be 9:00-5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 & 20, 2010.

    *These workshops run concurrently, therefore you may only attend one of the workshops below, and they require their own registration and fee (they are not a part of the ACBS World Conference).

    Pre-Conference 2-day Workshops Early Registration (June 19-20, 2010):
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the hotel.

    FAP Workshop (June 19-20, 2010)
    Students: $170
    Professionals: $300

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the hotel.

    Mindfulness & Meditation ACT Workshop (on Lake Tahoe, evening June 18- June 20, 2010)
    Students: $175
    Professionals: $340

      Above prices include shared dorm sleeping, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.

  • *Online registration will be available in early February, 2010.
  • *Early Registration ends May 1, 2010. (Prices will increase after this date.)

    • ACT with Children & Families - Coyne

    ACT with Children & Families

    Workshop Leader: Lisa W. Coyne, Ph.D., Suffolk University

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    Acceptance and mindfulness-based treatment approaches have been developed, applied, evaluated, and disseminated across many types of clinical issue, population, and setting. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an exemplar of this type of approach, and emphasizes full, non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of ones’ psychological experiences in the context of commited, valued action. Although there are many opportunities for ACT training with adult populations, there are relatively few in which to learn how to apply this approach with children, adolescents, and their families. Yet training opportunities are needed, given the rich developing literature on both basic developmental processes that may be targeted by ACT, as well as emergent adaptations of ACT for youths. Thus, this workshop aims to explore the ways that ACT can be used to address problems of youth and parenting. A basic overview of literature to date regarding children, adolescents, and parents will be presented. Functional assessment strategies, case conceptualization and treatment planning from an ACT perspective will be reviewed. More specifically, the presenters will discuss how treatment goals and the six core components of ACT work can be tailored to youth and parents. Clinical examples will be used to illustrate therapeutic techniques. The workshop will be a mix of didactics and experiential work. Participants will be encouraged to discuss cases as well as treatment ideas, role-play, and participate in a number of exercises.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. To learn how conceptualize child cases from an ACT perspective
    2. To learn about the current assessment of ACT relevant processes in youth.
    3. To address each of the six core components in work with children and families.

    Target Audience: Introductory through Advanced.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    ACT: Advanced Training in Core Skills and Flexible Use of the Model - Walser

    ACT: Advanced Training in Core Skills and Flexible Use of the Model

    Workshop Leader: Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., TL Consultation Services

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    In this advanced workshop we will broadly explore the core components of ACT with a specific focus on present moment processes and the therapeutic relationship. We will also focus on the therapy processes that trigger each of the six components. We will address how therapists can flexibly adopt the six ACT processes including work that is linked to personal psychological experience in session. Our focus will include a description of how the most basic part of the ACT therapeutic stance naturally flows from a therapist’s application of the ACT model of language and human functioning to their own professional and personal life as well as that of their clients. Special topics of focus will include compassion and forgiveness. Participants will engage in a number of ACT based activities, including mindfulness, experiential exercises and group activities. Additionally, role-plays with feedback and from therapist and client will be presented. The workshop will provide therapists with group and personal experiences that will allow further development of their ACT skills. We will have a little fun too!

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Describe the core components and the processes that trigger these components.
    2. Describe the six core processes and how they lay the groundwork for the therapeutic relationship from an ACT perspective.
    3. Describe how six core processes apply to personal psychological experience in the session.

    Target Audience: Intermediate through Advanced.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    An Experiential Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (not just for beginners) - Kelly Wilson

    An Experiential Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (not just for beginners)

    Workshop Leader: Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Mississippi, Onelife LLC

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    In this workshop we will explore a question that is at the heart of ACT. The question is embodied in the six ACT processes described in the Hexaflex.

    In this very moment, (present moment)
    Will you (self-as-context)
    Accept the sweet and the sad, (acceptance)
    Holding lightly stories about what is possible, (defusion)
    Be the author of a valued pattern of living, (values)
    And turn gently, in kindness, toward your own life? (commitment)

    As a treatment, ACT is based on a model that does not draw hard lines between sick and well, between client suffering and therapist suffering. We are not a different species than our clients. This is not to say that some lives, some struggles, are not harder than others. They certainly are. However, you can look deeply at your own lived suffering and struggles and find kinship with your most distraught client.

    There is a source of suffering that is shared by language-able humans. The source of that suffering can be found in language itself and the way language works. This is not the only source of suffering, of course, but evidence is mounting that language processes are capable of compounding suffering. Humans seem to be the only creatures on the planet that don’t just suffer but also suffer that they suffer. Humans suffer that they have suffered in the past, and they suffer that they might suffer later.

    How do we “save” ourselves from this abundance of suffering? We apply problem-solving mode of mind. This mode of mind has been marvelously fruitful in helping us to produce food, shelter ourselves from the elements, and avoid predators. Problem-solving mode of mind allows us to categorize, evaluate, and tell stories about anything and everything—including anything that exists, that did exist once, that might exist, and even things that could not possibly exit.

    Many of our stories are quite useful. Consider stories about how to preserve food for the winter or stories about the value of vaccinations in disease prevention. Some are benign. I have been reading science fiction for decades. But some stories we tell about ourselves about the world around us narrow the place we get to inhabit. Some stories describe limitations and necessities that squeeze us into tiny little life spaces. And once our stories effectively downsize our world, we try to make the best of those cramped quarters.

    Have you ever looked deeply into your client’s eyes and seen someone who once dreamed that there would be more to life? Seen someone who just stopped dreaming because the world is just not that kind of place? Seen someone who stopped dreaming because they knew that they did not deserve more?

    The people we call clients represent a subset of a greater human condition. Many, many of us live much, much smaller lives than we need to. ACT is based on a basic science that suggests that we can loosen the grip that these stories have us and, in doing so, make possible richer and more varied lives.

    Join me for a couple of days and learn about ACT from the inside out. We will take an experiential walk around the hexaflex. We will learn ways to bring ourselves into the present moment. We will learn ways to accept the sweet and the sad. We will learn ways to let go of limiting stories about ourselves and about the world around us. We will learn to intentionally author a valued direction. And, finally, we will practice the lovely human art of returning in kindness to our own lives.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Attendees will be able to identify the six dimensions of the ACT model of psychological flexibility.
    2. Attendees will be able to describe two major obstacles to valued living from an ACT perspective.
    3. Attendees will be able to describe an ACT approach to negative cognition about self.

    Target Audience: Beginner through Advanced.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    Disarming Anxious Suffering Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A 2-Day Professional Workshop - John Forsyth

    Disarming Anxious Suffering Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A 2-Day Professional Workshop

    Workshop Leader: John Forsyth, Ph.D., University at Albany, SUNY

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    ACT is a newer third-generation evidence-based behavior therapy that balances mindfulness and acceptance processes with commitment and behavior change processes to (a) undermine unhelpful thoughts and emotional avoidance, while (b) promoting greater experiential and psychological flexibility in the service of valued ends. In short, ACT teaches clients how to be with their hurts and do what works – to live well, richly, and meaningfully, without first having to defeat sources of emotional and psychological pain.

    ACT is a broadly applicable process-guided approach to human suffering and its alleviation, not simply a set of intervention technologies for specific psychological disorders. Thus, this two-day workshop will introduce ACT, both as a model and intervention technology, and illustrate its practical application with an eye on processes that feed and maintain anxious suffering.

    Our two days together will be filled with didactic teachings, live and video demonstrations, and practical experiential exercises that will be done individually, in dyads, and small groups. The exercises will highlight the integration of mindfulness and acceptance strategies (along with kindness and compassion exercises) to disarm forms of anxious suffering and also focus on strategies to promote greater clarity of values and action in the service of living well. Participants will be encouraged (but never forced or coerced) to engage the material at a personal level, as it applies to their own lives, and then also in the context of their clinical work. All I ask is that participants are willing to get inside the ACT model and approach, if only for just 2-days. Clinical worksheets and other practical tools will be provided.

    Workshop Overview & Program: This 2-day introductory workshop will explore the use of ACT with clients suffering from anxiety and related disorders. A general familiarity with ACT will be helpful, but is not required. The only requirement is that participants come with an openness to learn.

    Day 1 – June 19, 2010 (approximate schedule)
    9am – 12pm: Session One

    • ACT#1: The ACT model of human suffering and its successful alleviation: Overview, processes, and outcomes

      • When and how psychological and emotional pain turns into human suffering

    12pm – 1pm: Lunch

    Dr. Forsyth will provide a luncheon presentation of his research, and that of others, using ACT for anxiety-related disorders.

    1pm – 2:30pm: Session Two

    • ACT #2: Creative hopelessness: Making room for new possibilities

      Strategies to weaken the struggle and control agenda as a way out of anxiety and fear.

    2:45pm – 4:30pm: Session Three

    • ACT #3: Values clarification: A context for the work & what are we working toward

      Identifying values and barriers that get in the way of vital action.

    Day 2 – June 20, 2010
    9am – 12pm: Session Four

    • ACT #4: Disarming an unhelpful mind: Acceptance, mindfulness & defusion.

      Cultivating space, self-kindness & compassion, and a new relationship with anxiety

    12pm – 1pm: Lunch
    1pm – 4:30pm: Session Five

    • ACT #5: Framing exposure-based strategies: Nurturing willingness and valued action

      Getting with anxious discomfort in the service of a more vital life.

    Learning Objectives:
    Over the 2-days, several core ACT themes will be cultivated and participants will have an opportunity to learn how to:

    1. Develop an understanding of the ACT model of human suffering and its alleviation, with emphasis on the conceptualization of anxiety and related clinical concerns within an ACT framework;
    2. identify and weaken excessive struggle and avoidance (i.e., experiential avoidance) while promoting more defused and mindful actions in the service of valued living;
    3. integrate experiential exercises, metaphors, and mindfulness (defusion) techniques seamlessly into their clinical work;
    4. develop and apply new metaphors and mindfulness exercises to foster compassion, kindness, and greater experiential and psychological flexibility;
    5. help clients balance acceptance and change while moving in the direction of their chosen values and life goals;
    use exposure-like exercises in an ACT consistent fashion; and
    6. to apply ACT flexibly and appropriately while also gaining insight into the ACT therapeutic stance and how not to do ACT.

    Target Audience: Introductory through Intermediate.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): New Frontiers in Awareness, Courage, Love, and Behaviorism - Tsai & Kohlenberg


    Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): New Frontiers in Awareness, Courage, Love, and Behaviorism

    Workshop Leaders: Mavis Tsai, Ph.D., Independent Practice and University of Washington, & Robert Kohlenberg, Ph.D., ABBP, University of Washington

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a "here and now" therapy that focuses on the subtle ways clients' daily life problems occur in the therapy session. Based on behavioral functional analysis and a contextual world view, FAP implements awareness, courage, and love in the therapist-client relationship to create deep, meaningful and healing interactions. This approach can be applied to a wide range of clinical problems, including: depression, anxiety, intimacy difficulties, personality disorders, problems of the self, substance abuse, and OCD.

    All FAP interventions are informed by clearly stated behavioral principles. FAP embraces a wide range of therapeutic stances and techniques, and is intended to help answer the perennial and elusive key question: "What is the theoretically sound basis for selecting the technique that is most appropriate for a particular client at a certain time?"

    Considered one of the new generation innovative Cognitive Behavior Therapies identified as "Third Wave", FAP is integrative, and provides a conceptual and practical framework that will help super-charge your next therapy session. The workshop will include videotaped therapy sessions, experiential exercises, demonstrations and handouts that can be used with clients.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Learn five strategies to increase connection and intensity in your therapeutic interventions and to facilitate client change.
    2. Learn how commonly used interventions can be inadvertently counter-therapeutic.
    3. Learn how to best use yourself as an instrument of change.

    Target Audience: Beginner & Intermediate.

    Early Registration Rates for FAP Workshop:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $170
    Professionals: $300

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    Introduction to Relational Frame Theory (RFT) for Clinicians - Törneke & Blackledge

    Introduction to Relational Frame Theory (RFT) for Clinicians

    Workshop Leader: Niklas Törneke, M.D., Private Practice, & John T. Blackledge, Ph.D., Morehead State University

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    Relational frame theory (RFT) is the theoretical base for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Even if you can do ACT well without an understanding of this background we believe understanding RFT can enrich clinicians and help them improve their work. This understanding is also essential to take part in further development of clinical strategies and techniques.

    This workshop will describe all basic concepts in RFT. Some basic experimental work will be used to illustrate central issues in the theory but the focus will not be experimental but conceptual. The workshop will also describe how RFT is related to basic behavioral principles and how clinical problems and interventions can be understood from the perspective of RFT.

    Some experiential exercises will be included for illustration of central concepts, but the workshop is mainly didactic.

    Day 1- Functional Contextualism: What is it, and how does it inform an understanding of RFT and ACT?

    • A Crash Course in Basic Behavioral Principles: Operant conditioning, classical conditioning, & generalization. How do these principles work and how are they relevant to psychotherapy?
    • Why Do We Need RFT Anyway? RFT vs. Cognitive Theory and a Skinnerian account of verbal behavior.
    • Transforming Stimulus Functions: The continuity between basic behavioral principles and RFT.
    • RFT: Terms & Processes.
    • RFT’s Experimental Basis.
    • The Benefits & Banes of Derived Relational Responding: What does DRR allow us to do that nonverbal organisms can’t?

    Day 2- What does RFT have to do with ACT?

    • RFT and rule-governed behavior: Toward psychological inflexibility
    • RFT and the enhancement of human suffering
    • RFT and experiential avoidance
    • RFT and self as context, self as content, & self as process
    • RFT and metaphor
    • RFT and cognitive defusion
    • RFT and valued living

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Participants will learn how RFT is related to basic behavioral principles.
    2. Participants will learn the basic concepts of RFT and how they are related to each other.
    3. Participants will learn how RFT informs clinical practice.

    Target Audience: Intermediate clinicians.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    Introductory ACT Workshop- Hayes

    Introductory ACT Workshop

    Workshop Leader: Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada

    Dates & Location: June 19 & 20, 2010, 9:00am - 5:00pm at the University of Nevada, Reno.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 14

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    Acceptance and mindfulness is having a profound impact on clinical practice. Both empirically supported and focused on deep clinical issues, acceptance and mindfulness approaches have been shown to help clients cope with a wide variety of clinical problems, including depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, and even psychotic symptoms, with benefits as important for the clinician as they are for clients. ACT has been a leading force in this transition. ACT is based on the idea that psychological suffering is usually caused by experiential avoidance, cognitive entanglement, and the resulting failure to take needed behavioral steps in accord with core values.

    This two-day workshop will discuss and demonstrate ACT processes and techniques. You will be taught how to recognize ACT targets in your clients and in yourself, and how to generate methods of intervention that embody those principles and to integrate these with other methods you may prefer. Participants will be shown how embodying, targeting, and using these processes provides a working model of a powerful therapeutic relationship. The workshop will at times be experiential, not merely didactic. The intention of the workshop is to provide clinicians with an introduction to ACT, a beginning set of skills, and with personal experiences that will direct further development of these skills.

    Learning Objectives:

    Attendees will learn:
    1. Why ACT processes underlie most forms of psychopathology
    2. How to formulate cases in terms of ACT processes
    3. The major steps in ACT
    4. How to recognize ACT processes in flight
    5. The relevance of ACT processes to the practitioner

    Target Audience: Beginner/ Intermediate.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $145
    Professionals: $280

      Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

    Mindfulness & Meditation ACT Workshop Retreat - Dahl, Fletcher, & Livheim


    Mindfulness & Meditation ACT Workshop Retreat

    Workshop Leader: JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D., University of Uppsala, Lindsay Fletcher, M.A., University of Nevada, Fredrik Livheim, Ph.D., Karolinska Institutet

    Dates & Location: June 18, 5:00pm - June 20, 2010, 4:00pm at Camp Galilee in Glenbrook, Nevada, on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

    *** Please note (above) that this workshop begins on the evening of June 18th.

    Continuing Education Credits Available: 12

    Register Now!

    Workshop Description:
    Meditation practice provides the context for deepening all of the core processes of ACT. Learning how to strengthen your own experience of these processes will help you in your personal life and will help you help your client. Learning how to focus in the present moment, take the perspective of the observer self, defuse from thoughts, impulses and feelings, accept experiences, and identify and persist in valued directions, are all practiced in meditation training. The aim of this meditation ACT retreat is to help you to deepen your own experience in these core processes by means of your own meditation practice and learn how meditation practice translates to being present in your relationships. More specifically, participants will learn to: focus attention in the present moment using breathing techniques, defusion from impulses by means of sitting still and observing and sitting still, training in self-as-context by means of body scan technique, and training in acceptance of experiences as thoughts, feelings and or physical sensations. Meditation practice will be combined with and tailored to each of the ACT core processes throughout the retreat. These meditation exercises will be interspersed with ACT exercises focused on building mindfulness skills in relationships.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Learn now to strengthen your own experience of the ACT core processes through meditation practice.
    2. Learn how to focus your attention, act rather than react, and see impulses for what they are.
    3. Train self as context with a body scan technique.

    Target Audience: Intermediate & Advanced.

    Early Registration Rates:
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops

    Students: $175
    Professionals: $340

      Above prices include shared dorm sleeping, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.

    Special notes to attendees of this workshop:
    This workshop retreat will take place at beautiful Camp Galilee, on the shores of Lake Tahoe. This is a camp, which means, that you are provided with dorm style sleeping, in single person beds. There will be a men's dorm, and a women's dorm.

    Meals are served at 8:00am, noon, and 6:00pm.

    What you should plan to bring...

    1. Wear comfortable, soft training clothes. I recommend bringing at least one pair of long pants, and one sweatshirt (it can get cool in the evening, and along the water).
    2. Bring a meditation pillow.
    3. You will need to bring your own sheets/blanket, towel, pillow, toiletries (toilet paper will be provided). (Remember, a pillowcase and your towel can make a great pillow.)
    4. You are welcome to bring snacks/ drinks with you to eat during breaks or to supplement your meals. You will be provided with meals, but the meals served are typically intended for younger campers, and depending on your appetite, you may want a little more. (There is not a store within walking distance.)
    5. Sunscreen. Tahoe, and Reno for that matter, are at a high elevation with a dry climate, which means that you will get a sunburn far faster than other parts of the world.
    6. Optional: Shower shoes (flip-flops), ear plugs, travel alarm, small flashlight, sunglasses.

    Getting there...

    I highly recommend car pooling or taking the airport shuttle from Reno. (Parking is limited.) Find others to car pool with using the Room Share/ Ride Share page. With just one other person sharing a rental car, it should be less expensive than taking the airport shuttle, so I highly recommend it. If you take the airport shuttle, you'll need to get off the shuttle at a hotel in Stateline, NV, then get a taxi to Camp Galilee (map).

    Travel time from Reno to Camp Galilee by car: please allow 1 hour
    Travel time from Reno to Camp Galilee if traveling by shuttle: please allow 2 hours

    You are allowed to begin arriving at Camp Galilee on Friday, June 18, as early as 4:00pm. We will begin handing out badges/ materials at 5:00/ 5:30pm. Dinner will begin at 6:00pm, with your first workshop session to follow.

    Our group must depart Camp Galilee by 4:00pm on Sunday, June 20 (as they will be expecting another group). Remember this is not a hotel, we need to leave Camp Galilee in the same beautiful (and clean) condition it was in when you arrived.

    Directions... (map)

    From Reno: Take US Highway 395 South through Carson City. South of Carson City turn RIGHT on US Highway 50 West to Lake Tahoe. Pass over Spooner Summit and continue on US 50 toward South Lake Tahoe. As the road approaches the edge of Lake Tahoe and you pass Glenbrook on the right, watch for the Fire Station and Post Office on the Left. Look for green sign saying Galilee with an arrow pointing the way.

    From North Lake Tahoe: Take State Route 28 around the east shore of Lake Tahoe. At the intersection with US Highway 50 turn right toward South Lake Tahoe and follow the directions above into Glenbrook

    From South Lake Tahoe: Take US highway 50 East toward Carson City. After passing through the tunnel at Cave Rock begin looking for the green sign saying Galilee with an arrow pointing the way.

    Physical Address: 1776 Highway 50, Glenbrook, Nevada 89413

    Registration & Fees

    REGISTER NOW! (Online)

    Alternative Registration Form (Print & Fax/Mail )

    Early Registration Rates:

    World Conference

    World Conference VIII (June 21-24, 2010):
    Students: $195
    Professionals: $395

      Above prices include 4 lunches, 1 dinner, coffee/tea on site, 1 opening cocktail reception (June 20), as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel and conference venue.
    Pre-Conference Workshops

      2 Day Workshops (June 19-20, 2010)
      Students: $145
      Professionals: $280

        Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

      FAP Workshop (June 19-20, 2010)
      Students: $170
      Professionals: $300

        Above prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.

      Mindfulness & Meditation ACT Workshop Retreat (Lake Tahoe, evening June 18- June 20, 2010)
      Students: $175
      Professionals: $340

        Above prices for the Meditation Retreat include shared dorm sleeping, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.

    • Early Registration ends May 1, 2010. (Prices will increase by $25 after this date.)
        • Regular and Onsite Registration:

        • Online registration will end June 17, 2010.
        • Regular registration will be $25 more than early registration.
        • Onsite registration fees will be the regular registration fees plus $50.

          Note: Onsite registration is not available for the pre-conference workshops.

        Refunds:
        A $25 processing fee will be charged for World Conference & Pre-conference registration refunds up to June 1, 2010. We regret that after June 1, 2010, refunds can not be made.

        Enrollment limitations:
        Enrollment may be limited due to the limitation of our venue to accommodate additional sessions and attendees.

        Paper Registration Form - WC8


        If you have trouble with our online form, feel free to use this paper version for Early Registration. You may email, mail, or fax it to us.
        Early Registration: World Conference 8 - Reno, Nevada, June 2010

        Name:______________________________________________________________________________
        Institutional Affiliation: (university/ private practice/ etc.) ______________________________________
        Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________________________
        City:________________________________________ State:_________________ Zip:_______________
        Daytime Phone:_________________________________ Fax:__________________________________
        Email address (required):________________________________________________________________

        First Name (as you’d like it to appear on your name badge): ___________________________________
        First & Last Name (as you’d like it to appear on your name badge): ______________________________
        Affiliation (as you’d like it to appear on your name badge): ____________________________________
        City, State, Country (as you’d like it to appear on your name badge): ____________________________

        Meal Preference: _____ non-vegetarian _____ vegetarian

        Type of Certificate/ CE credits needed (please choose one):

        ____ no certificate needed
        ____ general certificate of attendance
        ____ general certificate of attendance with number of hours attended (must sign in onsite to receive this)
        ____ CE credits for Psychologists (APA type)
        ____ California LCSW or MFT CEs
        ____ NBCC for counselors (pending approval)
        ____ NASW credits (pending approval)

        License Number (if you need it to appear on your certificate): ______________________

        For the World Conference VIII (June 21-24, with poster session June 20, evening)
        Note: Fees include 4 lunches, 1 dinner, coffee/tea on site, 1 opening cocktail reception (June 20), as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel and conference venue.

        _____Professionals: $395
        _____Students: $195

        For the 2-day Workshops (June 19-20) (these workshops run concurrently, you may choose to attend only one)
        Note: Fees include 2 lunches, coffee/tea on site, as well as transportation to/from the conference hotel.
        Note: Fees for the MEDITATION RETREAT (June 18-20) include shared dorm sleeping, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.

        Please mark the 2-day workshop you wish to attend:

        ______ John Forsyth
        ______ Steven Hayes
        ______ Lisa Coyne
        ______ Kelly Wilson
        ______ Niklas Torneke & J. T. Blackledge
        ______ Robyn Walser

        _____Professionals/Affiliates: $280 (for above workshops)
        _____Students: $145 (for above workshops)

        ______ Mavis Tsai & Bob Kohlenberg (FAP workshop)

        _____Professionals/Affiliates: $300 (for FAP workshop)
        _____Students: $170 (for FAP workshop)

        ______ JoAnne Dahl, Lindsay Fletcher, & Fredrik Livheim (Meditation Retreat Workshop)

        _____Professionals/Affiliates: $340 (for Meditation Retreat Workshop)
        _____Students: $175 (for Meditation Retreat Workshop)

        __________ Total Cost

        You may pay via Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal, or by a check in US Dollars.

        I am paying by : ______________________

        PayPal:
        Go to http://www.paypal.com/sendmoney
        Our account is under the email address: acbs@contextualpsychology.org

        Credit Card:
        If paying by credit card, you may fax your registration to: 1 (225) 302-8688

        __Visa __MasterCard __American Express

        No.__________________________________ Expiry Date_________ Sec. code _______
        Signature:___________________________________

        Checks:
        Please make checks, in US Dollars, payable to ACBS.
        _______________________________________________

        Mail*, fax*, or email this completed form and payment to:
        ACBS
        42398 Haltom Rd.
        Hammond, LA 70403
        USA

        1 (225) 302-8688 (fax)
        acbs@contextualpsychology.org
        _______________________________________________

        *This form and payment must reach ACBS in Hammond, Louisiana, by May 1, 2010, to take advantage of the Early Registration Rate. If you need to register after May 1, 2010, please contact ACBS at acbs@contextualpsychology.org for a registration form with updated pricing.

        Note: Registrations are processed in the order that they are received AND paid for. If a workshop is full before your registration reaches us, you will be contacted to make alternative arrangements. If you send a registration without payment, it does not secure your place, only a registration with payment can do that.

        Note: Onsite registration is not available for 2-day Pre-Conference workshops.

        Note: Some CEs require post-conference paperwork completion, as well as onsite sign in, for the credits to be awarded.
        - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
        Note: A $25 processing fee will be charged for registration refunds up to June 1, 2010. We regret that after June 1, 2010, refunds can not be made.

        Enrollment may be limited due to the limitation of our venue to accommodate additional sessions and attendees.

    Reno Conference Maps

    University of Nevada Campus Map
    We'll be in the Joe Crowley Student Union (building number 087, near the very center of campus).

    Sierra Spirit Route Map
    This is a free public bus that you can ride, every 10 minutes, between the University and downtown between 7:00am and 7:00pm every day.


    View World Conference VIII in a larger map

    Room Share/ Ride Share

    Please use this page to find hotel roommates, rides to the World Conference, and/or rental car sharing.

    To post your need, click "add new comment" (which appears in blue below). It is recommended that you list your email address so that you may be contacted directly, but that is up to you.

    To respond to a posting, click "reply" at the bottom of a post, and your reply will appear on this page (you may want to give your email address so that you may be contacted directly).

    When your need has been met, please go back to your comment (be sure you are logged in) and click "edit", and delete the content of your post. Otherwise people will just keep contacting you....

    Click "Contact Us" above in the header of the site for feedback or assistance. You only need a login to interact with this page, paid membership is not required to participate.)

    Schedule of Events

    General Schedule of Events:

    • June 19 & 20: Pre-conference, 2-day, Experiential Workshops
    • June 20, evening: Poster Session, Early Registration, & Social event at the Silver Legacy Hotel
    • June 21- 24: World Conference VIII (June 24th will be a half day or a full day of events, but that is still to be determined.)
    • June 21 evening: BBQ & Evening Social Event
    • June 23, evening: Follies

    Program & Schedule
    After the call for submissions is complete, and the program is finished, the detailed program will be loaded to this website.

    WC8 Conference Committee

    Thank you to our generous volunteer Conference Committee!

    Conference Chair:
    Jason Luoma, Ph.D.

    Program Committee:
    Linda Bilich, University of Wollongong, Australia
    Frank Bond, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
    Jennifer L. Boulanger, University of Nevada, Reno
    Martin Brock, Nottingham Psychotherapy Unit, UK
    Lisa Coyne, Suffolk University, Boston, MA
    Brandon Gaudiano, Brown University, Providence, RI
    Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Luoma, Portland Psychotherapy Clinc, Research, & Training Center, PC, Portland, OR
    Louise McHugh, University of Wales, Swansea, UK
    Giovanni Miselli, ASCCO-Parma; IULM University-Milan; AUSL-Reggio Emilia, Italy

    On Site Event Planners:
    Jennifer Boulanger, University of Nevada, Reno
    Lindsay Fletcher, University of Nevada, Reno
    Mikaela Hildebrandt, University of Nevada, Reno
    Tami Jaffcoat, University of Nevada, Reno
    Mike Levin, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jennifer Plumb, University of Nevada, Reno
    Emily Rodrigues, ACBS
    Merry Sylvester, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jamie Yadavaia, University of Nevada, Reno

    ACBS World Conference III

    Online Registration is Now Closed.

    Registration includes access to: symposia; paper presentations; invited talks; plenary sessions; more than 40, 1-6 hour workshops; transportation to/from your hotel (where available, when we're notified by our deadline); 3 lunch buffets; 2 complete dinners; poster session; and our famous follies night.

    View the Program Content
    Hotel Information

    This three-day conference (with two days of pre-conference intensive workshops) will provide a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge advances in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT), in addition to other third generation approaches in the behavioral and cognitive therapies. There will be a comprehensive scientific program in these areas of contextual behavioral science, examining philosophical, theoretical, basic and applied issues. Students, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers will benefit from this conference and find it an excellent opportunity to learn from the very top people involved in the development and advancement of ACT, RFT, and contextual behavioral approaches.

    The conference will have 12 tracks simultaneously for all three days. There will be invited addresses from internationally known clinical and research leaders. Many of the leaders of the ACT / RFT community will also be giving invited addresses. There will be more than 100 symposia, panels, case conferences, and discussions on topics as wide ranging as ACT / RFT work itself.

    In addition to a full, multi-track scientific and clinical program, a wide variety of half-day (and a few full-day) workshops will be presented at the conference (July 1-3) by leading researchers and practitioners. These workshops are FREE with conference registration, no additional sign up required. These workshops will be designed to help develop the practice and skills of novice, intermediate, and advanced clinical practitioners, educators, prevention specialists, and even basic scientists. Most of the workshops will focus on ACT, but a wide range of topics will be addressed.

    Location:
    University of Twente
    Enschede, The Netherlands (pronounced "EN-sha-day" or "EN-skhey-day") The conference, pre-conference workshops, as well as the social events will take place at the campus of the University. Enschede can be reached by a direct, two-hour train trip from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Most of the designated hotels are within walking distance of the campus (designated hotels farther away will provide shuttle service).

    Dates:
    Kick off Poster Session, evening June 30
    Conference, July 1 - July 3, 2009
    (pre-conference workshops June 29 & 30)

    For questions (in Dutch):
    Als u vragen heeft, gesteld in het Nederlands, kunt u deze verzenden naar:
    bureau.bij-ennascholing@ggnet.nl. U krijgt dan zo spoedig mogelijk bericht.

    2-Day Pre-Conference Workshops

    All of the Pre-Conference Workshops have filled. Please check our Training Events Calendar for other training opportunities in your area. Or come to the World Conference, where you can learn from all of these trainers, and more.

    These 2-day workshops will be held the 2-days immediately preceding the ACBS World Conference III, at the same venue. They will be roughly 9:00-5:00/5:15pm on Monday and Tuesday, June 29 & 30, 2009.

    *These workshops run concurrently, therefore you may only attend one of the workshops below, and they require their own registration (they are not a part of the ACBS World Conference).

    Pre-Conference 2-day Workshop Early Registration (June 29 & 30):
    Note: Onsite registration is not available for the 2-day workshops

    €275: Professional/ Affiliate
    €165: Student

    Prices include 2 lunches, coffee/tea.

    WORKSHOP FULL: ACT with Youth and Parents - Amy Murrell & Rikard Wicksell

    ACT with Youth and Parents

    Workshop Leader: Amy Murrell, Ph.D., University of North Texas, USA, & Rikard Wicksell, Ph.D., Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden

    Dates & Location: June 29 & 30, 2009, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands).

    Workshop Description:
    Emphasis on acceptance and mindfulness in treatment has grown dramatically in recent years. Along with empirical investigation of these and related processes, corresponding clinical knowledge has been increasingly disseminated. Research on and clinical utility of ACT exemplifies this growing interest. ACT supervision is becoming more and more available; and, presentations, workshops and other trainings are frequently conducted - in multiple settings, in a number of countries. The proportion of such trainings that address child, adolescent or parenting issues, however, is quite small. While some work on the use of ACT with youth and parents has been conducted, the fraction of existing work and training is miniscule compared to the likely need. Foremost, many people consider the time span of childhood and adolescence to define a culture which is entirely separate and different from that of adulthood. Therefore, cultural sensitivity and relevant adaptations cannot be ignored. Additionally, there is evidence that many of the problems experienced by youth and their parents are resistant to change (especially long-term) via traditional cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches. There is some literature that suggests this could be related to cognitive fusion and/or experiential avoidance, and that ACT might address these problems in a novel way.

    Thus, this workshop will explore the ways that ACT can be used to address problems of youth and parenting. Functional and other assessment, case conceptualization and treatment planning from an ACT perspective will be reviewed. More specifically, the presenters will discuss how treatment goals and the six core components of ACT work can be tailored to youth and parents. Clinical examples will be used to illustrate therapeutic techniques. The workshop will be a mix of didactics and experiential work. Participants will be encouraged to discuss cases as well as treatment ideas, role-play, and participate in a number of exercises.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Learn how to address each of the six core components in work with youth populations.
    2. Learn how parents, from an ACT perspective, are relevant to treatment of youth.
    3. Learn about the current assessment of ACT relevant processes in youth.

    Target Audience: Beginner through Advanced.

    WORKSHOP FULL: Applying ACT to Complex Chronic "Dug in" Problems - JoAnne Dahl

    JoAnne DahlJoAnne DahlApplying ACT to Complex Chronic Dug in Problems emphasizing the use of experiential dramatization of Core Processes

    Workshop Leader: JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D., University of Uppsala, Sweden

    Dates & Location: June 29 & 30, 2009, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands).

    Workshop Description:
    In the ACT perspective, it is through experimenting with different behaviors and mindfully experiencing what life serves up that we can free ourselves from ‘dug in’ patterns and move on. Freeing our energy from endless struggles with unsolvable problems, we can channel this same energy towards valued living. The pay off for taking even the tiniest step in valued directions is immediate, meaningful and heartfelt. The aim of this workshop is to let you experience a variety of innovative ways of applying the ACT core processes to help free the ‘dug-in’ client from her struggle and go on to live a valued life. What characterizes this ACT workshop is less talk and more own experiencing of ACT core processes. ACT and RFT conceptualization are done ‘on the floor’ in the form of a ‘Life-line’ which you will get the chance to do. The ‘Life-line’ is a behavioral analysis in a values context done on the floor illustrating functional classes of both experiential avoidance and attachment to content and feelings. The ‘Life-line’ provides a quick perspective taking of one’s learning history in the form of habitual behavior as well as the verbally constructed rules regarding these experiences. This aim of this exercise is to illustrate the discrepancy between the client’s valued direction in life and detours of experiential avoidance. This leads to ‘creative hopelessness’ and instigates motivation for taking steps in one’s valued directions.

    Based on the analysis, core processes of ACT: values, defusion, acceptance, mindfulness, self as context and commitment are all ‘ACTED’ out using physical dramatizations developed by the author. Participants will have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback. My hope is that every participant will leave this workshop filled with own experiences of ACT assessment and treatment for ‘dug-in’ problems both own as well as with for client work. Welcome!

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Learn how to make an assessment 'on the floor' using the Life-line for any presenting 'dug-in' problem.
    2. Learn how to physicalize, dramatize and experience all ACT core processes applied to 'dug-in' problems
    3. Increase your own psychological flexibility as a therapists when you both get 'stuck'.

    Target Audience: Intermediate through Advanced.

    WORKSHOP FULL: Introductory ACT Workshop (introductory/intermediate)- Steve Hayes

    Steve HayesSteve HayesIntroductory ACT Workshop

    Workshop Leader: Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada

    Dates & Location: June 29 & 30, 2009, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands).

    Workshop Description:
    Difficult clients tend to be both harder to treat successfully, and to be emotionally difficult for therapists, resulting in higher levels of stress and burn-out. These clients are generally more complex and chronic, and they often been through the therapy mill. Because of the growing popularity of empirically supported methods, difficult clients may have already had courses of more traditional empirical treatments (e.g., various forms of cognitive behavior therapy) and are unlikely to be moved by another attempt within the same model. Something else is needed that is empirically based, that provides relief for clinicians, and that allows for a new, more powerful approach to difficult cases. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is such an approach. The core conception of ACT is that psychological suffering is usually caused by experiential avoidance, cognitive entanglement, and the resulting failure to take needed behavioral steps in accord with core values. According to this view, trying to change difficult thoughts and feelings as a means of coping might can be counter productive, but new, powerful alternatives are available, including acceptance, mindfulness, cognitive defusion, values, and committed action.

    ACT teaches clients and therapists alike how to alter the way difficult private experiences function mentally rather than having to eliminate them from occurring at all. This empowering message has been shown empirically to help clients cope with a wide variety of clinical problems, including depression, anxiety, stress, substance abuse, and even psychotic symptoms. Research has shown that these methods are as beneficial for the clinician as they are for clients, quickly alleviating therapist burn-out.

    This two-day workshop will discuss and demonstrate ACT techniques, particularly acceptance, cognitive defusion, and behavioral commitment strategies. While the procedures are broadly useful, the workshop will focus in particular on issues of multi-problem patients. Data supportive of this approach will be discussed. The workshop will at times be experiential, not merely didactic. The intention of the workshop is to provide clinicians with a workable set of ACT skills, and with personal experiences that will allow further development of these skills based on their application with difficult clients.

    Learning Objectives:

    Attendees will learn:
    1. Why experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion underlie most forms of psychopathology
    2. How modern research in human language and cognition is revealing a key source of human suffering
    3. How to formulate cases in terms of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion
    4. The major steps in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    5. How to foster psychological acceptance
    6. How to quickly reduce the impact of negative thoughts
    7. How to mobilize and make use of the spiritual side of clients
    8. How to help clients get more into contact with their core values
    9. How to build larger patterns of committed action
    10. How to apply these same methods to the stressful impact of working with difficult clients

    Target Audience: Beginners and above.

    WORKSHOP FULL: Personal Willingness and Compassion: Advanced Workshop in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - Robyn Walser

    Robyn WalserRobyn WalserPersonal Willingness and Compassion: Advanced Workshop in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

    Workshop Leader: Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., TL Consultation Services

    Dates & Location: June 29 & 30, 2009, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands).

    Workshop Description:
    This workshop will focus more specifically on improving your personal skills in the delivery of ACT and will be largely experiential in nature. The ACT approach holds that clinicians must be willing to apply ACT in their own lives in order to deliver the therapy effectively – in this workshop we will be exploring barriers to this process while promoting personal acceptance and behavior change as it applies to the therapeutic relationship and personal values. We will focus on a variety of experiential exercises that will address subtle issues of control and will invite openness to experience. Opportunity to role-play difficult clients, address sticking points, and work on personal therapeutic challenges will be provided. Main areas of experiential focus will be on forgiveness, compassion, improving patience, and taking bold, ethical steps in life and the therapeutic relationship. The occasion for personal feedback on your ACT work will be available. In addition, we will engage in a number of mindfulness practices designed to promote personal skill in awareness. And finally, we will have a bit of fun too!

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Learn the how to apply the core competencies of the ACT therapeutic stance.
    2. Learn how to use ACT in working with difficult barriers, challenges and sticking points from both the client and therapist perspective.
    3. Develop personal skill in willingness and awareness.

    Target Audience: Advanced.

    WORKSHOP FULL: Tweedaagse Experientiele Introductie Workshop ACT (In het Nederlands- In Dutch!!!)- Ando Rokx & Lucas Goessens

    Tweedaagse Experientiele Introductie Workshop ACT (In het Nederlands - In Dutch)

    Workshop Leaders: Ando Rokx, MSc, and Lucas Goessens, MSc, GGNET

    Dates & Location: June 29 & 30, 2009, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands).

    Workshop Description:
    ACT is een relatief nieuwe vorm van psychotherapie, met een radicaal ander perspectief op menselijk lijden en psychopathologie. Het doel van ACT is vergroting van de psychologische flexibiliteit. In de cursus ‘Acceptance en Commitment Therapie’ ervaart u de werking en effecten van deze bijzondere therapievorm.

    U kunt ACT toepassen bij de behandeling van angst, depressie, werkgerelateerde problematiek, verslaving en chronische pijn. Met deze therapie stelt u niet iemands symptomen, klachten of cognities centraal, maar zijn eigen beleving, de acceptatie daarvan en commitment aan eigen waarden. ‘Acceptance en Commitment Therapie’ maakt deel uit van de derdegeneratie gedragstherapie. Vanuit een empirisch ondersteunde filosofie en theorie zijn elementen uit onder meer gedragstherapie, gestalt en mindfulness samengevoegd. De traditionele cognitieve gedragstherapie doet volgens ACT overmatige pogingen om invloed uit te oefenen op feitelijk onbeheersbare emotionele en cognitieve processen. De traditionele technieken als gedachten onderdrukken, positief denken, analyseren van gedachten en zoeken naar verklaringen en oorzaken, lijken logische manieren om psychische klachten te bestrijden. Volgens ACT leiden ze er mogelijk juist toe dat klachten allesbepalend worden en gedrag in het teken komt te staan van emotionele vermijding. ACT stelt dat de eigen beleving een reactie is op de werkelijkheid in plaats van een weergave van de werkelijkheid. Met ACT leert u de patiënt dit onderkennen en aanvaarden. Ook leert u hem zijn gedrag te laten leiden door gekoesterde waarden. Ondanks of soms juist dankzij de aversieve reacties en belevingen die daar onvermijdelijk mee gepaard gaan.

    Programma

    Cursusdag 1
    -theoretische en filosofische achtergronden
    -verschillende fasen, processen, methoden en toepassingsgebieden
    -overeenkomsten en verschillen met bestaande vormen van (gedrags)therapie
    -uitleg, illustratie en beleving van de kernprocessen
    -experiëntiële vermijding, cognitieve fusie, aanvaarding en mindfulness

    Cursusdag 2
    -formuleren van waarden
    -stimuleren van waardengericht gedrag
    -identificeren van emotionele en cognitieve belemmeringen
    -de consequenties van ACT voor de therapeutische relatie
    -verdieping naar specifieke toepassingsgebieden

    Werkwijze
    De cursus start met een presentatie van de theorie, filosofie en methodiek van ACT. Vervolgens worden de verschillende fasen en processen van ACT doorlopen, verduidelijkt met ervaringsgerichte oefeningen, en direct toegepast met casus-gerichte oefeningen. De opzet is zodanig dat u na deze workshop direct een begin kunt maken met het toepassen van ACT-interventies bij uw cliënten.

    Learning Objectives:

    Na afloop van deze cursus:
    -kent u de filosofie, theorie en praktische toepassing van Acceptance en Commitment Therapie
    -hebt u zelf ervaren wat het effect is van de verschillende processen, oefeningen en interventies
    -beschikt u over een nieuw perspectief op emotioneel lijden, psychopathologie en uw rol als hulpverlener
    -kent u de interventiemethoden die focussen op acceptatie van de eigen beleving van patiënt en zijn commitment aan eigen waarden
    -hebt u voldoende theoretisch inzicht en therapeutische vaardigheden om onderdelen van ACT toe te passen in uw dagelijkse praktijk

    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate.

    WORKSHOP FULL: Using the Hexaflex Functional Dimensional Experiential Interview - Kelly Wilson, Emily Sandoz, & Regan Slater

    Kelly WilsonKelly Wilson
    Using the Hexaflex Functional Dimensional Experiential Interview

    Workshop Leader: Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Mississippi, USA, Emily K. Sandoz, University of Mississippi, USA, & Regan Slater, University of Mississippi, USA (assisted by Nadia Lucas, Maureen Flynn, Stephanie Nassar, and Lindsay Martin)

    Dates & Location: June 29 & 30, 2009, 9:00am - 5:00/5:30pm at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands).

    Workshop Description:
    In the workshop, we will use the structure of the Hexaflex Functional Dimensional Experiential Interview (HFDEI; from Mindfulness for Two, Wilson & DuFrene, 2009). This interview provides strong linkage between treatment, assessment, and case conceptualization. The HFDEI is an unusual interview. First, it doesn’t bow to syndromal classification. The user of the interview need not discard syndromal classification, since many circumstances require them. Although the diagnoses in the HFDEI are not DSM syndromes, many of the signs and symptoms required for DSM diagnoses will be elicited in the context of this interview. Second, the interview is organized around a dimensional understanding of psychological difficulties. Third, and probably most unusual, the interview contains significant experiential components. The interview for the hexaflex is not a mere series of questions, rather it involves a set of questions embedded in a series of experiential exercises. The exercises and questions will provide you with directly observable samples of client behavior that will allow for rating those behavior samples in terms of the six facets of the hexaflex. The entire interview is embedded in a series of questions about valued domains of living.

    ACT is not a treatment aimed at the elimination of symptoms, rather it’s a treatment aimed at the enhancement and development of valued living. Because there’s an intimacy between values and vulnerabilities, an examination of values is a likely entry point to seeing the relationship between difficulties with behavior change processes on the one hand and mindfulness processes on the other. In addition, such an interview helps you and your client remain closely connected to the ACT model. Work with client struggles are always directed and dignified by valued living. Likewise progress in ACT is ultimately to be found in increases in valued living.

    The workshop will involve a series of exercises and intensive practice with the HFDEI. Practice with the interview will be interspersed with viewing video segments. Participants will practice looking at each of the six facets of the hexaflex and will practice at case conceptualization. As is usual for me, this workshop will be highly experiential. In the workshop, we will mix the experiential and conceptual. This mixing itself is practice for the mixing of conceptual and experiential in our treatment. The interview can provide a framework for assessment and also for treatment. In a short version, the interview allows for the assessment of all six core ACT processes. The interview, in an extended form can serve as a template for the provision of treatment.

    Prior to the workshop I will make workshop preparation materials available to attendees. For additional information, please contact me at kwilson@olemiss.edu.

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Learn to use assessment to directly generate treatment targets.
    2. Learn to conceptualize client difficulties in terms of core ACT processes.
    3. Learn to devise specific treatment strategies based on this conceptualization.

    Target Audience: Intermediate through Advanced.

    Call for POSTER Submissions - Closed


    ACBS WORLD CONFERENCE III- 2009

    Call for Submissions - Closed

    Go to Online Submission Form
    Poster Submission Deadline Extended to April 1, 2009

    I am happy to announce that planning for the ACBS World Conference III is underway. The Institute will be held at the Technical University of Twente on 1-3 July, 2009 in Enschede, The Netherlands.

    Pre-conference 2-day experiential workshops will be held on 29-30 June. The conference as well as the social events will take place at the campus of the University. Enschede can be reached by a direct, two-hour train trip from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Most of the designated hotels are within walking distance of the campus (designated hotels farther away will provide shuttle service).

    The structure of the program will be similar to previously successful ACBS World Conferences, and will be both ACT and RFT focused. We are hoping to give the conference a European flavor so we especially want to hear from European clinicians and/or researchers. Of course we also hope to welcome a lot of folks from outside Europe. We want to give research and RFT a prominent place and we are looking for innovations and new clinical, as well as non-clinical, applications.

    We will host an opening evening on Tuesday (30 June) with a poster session/ cocktail event which is intended to showcase clinical and experimental research in RFT and ACT—a great way to see what is happening around the world. There will be a big barbecue on Wednesday evening for all participants of the conference. On Thursday we’ll have our famous Follies night as well as a separate place with music and drinks if you prefer.

    At this time, we would like to put out a call for submissions to the ACBS World Conference III. We want to open the call broadly and encourage proposals for short workshops (3 hrs. or less), panel discussions, research symposia, research papers (looking for a symposium), consultation sessions, or other types of sessions you think would be an asset to this year’s program. Feel free to propose sessions you would like to see, along with those you would like to conduct.

    We are eager to hear your ideas and will continue to post information regarding the ACBS World Conference III.

    For further description of purpose, audience, and style of sessions please read below.

    Looking forward to seeing you all here!

    On behalf of the program committee

    Ando Rokx
    GGNET Apeldoorn
    The Netherlands
    ________________________________________________
    PURPOSES
    The primary purpose of the conference is to share knowledge, scientific work, ideas, and skills about ACT and RFT. All over the world people are producing an exciting array of work, varying from fundamental research on basic processes to clinical and nonclinical application of ACT and RFT. We want the conference to be a place where all of these folks can meet and exchange the richness of their scientific and applied work.

    A secondary purpose is to increase the skill of attendees in implementing research and application of ACT. This will be accomplished through a combination of targeted workshops, symposia, poster session, video demonstrations, live demonstrations, role playing, clinically focused case discussions, and experiential work.

    A final purpose of the World Conference is to help interested attendees better understand RFT, its significance in understanding human suffering and how RFT principles can be translated into clinical practice, and to help attendees learn and develop methods and strategies for conducting ACT process and outcome studies in applied and academic settings. This will be accomplished through “user friendly” workshops and small group discussions.

    AUDIENCE
    The target audience for this conference is any practitioner, researcher, or student interested in learning more about the clinical and non-clinical application of ACT/RFT or who is interested in building the scientific ACT/RFT base of knowledge.

    STYLE OF SESSIONS
    We want the conference to be very interactive, with participants getting chances to increase their knowledge, enhance their understanding and develop skills, with lots of time for questions, presentations on different levels, chances to do role plays, watch videos, get feedback on difficult clients, and watch tapes of clinical work they have brought with them.

    There will also be scientific symposia presented by researchers, with one entire track devoted to RFT research and applications for those with varying levels of familiarity.

    CE Credits (Continuing Education)

    Possible credit hours:

    • 2-day pre-conference workshops: 14 hours
    • ACBS World Conference III (attending all events): 21 hours
      (July 1 - 6.5 hours, July 2 - 7.5 hours, July 3 - 7 hours)

    Types of Credit Available:

    • Accreditation (CE's) for Dutch participants will be available for the VGCT, FGzP, NVVP and Eerstelijnspsycholoog NIP.
    • CE credit is available for psychologists (APA type).

    Approval:
    Accreditation (CE's) for Dutch participants will be available for the VGCT, FGzP, NVVP and Eerstelijnspsycholoog NIP. These CE credits are maintained and provided by GGNet.

    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. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

    Refunds & Grievance Policies: Participants may direct any questions or complaints to ACBS Executive Director Emily Neilan Rodrigues, 1-775-746-2013 or through the "Contact Us" link on this website.

    • CE credit fees are included in the price of registration. No further fee is required.
    • (Note: CE credits are only available for professionals. You may not earn CE credits with a student registration.)

    Did my registration go through? / Was my payment received?

    Registration
    This is easy to check.

    While logged into your account, on the right, below your username, click "Transaction History". This will show everything you've paid for, or events you've registered for in the past 2 years.

    If you were not logged into your account when you registered, you'll need to contact us.

    Payment
    If you have received an email receipt, your payment has been processed, and you're all set.

    If you look under "Transaction History" (see instructions above) and it says "Completed" on the right side of your registration, then payment has been received. (If it says "Pending" then the payment information has not yet reached ACBS.)

    Please note: If you are paying by Euro Bank Transfer (we thank you!), it may take up to 10 days for your payment information to be updated on the website. (The information is being securely sent to ACBS every 7-10 days.) When your account is updated, registration completed, payment received, you will receive an email confirmation.

    If you're just not sure, please contact us.

    Problèmes de paiment depuis la France

    Un certain nombre d'entre vous ont fait l'expérience de voir leurs paiements rejetés depuis la France. Pour autant que nous puissions comprendre ce qui se passe, il s'agit d'un programme de sécurtié automatique des banques françaises qui bloquent comme étant suspecte toute transaction international considérée (par les banques, pas par l'ACBS) comme trop petite pour ne pas être suspecte. Nous savons que ça passe mal à $10, bien à $25 et nous ne savons pas e qui se passe avec des sommes intermédiaires./

    Pour payer sans difficulté moins de $25, essayez paypal: créez un compte gratuit sur le site ACBS en vous inscrivant puis allez sur www.paypal.com/sendmoney

    L'addresse pour envoyer votre paiement est : acbs@contextualpsychology.org

    Le site vous invite ensuite à créer un compte Pypal, et vous demandera d'entrer vos détailsd e carte de crédit et, quand le paiement est complété, Emiliy à l'ACBS reçoit un email pour l'informer que le paiement est passé. Elle ira ensuite vous donner les privilèges d'accès.

    http://www.contextualpsychology.org/how_do_i_purchase_or_renew_membership

    Enschede, The Netherlands - Maps, Restaurant Info, etc.

    Visit Enschede

    • Includes transportation, bed & breakfast, restaurant, event information, etc.

    General information about visiting The Netherlands

    The Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions

    Enschede City Map I found an Enschede City Map of the downtown area, with landmarks noted, at VisitEnschede.nl It is attached at the bottom of this page for ACBS members. (You won't see the link if you're not logged into your current, paid ACBS member account.)

    Interactive Google Map of Enschede & the University of Twente

    Scroll to the northwest to see hotels, restaurants, and more in Hengelo.

    Click "Sat" in the top right corner of the map to see a satellite view.


    View Larger Map

    Michelin Map

    There is an alternative map from Michelin here: Michelin Map.

    General Schedule of Events

    Pre-Conference Experiential Workshops (2-days):

    • Monday, June 29, 9:00am-5:00/5:15pm
    • Tuesday, June 30, 9:00am-5:00/5:15pm

    ACBS World Conference III:

    • Tuesday, June 30, 7:30pm-10:00pm (poster session begins at 8:00pm) - Poster Session/ Opening Cocktail Social Event
    • Wednesday, July 1, 9:00am-5:45/6:00pm, 1st day of sessions (workshops/ symposia/ plenary sessions)
    • Wednesday, July 1, 6:00pm-11:30pm - University Hosted BBQ Dinner and Social Event
    • Thursday, July 2, 9:00am-5:45pm, 2nd day of sessions (workshops/ symposia/ plenary session)
    • Thursday, July 2, 6:00pm - Midnight - Dinner, ACBS Follies/Skit night, and Social Event
    • Friday, July 3, 9:00am-5:30, 3rd and final day of sessions (workshops/ symposia/ plenary session)

    Hotel Accommodations

    ACBS World Conference III, 2009

    We have blocked rooms at the following hotels in Enschede. (Please note, the conference rate is only available until the dates listed for each hotel.)

    • The prices listed are the conference room rates (including or excluding breakfast).
    • Only the Drienerburght has rooms suited for one individual, the rest are rooms with two beds, intended to accommodate 1 person per bed.
    • ACBS recommends staying at the Drienerburght or Eden Broeierd because of their proximity to the conference location.
    1. Eden Dish, Eden Star, (Eden Broeierd - the Broeierd is currently full)

    Location Nearby the conference location and in the cities Enschede and Hengelo
    Telephone +31 53 85 06 500 (number for reservation for all the Eden-hotels)
    Amount of Rooms 35 (Broeierd)/65 (Eden Star)/25 (Eden Dish)
    Room Rates €90,- for a room, breakfast €15,- per person
    Reservation Before the First of March rooms will be guaranteed, after 3/1/2009 reservations are possible for the reduced price until 4/28/2009 (while rooms last).
    Subscription You can make your reservation via this Eden hotels English language reservation PDF. If you are unable to view the pdf, you may get the form here.
    Website www.edencityhotels.com
    Remarks The reservations will first be placed in the Eden Broeierd, then Dish Hotel, because of the distance to the conference location.

    The Eden Broeierd Hotel is a chique place in a former farm (founded in 1831).

    2. Van der Valk

    Location Hengelo
    Telephone +31 74 25 55 055
    Amount of Rooms 100
    Room Rates €85,- for a room, breakfast €12.50 per person
    Reservation Reservations can no longer be made at the conference rate, but rooms are still available in this hotel as of 18 June.
    Subscription By e-mail receptie@hengelo-valk.nl or by telephone (+31 74 25 55 055).
    Website www.valk.com
    Remarks www.valk.com (English)
    3. Drienerburght - THIS HOTEL IS FULL.

    Location Twente University (on campus)
    Telephone +31 53 43 31 366
    Amount of Rooms 64
    Room Rates €72.50 incl. breakfast for a single room, €82.50, incl. breakfast for a double room.
    Reservation Booking should be made before April 15, 2009
    Subscription www.drienerburght.nl (English), choose reservations, complete your hotel room reservation and type ACT under "I take part in the congress" to book a room with the discount. Or by telephone: +31 53 43 31 366 under the reference ACT.
    Website www.drienerburght.nl
    Remarks The Drienerburght offers 51 single rooms and 13 double rooms.
    The hotel only has basic service and facilities.

    Transportation
    ACBS only offers free touringcar transportation from the hotels above. The
    Drienerburght and Broeierd are within ten walking minutes. ACBS does not offer transportation for these two hotels. You must submit a transportation request by June 1, 2009, at this link contextualpsychology.org/wc3_transportation to take advantage of the free shuttle.

    Alternative Housing
    For information concerning Bed & Breakfasts, cheap holiday homes (6-8 pax) call +31 53 432 32 00 or by e-mail info@enschedepromotie.nl

    Or check out: http://www.hotelenschede.nl/holiday%20apartments.htm
    I'm told it's 15 min from the University. You'll likely need to rent a car if you stay at this location, or sort out information about busing, to see if this will work for you.

    Eden Hotel Reservation Form

    Below is the 2-page reservation form for the Eden Hotel Group.

    Page1 ********
    EDEN
    Hotel De Broeierd - Enschede
    Dish Hotel - Enschede
    Star Hotel - Hengelo

    BOOKING REQUEST World Conference ACT 2009 -University of Twente 29-06-2009 until 03-07-2009
    Preferred Hotel :
    □ Eden Hotel De Broeierd Enschede
    □ Eden Dish Hotel Enschede
    □ Eden Star Hotel Hengelo

    Hotel room
    Arrival Date ___________________________________________
    Departure Date ________________________________________
    Number of nights _______________________________________
    Number of rooms _______________________________________
    Number of persons ______________________________________
    Special requests ________________________________________
    * Room rate € 90.00 per room per night ( single use), Breakfast € 15.00 per person

    Personal
    Family name ___________________________________________
    First name _____________________________________________
    Address _______________________________________________
    Postcode ______________________________________________
    City ______________________________________________
    Country ______________________________________________
    Phone __________________ Fax: __________________
    E-mail ___________________________________________
    Eden Hotel De Broeierd Enschede, Hengelosestraat 725, 7521 PA Enschede 053-8506500
    Eden Dish Hotel Enschede, Boulevard 1945 nr 2, 7511 AE Enschede 053-8506600
    Eden Star Hotel Hengelo, BP Hofstedestraat 50, 7551 DG Hengelo 074-8516800

    Page 2**********

    EDEN
    Hotel De Broeierd - Enschede
    Dish Hotel - Enschede
    Star Hotel - Hengelo

    Method of payment
    In order to process your hotel reservation, we do require your credit card number and expire date. Your credit card is only used for guarantee purposes and will only be charged in case of non-arrival without prior / timely cancellation. All payments will be done directly at the hotel, either by credit card, pin card or in cash.

    Credit card details Credit card : □ Visa, □ American Express, □ Euro/Mastercard
    Card number : _______________________________________
    Expire date : ____________________
    Name card holder : _________________________________________

    Conditions
    -We advise to reserve your room as soon as possible but before 28-04-2009
    -Reservations, cancellations and modifications will be done in writing
    -This registration form will only be handled when it is filled out completely
    -All requests will be confirmed in writing within 2 days by Eden Hotels Twente
    -Free cancellation is possible upon 4 days before arrival date, after this date the room costs ( € 90.00 per night) will be charged on your credit card

    By signing this form you agree with the above mentioned conditions.
    Signature : ___________________________________________
    Date : ________________________________________________
    Please return this form to:
    Eden City Hotels Twente
    Reservations Department
    Hengelosestraat 725
    7521 PA Enschede
    Netherlands
    Fax : 0031 (0)53 850 6502
    E-mail : reservations.twente@edenhotelgroup.com

    Eden Hotel De Broeierd Enschede, Hengelosestraat 725, 7521 PA Enschede 053-8506500
    Eden Dish Hotel Enschede, Boulevard 1945 nr 2, 7511 AE Enschede 053-8506600 Eden Star Hotel Hengelo, BP Hofstedestraat 50, 7551 DG Hengelo 074.-8516800
    *******

    Powerpoint presentations for World Conference III events

    We have collected many of the powerpoint presentations and handouts from presenters at the ACBS World Conference III, which took place July 1-3, 2009, in Enschede, The Netherlands.

    These are available for download for any current, paid ACBS member. It can cost you as little as $1 to join, so please consider it! Find out how to join and learn about the benefits of membership!

    3-hour workshop on FC in therapy and supervision

    I told several people that I would post a copy of these slides, so here they are. The slides are missing a lot of the clinical examples we used, and they have supervision examples that we did not use (to conserve time), but for the most part, this was our presentation.

    I also just wanted to note that Amanda and I did this talk for a specific purpose. We wanted to show how the philosophy of science "plays out" in the contexts of clinical work (including therapy and supervision) and to emphasize that viewing this stuff as science (as opposed to something mystical, magical, etc.) lends itself better to clinical training and dissemination.

    Hope it is useful!
    Amy

    ACT for Disordered Eating - Sandoz

    This is the Workshop provided by Sandoz

    Babel's AAQ-II. Do different languages result in different outcomes in Europe? Monestès et al.

    Babel's AAQ-II-Monestès et al.ppt

    Flexing the gut- Quality of life in IBS

    These are the powerpoint slides for the presentation on Psychological Flexibility and Quality of Life in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The presentation describes how low psychological flexibility towards the experiences of IBS can result in lower quality of life. Preliminary results of the first of 2 studies are presented. study 2 is described with the presentation of a new self-help manual.
    For more in formation regrading this research contact me at N.M.D.R.Ferreira@sms.ed.ac.uk

    IRAP Workshop -- Vahey, Stewart, McHugh, Kosnes, & Barnes-Holmes

    Workshop Title:
    The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP): Where From, How To, and Where To

    Workshop Abstract:
    A key objective of the workshop will be to summarise the key empirical literatures that gave rise to the IRAP, and to then collate the rapidly expanding IRAP literature itself. The authors will draw on this empirical base to outline key principles of how best to design and implement IRAPs so as to both maximise precision and minimise attrition. These principles will be illustrated in practice for workshop participants by the workshop facilitators. The IRAP is a computerised response-time measure derived from an integration of the account of human language and cognition provided by Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and the substantial cognitive literature addressing so-called “implicit” attitudes. In broad terms the model underlying the IRAP conceptualises implicit effects as being driven by immediate and relatively brief relational responses; in contrast, explicit (self-report) measures then are thought to reflect more elaborated and coherent relational response networks for which implicit attitudes are precursors. More simply, the IRAP captures spontaneous and automatic evaluative responses, whereas self-report measures capture more carefully considered deliberative reactions. Whereas explicit measures are frequently criticised as suffering from the limitations of introspection, and as largely reflecting a person’s tendency to respond in a socially desirable manner, implicit measures are relatively impervious to such confounding biases. Indeed, to date numerous studies have shown that the IRAP supplements traditional explicit measures, to provide greater prediction of target behaviours and a more precise understanding of the processes of attitude and behaviour change (see http://psychology.nuim.ie/IRAP/IRAP_Articles.shtml). Implicit attitudes appear to be particularly useful in the analysis of relatively established behaviours that do not often come under deliberative control such as those underlying addictive compulsions or prejudice. The workshop facilitators will provide workshop participants advice on how best to harness these strengths for the purposes of their individual research interests.

    Know Thyself, Choose Thyself: Exploring Flexibility with Self and Valued Living - Sandoz & Nassar

    This is the powerpoint from a mini-workshop by Sandoz and Nassar

    Prediction and influence with precision, scope and depth - a guide. (Joe Curran)

    Here are the slides from a brief presentation I gave at WorldConIII that discussed 'Prediction and influence with precision, scope and depth'. It's mainly aimed at clinicians and I'm turning it into a paper to help explain the bits that need explaining.

    Get in touch if you see anything that you'd like to mention.

    Cheers

    Joe

    (joe.curran@shsc.nhs.uk)

    Resistance to Anti-smoking Information As a Function of Implicit Expectancies Toward Smoking and Smoking-cessation (Vahey et al)

    Title: Resistance to Anti-smoking Information As a Function of Implicit Expectancies Toward Smoking and Smoking-cessation

    Presenters/authors and affiliations:
    Vahey, N.1, Barnes-Holmes, D.1, Barnes-Holmes, Y.1, & Stewart, I.2
    1National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
    2National University of Ireland, Galway, Co. Galway, Ireland.

    Objectives: To examine across two studies (N = 92), how implicit expectations of quitting versus smoking impede anti-smoking messages prescribing smoking-cessation.

    Design: The studies employed group comparisons (smokers at different stages of change and nonsmokers), coupled with repeated-measures analyses of target-attitudes about quitting and smoking. Between-group manipulations also allowed the examination of how implicit attitudes interact with the framing of the anti-smoking information presented.

    Method: The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure required participants to alternate between making “consistent” responses and “inconsistent” responses (e.g. responding “True” and “False” respectively, to “I Need to Smoke when Upset”) at speed. The response-time differentials between consistent and inconsistent tasks indexed implicit bias.

    Results: ANOVA and regression statistics provided significant effects strongly implicating implicit attitudes in smoking-persistence and –relapse.

    Conclusions: The collective findings suggest that implicit smoking- and quitting-related expectancies are important in differentially undermining smoking-cessation, by respectively precipitating smoking-relapse and undermining information that prescribes quitting.

    Transformation of Function of Pseudofood Names - Sandoz Paper

    This is the powerpoint from a paper presented at Worldcon

    Treatment of stuttering with ACT

    These are the slides of the presentation. If you are interested on any further detail or on the exercises, please send me a mail to higueratr at sign psicoterapeutas dot com or contact through http://www.contextualpsychology.org/user/higuera.

    Values in ACT: Conceptualization, Clinical Exercises, and Assessment

    Values symposium by Slater, Nassar, & Flynn

    •What are Values? Unpacking Values as Conceptualized in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    • An Improved Measure of Valued Living: The Valued Living Questionnaire-II (VLQ-2)
    • Values-Centered Exercises: Impact of Values Work on Psychological Well-Being

    This symposium discussed values, from unpacking the definition presented in Mindfulness for Two, an assessment of values to be used in both research and clinical work, and exercises to explore values work.

    Villatte, Monestès, McHugh et al. : Deictic relational responding in belief attribution - social anhedonia

    Deictic relational responding in beliefs attribution: people with high social anhedonia are impaired in reversing the frame of I-YOU.

    A Relational Frame account of beliefs attribution has been proposed in terms of deictic relational responding. According to this view, attributing beliefs to another involves a higher relational complexity than self-attributing because it requires reversing the deictic frame of I-YOU (i.e., taking the perspective of another). Social anhedonia has been shown to lack social interactions and to present deficits in attribution of mental states and in complex deictic relational responding involving the frame of I-YOU. The current study investigated the ability to respond in accordance with deictic frames in a task consisting of reporting true- and false-beliefs to another and to the self in 30 participants with a high level of social anhedonia. We predicted that these participants would perform weaker than controls on tasks involving attributing beliefs to another. Consistent with this prediction, participants with high social anhedonia were less accurate than controls when reporting the beliefs of another, but not of the self, thus indicating difficulties in reversing the deictic frame of I-YOU in this population. Implications for the understanding of deficits in beliefs attribution in populations characterized by a high level of social anhedonia (e.g. people with schizophrenia) are discussed.

    Program

    Complete, Final, Program - July 1, 2, & 3 (for ACBS members) (please login to your current paid member account to download/view the pdf)

    (If you need to find something specific in the program, do a "Control+F" to find a name or title.)

    If you prefer, far below is a list of what will be at the World Conference III. Below are Workshops, Invited Talks, Symposia, Papers, & Posters.

    Complete Program with abstracts, presenters, etc.

    Wednesday, July 1
    Wednesday Morning 9:00-9:45am
    1. Welcome to the ACBS World Conference III, the University of Twente, and Enschede
    Plenary (9:00-9:45am):
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora/ Amphitheater
    ANDO ROKX, GGNET, Netherlands
    PROF. DR. HUBERT COONEN, Deacon Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, Twente University
    DRS. K. LEMKE, M.D., Member of the board of directors of GGNET
    STEVE HAYES, University of Nevada, Reno
    EMILY RODRIGUES, ACBS
    Target Audience: All

    Wednesday Morning 10:00am
    2. ACT in the Workplace
    Symposium (10:00-Noon): ACT - Other/ Organisational Psychology, Stress at Work, Burnout, Human Services Workers, Stigma
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    Chair: FRANK BOND, Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K.
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • The Impact of ACT training on Leadership
    FRANK BOND, Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K.
    • The Impact of ACT and CBT on Stress at Work
    Paul Flaxman, City University, U.K.
    FRANK BOND, Goldsmiths, University of London
    • The Impact of ACT Training on Stress and Burnout in Human Services Workers
    JO LLOYD, Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K.
    Frank Bond, Goldsmiths, University of London
    • Can ACT reduce staff stigma? Preliminary findings and work in progress
    SUE CLARKE, Dorset Healthcare Foundation Trust, UK
    GEORGINA TAYLOR, University of Southampton
    Kelly Wilson, University of Mississippi, USA
    Bob Remington, Southampton University, UK
    This symposium will present original research on organisational applications of ACT. The papers cover ACT interventions and investigations for stress management, leadership, stigma and burnout in a range of organisational contexts including human services workers, public sector workers and financial services.

    3. From Verbal Content to Experiential Process with the iView
    Workshop (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Functional Contextualism and Mindfulness
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    KEVIN POLK, PH.D., ACT Gone Wild and Togus VA
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    This will be a discussion of setting up the therapeutic context for ACT using the iView and then showing how the iView is used to transform a client's verbal story into experiential process. In this way clients are given multiple exemplars of ACT-consistent discrimination tasks.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Participants will learn what the iView is.
    2. Participants will learn how to use the iView in relationship to their clinical practice.

    4. Using ACT to Improve Management of Chronic Pain in Primary Care
    Workshop (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Chronic Pain
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal A
    PATRICIA ROBINSON, PH.D., Mountainview Consulting Group
    Target Audience: Beginner
    Most chronic pain patients receive the majority of their care in primary care settings. They are often unhappy with the services they receive, and primary care providers often feel unprepared to address pain that does not respond well to treatment. This workshop suggests specific strategies for re-organizing care delivered to primary care patients who suffer from chronic pain. Participants will learn methods for integrating ACT strategies into primary care team interactions with patients, techniques for using ACT in on-going, monthly classes, approaches to evaluating outcomes, and strategies for preventing onset of chronic pain.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn strategies for teaching ACT to medical colleagues
    2. Learn techniques for using ACT in monthly primary care classes
    3. Learn strategies for preventing onset of chronic pain

    5. Applying ACT to Cases of Complex Depression: New Clinical and Research Perspectives
    Workshop (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Depression
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal B
    BRANDON A. GAUDIANO, PH.D., Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Butler Hospital
    KRISTY L. DALRYMPLE, PH.D., Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    Clients who present or are referred to psychotherapy for "major depression" typically have a heterogeneous mix of problematic behaviors for which they are seeking help. However, current clinical trial research and empirically-supported psychotherapy manuals tend to narrowly focus on depressed mood as the target problem, and fail to provide clinicians with a real-world approach for dealing with the multiple, complex problems that often co-exist with complaints of depression. ACT represents a trans-diagnostic approach that may offer a particularly useful clinical model for treating and understanding the depressive experience and its typically co-occurring problems. This workshop will describe newer clinical and research applications of ACT for complex cases of depression. Participants will learn how to use ACT in concert with traditional behavioral interventions such as behavioral activation and exposure techniques. Novel research being conducted by the presenters in these areas will also be described, including treatment development and testing of ACT-based interventions for depressed individuals with psychotic experiences, social anxiety concerns, or suicidal behaviors.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Participants will learn how ACT can be used to extend and enhance traditional behavioral interventions for multi-problem, depressed individuals.
    2. Participants will understand how to apply ACT to problems often related to depression, including psychosis and social anxiety.
    3. Participants will learn about new research being conducted using ACT to treat complex cases of depression.

    6. Developing Your Skills as an ACT Trainer, Part 1
    Workshop (10:00-Noon): ACT - Skills/ Training
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal C
    JASON LUOMA, PH.D., The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D., National Center for PTSD at the VA Palo Alto
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    In a discussion format, we will conduct a needs assessment for trainer development. We will help trainers identify common places where trainers can get stuck in workshops, conduct an assessment of their own strengths and weaknesses as a trainer, and help them develop plans for self-development as a trainer. This needs assessment will provide the material for the second part of the workshop to be conducted on the last day of the conference. In this second workshop, experienced trainers will develop a workshop that responds to the training needs identified in part 1 of this workshops series. If someone plants to attend part 2 of the workshop, it would also be helpful to go to part 1 in order to provide input into what will be in part 2 of the workshop.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Identify learning needs as a trainer.
    2. Develop a plan for next steps in trainer development.
    3. Develop learning focus for part two of the workshop.

    7. ACT for Well-Being of Children and Adolescents: Conceptualization, Prevention, and Intervention
    Symposium (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical, ACT - Other/ Mindfulness, Early Intervention, General Psychological Health, Stress, Adolescents, Diabetes
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1212
    Chair: JOSEPH CIARROCHI, University of Wollongong
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • On being present and feeling good: The link between present-moment awareness and emotional well-being amongst adolescence
    JOSEPH CIARROCHI, University of Wollongong
    Todd Kashdan, George Mason University
    Patrick Heaven, University of Wollongong
    Peter Leeson, University of Wollongong
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) To prevent stress and promote health: Psychological Treatment of Youth under Stressful Conditions - A Pilot Evaluation of the Impact of ACT in an Adolescent Group
    FREDRIK LIVHEIM, Karolinska Institutet, medical university
    Emma Stavenow, University of Copenhagen
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for adolescents: Study 1 - individual treatment delivered in mental health services, and Study 2 - a group program delivered in schools
    LOUISE HAYES, Ph.D, University of Ballarat
    • Measuring processes of behavioral modification during a Diabetes Management Summer Camp: Acceptance in Diabetic Children
    GIOVANNI ZUCCHI, PSY.D., Villa Maria Luigia Hospital, Parma
    Giovanni Miselli, Psy.D., IULM University
    Giovambattista Presti, M.D., IULM University
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University
    Paola Accorsi, M.A., C. Magati Hospital, Reggio Emilia
    Valerio Miselli, M.D., C. Magati Hospital, Reggio Emilia
    This symposium will explore the relevance of ACT for improving the well-being of children and adolescents. Paper 1 examines the relation between the present-moment awareness component of mindfulness and other psychological measures such as tendency to avoid, neuroticism, antisocial tendencies, and psychological flexibility in 10th grade students. Paper 2 describes a study using ACT – delivered by group leaders with limited traning – as an early intervention for young adults with already elevated levels of mental ill-health. Paper 3 reports on two pilot studies using ACT with adolescents as part of beyondblue: Australia’s national depression initiative. Paper 4 investigates the effect of a brieft 5-day summer camp for children with type 1 diabetes.

    8. Values in ACT: Conceptualization, Clinical Exercises and Assessment
    Symposium (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Values
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    Chair: REGAN M. SLATER, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • What are Values? Unpacking Values as Conceptualized in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    REGAN M. SLATER, University of Mississippi
    Stephanie L. Nassar, University of Mississippi
    Maureen K. Flynn, University of Mississippi
    Kate K. Kellum, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Mississippi
    • An Improved Measure of Valued Living: The Valued Living Questionnaire-II (VLQ-2)
    STEPHANIE L. NASSAR, University of Mississippi
    Maureen K. Flynn, University of Mississippi
    Regan M. Slater, University of Mississippi
    Kate K. Kellum, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Mississippi
    • Values-Centered Exercises: Impact of Values Work on Psychological Well-Being
    MAUREEN K. FLYNN, University of Mississippi
    Regan M. Slater, University of Mississippi
    Stephanie L. Nassar, University of Mississippi
    Kate K. Kellum, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Mississippi
    This symposium will discuss values, from unpacking the definition presented in Mindfulness for Two, an assessment of values to be used in both research and clinical work, and exercises to explore values work.

    9. Experimental analysis of complex human behavior: Disambiguation of relational networks and transformations of functions through hierarchical and analogical relations.
    Symposium (10:00-Noon): RFT - Research/ Relational responding
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    Chair: FRANCISCO RUIZ, University of Almería
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Relational coherence in ambiguous and unambiguous relational networks
    Jennifer L. Quiñones, University of Nevada
    STEVEN C. HAYES, Ph.D., University of Nevada
    • Transformation of functions through hierarchical frames.
    ENRIQUE GIL, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, Ph.D., University of Almería
    Francisco Ruiz, University of Almería
    Vanessa Sánchez, University of Almería
    • Transformation of functions through analogical relations: An experimental analysis of metaphors as clinical method.
    FRANCISCO RUIZ, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, University of Almería
    • Modelling Hierarchical Relational Responding
    IAN STEWART, NIU Galway
    This symposium brings together different topics from relational responding and Relational Frame Theory (RFT) fields. The first paper addresses the topic of the derivation of ambiguous relations. Specifically, the paper presents two experiments that were conducted to examine how individuals disambiguate relational networks.
    The second presentation discusses the nature of hierarchical relational responding and presents the advances to extend the model presented by Griffee & Dougher (2002) to arbitrarily related stimuli and categorization under the control of contextual cues for hierarchical relational responding.
    The third presentation provides further evidence of the transformation of functions through hierarchical relations proceeding from an independent laboratory. Participants were trained to respond to arbitrary stimuli as several relational contexts (specifically as similar, different and hierarchical relations) and then a complex relational network was formed. Functions were given to some stimuli and the transformation of functions was observed according with the specific relational context.
    Finally, the fourth presentation tries to provide a RFT account of the use of metaphors as clinical methods. Specifically, this paper shows a series of studies that explore the conditions under which transformation of functions occurs through analogical relations.

    10. Introduction to ACT in Dutch; Introductieworkshop ACT – Nederlandstalig
    Workshop (10:00am-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ Theoretical and experiential introduction to ACT therapy
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    JACQUELINE A-TJAK, PsyQ at Zaandam, The Netherlands
    INGRID POSTMA, GGZ West Friesland, Hoorn, The Netherlands
    Target Audience: Beginner
    This is a workshop to introduce ACT to folks who take an interest in ACT, but know little of this form of therapy. The workshop will be held in Dutch, because it aims at Dutch and Flemish people who want to attend the world conference. We will address the ACT model of Psychological Flexibility and Inflexibility at a theoretical level and in experiential exercises. This will be done according to the ACT book: Learning ACT, which is available in Dutch at the beginning of 2009. The workhop aims at giving people some basic understanding of ACT, which will help understanding other workshops at the world conference with more ease. It can also been seen as a stand-alone workshop for people who want to get more acquainted with ACT.
    Deze workshop is bedoeld voor wie behoefte heeft aan een overzichtelijke en praktische kennismaking met ACT. Theoretische basiskennis wordt afgewisseld met experientiële oefeningen, waarin de deelnemer aan den lijve kan ondervinden wat ACT ‘met je doet’. De workshop laat deelnemers kennismaken met de basisprincipes van het ACTmodel van psychologische (in)flexibiliteit.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Have an understanding of the model of psychopathology underlying ACT
    2. Being acquainted with the six core processes
    3. Having experienced what it is like to undergo experiential exercises (experience the six processes)
    1. kennismaken met de 6 ACT kernprocessen: acceptatie, defusie, zelf-als-context, contact met het huidige moment, waarden en toegewijde actie.
    2. kennismaken met de ACT opvatting van wat psychopathologie is
    3. kennismaken met enkele ACT interventies

    11. Framing different behavioral strategies in a coherent picture: Where ACT takes place
    Symposium (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Insomnia, academic behavior, social behavior, gambling
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    Chair: GIOVAMBATTISTA PRESTI, M.D., Ph.D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    Discussant: BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon (France)
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    • Case report: Compulsory, school and social problem behaviors in an 18 yrs old student
    GRETA CARLOTTI, PSY.D., Humanitas School of Childhood and Adolescence Clinical Psychology, Milan, IESCUM (Italy)
    Giovambattista Presti, M.D., Ph.D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    • Case report: Dysfunctional behavioral repertoire in a pre-adolescent girl with congenital dwarfism
    Ramona Carlotti, Psy D., Humanitas School of Childhood and Adolescence Clinical Psychology, Milan, IESCUM (Italy)
    GIOVAMBATTISTA PRESTI, M.D., PH.D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    • Case report: Dysfunctional behavioral repertoire in a young woman with mild mental retardation and bipolar disorder
    FRANCESCA SCAGLIA, Psy. D., Academy of Behavior and Cognitive Sciences (ASCCO), Parma; IESCUM (Italy)
    • ACT and 'Impulsive' behavior: A case study of pathological gambling
    SARA BORELLI, Psy. D., Academy of Behavior and Cognitive Sciences (ASCCO), Parma; Risorse Psicologiche, Reggio Emilia; IESCUM (Italy)
    • Case report: Applying ACT in a case of prolonged avoidance of school by an adolescent boy with performance anxiety
    MASSIMO RONCHEI, Psy. D., Academy of Behavior and Cognitive Sciences (ASCCO), Parma; IESCUM (Italy)
    • ACT approach in Chronic Insomnia: A case study
    KATIA COVATI, Academy of Behavior and Cognitive Sciences (ASCCO), Parma; Istituto Fysios, Parma; IESCUM (Italy)
    ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) works on human cognition, by creating spaces for expanding behavioral repertoires beyond the boundaries that restrict individual functioning. In addition it helps lowering barriers to implementing additional behavioral strategies that might directly address individual dysfunctional behavioral patterns. This symposium aims to address the synergy that arises from implementing ACT with other behavior modification strategies: e.g. functional behavior analysis, token economy, stimulus control strategies. Clinical cases presented and discussed have a wide range of behavioral disfunctioning often nested in complex symptomatic pictures. ACT contribution within a unique coherent behavioral frame of intervention will be presented. Advantages and disadvantages of using different strategies, in terms of efficacy and effectiveness, will be also discussed

    12. Psychological Flexibility and Disordered Eating: Conceptualization and Treatment
    Symposium (10:00-11:00am): RFT - Research, ACT - Clinical, Other/ Eating Disorders, Experiential Avoidance and Eating Pathology, Mindfulness, Health Promotion
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    Chair: THOMAS PARLING, M.SC., Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Anorexia nervosa and implicit attitudes: An IRAP-study
    THOMAS PARLING, M.SC., Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
    Martin Cernvall, M.Sc., Department of Psychiatry, Uppsala Academic Hospital
    Ata Ghaderi, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
    • Experiential Avoidance and Eating Pathology in a Sample of College Students in Cyprus
    MARIA KAREKLA, PH.D., University of Nicosia
    • Evaluation of relaxation response and mindfulness strategies in overweight women: A two year randomized trial
    CAROLINE HORWATH, PH.D., University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
    Greer Hawley, MSc, Andrew Gray, B Com (Hons),
    Alison Bradshaw, MSc, Lisa Katzer, MSc, Janine Joyce, M Health Sci., Sue O'Brien, BHSc
    This symposium discusses the analysis and treatment of eating disorders. Paper 1 reports on preliminary findings from a study examining the implicit attitudes towards body-shape and body perceptions using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). Paper 2 examines the relationship between experiential avoidance and other psychological factors, and eating pathology. Paper 3 compares a relaxation and mindfulness program with two other non-dieting programs using results from a 10-week intervention as well as follow-up data.

    13. ACT and Chronic Illness
    Symposium (10:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Physical Health, ACT Processes, Intervention, Research
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    Chair: DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    • Beliefs, Acceptance, Knowledge, Emotional Distress and Self Care in Older People with Type 2 Diabetes.
    DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    Vicky Thurlby, NHS Lanarkshire, U.K.
    • ACT based Treatment of Chronic Pain - Outcome data to three years
    KEVIN VOWLES, PH.D., University of Bath, U.K.
    Lance McCracken, Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, U.K.
    Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert, Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, U.K.
    • Flexing the gut - Quality of Life in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    NUNO FERREIRA, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    David Gillanders, UNiveristy of Edinburgh, U.K.
    • The Evolution of General Psychological Flexibility and Pain Specific Acceptance across time in people with Chronic Pain
    ALEXANDRA DIMA, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    David Gillanders, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    In this symposium we will explore ACT relevant processes such as avoidance, fusion, acceptance, beliefs and behaviour as these apply to living successfully with chronic illness. Papers will outline original clinical research on chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes.

    14. Getting Started with ACT Experiential Supervision Skills
    Workshop (10:00-Noon): ACT - Skills/ Supervision for ACT Clinicians
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 6
    MARY SAWYER, Private Practice Sydney Australia
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    This workshop will focus on how to do ACT experiential supervision and the challenges of providing supervision for your peers, interns or students. It will be both didatic and experiential, exercises will be completed in pairs as well as in group. On the spot feedback/guidance will be given during the workshop process. There will be adequate time to process and discuss the experinces of each participant. The main aims of the workshop are to develop psychological flexibility within the supervisor and the supervisee to assist both to utilise the processes of mindfulness, acceptance and committed action to do with whatever shows up in your ACT practice.
    Educational Objectives:
    At the completion of this workshop participants will have:
    1. A better understanding of ACT experiential supervision.
    2. Practiced supervising using role play with feedback.
    3. Experienced their own barriers to clinician competence in the same process used with their clients.

    15. Tinnitus and acceptance - "Is it the sound or your relationship to it?"
    Symposium (10:00-11:00am): ACT - Clinical/ Clinical trial
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 3
    Chair: GERHARD ANDERSSON, Linköping University
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    • Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Tinnitus Distress
    VENDELA WESTIN, Linköping University
    • Clients' in-session acceptance and cognitive defusion behaviors in ACT treatment of tinnitus distress
    HUGO HESSER, M.SC., Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning; Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Sweden
    Vendela Westin, M.Sc., Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning; Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Sweden
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, USA
    Gerhard Andersson, Ph. D., Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning; Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Sweden
    Tinnitus it defined as the perception of internal noises without any outer auditory stimulation and is a common condition reported by approximately 10-15% of general adult population. Despite recent advantages in research on tinnitus, few medical treatments can successfully alleviate the symptom. A growing number of studies support acceptance to be associated with less distress across chronic medical conditions, but to date this new avenue has not been extensively explored with tinnitus. This symposium will present the research on acceptance and related psychological processes with tinnitus. We will provide a brief overview of the condition and consider the theoretical ideas and clinical observations why acceptance might be useful for individuals suffering from tinnitus. Outcomes from acceptance-based psychological treatment of tinnitus distress will be highlighted along with the mechanisms by which the therapy might work. Data from controlled outcome trials, clinical process studies, correlational analyses will be presented to illustrate what we know so far about acceptance and tinnitus and provide listeners with broad coverage of the research within the area.

    Wednesday Morning 11:15am
    16. When Physical Struggles Overwhelm: ACT and Behavioral Medicine
    Symposium (11:15-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Lupus, Chronic Pain, Health Psychology
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    Chair: FRANCISCO MONTESINOS, PH.D., Spanish Cancer Association (aecc)/Instituto ACT, Madrid, Spain.
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Psychological Problems Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
    TOMÁS QUIROSA-MORENO, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, Ph.D., University of Almería
    N. Navarrete-Navarrete, Systemic Autoimmune Disease Unit, University Hospital "Virgen de las Nieves," Granada
    Olga Gutiérrez Martínez Ph.D., Universidad de Barcelona
    • Web Based Interventions for Relapse Prevention after Pain Management Program
    NINA BENDELIN, M.SC., Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Sweden
    Gerhard Andersson, Ph.D., Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
    Björn Gerdle, Ph.D., Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Sweden
    • Psychooncology and ACT: State of research and new challenges
    FRANCISCO MONTESINOS, PH.D., Spanish Cancer Association (aecc)/Instituto ACT, Madrid, Spain.
    Marisa Páez, Ph.D., Instituto ACT, Madrid
    ACT-based interventions have been successfully used with a several chronic diseases. The papers in this symposium examine the effectiveness of ACT components for patients with lupus, chronic pain, and cancer. Paper 1 reports on a study examining the efficacy of a brief six-session protocol for women diagnosed with systemic lupus eythematosus. Paper 2 evaluates an acceptance-based intervention for chronic pain delivered via the internet. Paper 3 reviews the state of ACT research with individuals with cancer using data from case studies, clinical trials, and randomized studies.

    Wednesday Lunch 12:00-1:15pm

    Wednesday Afternoon 1:15pm
    17. Working with Values in Chronic Pain
    Panel Discussion (1:15-3:00pm): ACT - Clinical/ Pain
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    JOANNE DAHL, University of Uppsala
    KENNETH FUNG, M.D. FRCPC MSc, University of Toronto
    MATEUSZ ZUROWSKI, M.D. MSc FRCPC, University of Toronto
    RIKARD WICKSELL, Pain Treatment Service, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital
    KEVIN VOWLES, PH.D., University of Bath, U.K.
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    ACT is emerging as a useful modality to treat chronic pain, a prevalent condition with significant long-term disability. For those afflicted with chronic pain, values are often abandoned in the natural pursuit for pain alleviation. Clinically, working with values is an important cornerstone in therapy, and in many treatment protocols, tend to become a therapeutic focus earlier compared to the treatment of other conditions. In this symposium, we would like to share, discuss, and raise questions about values work in the treatment of chronic pain. Specifically, we will explore: (i) definition of values; (ii) clinical application of values in chronic pain, including techniques to facilitate identification of values and ways of working with them; (iii) operationalization of values for measurement to facilitate tracking of clinical progress and research.

    18. Towards a functional contextualist neuroscience
    Symposium (1:15-3:00pm): Other/ Basic behavioural science, neuroscience, ACT
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    Chair: BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF, Inserm, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
    Discussant: STEVEN C. Hayes, PH.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Discussant: Kelly G. Wilson, PH.D., University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    • Don't you mind speaking of mind? Reflecting on mirror neurons and other homunculi on the Neuroscience scene
    PAOLO MODERATO, IULM University, Milan (Italy)
    • An exploration of acceptance related processes in presurgically implanted epileptic patients by means of real-time frequency-band analysis system
    BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF, Inserm, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
    Traditionally, behavior analysis has largely tended to consider brain functioning as being the preserve of physiologists rather than part of the science of behavior. This symposium/panel discussion will address the question of whether there is room for a functional contextualist neuroscience, or are attempts at linking neuroscience and behaviour necessarily reductionist? This symposium/panel discussion will bring together a general discussion of the issues as well as how they relate to presented neuroscience research projects.

    19. ACT-Based Contextual Behavioral Supervision
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Other/ ACT Supervision
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal A
    SONJA V. BATTEN, PH.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine
    ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D., National Center for PTSD, Palo Alto
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    Supervision in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is vital to learning to competently use this treatment model. In order to be an effective supervisor in this model, a context for establishing willingness to experience is fundamental. The supervisor needs to both model willingness and promote such behavior in supervisees in a way that is tangible and transferable to therapy sessions. Thus, working with the supervisee on personal acceptance and commitment, while also pointing to the parallel processes for the client can be a powerful training tool. Strategies for providing quality supervision that is ACT-consistent and compassionate will be presented. This workshop will begin with a discussion of the importance of the expression of emotion in ACT-based supervision. Suggestions will be made for shaping the ability of therapists in training to willingly experience and express emotion, with clarification of appropriate supervisory boundaries. This didactic discussion will be followed by multiple role plays and experiential exercises in which attendees will practice different ways of responding to challenging content in a supervisory setting.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Discuss the theoretical basis for including emotions in the psychotherapy supervision process.
    2. Describe how to focus on acceptance of emotion and thoughts, both within the supervisee's experience and the client's experience.
    3. Describe how to help supervisees assess the cost of avoidance as it relates to their own and to their clients' lives, as well as the process of psychotherapy.

    20. Investigations into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Real Life
    Symposium (1:15-3:00pm): ACT - Other/ Non-Clinical Populations
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal B
    Chair: NADIA LUCAS, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • The Effect of Commitment and Behavior Change Processes in ACT on Public Speaking Anxiety
    NADIA LUCAS, University of Mississippi
    Regan Slater, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, University of Mississippi
    Kate K. Kellum, University of Mississippi
    • Mindfulness at the Front of the Room: An Evaluation of ACT for Public Speaking Anxiety
    REGAN M. SLATER, University of Mississippi
    Nadia Lucas, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, University of Mississippi
    Kate K. Kellum, University of Mississippi
    • The Effects of ACT for Body Image Disturbance on Eating Behavior and Valued Living
    Emily K. Sandoz, University of Mississippi
    K. K. Kellum, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, University of Mississippi
    LINDSAY MARTIN, University of Nevada, Reno
    • Examining the Effects of a Values Intervention to Enhance Motivation and Commitment to Engage in Studying Behavior
    JENNIFER C. PLUMB, University of Nevada, Reno
    Michael Levin, University of Nevada, Reno
    Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada, Reno
    Kate L. Morrison, University of Nevada, Reno
    People often have psychological difficulties in their everyday lives that are not necessarily diagnosable but still create significant distress and disruption of valued living. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach rooted in behavior analysis and has been found to be effective in helping people to live a valued life in the face of a variety of psychological difficulties. The following studies are designed to consider interventions rooted in ACT principles and relevant outcomes and change processes in non-clinical populations.

    21. Self-as-context Made Simple
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ Mindfulness/Self-as-context
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal C
    RUSS HARRIS, M.D., private practice, Melbourne, Australia
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    This is a highly experiential workshop that was well-attended and well-received in ACT SI4. It demonstrates in simple, clear, non-technical language many different ways to talk about and facilitate the experience of self-as-context -- from lengthy interventions such as the classic "Observer Exercise" to extremely brief ones. It brings together metaphors and experiential exercises from ACT practitioners such as Steve Hayes, Robyn Walser, Kirk Strosahl, Kelly Wilson, JoAnne Dahl, and Hank Robb (as well as some of my own innovations). By the end of this workshop, attendees will have repeatedly experienced the psychological space of self-as-context, and will have a variety of tools to facilitate this process in therapy. They will also get an opportunity to practice some of these techniques on each other.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn how to talk in simple everyday language about self-as-context
    2. Experience the "psychological space" of self-as-context
    3. Learn a variety of techniques for facilitating this experience in therapy

    22. Integrating Values in Context: Conceptualizations and Applications of Valued Living
    Symposium (1:15-3:00pm): ACT - Other, ACT - Clinical/ Values, Therapy with Christians, Measurement, Values, Spirituality, Religion, "Other" Acceptance-based approaches
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1212
    Chair: AMANDA C. ADCOCK, M.S., University of North Texas
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • The ImPActS model of principled living: Measuring the extent that people find principles to be Important, Pressured by others, Activated, and Successfully engaged
    JOSEPH CIARROCHI, University of Wollongong
    • Practising ACT with Christians - challenges and opportunities
    INGRID ORD, Private Practice
    • The Meta-Valuing Measure: Measuring Valuing Behavior and the Whole Life Concept
    AMANDA C. ADCOCK, M.S., University of North Texas
    Cicely LaBorde, M.S., University of North Texas
    AMY MURRELL, PH.D., University of North Texas
    • Preliminary support for a spiritually integrated approach to valued living in the face of spiritual struggles
    CARMEN K. OEMIG, M.A., Bowling Green State University
    Kenneth I. Pargament, Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
    Meryl Gibbel, M.A., Bowling Green State University
    Maria Gear, M.A., Bowling Green State University
    Elizabeth Krumrei, M.A., Bowling Green State University
    Carol Ann Faigin, M.A., Bowling Green State University
    Shauna McCarthy, Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
    Kavita Desai, M.A., Bowling Green State University
    The papers in this symposium focus on values and their role in psychological well-being. Paper 1 discusses the ImPActS model of principled living. This model suggests that ACT helps people to (1) identify what principles are important to them (Importance), (2) identify what principles are under compliance pressure (Pressure), (3) increase the extent that they engage in principle-congruent activity (ACTivity), and (4) increase the extent that they succeed at living their principles (Success). Paper 2 explores how practicing ACT with Christians can be aided or hindered by the rules that are brought into the therapy room. Paper 3 discusses values as augmentals and the importance of flexibility in valuing. In order to measure the difference between valuing flexibly and values as augmentals, a new measure called the Meta-Valuing Measure (MVM) will be discussed and the psychometric properties will be presented. Paer 4 deals with a nine-week, spiritually-integrated, group intervention – for the negative mental and physical health indicators associated with the “darker side” of religion and spirituality – called the Winding Road and its similarities with an ACT-based approach.

    23. The Primary Care Behavioral Health Model: A Platform for ACT in Health Care
    Workshop (1:15-3:00pm): ACT - Clinical/ Primary Care, Transdiagnostic
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    PATRICIA ROBINSON, PH.D., Mountainview Consulting Group
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    This workshop describes a model for behavioral health consultation services in primary care settings. Given a trans-diagnostic approach, broadly applicable strategies, and theoretical principles that suggest a focus on struggle between patient and provider, ACT offers a great deal to the mission of integrating behavioral health services into primary care.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn about a new job for behavior therapists (the primary care "Behavioral Health Consultant")
    2. Consider case examples demonstrating use of ACT in brief encounters with primary care adult and child patients
    3. Learn strategies for working as a part of a primary care team that includes a behavioral health provider

    24. An Introduction to Behaviorism & Relational Frame Theory for Beginners
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): Behavior Analysis/ RFT
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    JOHN T. BLACKLEDGE, Morehead State University
    Joanne Steinwachs, Private Practice
    NIKLAS TÖRNEKE, Private Practice, Sweden
    Target Audience: Beginner
    The workshop will discuss basic behavioral principles (e.g., operant & classical conditioning, generalization) and their relevance to psychotherapy. In addition, relational frame theory will be introduced, along with a discussion of RFT's continuity with basic behavioral principles and its implications for clinical practice. The workshop is appropriate for those unfamiliar with behaviorism and/or RFT, with the links and common focus between the two, or the relevance of all these behavioral principles to psychotherapy.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Be able to define basic behavioral principles like operant conditioning, classical conditioning, extinction, stimulus function, and generalization, and identify their relevance to psychotherapy
    2. Understand the links and common focal points between relational responding and more conventional behavioral processes like operant and classical conditioning.
    3. Understand why RFT is relevant to psychotherapy.

    25. RFT: Research, Measurement, and Theoretical Issues
    Symposium (1:15-3:00pm): RFT - Research, RFT - Other, RFT - Clinical/ IRAP, Implicit Attitudes, Experimental Behavioural Analysis, Evolution, Selectionism, Executive Functioning, Schizophrenia
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    Chair: SEAN HUGHES, B.A, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Novel Implicit Attitudes: What Do We Know about Them and What Do We Have to Learn?
    SEAN HUGHES, B.A, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
    • RFT and evolution: Are memetics the missing link?
    MARCO KLEEN, PsyAdvies and BrainDynamics Groningen
    • A behaviour-analytic perspective on the diagnosis of executive dysfunctions
    GWENNY JANSSEN, DRS, Radboud University Nijmegen
    Jos Egger, Ph.D., Radboud University Nijmegen
    Hubert De Mey, Ph.D, Radboud University Nijmegen
    • Schizophrenia, language and cognition: Suggestions for RFT research
    MARTIN CERNVALL, M.SC., Uppsala Academic Hospital
    Ian Stewart, Ph.D., National University of Ireland, Galway
    Ata Ghaderi, Ph.D., Uppsala University
    The scope of RFT research and analyses has expanded considerably since the inception of the theory. This symposium discusses the further extension of RFT to several areas of interest. Paper 1 presents a series of four studies on establishing and consolidating novel implicit attitudes and the utility of the IRAP in distinguishing between naturally occurring versus laboratory-induced implicit attitudes. Paper 2 discusses the relationship between memetics and RFT in explaining contragenetic behavior, such as terrorism and warfare. Paper 3 explores the idea that the broad set of cognitive skills known as executive functions is a subset of rule-governed behavior. Paper 4 examines the potential for RFT research on schizophrenia when it is understood as a failure of lateralization and the dominance of language in one hemisphere.

    26. Applications of ACT to children, adolescents and their parents: Case studies
    Symposium (1:15-3:00pm): ACT - Clinical/ Children and parents
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    Chair: FRANCISCO RUIZ, University of Almería
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Application of ACT on a persistent oscurity phobia in a 11 years old boy.
    FRANCISCO RUIZ, University of Almería
    Vanessa Sánchez, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, Ph.D., University of Almería
    Rosa M. Vizcaíno, University of Almería
    • Application of ACT on a case of bullying in a 9 year old boy
    Francisco Ruiz, University of Almería
    ROSA M. VIZCAÍNO, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, University of Almería
    • Application of ACT to improve the performance of a 12 year old chess-player, to treat familiar problems and self-injury behaviors.
    FRANCISCO RUIZ, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, University of Almería
    • ACT in family: a case on eating disorders
    MARISA PÁEZ, PH.D., Instituto ACT
    This symposium presents four clinical cases of children/adolescents an their parents treated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
    The first paper describes the intervention and results of an application of ACT in a 11-years-old boy who presented a persistent oscurity phobia. The second paper explore the utility of ACT in bullying. Specifically, a case of a 9-years-old boy suffering bullying and social exclusion is presented. The third paper extends previous studies on chess performance presenting the case of a 12-years-old chess-player who suffered high levels of competitive anxiety and presented oscurity phobia, familiar problems and self-injury behaviors. Finally, the fourth paper presents a case of an adolescent with a swallow phobia who presented a very restricted diet because of her fear to choke.
    The interventions are described highlighting the sinergical effect of the use of ACT components with contingencies management in the treatment of clinical problems in children, adolescents and their parents.

    27. RFT and the Self: Theory, Research and Applications
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): RFT - Clinical/ The Self
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 6
    CARMEN LUCIANO, University of Almeria, Spain
    JENNIFER BOULANGER, University of Nevada, Reno
    IAN STEWART, University of Ireland, Galway
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    The self is a key concept within Acceptance Commitment Therapy as well as psychology more broadly. Relational Frame Theory defines the self in terms of responding verbally to one's own behavior and predicts that relational responding give rise to three distinct senses of self. Over the last decade RFT/ACT research has empirically examined several concepts related to the self including verbal self-discrimination, perspective-taking and self-rules. The current workshop will outline the RFT/ACT approach to self; describe developmental and clinical research that has explored these concepts; discuss self-issues in therapy, drawing on RFT conceptualizations and provide for experiential exploration of senses of self.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Understand the RFT conceptualization of self and its implication for self-discrimination, perspective-taking, and self-regulation.
    2. Become familiar with key RFT studies on the self & perspective taking.
    3. Understand the nature of "language traps" and how they contribute to difficulties in self-regulation.

    28. OCD and Case Formulation in ACT
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Case Formulation OCD
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 3
    MARTIN BROCK, Institute of Mental Health Nottingham
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a new model of behavioural treatment that emphasizes acceptance of internal experience while maintaining a focus on positive behaviour change. This approach is designed to address maladaptive avoidance of internal experiences associated with many problems in functioning while also focusing on making and keeping commitments.
    A Functional Contextual Model for OCD and also a Case Formulation approach in ACT has been developed; both will be described in this workshop.
    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is recognized as a complex disorder and is difficult to treat, due in part to the intrusive nature of the types of thoughts which can be highly distressing and motivation to abate, avoid or eliminate them is strong.
    In this experiential workshop opportunities will be given to develop awareness of the typical experiences found in OCD and to explore and share the challenges for therapists.
    Finally an opportunity will be given to formulate a case within OCD.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Participants will begin to understand the Core Activities of Case Formulation in ACT.
    2. Participants will have an understanding of a Functional Contextual Model of OCD.
    3. Participants will explore the highly intrusive nature of OCD.

    Wednesday Afternoon 3:15pm
    29. Training Nurses in ACT Skills for Medical Treatment Planning
    Invited Lecture (3:15-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ Training
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    KEVIN POLK, PH.D., ACT Gone Wild and Togus VA
    FANNY ROBICHAUD, RN, VAC Canada
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    Nurses are often on the front line of recommending and monitoring behavioral goals for physical health that ultimately affect mental health. This program will show a training that we do to help nurses help clients through a contextual point of view.

    30. Identifying Key Processes Involved in Disorders and Therapies
    Symposium (3:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ rumination, borderline personality disorder, Cognitive mediation
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    Chair: JOSEPH CIARROCHI, University of Wollongong
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • The role of rumination in borderline personality disorder
    RUTH A. BAER, PH.D., University of Kentucky
    • Key cognitive constructs in classical and new-wave cognitive behavioral psychotherapies: relationships with each other and with emotional distress
    IOANA CRISTEA, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
    Daniel David, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
    Madalina Sucala, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
    • Identifying the Active ingredients in ACT. What we know and what we need to know.
    JOSEPH CIARROCHI, University of Wollongong
    This symposium will explore the importance of identifying processes that may be critically involved in the development or the treatment of disorders. Paper 1 examines the role of rumination as avoidance behavior in Borderline personality disorder. Paper 2 presents a study comparing the key cognitive constructs of three forms of cognitive behavioral therapy - Rational-emotive behavioral therapy, cognitive behavior therapy Beck version, and ACT. The final paper reviews evidence on the core ACT mediational hypotheses and discusses ways to help pinpoint the active ingredients in ACT.

    31. Theoretical Frameworks and Therapeutic Possibilities
    Invited Lecture (3:15-4:15pm): Other/ Philosophy of Psychology
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal B
    MICHAEL MCEACHRANE, Department of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    This talk will cast doubt on the seemingly ubiquitous connection between Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT) in two ways. (i) By questioning some of the connections between language and cognition as posited by RFT. And (ii), by considering a more piecemeal approach to explaining, and seeking remedies for, human suffering. Instead of aspiring to a capitol-F-theoretical-Framework in service of a capitol-T-Therapy, a more piecemeal approach could perhaps cast new light on ACT as well as open up to a greater range of therapeutic possibilities.

    32. The Efficacy and Process of ACT: A systematic review and meta-analysis
    Invited Lecture (3:15-4:15pm): ACT - Other/ Meta-Analysis
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1212
    LARS-GÖRAN ÖST, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a treatment that has attracted a lot of clinical interest during the past 5-10 years. The number of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) has also increased to a large extent and there are now 22 published RCTs on psychiatric or medical disorders. In this invited lecture, a meta-analysis using the primary outcome measure from each study will be presented. Then the APA Task Force criteria for empirically supported treatments (Chambless et al., 1998) will be applied to assess if ACT can be considered evidence-based for one or more specific disorders. Finally, process research assessing factors that mediate treatment outcome will be reviewed and evaluated. The presentation will end with suggestions concerning further outcome and process research on ACT.

    33. Reinventing Empirical Clinical Psychology in the Electronic Age: An Invitation to Participate in the First Fully Distributed Research Network Ever Created
    Invited Lecture (3:15-4:15pm): Other/ Science as a Public Trust
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    KELLY G. WILSON, PH.D., University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    There is a received view of empirical clinical psychology and the way to make progress within it that masquerades as the only well-reasoned view. The received view accepts a number of dubious assumptions. The assumed prerequisites to progress include large randomized clinical trials, a focus on DSM diagnostic categories, enormous concern for internal validity over external validity, for Type 1 error at the expense of Type 2 error, and on outcome over change processes, among others.
    This collection of assumptions creates problems that are unlikely to be self-correcting. While they have led to increasing confidence, I will question whether they have led to increasingly effective and disseminable treatments. Barriers to self-correction that emerge from a model of science are ironic, since science, as a way of knowing, is unique in its capacity for self-correction.
    We have a chance within ACBS to cultivate a different sort of research effort than has ever existed. In part the potential for this research effort emerges from contextual science sensibilities, but also in part from the availability of electronic means for the distribution knowledge and collection of data. What would it look like to build a network of providers who participated in research across settings, client difficulties, cultures, and countries? What would our treatments look like if they were vetted in a persistent and iterative way by both real world providers as well as by behavioral scientists? What would our treatments look like if they were persistently examined in clinical trials, real world clinics, and in the basic laboratory—where all are equal partners?
    The answer to these questions is: I don’t know. However, trends within and without ACBS are telling. In this address, I will advocate for a contextual behavioral science that is inclusive, horizontal, relevant, iterative, and progressive. I will advocate that ACBS take a leadership role in the development not just of a new psychology, but also a new way of doing psychology. Finally, I will invite the membership, all of the membership, to join in the invention of a new way forward.

    34. Welcome to the functional Babel: Talking ACT in non English-speaking countries
    Symposium (3:15-4:15pm): ACT - Other/ Research and language issues
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    Chair: GIOVAMBATTISTA PRESTI, M.D., Ph.D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    Discussant: GIOVANNI MISELLI, PSY. D., IULM University, Milan, IESCUM (Italy)
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Babel's AAQ-II: Do different languages result in different outcomes in Europe?
    JEAN-LOUIS MONESTÈS, CNRS 8160, Centre Hospitalier Ph. Pinel
    NELE JACOBS, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek (Belgium)
    Marco Kleen, PsyAdvies.nl / Brain Dynamics Groningen, Groningen (Netherlands)
    Francis De Groot, Psychiatrisch Centrum Broeders Alexianen, Boechout (Belgium)
    Jacqueline A-Tjak, PsyQ, Zaandam, (Netherlands)
    Maria Karekla, University of Nicosia, Cyprus
    Frank Bond, Goldsmiths, University of London
    Giovanni Miselli, Psy. D., IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    Matthieu Villatte, Ph.D., University of Picardie
    • Building towers in Babel: Spreading and sharing knowledge, translating manuals and self-help books
    MATTHIEU VILLATTE, PH.D., Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens (France)
    Jean-Louis Monestès, CNRS 8160, Centre Hospitalier Ph. Pinel (France)
    Giovambattista Presti, IULM University, Milan; IESCUM (Italy)
    ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) seems to have gained the great momentum in the last year 10 years, developing outside the English-speaking laboratories and clinics where it was studied and experimentally developed. The behavioural tradition behind it distinguishes between topography and function of verbal as well as non verbal behaviours. Thus ACT is based on a functional contextual vision of language and its effects on human behaviour and cognition. Translating and adapting textbooks, self-help manuals, clinical techniques and assessment instruments imply thorough research whether different verbal topographies, which may be correct from a grammatical and syntactic point of view, might not exert equal functions in the different verbal communities. This phenomenon, which follows logically from RFT (Relational Frame Theory) itself, the model of mind functioning behind ACT, needs to be addressed within the different research, clinical, publishing contexts that help the implementation of ACT in non-English speaking countries. This symposium aims to draw the lines of action taken in different countries all over the world in translations of books, adaptation and validation of scales, in everyday clinical work, and in research while implementing ACT in each verbal community. In addition it aims to foster international collaboration on relevant problems. Roadblocks arising from cultural differences between countries, cultures and languages are discussed, and recommendations for future work on these matters.

    35. Using ACT with Non-Clinical Populations: Findings from Recent and Ongoing Outcome Studies
    Symposium (3:15-4:15pm): ACT - Other/ Non-Clinical Populations, ACT Treatment Outcome
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    Chair: MICHAEL LEVIN, University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • ACT for Stigma and Burnout with Substance Abuse Counselors
    STEVEN C. HAYES, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jacqueline Pistorello, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    Barbara Kohlenberg, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Roger Vilardaga, M.A,
    Michael Levin, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Lillis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Mikaela Hildebrandt, University of Nevada, Reno
    • Using ACT to prevent mental health problems among college freshman
    JACQUELINE PISTORELLO, PH.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Lillis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Chelsea MacLane, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Michael Levin, University of Nevada, Reno
    Jennifer Boulanger, University of Nevada, Reno
    Anthony Biglan, Ph.D., Oregon Research Institute
    John Seeley, Ph.D., Oregon Research Institute
    Research has tested the impact of ACT across an increasingly broad range of problems. Recently, this has included using ACT in non-clinical populations targeting areas such as stigma and prevention. This symposium will present a series of studies using ACT in non-clinical populations. Results from outcome trials that have been recently completed, or are in progress, will be presented. In addition, we will discuss differences encountered in using ACT in these populations as compared to clinical populations.

    36. The Trainer Peer Review Process: Introduction and Updates
    Panel Discussion (3:15-4:15pm): Other/ Training
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    JASON LUOMA, PH.D., The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    AMY MURRELL, PH.D., University of North Texas
    RAINER SONNTAG, M.D., Private practice, Germany
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Being listed as a trainer on the ACBS site is meant as a pragmatic way to help learners find high quality ACT training. The ACT Trainers in this community are committed to training with high fidelity to the model and work from explicit, agreed-upon shared values as they train others in ACT. The ACBS community uses a peer-review process to balance the need to protect and foster the high fidelity of ACT training with the need to keep the community open to new talented, innovative, qualified trainers. This panel discussion will provide an overview of that peer-review process and answer audience questions.

    Wednesday Plenary 4:30-5:45pm
    37. Perspectives on How Best to Produce Progress in Applied Psychological Science
    Plenary (4:30-5:45pm): /
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora/ Amphitheater
    Chair: KELLY WILSON, University of Mississippi
    RUTH BAER, University of Kentucky
    STEVE HAYES, University of Nevada, Reno
    LARS-GÖRAN ÖST, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
    Target Audience: All
    This session will examine the model of scientific development underlying ACT, contextual behavioral science, and will compare it to other models of how best to produce progress in the behavioral sciences. In that context we will discuss the state of the current evidence in ACT and to a lesser degree other third generation approaches, consider whether adequate progress is being made, and compare where we are relative to progress being made in the field at large.
    Educational Objectives:
    Participants will:
    1. Have a general understanding of the extant ACT evidence base.
    2. Understand the potential value of an iterative, horizontal, theory-driven approach to treament development.
    3. Understand the current criticisms of ACT treatment development to date.

    Wednesday Night Barbeque & Music
    6:00pm-12:00am
    Dinner (6:30-8:00pm)
    Location: Boerderij Bosch
    Music/Social (6:00pm-11:30pm)
    Location: Boerderij Bosch

    Thursday Morning 9:00am
    38. Learning Hexaflex Processes Using Mindfulness for Two Videos
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Psychotherapy training
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    KELLY G. WILSON, PH.D., University of Mississippi
    EMILY K. SANDOZ, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Learning to detect shifts in core ACT processes is central to flexible responding on the part of the therapist. The six core ACT processes described in the hexaflex can be detected through a variety of verbal and nonverbal manifestations. In this workshop, attendees will be provided with coding instructions for all six core ACT processes. We will watch a series of video segments and learn to code the segments based on the indicators described in the coding instructions. Reviewing of segments will quickly help therapists and researchers to see instances of all ACT processes and transitions from high to low levels of functioning in each. In addition, we will brainstorm potential intervention strategies based on changes in ACT processes. This will be a very active, hands on session intended to build on the fly fluency in seeing and responding to shifts in ACT processes.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn verbal and nonverbal signs of psychological inflexibility.
    2. Learn to detect values and commitment fusion.
    3. Learn to generate treatment alternatives based on detected changes in ACT processes.

    39. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Finding Life Beyond Trauma for the Survivor and the Therapist
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Trauma, PTSD
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D., National Center for PTSD
    JACQUELINE PISTORELLO, PH.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Victoria M. Follette, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    Many individuals who have been diagnosed with PTSD or have experienced trauma are struggling with difficult memories, painful feelings and unwanted thoughts and they take great efforts to avoid these private experiences. Trauma can have a powerful negative impact in individual’s lives. Therapists, too, can come to feel overwhelmed, burnt-out and discouraged by the repeated and often horrific stories of trauma. Avoidance can began to play a role in therapist’s life. Acceptance, an alternative to avoidance, can create a new context from which the trauma survivor and therapist may view the world and the self. This workshop will focus on use of acceptance and mindfulness techniques and on re-committing to values following trauma. We will also explore the clinician’s experience of working with traumatized individuals and personal impact and how ACT applies to the therapist when working in the field of PTSD.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Explore the process of experiential avoidance as it relates to trauma.
    2. Describe the application of ACT with trauma survivors with a particular focus on values lost as a result of the trauma.
    3. Conduct experiential exercises to demonstrate the implementation of ACT to reduce burn-out in working with trauma survivors.

    40. ACT with The Challenging Patient
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ personality disorders
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal A
    KIRK STROSAHL, Central Washington Family Medicine
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    Most clinicians struggle to find a positive therapeutic foothold with challenging patients. Challenging patients often present with high risk behaviors such as suicidal/self destructive behavior, alcohol or drug abuse and are often described as "help seeking, help rejecting". Challenging patients have a way of shifting responsibility onto the clinician for solving the patient's problems or influencing the patient to try more adaptive behaviors. The combination of high risk behavior and power shifting creates a therapeutic impasse and often, confrontation, mutual negative labelling and therapy termination. This workshop will introduce participants to an ACT model for addressing challenging behaviors ranging from suicidality to missing appointments to non adherence to agreed upon homework. We will explore how fusion and emotional avoidance on both the part of the patient and the therapist feed this vicious cycle. Participants, through large and small group exercises, will get to practice skills designed to solve these communication obstacles. Video demonstrations will be used to demonstrate a simple case conceptualization method that will allow the clinician to predict in advance whether a patient is likely to turn into a "challenging patient".
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Appreciate the central characteristics of a challenging patient from an ACT perspective.
    2. Learn how to address high risk and challenging behaviors from an ACT framework.
    3. Learn to identify and manage "hot buttons" that draw clinicians into therapeutic struggle with challenging patients

    41. Demystifying Relational Frame Theory
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): RFT - Other/ Functional Contextualism
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal B
    DANIEL J. MORAN, PH.D., BCBA, Trinity Services, Inc.
    PATRICIA BACH, PH.D., Illinois Institute of Technology
    Target Audience: Beginner
    Arbitrarily applied what? Derived relational who? If you started learning about Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and then stopped when you read: Crel {ArxB and BrxC...}, or have just been interested in learning the basics of RFT, this is the introductory workshop for you.
    This workshop will outline and explain the basic concepts of RFT and help the audience members understand an expanded functional approach to verbal behavior. We will discuss, from a behavior analytic point of view, how people can listen with understanding and speak with meaning. The workshop will simplify functional contextualism principles and discuss the basic RFT research methods and results in a manner that will help people who are new to RFT to begin applying the concepts to their own behavior analytic endeavors.
    We plan to make clear the core assumptions of functional contextual behavior analysis and how they apply to discussing language and cognition. We aim to not let your eyes glaze over as we discuss transformation of stimulus functions, generalized operants, and the different types of derived relating. Most importantly, we plan to help everyone have an enjoyable time while "framing events relationally" about RFT.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Workshop attendees will be able to list and describe six basic principles of functional contextualism, and also contrast those principles from mainstream psychology principles.
    2. Attendees will be able to compare and contrast conditioned discrimination and derived relational responding, in research contexts and in daily use.
    3. Attendees will be able to define arbitrary applicable relational responding, along with mutual entailment and combinatorial entailment.

    42. A Practitioner’s Field Guide to Developing Effective Language Training Programs Using Relational Frame Theory (RFT): Part 1- The Basics of RFT
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): RFT - Clinical/ RFT-Research, ABA, Early Language Training Programs, Education, Fluency, Precision Teaching
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal C
    NICHOLAS M. BERENS, University of Nevada, Reno/ Center for Advanced Learning, Inc.
    TIMOTHY WEIL, University of South Florida
    CARMEN LUCIANO & FRANCISCO JOSÉ RUIZ-JIMÉNEZ, Universidad de Almería
    MARTHA PALAEZ, Florida International University
    Target Audience: Beginner
    This two part workshop will guide practitioners and researchers through the basics of RFT, how to conceptualize early language training programs using RFT, and finally using the core premises of RFT in more traditional educational programs. The first workshop will cover beginner level concepts of behavior analysis and RFT. Having established a foundational understanding of RFT, this workshop will then begin to assist in the conceptualization of early language training scenarios. The first workshop is ideal for those working with autistic children, young children with mild-language delays, and young children in general. Those interested in the basics of RFT and/or language building programs based on RFT will benefit from the workshop.
    Educational Objectives:
    Attendees will:
    1. understand the core principles and premises of RFT,
    2. be able to think about how these core features may extended to clinical contexts involved in language training with young children, &
    3. understand preliminary frames (coordination, comparison, distinction, and opposition) and be able to use these behavioral distinctions in their current clinical settings.

    43. Creative Confusion: An idiot's guide to ACT in groups
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Groups
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1212
    KEVIN POLK, VA - Togus
    MARK WEBSTER, South Hampshire CBT Ltd- Southampton
    BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF, Claude Bernard University- Lyon
    JEROLD HAMBRIGHT, VA - Togus
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    In this workshop we will first give live demonstrations of the group sessions and then present the theory behind each module. The day will be divided into four separate sections and at each juncture the various therapist skills that are used will be discussed. Participants in this workshop will be introduced to the group treatment manual that has been developed and will learn a basic set of skills to deliver it. Included in the day will be an introduction to the iView which is the basic ACT stance that is used throughout. The main modules will then be covered in turn- Suffering and Solutions, Rule of World and Rule of Mind, Hooked and Unhooked and finally the MegaView.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Understand the ACT stance in Groups.
    2. Become familiar with the group protocols.
    3. Learn skills required to deliver in group format.

    44. Turning your life toward maturity: ACT with older adults
    Workshop (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ Older Adults
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    ERWIN LUTZKE, Riagg Rijnmond, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    “All aspects of experience have a benign quality to them, having a language of their own which can be looked upon with a friendly, compassionate gaze” is inherent to ACT and to maturity. The life-line method, adapted from FAP and introduced to ACT by JoAnne Dahl, is quick to demonstrate all 6 core processes. This has profound and far reaching implications for therapy with older adults. Its’ practice is able to evoke an immediate felt sense of the ground on which one stands, calling for acceptance, awareness of one’s conditioning, but also for mindful action. Clarifying values on personal and spiritual levels introduce a higher order context, showing a path on which we are simply free to build and expend energy as we choose. A freedom that many older adults may have deemed not possible.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Participants will be able to use all 6 core processes operating in unison, in one excercise;
    2. Participants will be able to illustrate how all response types are clarified on the life-line;
    3. Participants will be able to explain from where ACCEPTANCE derives its’ power.

    45. ACT Early: Acceptance, mindfulness and values in early intervention for psychosis
    Workshop (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ Psychosis
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    ERIC MORRIS, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust/ Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK
    JOE OLIVER, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
    SALLY BLOY, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    The stance of acceptance and committed action may allow for flexibility in response to persisting psychotic experiences, as has been suggested in ACT studies with the seriously mentally ill (Bach & Hayes, 2002; Gaudiano & Herbert, 2006). There may also be exciting potential for researching the impact of ACT in the early phase of psychosis - helping first episode clients to recover from psychosis through the development of mindfulness toward unusual experiences and critical appraisals, and committing to values-based actions (Morris & Oliver, 2009).
    More specifically, the use of ACT may:
    1. foster the development of a psychologically flexible stance toward anomalous experiences,
    2. enable a "values-based" recovery,
    3. reduce the impact of "fear of recurrence" of psychosis through development of mindfulness and self as context,
    4. enable individuals to notice the process of self-stigmatisation, contexts where this operates as a barrier, and commit to valued directions in the face of these appraisals, and
    5. improve relapse prevention plans through the use of mindfulness and committed action.
    We will describe a group program we have developed, as well as individual work with young people who have experienced a first episode of psychosis. We will present adaptations to ACT to suit the needs of young people from an inner-city setting, including variations of "classic" exercises and procedures to engage a traditionally difficult group of clients. Examples of case formulations and treatment approaches will illustrate the principles of using ACT in an early intervention setting.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. To learn the rationale for ACT/mindfulness interventions with clients experiencing a first episode of psychosis.
    2. To learn the theoretical background for using mindfulness interventions with young people who are at risk of psychosis.
    3. To build understanding for using ACT in groups with young people who are experiencing psychotic symptoms.

    46. ACT and Anxiety: Toward Flexibility with Fear and Worry
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): ACT- Clinical/ Psychological Flexibility and Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Treatment Mediation, Psychological Flexibility, Randomized clinical trial
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    Chair: MARIA KAREKLA, Ph.D., University of Nicosia
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Psychological Flexibility and Anxiety: Preliminary Data from an Epidemiological Study in Cyprus
    MARIA KAREKLA, Ph.D., University of Nicosia
    Margarita Kapsou, M.A., University of Cyprus
    Georgia Panayiotou, Ph.D., University of Cyprus
    • Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Group Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: Preliminary Results
    NANCY KOCOVSKI, PH.D., Wilfrid Laurier University; Ryerson University
    Jan Fleming, M.D., Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; University of Toronto; Ryerson University
    Martin Antony, Ph.D., Ryerson University; Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare
    • Psychological Flexibility as a Mediator of Treatment Outcome in Exposure-driven CBT NOT based on ACT: Intermediate Results from a Randomized Treatment Study of Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia
    ANDREW T. GLOSTER, Technical University of Dresden
    Michael Höfler, Technical University of Dresden
    Jens Klotsche, Technical University of Dresden
    Franziska Einsle, Technical University of Dresden
    Hans-Ulrich Wittchen, Technical University of Dresden
    • Cognitive therapy versus rational emotive behavior therapy versus acceptance and commitment therapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trial
    Daniel David, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
    Aurora Szentagotai Tatar, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
    IOANA CRISTEA, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
    This symposium examines therapeutic approaches to anxiety including mindfulness, acceptance, and psychological flexibility. Paper 1 presents results from a survey on the prevalence of anxiety disorders in Cyprus, and its correlation with psychological flexibility. Paper 2 compares Mindfulness and Acceptance Group Therapy with Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. Preliminary data on approximately 70 participants will be presented. Paper 3 examines the role of psychological flexibility as a mediator of treatment outcome in patients diagnosed with Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia based on the results from a randomized treatment outcome study consisting of two exposure-based CBT groups and a waitlist condition. Paper 4 discusses the progress of a study designed to investigate the efficacy, mechanisms of change, and the cost-effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

    47. ACT Through CBT and CBT Through ACT - Are they so different?
    Workshop (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ Comparative Psychotherapy
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    KENNETH FUNG, M.D. FRCPC MSc, University of Toronto
    MATEUSZ ZUROWSKI, M.D. FRCPC MSc, University of Toronto
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    Relational frame theory (RFT) posits that the core of language is the process of arbitrarily applied relational responding. Indeed, research outside RFT has shown that individuals with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in associative learning and acquired equivalence learning (Keri et al., 2005; Farkass, et al., 2008) and these processes could be readily described from an RFT-perspective, ie. as mutual entailment, combinatorial entailment and transformation of stimulus functions.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Identify and appreciate common therapeutic processes and techniques in ACT and CBT.
    2. Distinguish unique therapeutic processes and techniques in ACT and CBT.
    3. Reflect on the optimal application of ACT and CBT principles and techniques appropriate to the specific therapeutic context.

    48. Recent Investigations Using The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): RFT - Research/ IRAP
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    Chair: NIGEL VAHEY, NUI Maynooth
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    • Resistance to Anti-smoking Information As a Function of Implicit Expectancies Toward Smoking and Smoking-cessation
    NIGEL VAHEY, NUI Maynooth
    Dermot Barnes-Holmes, NUI, Maynooth
    • An implicit measure of emotional avoidance
    NIC HOOPER, University of Wales, Swansea
    • Will the Real Nazi Please Stand-Up; Attitude Formation and the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP).
    SEAN HUGHES, NUI Maynooth
    • Testing an adaptation of the IRAP to increase sensitivity to detect implicit relations at the individual level
    MIKE LEVIN, University of Nevada, Reno
    The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) is an RFT-based protocol for the investigation of implicit cognition, or, in RFT terms, relational responding as it occurs under conditions of minimal contextual control. The respondent in an IRAP study is required to respond under strict time constraints in accordance with relational networks that are either consistent or inconsistent with hypothesised learned relational repertoires. Differences in average reaction times to consistent versus inconsistent networks provide some confirmation of the hypothesised relational learning history. In the present symposium, research from a number of international laboratories will be presented. The studies involved constitute a range of different IRAP based investigations examining technical IRAP as well as applied social and clinical issues. The presentations, from expert IRAP researchers, will hopefully provide some useful insight into the state of the art with respect to this protocol.

    49. ACT Treatment of Stuttering
    Workshop (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ Control of automatic behavior
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    JOSÉ ANTONIO GARCÍA HIGUERA, Centro de Psicología Clínica 2, Madrid, Spain
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    Stuttering is a speech problem that, in adults, is reluctant to treatment and may limit strongly stutterers' life. ACT may provide a therapeutic body to overcome such limitations.
    Normally, ACT is presented through its core processes. Each one of these processes influence psychological flexibility. A psychological problem may be analyzed by referring to these core processes.
    The advantage of building an ACT model of a psychological problem is that ACT provides a set of treatment strategies to solve it. From core processes related to utter blockings, the following may be related to stuttering: (1) Thought fusion, (2) Experiential avoidance, (3) Being present, (4) Values, and (5) Self as content. Consequently, the ACT strategies that may help cope with stuttering are: (1) Defusion, (2) Acceptance of emotions associated with blocking, (3) Mindfulness of speech behaviors, (4) Values clarification, (5) Self as context, and (6) Committed action.
    Clinical experiences of how to perform these strategies and results obtained in clinical practice will be shared in workshop. Generalization of the model to other behaviours will be discussed.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn an ACT model of stuttering in adults.
    2. Learn how to apply ACT-consistent techniques to stuttering cases.
    3. Learn how the model may be applied to other conscious control attempts of automatic behaviours.

    50. Time-Series Designs in Clinical Practice
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ single case design
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 6
    Chair: JENNIFER L. BOULANGER, University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • A multiple-baseline study of ACT for self-stigma around sexual orientation: Issues in the measurement of less overt behaviors.
    JAMES YADAVAIA, University of Nevada, Reno
    • Exploring feasibility through single case design: A single case of ACT with a woman with traumatic brain injury
    MERRY SYLVESTER, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    • Time-Series Designs in Clinical Practice and an Example Using the Training of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy through Videoconferencing
    JASON LUOMA, PH.D., Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    Rikard Calmbro, Södra Älvsborgs Sjukhus, (the Hospital of Southern Alvsborg), Västra Götalands
    • Using Time-Series Designs to Aid in Case Conceptualization, Treatment Targeting, and Progress Monitoring: A case of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the long-term treatment of a severe, multi-problem client
    JENNIFER L. BOULANGER, University of Nevada, Reno
    Time-series designs are a well-established and effective scientific method for developing and testing new interventions or adapting established treatments for use with unique populations or clinical problems. Time-series, or single-subject designs, focus more intensively on intervention with a smaller number of individuals through the repeated measurement over time of a client's behavior and the context in which it occurs. Because these designs do not require large samples of participants, they are ideal for clinicians who are interested in improving client outcomes and contributing to the scientific literature through their own clinical practices. This symposium will familiarize the audience with the logic of time-series designs, demonstrate the application of these methods through case presentations, and discuss the unique issues that arise in designing and implementing time-series designs in nontraditional research settings.
    The first paper will describe the logic of time-series designs, with a focus on the multiple-baseline design. To illustrate the application of this method, data on the training of a clinician in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy using videoconferencing will be presented. The second paper will demonstrate how to use repeated measures to choose treatment targets and monitor progress by presenting data on a long-term Acceptance and Commitment Therapy case with a multiproblem client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. A third paper will present a multiple-baseline evaluation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to reduce self-stigma regarding sexual orientation. This study will illustrate the development and evaluation of problem-specific measures and interventions targeted at less overt behaviors. Finally, a single case of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with a woman with traumatic brain injury will be used as an exemplar of the use of time-series design to determine feasibility for larger-scale clinical trials.

    51. ACT of Love: Sex and Intimacy
    Workshop (9:00am-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Relationships
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 3
    ANDO ROKX, GGNET
    AAD VAN LEEUWEN, Private Practice
    MONIQUE BARNOUW, GGNET
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    For most of us and our clients intimate relationships are at the core of what we value in our lives. Relationships seem to be related to physical and mental health, quality of life and even survival. Nevertheless intimate relationships seem to be hard to get and even harder to keep. Divorce rates in the US and in Europe are around 50 % and even higher for second or third marriages. Adultery rates are on a conservative guess 30 %, but in some studies numbers up to 75% are found. Relationships are a major source of emotional pain and suffering even (or maybe, in some cases, especially) if they don't end up in divorce. It's difficult to balance the need for security, intimacy and dependency versus the need for self-development, passionate love, sex, autonomy and honesty.
    In this workshop we want to linger around these questions. Who are the people who once were so close in your life that it felt they were the one and only you cared for, and where did you lose them? How do you feel about your present relationship, what do you value, and what do you avoid? Where is the longing part, where is the missing part? What have become your solution(s) to "make things work" and what is the price you pay for that? How do sex and intimacy influence each other? What is your story about your partner(s) and your relationship and how does that story relate to the life you value?
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Getting some understanding of the role of avoidance and conflicting values in intimate relationships.
    2. Understanding how "solutions" ( i.e. denial, justification, understanding, creating distance or leading a double life) might create the actual problems.
    3. Finding a way to get stuck relationships back on the move again. Partners are caught in their story, that might serve multiple purposes, but stands in the way of getting what they really are longing for.

    Thursday Morning 10:45am
    52. A Group ACTivation Program for Us Old Folks
    Invited Lecture (10:45-Noon): ACT - Other/ The Aged
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    SVEN RYDBERG, PH.D., Fahraeus & Rydberg, Ltd.
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    A behavioural activation format is presented. Purposes: (1) Acceptance of ageing and death for all, (2) commitment to helping others, for those willing, (3) entertainment and socializing. At a Swedish senior-citizens residence, the author has been running weekly 1-hour morning meetings for 1.5 years. Now we usually have 20 minutes (initially more) of unpretentious readings, at times a song, etc.; followed by a previously announced, more formal presentation and/or discussion. Increasingly, invited external and younger presenters, including TV companies, have come. Participants usually have been 12-36, initially 4. Ages: 70-95 years. A small grant finances this mainly qualitative research. It is mainly based on video recordings, interviews, and questionnaires.

    53. Training Psychological Flexibility and Successful Living Outside of the Clinic
    Symposium (10:45-11:45am): Other, ACT - Skills, ACT - Clinical/ Experiential Avoidance, Education, E-learning, Research, Parent Training, Autism, Parental Stress
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    Chair: GIOVANNI MISELLI, PSY.D., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    • Coping Strategies and the Mediating Role of Experiential Avoidance
    TIZIANA PENNATO, University of Pisa
    Olivia Bernini, University of Pisa
    Fiammetta Cosci, University of Pisa
    Carmen Berrocal, University of Pisa
    • Elearning and behavior modification: Measuring the differences of ACT based and CBT based Podcast on the academic behavior of students of an Italian University
    GIOVANNI MISELLI, PSY.D., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Julian McNally, M.Psych, Counselling Psychologist
    Francesco Pozzi, M.S., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Elisa Rabitti, M.A., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Giovambattista Presti, M.D., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Giovanni Zucchi, Psy.D., Villa Maria Luigia Hospital, Parma
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University
    • ACT for parent of childern diagnosed with autism: Developing and evaluating group intervention for supporting parents in Italy
    GIOVANNI MISELLI, PSY.D., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Giovambattista Presti, M.D., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University Milan; IESCUM Italy
    This symposium explores the relevance of ACT related concepts to non-clinical populations. Paper 1 discusses the mediating role of experiential avoidance in the relation of specific forms of coping strategies such as self distraction, denial, behavioral disengagement, and self blame with depression, anxiety, and alexithymia. Paper 2 evaluates the efficacy and effectiveness of two audio e-learning programs on psychological flexibility, performance, and academic behavior with students at an Italian university. The research project, the electronic tools developed, and the preliminary results will be presented and discussed. Paper 3 discusses the development and evaluation of an ACT based group intervention for supporting parents of autistic children. The ACT intervention delivered in a short format and data on its outcomes at follow-ups of 1 and 3 months will be presented.

    54. Using ACT to empower the unconscious
    Workshop (10:45-Noon): ACT - Skills/ Social and cognitive psychology
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    JACQUELINE A-TJAK, PsyQ at Zaandam, the Netherlands
    Target Audience: Beginner
    Social and Cognitive Psychology have shown a great interest in the differences between conscious and non-conscious information processing. Research in this area has shown the huge impact of non-conscious information processing on behavior. As such, it is interesting for therapists in general and ACT therapist in particular to make use of this knowlegde and help client to make good use of this unconscious processing. This contribution gives a short overview of research findings and draws conclusions on the consequences for therapy. There will be exepriential exercises to bring these consequences into practice.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Gain knowlegde of research findings concerning the unconscious information processing
    2. Apply this knowledge to the theory and practice of ACT (therapy)
    3. Being able to use this knowledge in the practice of doing therapy

    55. Assessment, Treatment, and Process in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Illness
    Symposium (10:45-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Assessment, Treatment, Process Analysis, Chronic Illness
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    Chair: KEVIN E. VOWLES, PH.D., Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Measuring acceptance and fusion in individuals seeking treatment for chronic fatigue
    KEVIN VOWLES, PH.D., Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath
    Nikie Catchpool, Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
    Anne Johnson, Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
    Kathryn Bristow, Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases
    Katherine Hadlandsmyth, University of Missouri - St Louis
    • The function of acceptance and values in pediatric Sickle Cell Disease
    LINDSEY L. COHEN, PH.D., Georgia State University
    Aki Masuda, Georgia State University
    Kevin E. Vowles, Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath
    Josie Welkom, Georgia State University
    Crystal Lim, George State University
    Amanda Feinstein, George State University
    • ACT in the treatment of epilepsy: Where are we now and where are we going?
    TOBIAS LUNDGREN, University of Uppsala
    JoAnne Dahl, University of Uppsala
    Lennart Melin, University of Uppsala
    Nandan Yardi, Yardi Hospital
    Bryan Kies, University of Cape Town
    • Development and Evaluation of a Self-help based ACT treatment for persons with long-standing chronic pain
    JOANNE DAHL, PH.D., University of Uppsala
    Tobias Lundgren, University of Uppsala
    In recent years, the burden of chronic illnesses on healthcare systems in the developed world has been increasingly recognized. With the ACT literature, there is now a substantial amount of data indicating that many ACT processes are key predictors of functioning in individuals with chronic illness. The present symposium will highlight new areas of measurement, as well as refinements in areas that have been the subject of previous inquiry. Our intention is to be broad in scope; therefore, data from a number of diverse conditions will be presented (i.e., Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, chronic pain, epilepsy, Sickle Cell Disease) from adolescents and adults. The analyses presented will focus on how key ACT processes can best be approached in clinical and research settings to guide intervention and experimentation.

    56. RFT Methods Applied to Clinical & Health Psychological Issues
    Symposium (10:45-Noon): RFT - Research/ RFT-Clinical
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    Chair: LOUISE McHUGH, Swansea University
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Thought Suppression and the Transfer on Stimulus Functions
    NIC HOOPER, Swansea University
    Louise McHugh, Swansea University
    Jo Saunders, Swansea University
    • Transformation of Health Risk Functions of Pseudo-Food Names
    EMILY K. SANDOZ, University of Mississippi
    Chad E. Drake,
    Kelly Wilson, University of Mississippi
    • Comparing IRAP, IAT and Facial Electromyography (EMG) as measures of implicit attitudes towards the overweight
    Sarah Roddy, NUI Galway
    IAN STEWART, NUI Galway
    • Implicit future expectations and autobiographical memory in depression
    LIV KOSNES, Swansea University
    Louise McHugh, Swansea University
    Jo Saunders, Swansea University
    Robert Whelan, Trinity College
    Relational Frame Theory has suggested that language and cognition may be analyzed as derived relational responding, and over the last decade RFT researchers have been exploring a variety of linguistic and cognitive phenomena based on this theoretical interpretation. The present symposium presents a selection of recent studies that demonstrate the application of RFT-based methods to empirical issues in areas of health and clinical psychological interest. Paper 1 investigated the transformation of thought suppression functions; Paper 2 investigated the transformation of health risk functions of pseudo-food names; Papers 3 and 4 employed the Implicit Relational Evaluation Procedure to examine implicit versus explicit anti fat attitudes and future thinking in depression, respectively.

    57. Stress Reduction through Acceptance and Mindfulness
    Symposium (10:45-Noon): Other, ACT - Clinical/ Mindfulness, ACT and Work Stress
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    Chair: IVAN NYKLICEK, PH.D., Tilburg University
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Can a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention Change Personality?
    IVAN NYKLICEK, PH.D., Tilburg University
    • The Effectiveness of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Work Stress on Innovation, Cognitive Interference, and General Health Symptoms
    ERIN BANNON, Bowling Green State University
    This symposium examines the role of mindfulness and acceptance in reducing stress. Paper 1 discusses the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention in reducing characteristics of Type D personality and present results from a randomized controlled trial. Paper 2 describes the results of an ACT intervention for work stress and its impact on propensity to innovate, cognitive interference, and general health symptoms.
    58. New Research on Measuring Stigma and its Relationship to ACT Processes
    Symposium (10:45-Noon): ACT - Other/ Stigma, ACT Processes
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 6
    Chair: MICHAEL LEVIN, University of Nevda, Reno
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Measuring weight stigma
    Jason Lillis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    MICHAEL LEVIN, University of Nevada, Reno
    • Development and Psychometrics of a New Measure of Self-Stigma in Addiction
    JASON LUOMA, PH.D., Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    Alyssa Rye, University of Nevada, Reno
    Kara Bunting, University of Nevada, Reno
    Chad Drake, Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    Barbara Kohlenberg, University of Nevada Medical School
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    • Generalized Prejudice: Testing a Relational Frame Theory Account of Prejudice and Stigma
    MICHAEL LEVIN, University of Nevada, Reno
    Roger Vilardaga, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Lillis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    Barbara Kohlenberg, University of Nevada Medical School
    • Predictors of stigma among addictions counselors
    ROGER VILARDAGA, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    Michael Levin, University of Nevada, Reno
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Mikaela Hildebrandt, University of Nevada, Reno
    Barbara Kohlenberg, University of Nevada Medical School
    Nancy Roget, University of Nevada, Reno
    This symposium will present a series of papers examining stigma and its relationship to ACT processes. Papers will present new measures of self stigma related to weight and substance abuse, as well as potential models for how ACT processes may interact with other important factors to predict stigmatizing attitudes towards oneself and others.

    Thursday Lunch 12:00-1:15pm
    ORIËNTATIE LUNCH VOOR MOGELIJK OP TE RICHTEN NEDERLANDS/VLAAMSE CHAPTER VAN DE ACBS (DUTCH/FLEMISH MEETING)
    Organizational Meeting
    Room: Vrijhof - Kleine Zaal
    JACQUELINE A-TJAK, PsyQ at Zaandam, The Netherlands
    MARCO KLEEN, BrainDynamics Groningen, PsyAdvies
    Target Audience: Dutch/Flemish interested in networking and possibly starting an ACBS chapter
    Informatie: deze lunch is bedoeld voor Nederlandstalige ACBS leden die mogelijk geïnteresseerd zijn in het helpen opzetten van een Nederlands-Vlaams ACBS Chapter. Meer informatie bij Jacqueline A-Tjak en/of Marco Kleen.

    GERMAN-SPEAKING ACT GROUP
    Organizational Meeting
    Room: Vrijhof - Vergaderzaal 5
    JAN MARTZ, FMH Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, ACT-Therapeut, Switzerland
    RAINER SONNTAG, Private Practice, Germany
    Target Audience: All German speakers interested in networking
    An opportunity to get connected, vitalize our relationships, and discuss / plan for the further dissemination and development of ACT and RFT in German-speaking countries. Who knows, we might even launch a german-speaking chapter at ACBS?

    Thursday Afternoon 1:15pm
    59. Walking Through an Initial ACT Session
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Assessment and Intervention
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    STEVEN C. HAYES, PH.D., University of Nevada
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    In this session I will present an initial ACT session with an actual client. After considering possible ACT targets we will walk through the session with an eye toward ACT processes.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. To learn the seven processes that underlie and ACT model.
    2. To learn client cues that indicate presence or absence of these processes.
    3. To apply these concepts to the interpretation of an actual case.

    60. ACT in Practice: Case conceptualization in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Case conceptualization
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    PATRICIA BACH, PH.D., Illinois Institute of Technology
    DANIEL J. MORAN, PH.D., BCBA, Trinity Services, Inc.
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    This workshop will provide a step-by-step framework for functionally conceptualizing client behavior problems, and will discuss selection and application of specific ACT interventions based on the six core ACT processes described in Steven Hayes 'hexaflex' model. Participants will practice experiential exercises and have the opportunity to practice case conceptualization and developing their own ACT consistent interventions, exercises, and metaphors using clinical examples from their own practices.
    This workshop will be based on content from the publication ACT in Practice: Case Conceptualization in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, (Bach and Moran, 2008).
    The workshop will use a case-based approach beginning with instructor supplied cases and later using participants' clinical cases for practice in ACT case formulation, selecting interventions, and assessing the effectiveness of interventions, and outcomes.
    There will be a 60 minute slide presentation, demonstrations, large group exercises and case-based practice. Participants will be provided with handouts to use with their clients for assessment and homework assignments to augment in session interventions. Worksheets will also be distributed for the participants to use to facilitate ACT case formulation.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Workshop participants will become familiar with the six core ACT principles of defusion, self-as-context, acceptance, values, committed action, and contacting the present moment, which will be described from a strict behavior analytic perspective.
    2. Workshop participants will be able to select ACT interventions appropriate for addressing specific core principles and learn how to apply specific ACT interventions based on the case formulation.
    3. Workshop participants will learn to use ACT case conceptualization to facilitate creating one's own ACT consistent metaphors, exercises, and interventions for application in the context of a client's unique history and presenting complaints and assessing the effectiveness of interventions.

    61. Mindfulness and Acceptance in the Treatment of Depression
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Depression
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal A
    KIRK STROSAHL, Central Washington Family Medicine
    PATRICIA ROBINSON, PH.D., Mountainview Consulting Group
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    ACT has been shown to be an effective treatment for clinical depression. In this workshop, participants will learn a systematic approach to depression using ACT principles. Based on the Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression (Strosahl & Robinson, 2008), attendees will learn how emotional avoidance and fusion with unworkable rules about living combine to foster depression. In the ACT model, depression is a result of systematic avoidance of more pressing personal issues. Attendees will learn an 8 step approach to depression that helps the patient identify core values; understand the protective role that depression plays in avoiding painful private experiences; identify strategies for separating self from the products of reactive mind; identify and defuse from self defeating story lines that reinforce depressive behaviors; and techniques for developing an "ACT lifestyle" that will help inoculate the patient against relapse. Video demonstrations and small group role-playing will be used to demonstrate core treatment strategies.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn how emotional avoidance and fusion with unworkable rules about living combine to foster depression.
    2. Learn an ACT-consistent 8 step approach to addressing depression symptoms
    3. Learn techniques for developing an 'ACT lifestyle' that will help inoculate patients against relapse

    62. Child ACT-ing with Functional Contextualism: From the Playroom to the Supervisor's Office
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Children
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal B
    AMY R. MURRELL, University of North Texas
    AMANDA C. ADCOCK, University of North Texas
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Contrary to the traditional majority view of adult psychopathology, the psychological distress of child clients has often been conceived in contextual terms. The influence of environmental factors on children is, in deed, a cornerstone of developmental psychology. This influence is seen in a variety of treatment approaches, including psychoanalysis, cognitivism, and behaviorism alike. The definition of context has expanded over time; and now, many clinical scientists, from varying theoretical backgrounds, acknowledge that such influence is complex and interactive - including internal as well as external - and historical, as well as current, events.
    This broad definition of context as relevant to child development and distress is fitting of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The underlying philosophy of ACT is functional contextualism (FC). Derived from radical behaviorism, functional contextualism focuses on behavior ongoing in and with context. Individuals subscribing to FC as their worldview, such as ACT therapists, can thus see clients sitting inside a rich and broad context of environmental stimuli. This examination allows for a view of child clients, and people in general, as whole, complete, and perfect.
    A brief overview of contextual approaches to child treatment will be presented, most heavily emphasizing ACT. The effectiveness of FC as it relates to therapy and supervision will be discussed. The presenters will describe examples of how FC informs their approach to clinical work, primarily using examples of child clients. Presenters will also focus on how a FC approach informs training. This workshop will be primarily didactic; however, some role plays and experiential work will be used.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn how to conduct an ACT consistent functional analysis with a child client.
    2. Learn how to recognize how functional contextualism is related to therapeutic stance.
    3. Learn how to facilitate transfer of information from therapy to supervision and vice-versa.

    63. A Practitioner's Field Guide to Developing Effective Language Training Programs Using Relational Frame Theory (RFT): Part 2- From Research to Practice
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): RFT - Clinical/ RFT-Research, ABA, Early Language Training Programs, Education, Fluency, Precision Teaching
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal C
    NICHOLAS M. BERENS, University of Nevada, Reno/ Center for Advanced Learning, Inc.
    TIMOTHY WEIL, University of South Florida
    CARMEN LUCIANO & FRANCISCO JOSÉ RUIZ-JIMÉNEZ, Universidad de Almería
    MARTHA PALAEZ, Florida International University
    Target Audience: Beginner
    This two part workshop will guide practitioners and researchers through the basics of RFT, how to conceptualize early language training programs using RFT, and finally using the core premises of RFT in more traditional educational programs. The second workshop will provide a brief review of the main concepts of RFT that are relevant to early language training, review some new developments in the RFT research base that are relevant to practitioners, and provide examples of more advanced clinical strategies that promote language development. Experts in the field will show their data, present clinical videos, and engage attendees in activities that will translate into good clinical work. This workshop will be ideal for practitioners and researchers interested in accelerating language development for semi-verbal children, who work with children with learning disabilities, and who just want to get a deeper understanding of RFT.
    Educational Objectives:
    Attendees will:
    1. understand the current state of the RFT research base as it applies clinical settings dealing with language training,
    2. be able to translate recent research into their current practice, &
    3. understand more advanced or later developing frames (e.g., temporal/spacial, deictic, hierarchical, and relations among relations) and be able to conceptual how to target those behavior in a clinical setting.

    64. ACT and Living Successfully with Psychotic Experience
    Symposium (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Psychosis, ACT Processes, Intervention, Research
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    Chair: DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Acceptance and Present-Moment Processes with People who Hear Distressing Voices
    ERIC MORRIS, Institute of Psychiatry, U.K.
    Philippa Garrety, Institute of Psychiatry, U.K.
    Emmanuelle Peters, Institute of Psychiatry, U.K.
    • Psychotic Symptoms and Illness Beliefs do not Predict Successful Valued Living With Psychosis, But Psychological Flexibility Does.
    LAURA WEINBERG, NHS Fife, U.K.
    DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    • The Relationship between Self-Schemas, Illness Beliefs, Psychological Flexibility and Distress in people with Psychosis.
    REBECCA LOWER, NHS Forth Valley, U.K.
    DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    • The Impact of Psychological Flexibility and Negative Schemas on Changes in Delusional Ideation Over Time
    JOE OLIVER, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust, U.K.
    KENNEDY MCLACHLAN, Open Polytechnic, New Zealand
    • Developing a trans-diagnostic ACT group in an acute psychiatric inpatient ward.
    GORDON MITCHELL, NHS Fife, U.K.
    AMY MCARTHUR, NHS Fife, U.K.
    LAURA WEINBERG, NHS Fife, U.K.
    Lucy Clark, NHS Fife, U.K.
    Marie Mirfield, NHS Fife, U.K.
    In this symposium we will explore ACT relevant processes such as avoidance, fusion, acceptance, present-moment processes, beliefs, schema, distress, and behaviour as these apply to living successfully with psychotic experiences. Papers will outline original clinical research on ACT processes and interventions for this client group.

    65. ACT for Disordered Eating: Conceptualization, Assessment, and Intervention
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Disordered Eating
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    EMILY K. SANDOZ, University of Mississippi
    LINDSAY M. MARTIN, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Disordered eating is a class of behaviors associated with devastating disruptions of life, frightening medical consequences, and traditionally unsuccessful interventions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an emerging behavior therapy that may offer a unique approach to changing an individual's relationship with food, the body, the self and others in service of a life that he or she values. This workshop will focus on a combination of didactic and experiential orientation to conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of disordered eating from an ACT perspective.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Become oriented to empirical support for ACT with eating disorders
    2. Learn how to conceptualize disordered eating from an ACT perspective
    3. Learn strategies for treatment of disordered eating from an ACT perspective

    66. Teaching ACT More Directly & Making Room for "Second Wave" Moves
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Teaching more directly
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    HANK ROBB, PH.D., Private Practice
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Many practitioners attempting to grasp the basic moves in ACT find the explanations often get in the way. In this workshop participants will experience more direct methods to transmit basic ACT moves including acceptance, defusion, self-as-context, committed action, values and contact with the present moment; all of which are aimed collectively at developing psychological flexibility. Additionally, the workshop will show practitioners how to "make room" for "Second Wave" Behavior Therapy moves. The workshop aims to demonstrate A way, not THE way, to introduce ACT processes in preparation for their use to address troublesome life issues. Participants will watch this introductory protocol conducted with a workshop participant in a manner similar to that provided to most of the speaker's new clients. Participants will be asked to offer personal or role-play case material with the aim of seeing how that material can be situated in this landscape of ACT processes and addressed within that context. Participants will discuss and integrate what they have experienced.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Observe more direct methods of instantiating ACT principles while including "Second Wave" moves;
    2. Explore the application such methods actual issues;
    3. Consider ways to incorporate basic moves in participant's repertoire.

    67. Issues of Values and Committed Action in the Context of End of Life
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ End of Life
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    MARTIN BROCK, Institute of Mental Health Nottingham
    SONJA V. BATTEN, PH.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    Within the ACT model, the context for change is underpinned by a focus on the processes of Values and Committed Action, that is, defining and pursuing the path that makes one's life rich and meaningful.
    End of life presents a stark perspective to view these processes, provides unique opportunities and challenges for both clients and therapists and is indeed the one event that will happen in all our lives.
    This workshop will offer an experiential setting in which to explore these issues and will give the opportunity to practice relevant techniques with each other. We propose that whether or not clinicians specifically work with clients at end of life, these issues will face all clients from time to time, or their family members -- thus affecting the work of therapy. In addition, we suggest that an ongoing awareness of the inevitability of end of life can energize both day to day living, and the clinical setting.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn about current data relevant to ACT approaches to End of Life
    2. Explore the challenges presented by End of Life, either for self or loved ones
    3. Explore utilising components of values and committed action in context of awareness of imminent or future end of life

    68. The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP): Where From, How To, and Where To
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): Other/ IRAP
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    NIGEL VAHEY, National University of Ireland Maynooth
    IAN STEWART, National University of Ireland Galway
    LOUISE MCHUGH, University of Wales Swansea
    LIV KOSNES, University of Wales Swansea
    Dermot Barnes-Holmes, NUI, Maynooth
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    A key objective of the workshop will be to summarise the key empirical literatures that gave rise to the IRAP, and to then collate the rapidly expanding IRAP literature itself. The authors will draw on this empirical base to outline key principles of how best to design and implement IRAPs so as to both maximise precision and minimise attrition. These principles will be illustrated in practice for workshop participants by the workshop facilitators. The IRAP is a computerised response-time measure derived from an integration of the account of human language and cognition provided by Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and the substantial cognitive literature addressing so-called “implicit” attitudes. In broad terms the model underlying the IRAP conceptualises implicit effects as being driven by immediate and relatively brief relational responses; in contrast, explicit (self-report) measures then are thought to reflect more elaborated and coherent relational response networks for which implicit attitudes are precursors. More simply, the IRAP captures spontaneous and automatic evaluative responses, whereas self-report measures capture more carefully considered deliberative reactions. Whereas explicit measures are frequently criticised as suffering from the limitations of introspection, and as largely reflecting a person’s tendency to respond in a socially desirable manner, implicit measures are relatively impervious to such confounding biases. Indeed, to date numerous studies have shown that the IRAP supplements traditional explicit measures, to provide greater prediction of target behaviours and a more precise understanding of the processes of attitude and behaviour change (see http://psychology.nuim.ie/IRAP/IRAP_Articles.shtml). Implicit attitudes appear to be particularly useful in the analysis of relatively established behaviours that do not often come under deliberative control such as those underlying addictive compulsions or prejudice. The workshop facilitators will provide workshop participants advice on how best to harness these strengths for the purposes of their individual research interests.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. To describe, introduce and place the IRAP within the extant literature. This will include communicating the broad psychometric properties of the IRAP within the theoretical framework of the newly offered Relational Elaboration and Coherence Model (RECM), a model derived from RFT.
    2. Using role-play, to provide workshop participants with the core practical knowledge of how to prepare and maintain subjects across the IRAP procedure. This information is particularly important for minimising the substantial possibility of task attrition among novice users.
    3. To use role-play experience to illustrate important IRAP design parameters that have a bearing on the difficulty and relevance of each IRAP design to target groups. The objective is to equip workshop participants decide between the qualities of competing IRAP designs for their particular application.

    69. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) for Dutch-speaking participants: The theory, its rootings and implications
    Relational Frame Theory (RFT): De theorie, haar oorsprong en implicaties
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): RFT - Other/ RFT - Concepts, history, applications
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    HUBERT DE MEY, PH.D., Radboud University Nijmegen
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    Deze workshop bestrijkt het brede gamma van aspecten die te maken hebben met RFT. Eerst komen de fenomenen aan de orde die middels RFT verklaard moeten worden. Vervolgens geef ik een inleiding in basisbegrippen van de gedragsanalyse, een noodzakelijk preludium omdat RFT niet uit de lucht komt vallen maar naadloos aansluit op de onderzoeksagenda van B.F. Skinner en het onderzoek van Murray Sidman. In de ontwikkeling van RFT staat het experiment, met menselijke deelnemers, centraal. Ik zal laten zien dat hoe dit gebeurt, en hoe deze experimenten ons hebben geleid naar het juiste inzicht in de rol van taal en cognitie. Dit inzicht wordt ons verschaft door het baanbrekende werk van Steven Hayes c.s. in Amerika, en van Dermot Barnes-Holmes c.s. in Ierland. Rule-governed behavior (RGB) is een term door Skinner bedacht ter onderscheiding van “contingency-shaped,” en heeft duidelijk gemaakt hoe belangrijk taal en cognitie zijn in de sturing van gedrag. RGB maakt gebruik van relational frames. Wat is relational framing, hoe komt het tot stand, wat doet het, en waarom is het geen cognitieve theorie maar gaat het wel over cognities? Deze en andere vragen zijn onderwerp van de workshop. Deze workshop is dus breed van opzet, en geeft de deelnemer een beeld van het grote belang van de gedragsanalyse, en van RFT in het bijzonder, ten behoeve van de praktijk van alledag, van de clinicus, de opvoeder, de therapeut, de maatschappelijk werker, de onderwijzer, maar ook van de econoom en de politicus, zeker in tijden waarin de door hen gefêteerde neoliberale theorie van de vrije markt heeft bewezen psychologisch niet levensvatbaar te zijn.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn how to evaluate the role of private events (language and cognition) in the determination of behavior.
    2. Learn how to set up an experiment on equivalence learning.
    3. Learn how to better appreciate and specify the role of context in the analysis of contingencies.

    70. Developing Your Skills as an ACT Trainer, Part 2
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ Training
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 6
    JASON LUOMA, PH.D., The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center, PC
    ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D., National Center for PTSD at the VA Palo Alto
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    This workshop is part two of a two-part workshop. In this second part of the workshop, a series of exercises and didactic segments will be developed by experienced trainers that will respond to training needs identified in part one of the workshop. This workshop is intended for those who are interested in developing their skills as trainers and supervisors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn new ways to respond to difficult points in training.
    2. Learn new ideas for how to address future training needs.
    3. Engage experiential exercises designed to help with trainer flexibility.

    Thursday Plenary 4:30-5:45pm
    71. Presidential Address: The Importance of RFT to the Development of Contextual Behavioral Science
    Presidential Address (4:30-5:45pm): RFT - Other/ Contextual Behavioral Science
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora/ Amphitheater
    STEVEN C. HAYES, PH.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: All
    ACBS is not about acceptance and commitment therapy or even third generation CBT more generally -- it is about creating a more progressive psychology based on a developmental strategy called "contextual behavioral science." In this talk I will review the progress of Relational Frame Theory, and its importance to that development strategy. RFT is showing itself to be a clinically useful analysis, with good precision, scope, and depth in a domain that has challenged psychology since its inception. As progress continues, RFT will present opportunities for the ACBS community but it will take considerable effort to realize those opportunities.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn what context behavioral science is.
    2. Learn some of the recent progress in RFT research.
    3. Learn some ways in which RFT can be clinically useful.

    Thursday Night Dinner & Follies
    6:00pm-12:00am
    Dinner (6:00-8:00pm)
    Room: Vrijhof – Audiozaal
    Follies (8:15-10:00pm)
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora/Amphitheater
    Music/Dancing (9:30pm-12:00am)
    Room: Vrijhof – Audiozaal

    Friday Morning 9:00am
    72. ACT With Love
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ Relationship Issues
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    RUSS HARRIS, M.D., private practice, Melbourne, Australia
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    This workshop, which draws on my forthcoming book "ACT With Love" looks at how we can simply and effectively apply the ACT model in relationship issues - whether one or both partners attend sessions!
    ACT is very effective with relationship issues. (I base this statement not just on my own clinical experience, but on that of anecdotal evidence from numerous other therapists I have trained). The workshop is both didactic and experiential. Experiential components focus on compassion, acceptance and forgiveness of a partner. Attendees will also get the opportunity to practise some simple exercises in pairs, to learn some useful defusion techniques for couples.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn a simple model for applying ACT to relationship issues
    2. Learn to adapt classic ACT exercises to couples
    3. Learn a simple technique for developing compassion

    73. ACT and Mindfulness with chronic pain
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ chronic pain
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    Chair: ERNST BOHLMEIJER, Ph.D, University of Twente
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Results of a meta-analysis
    Martine Veehof, University of Twente
    ERNST BOHLMEIJER, Ph.D, University of Twente
    • A multidisciplinary approach in a rehabilitation centre
    KARLEIN SCHREURS, PH.D., Roessingh Rehabilitation Centre, University of Twente
    • ACT in Teams
    PETER HEUTS, Rehabilitation physician; Rehabilitation Centre Leijpark, Tilburg
    The aim of this symposium is to present and discuss current evidence for ACT and mindfulness as treatment of chronic pain and the implementation of ACT in multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatments.
    Results of a meta-analysis
    Paper 1 presents the results of a meta-analysis of 15 studies on the effects of acceptance-based therapies (Mindfulness and ACT) with people with chronic pain on mental and physical health.
    Paper 2 discusses the implementation of ACT interventions in one of the inpatient programs for chronic pain at the pain department of the Roessingh Rehabilitation Centre started in 2005. Treatments are delivered in groups of 6 to 7 patients. The program consists of three days inpatient treatment during eight weeks and one day of treatment six months later. Values are introduced to all patients in the first four weeks of the program. In the second part, four group sessions of ACT are offered to those patients who show the most experiential avoidance.
    These ACT interventions are implemented in a context of a multidisciplinary treatment delivered by psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational and sport therapists and social workers, supervised by a rehabilitation physician. When we started, the psychologists were the only professionals who were trained in ACT. Meanwhile, the other professionals are more aware of ACT, although most of them have not yet followed any form of training. Results of this program will be presented. We would like to discuss the design of the studies, measurement instruments and the challenges of implementing ACT in a non-academic setting with professionals of different education.
    Paper 3 describes the development and implementation of an ACT training for multidisciplinary teams. The training consists of 5 lines (i.e.: introduction in RFT; clinical ACT model/hexaflex; case conceptualization; personal development of the care provider; exercises & metaphores).
    The training consists of 3 sessions of 2 days each. The first session is mainly informative and partly experiential. The second and third sessions are highly experiential and offer plenty of opportunity to develop skills. We would like to share our experiences with this programme with colleagues for the purpose of further development of multidisciplinary work with ACT.

    74. Sticky Thoughts & Other Unwanted Experiences
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Skills/ Intrusive Thoughts
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal A
    ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D., National Center for PTSD
    MARTIN BROCK, Institute of Mental Health Nottingham
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising treatment that is progressing contemporary psychological approaches more appropriate to the human condition.
    Within the ACT model the context for change is underpinned by a focus on the role of experiential avoidance and the associated control agenda. The current data for ACT is promising and the ACT model suggests that developing willingness to be present to currently avoided thoughts and other unwanted experiences is helpful.
    However it is apparent , particularly within presentations such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that some thoughts and experiences seem more "sticky" than others.
    That is, the intrusive nature of these kinds of thoughts can be highly distressing and motivation to abate, avoid or eliminate them is strong.
    Willingness to be present to these types of thoughts is challenging, given their nature and the attendant social disapproval.
    This workshop will offer an experiential setting in which to explore these issues and will give the opportunity to practise relevant techniques with each other designed to promote willingness and acceptance around these sorts of "sticky" experiences.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Explore typical "sticking points" in developing willingness to be present to unwanted thoughts and experiences.
    2. Explore how one's personal fusion as a therapist and non-acceptance may be an obstacle.
    3. Develop enhanced skills in recognising and responding to experiential avoidance as it is related to particularly challenging thoughts found in OCD and PTSD.

    75. Contextual Behavioral Science and ACT/RFT: Discussing scientific strategy and future directions in research
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Other/ Philosophy of Science, Research Methods in ACT/RFT
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1212
    MICHAEL LEVIN, University of Nevada, Reno
    ROGER VILARDAGA, University of Nevada, Reno
    JENNIFER BOULANGER, University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    The ACT/RFT research program is part of a larger scientific strategy within psychology, which we term contextual behavioral science (CBS). Features of CBS include a clear explication of philosophical assumptions, development of analytic abstractive theoretical models from basic research, and an expanded list of methodologies used to answer research questions. Exploring the various features of our scientific strategy can be helpful for evaluating the current progress of the ACT/RFT research program and provide insight into future directions for research.
    The current workshop will involve an interactive discussion with attendees regarding CBS and the ACT/RFT research program. During the workshop we will present an overview of CBS, outlining its key features. The audience will engage in an active discussion around each of these features, including their role in ACT/RFT research and areas for further development and exploration such as new methodologies to use or questions to address. We will discuss functional contextualism and how it informs theory, methodology and intervention technologies. We will discuss the important role of basic research and how this work can inform the development and refinement of theoretical models of pathology and intervention. We will then discuss the variety of methodological approaches employed within CBS to address our scientific questions including measurement development, component studies, processes of change research, time series designs, RCTs, effectiveness research, and training studies. Other features of CBS, such as the need to foster dissemination in the community and the culture at large will also be discussed. A review of the current ACT literature, and to a lesser extent RFT, from the perspective of this CBS approach will be presented throughout and audience members will engage in evaluating the current success in meeting the goals of CBS and potential future directions, including the exploration of new research questions and the use of new methodologies.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. To present a review of the specific goals and features of contextual behavioral science
    2. To discuss the success of current ACT and RFT research in meeting these goals
    3. To discuss future research directions for ACT and RFT research based on these reviews

    76. Practical mindfulness for meditation hating clients: The appliance of heartrate coherence training
    Workshop (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ Mindfulness
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    MARCO KLEEN, BrainDynamics Groningen, PsyAdvies
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    In ACT the concept of mindfulness is applied pragmatically. The effectiveness of the exercises taught are more important than their theoretical form. When confronted with clients who do not like meditation-like interventions heartrate coherence training is an option. By using an easy to apply biofeedback method clients can be taught defusion and mindfulness skills without spending hours exploring raisins.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn about the possibities to use biofeedback within an ACT context.
    2. Learn about heartrate variability as a possible biological marker for mindfulness.
    2. Think about ways to let 'difficult clients' make use of mindfulness.

    77. Young clinical ACT researchers from Uppsala University
    Symposium (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ pain, epilepsy, obesity, LGBT teenagers
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    Chair: JOANNE DAHL, PH.D., University of Uppsala, Sweden
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • A short term self help based manual treatment for patients with severe chronic pain
    JENNY THORSELLl, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    REBECCA TINGVALL, Uppsala University
    ANNA FINNAS, Uppsala University
    MARIA GYBRANT, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    Emma Jokimaki, Moa Brathen, Elin Waxin, Karin Andersson, Sofia Fredriksson, Johanna Aronsson
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Increase of Social Support in Families of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth: A pilot study with multiple baselines
    MALIN DAHLSTROM, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    EMMA WALLIN, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    • Acceptance and Commitment therapy for bariatric surgery patients
    JoAnne Dahl, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    SANDRA WEINELAND, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    • ACT in the treatment of epilepsy: Where are we now and where are we going
    TOBIAS LUNDGREN, MS, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    JoAnne Dahl, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    Lennart Melin, University of Uppsala, Sweden
    Nandan Yardi, Yardi Hospital, Pune
    Bryan Kies, University of Cape Town, South Africa
    The aim of this symposium is to show the research activity in clinical research research applications in the ACT model. The symposium will show a wide range from on-going research, to completed master theses, doctoral level research. The application cover ACT treatments of chronic illness such as pain, epilepsy, and obesity as well as other applications such as problems of acceptance between parents and LGBT teenagers. Many of these applications use internet based treatment and are as a rule are very short and cheap.

    78. Explorations into ACT and Literature
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): ACT - Clinical/ Literature
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    Chair: MAUREEN K. FLYNN, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Crying Out in the Dark: A Look into ACT and Literature
    MAUREEN K. FLYNN, University of Mississippi
    Kelly Wilson, Ph.D., University of Mississippi
    • My Deep and Abiding Interest in Transitions
    KELLY G. WILSON, Ph.D., University of Mississippi
    • Once, Twice, Three Times a Loser: Cognitive Fusion and the Antihero in Mid-Twentieth Century American Short Fiction
    TROY DUFRENE, New Harbinger Publications
    Many forms of psychological inflexibility that people often experience are exemplified in the mediums of literature and poetry. Through these works, the ubiquity of human suffering can truly be seen and felt. Their words resonate with the anguish and freedom that our neighbors, friends, co-workers, clients, family members, and perhaps even ourselves experience at some point in life. This symposium will examine three examples of such experiences from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) conceptualization.

    79. Behavioral Approaches to Learning Using Derived Relational Responding and Fluency
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): RFT - Research, Behavior Analysis/ Establishing Relational Responding, RFT in Education, Behavioral Momentum and Fluency Training
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    Chair: NICHOLAS M. BERENS, University of Nevada, Reno/Center for Advanced Learning
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Acquisition and fluency of the arbitrarily applicable derived relational responding in accordance with opposition and comparison contexts
    Rosa M. Vizcaíno, University of Almería
    Carmen Luciano, Ph.D., University of Almería
    Vanessa Sánchez, University of Almería
    FRANCISCO RUIZ, University of Almería
    • Increasing the Rate of Derived Relational Responding: An Applied Investigation
    NICHOLAS M. BERENS, University of Nevada, Reno/Center for Advanced Learning
    Steven C. Hayes, Ph. D., University of Nevada, Reno
    Kimberly N. Berens, Ph. D., Center for Advanced Learning/UNR
    • A Demonstration of an Easy Token Economy in an Applied Setting
    ALYSSA WILSON, University of Mississippi
    Jonathan H Weinstein, University of Mississippi
    Kelly G. Wilson, University of Mississippi
    Karen Kate Kellum, University of Mississippi
    This symposium will discuss aspects of a behavioral approach to education and learning, particularly derived relational responding and fluency. Paper 1 describes a study with a four-year old child to examine the process involved in establishing fluency and flexibility across several frames of relational responding. Paper 2 evaluates the use of a fluency criterion across multiple exemplars of derived relational responding with synonyms and antonyms to improve the rate of responding to novel sets of stimuli. Paper 3 discusses an intervention to increase the target behavior and demand compliance of a participant at an after-school tutoring program.

    80. Relational Frame Theory: An overview of the evidence to date
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): RFT-Research/ Empirical Evidence
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    IAN STEWART, NUI Galway
    EMILY K. SANDOZ, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    Relational Frame Theory (RFT; e.g., Hayes, Barnes-Holmes & Roche, 2001) is a comprehensive account of language and cognition from a behaviour analytic perspective, with potential applications in disparate areas of psychology and current applications in such major areas as adult clinical psychotherapy, education, developmental delay, occupational and social psychology. The present workshop will introduce the core principles of RFT and present an up-to-date overview of the empirical evidence in favour of this approach, including work by RFT researchers and others whose work strongly supports the RFT conception of language as arbitrarily applicable relational responding. The workshop will attempt to convey the current state of the evidence as well as possible future directions for RFT research. Implications for clinical research and practice will also be discussed.

    81. Living a Vital Life with Obsessions: Treating OCD with ACT
    Workshop (9:00-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ OCD
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    JENNIFER PLUMB, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF, Calypsy, Lyon, France
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the few DSM diagnoses that is functionally defined. The DSM criteria for OCD is more dimensional (as opposed to categorical) than many other disorders, and as such is more amenable to a functional approach to treatment such as ACT. ACT can be successfully applied to OCD due to its 1) focus on acceptance, defusion, self-as-context and mindfulness strategies aimed at changing the function (rather than the form or frequency) of obsessions, and 2) focus on increasing values-based behavior (as opposed to behavior predominantly in the service of reducing obsessions) in the face of such uncomfortable private experiences. ACT is also suitably flexible to work with many forms of OCD, including sub-types of OCD deemed difficult-to-treat (e.g., hoarding, primary obsesssional cases) and behaviors on the O-C spectrum (e.g., tics, skin-picking, hair-pulling). In this workshop we will discuss a) state of the extant literature on ACT for OCD, b) case conceptualization of OCD and O-C spectrum cases from an ACT perspective including a discussion about exposure from an ACT perspective, c) the challenges associated with using ACT in this population, d) OCD-specific assessment instruments, and e) specific methods we have found fruitful in treating OCD. This workshop will be interactive, and participants will be asked to take part in experiential exercises and role plays.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Understand the relevance of the ACT model for the treatment of OCD
    2. Experientially contact some of the difficulties faced by OCD sufferers
    3. Learn how to flexibly use ACT moves and exercises with OCD sufferers

    82. Relational Frame Theory - Basic concepts and clinical implications
    Workshop (9:00am-4:15pm): RFT - Other/ A conceptual overview of RFT with a clinical focus
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 6
    NIKLAS TÖRNEKE, NT Psykiatri, private practice
    JASON LUOMA, PH.D., Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Training Center; Private practice
    Target Audience: Intermediate
    Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is the result of an attempt to deal with the area of human language and cognition from a behavioural perspective. Together with well known principles of operant and respondent conditioning it forms the theoretical basis of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
    This workshop presents the basic concepts of RFT. The workshop also shows how these concepts can be used to understand common psychological problems and give directions for clinical interventions.
    The workshop is mainly didactic but will include some experiential parts for illustrative purposes. It is assumed that partakers have a basic understanding of operant and respondent learning.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. To give the attendees an understanding of all the basic concepts of RFT
    2. To show the relevance of RFT for understanding psychological problems
    3. To show how RFT can be used to understand the central therapeutic strategies of ACT

    83. Short mindfulness interventions with the old, the young and the fearful
    Symposium (9:00-10:30am): Behavior Analysis/ Mindfulness
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 3
    Chair: LOUISE McHUGH, Swansea University
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Short web-based manipulation of self-focused attention: a comparison of Attention Training and mindfulness
    JEAN-LOUIS MONESTÈS, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie - Neurosciences Fonctionnelles & Pathologies – CNRS UMR 8160 - Centre Hospitalier Ph. Pinel.
    Matthieu Villatte, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens
    G. Loas, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie - Neurosciences Fonctionnelles & Pathologies – CNRS UMR 8160 - Centre Hospitalier Ph. Pinel
    • Can changing perspective on one’s own experience increase awareness of negative psychological events in others?
    MATTHIEU VILLATTE, PH.D., Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens
    Louise McHugh, Swansea University
    Jean-Louis Monestès, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie - Neurosciences Fonctionnelles & Pathologies – CNRS UMR 8160 - Centre Hospitalier Ph. Pinel.
    • The Behavioural Approach Test (BAT); Thought Suppression Vs Mindfulness
    NIC HOOPER, Swansea University
    Laura Davies, Swansea University
    Louise McHugh, Swansea University
    • Stimulus over-selectivity as a model of cognitive functioning in older adults: Mindfulness as a potential intervention
    LOUISE McHUGH, Swansea University
    Anna Simpson, Swansea University
    Phil Reed, Swansea University
    The current symposium consists of four papers the unifying concern of which is the empirical testing of short mindfulness interventions. The first paper involves a web-based manipulation of mindfulness (self-focused attention) and an unfocused attention intervention. The second paper involves comparing level of mindfulness and psychological flexibility when taking ones own versus another person's perspective in both positive and negative emotional contexts. The third paper compares mindfulness and thought suppression as coping strategies for phobic individuals with phobia related content. The final paper investigates the utility of mindfulness versus unfocused attention in overcoming dysfunctional levels of stimulus over-selectivity in an elderly population. The findings from all four studies suggest the utility of mindfulness in comparison with other interventions including unfocused attention and thought suppression in a range of populations.

    Friday Morning 10:45am
    84. ACT as public mental health
    Workshop (10:45-Noon): ACT - Clinical/ perevention
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    ERNST BOHLMEIJER, PH.D., TU Twente
    ANDO ROKX, MSc, GGNET
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    Many people suffer from mild or moderate psychological distress. The presence of mild (subclinical) symptoms e.g. depression, anxiety is the most important risk factor for developing clinical disorders. Experiential avoidance possibly plays an important role in this process. However most people do not seek help. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) could be actively offered to the general population. As an early intervention, it could help people to accept their distress and commit to their values. And thereby prevent unnecessary long duration or deterioration of distress.
    The University of Twente developed a new preventive intervention for adults with mild to moderate psychological distress: Voluit Leven (living to the full). It is a group intervention for 8-10 people that consists of 8 sessions of 2 hours. It is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness. Recruitment takes place by advertisements and interviews in local newspapers.
    The workshop will start with some exercises from the intervention. We will then present the intervention and the results of a randomized controlled trial with 90 participants. We also present some results of a process evaluation that gives insight in how participants appreciate the different exercises and metaphors.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn how ACT can be applied with subclinical populations
    2. Development and implementation of an ACT-based prevention programme
    3. How pre-and post measurements can be useful in evaluating and adapting a prevention programme

    85. The Long Road: The Role of Acceptance and Values in Substance Abuse Treatment
    Symposium (10:45-Noon): ACT - Clinical, ACT - Other/ Substance Abuse, Addictions, ACT Substance Abuse Disorder
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    Chair: MARISA PÁEZ, ACT Institute, Spain
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Alcoholics Anonymous From a Contextual Behavioral Perspective
    MAUREEN FLYNN, University of Mississippi
    Kelly Wilson, University of Mississippi
    • Acceptance, Values and Motivation to Change in Alcohol Addicted Patients
    GIOVANNI ZUCCHI, PSY.D., Villa Maria Luigia Hospital, Parma
    Giovanni Miselli, Psy.D., IULM University
    Giovambattista Presti, M.D., IULM University
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University
    • Preliminary data of a Random Clinical trial of ACT and TU (cognitive-behavioural) with substance abuse disorder
    MARISA PÁEZ, ACT Institute, Spain
    M. López, University of Almería
    M. C. Luciano, University of Almería
    Several approaches to the treatment of substance abuse, including ACT, have been shown to be effective. This symposium examine compatibilities between ACT and other approaches, and compares ACT with a standard cognitive approach. The fit between Alcoholics Anonymous and ACT, the relationship between variables involved in the psychological models underlying ACT and the Motivational Interview, and a comparison of ACT to a cognitive approach with polysubstance abusing clients will be discussed.

    86. Building systems with values: Integrated care and beyond…
    Invited Lecture (10:45-Noon): Other/ Systems, Integrated Care
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    MARK WEBSTER, South Hampshire CBT Ltd- Southampton
    MICHELLE ORMSTON, Portsmouth City PCT
    JULIE HARRINGTON, Portsmouth City PCT
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    The addiction service in Portsmouth began using ACT in its treatment services, and then developed an integrated care pathway, based on values, across the different agencies, including those not using ACT. The concept and process of implementation will be described along with the obstacles that had to be overcome. The pathway will be put in the wider context of management models and computer systems requirements. The current data forms and management information outputs will be presented to show how a values approach provides a basis for healthcare systems to become integrated and run more effectively.

    87. ACT in the Room: Implications and Applications of ACT in Practice
    Symposium (10:45-Noon): ACT - Other, ACT - Clinical/ ACT Values, Mindfulness
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    Chair: CHRIS TREPKA, Bradford District Care NHS Trust
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    • Core ACT values are "Prediction and influence with precision scope and depth": A guide
    JOE CURRAN, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Trust, UK
    • The ABC Course: a pilot ACT course for learning mindfulness
    CHRIS TREPKA, Bradford District Care NHS Trust
    This symposium will examine issues pertinent to the training and use of ACT by therapists. Paper 1 discusses the role of “prediction and influence with precision, scope, and depth” as values in ACT and RFT. It explores the history and development of these values, examines and contrasts their role in other psychological approaches, and considers the ways in which clinicians can work towards instantiating them in their everyday practice. Paper 2 describes a brief mindfulness training course designed to run alongside a course of individual ACT. Results from a pilot course involving 5 weekly classes conducted for a mixed group of therapy clients and other therapists will be presented.

    88. Social Communication and Relational Frame Theory
    Workshop (10:45-Noon): RFT - Clinical/ Perspective Taking
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 3
    LOUISE MCHUGH, Swansea University
    MATTHIEU VILLATTE, Université de Lille
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Researchers within cognitive and traditional developmental fields have written volumes on the social-cognitive nature of social problems in disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, with the "Theory of Mind" (ToM) construct receiving the majority of attention. While behavior analysis has offered descriptions of how to teach basic social behaviour to individuals with autism, descriptions of complex social behaviour (e.g., understanding deception, empathy, "self-reflection" - all falling under the rubric of "perspective taking") have eluded commonly utilized behavioural intervention resources, and little or no research has attempted to remediate social deficits in schizophrenia. However, researchers within behavior analysis are beginning to investigate how complex social behavior constructs can be examined within a behaviour analytic framework, with recent progress in derived multiple stimulus relations offering particular promise. "Relational Frame Theory" (RFT) accounts of ToM, perspective-taking in particular, have yielded testable hypotheses, developmental profile analyses, and descriptions of treatment protocols. This workshop will summarize this literature, and discuss the relevance to clinical disorders such as autism-related and schizophrenia spectrum related deficits (e.g., understanding deception, intentions, other's interest in discussion topics, other's feelings, etc.).
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Understand the RFT conceptualization of perspective taking and its implication for social communication.
    2. Become familiar with key RFT studies on perspective taking.
    3. Learning RFT based techniques to train social communication in populations who are deficient, such as those diagnosed with ASD or schizophrenia.

    Friday Lunch 12:00-1:15pm
    ACT with Christians – challenges and advantages
    Organizational Meeting
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    INGRID ORD, Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapist, Dubai, UAE
    Target Audience: All
    ACT with Christians may encounter issues specific to this population. This SIG is for pooling ideas and discussing experiences with or information about aspects such as unconditional acceptance, values and rule-governed behaviour, and mindfulness with Christian clients. Therapists do not need to be Christians themselves to be able to make valuable contributions to this very specific topic.

    Friday Afternoon 1:15pm
    89. Know Thyself, Choose Thyself: Exploring Flexibility with Self and Valued Living
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Self-as-Context
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    EMILY K. SANDOZ, University of Mississippi
    ROGER VILARDAGA, University of Nevada, Reno
    STEVEN C. HAYES, PH.D., University of Nevada, Reno
    STEPHANIE NASSAR, University of Mississippi
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Common to a number of diagnostic categories are disturbances in the way an individual experiences him or her Self. Through complex relational conditioning processes, individuals come to experience themselves in ways that narrow their behavioral repertoire, creating less and less freedom and more distance between them and a live they would value. This workshop will orient the participant to the different ways that the Self can be experienced and to the relationship between Self and Values processes.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. To understand a behavioral account of the development of sense of self.
    2. To describe how inflexibility with self can hamper valued living
    3. To list three ways to encourage flexibility with self that will contribute to valued living

    90. The Art and Science of valuing in psychotherapy
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Clinical
    Room: Vrijhof – Amphitheater
    JOANNE DAHL, PH.D., University of Uppsala
    JENNIFER PLUMB, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    IAN STEWART, NIU Galway
    TOBIAS LUNDGREN, University of Uppsala
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    This workshop aims at helping therapists approach human problem through a values perspective as a part of the ACT/RFT model. The participants will learn: helping clients clearly define what matters to them; creating a sense of meaning and purpose; providing a framework for setting specific goals in both the short term and the long term; providing a context in which a client may be more willing to experience difficult thoughts and feelings as she moves in valued directions; helping clients practice being more aware of the reinforcing qualities of behaviors in the moment that are related to a larger value.
    Values clarification is the process of developing values statements that guide client behavior. This is a process that is ongoing throughout therapy. When a client enters therapy, she may not have a clear sense of her values or may have difficulty engaging in behaviors consistent with her values. As therapy progresses, a client’s chosen values and value-directed behaviors may shift as her behavior becomes more flexible. Just as you would periodically check your compass bearing to make sure you haven’t strayed too far from your intended direction, it is also important to engage in values clarification throughout therapy. Second, clients and clinicians work together to develop goals: discrete behaviors that can be evaluated and completed to move the client in the direction of her stated values. Choosing particular goals that are in line with one’s values can take practice. To determine whether a particular goal is in line with her values, the client must practice becoming aware of the reinforcing properties of her values-consistent behaviors. Third, clients build larger and larger patterns of behavior in line with their values, building meaning and developing a purpose to work toward in each moment.
    This workshop consists of demonstrations, RFT theoretical perspectives, experiential exercises and own applications.
    Educational Objectives:
    Participants will learn:
    1. How to distinguish between values and feelings, values and judgements, values and rules.
    2. To understand the RFT perspective on valuing.
    3. How to use the values compass.
    4. How to use the bull's eye for valued living.
    5. How to use a dramatization of the life-line to identify values directions.

    91. ACT as a Brief Intervention: Theory and Application
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ Brief Interventions
    Room: Drienerburght – Zaal A
    KIRK STROSAHL, Central Washington Family Medicine
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    The transdiagnostic focus of the ACT model makes it an ideal approach for addressing a broad range of human problems. The twin themes of acceptance and valued actions are also ideal for application in brief intervention contexts such as primary care, crisis centers, hospitals and schools. This workshop will introduce the basic principles of brief intervention and how to create a useful interface between these principles and ACT work. Participants will learn the defining principles of strategic interventions and how acceptance and valued actions can be integrated into the strategic change framework. Video and live role play demonstrations will be used to highlight key learning points.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn the clinical and service utilization data that argue for a brief intervention approach in most settings
    2. Learn to apply the key principles of strategic therapy
    3. Learn to use ACT interventions in a way that is consistent with the strategic therapy framework.

    92. ACT for young adults (16-28 year olds) - ACT used in group format as prevention or an early intervention aimed towards psychological ill-health and stress
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ General psychological health, stress, prevention, early intervention
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1212
    FREDRIK LIVHEIM, Karolinska Institutet, medical university
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    According to calculations by the World Health Organization (WHO), the second largest health problem of the Swedish population today is psychological ill-health. In some further years it is predicted to be the very largest health problem in the Swedish populace (Swedish National Institute for Public Health, 2005). Self reported mental health is found to rapidly deteriorate especially among Swedish "young adults" (defined as 18-24/29 years of age), where the problems are reported to have doubled or tripled in the period of 1988/89 to 2001 (Swedish National Institute of Public Health; 2006). Common problems as reported are anxiety, worry, pain and sleep problems.
    Since 2006 Fredrik Livheim has been working for Stockholm Centre for Public Health, within Stockholm County Council, to make a detailed treatment-protocol and train new group leaders in "ACT- To cope with stress and promote health" (as it now is called in Swedish). Until now approximately 75 new group leaders (school-counsellors etc) has been trained. Fredrik has also begun to educate new trainers of group leaders in this particular ACT group format. Those trainers also constitutes an ACT-network that can arrange regular ACT booster sessions for the existing group leaders and also arrange education of new group leaders.
    The focus of the workshop will be on the content in "ACT- To cope with stress and promote health". This will give the participants an understanding and examples of one way of working with young adults in group-settings as prevention or as an early intervention.
    The workshop will also provide examples of how it is possible to create an infrastructure to make ACT-interventions available to young adults in a larger scale.
    The participants will be guided through handpicked exercises that are part of the course "ACT- To cope with stress and promote health" as if they themselves were taking part in the full course. A special focus will be on components, exercises and metaphors that are a bit new or unusual in the more "traditional ACT tool-box". For example using a "reward-system" when following up homework, the "bus-metaphor" role-played in a group setting, RFT easily explained for young adults etc.
    There will be time for questions throughout the workshop. Participants will be encouraged to ask any questions they want, and questions about pitfalls when working with groups will get extra attention. The presenter has extensive experience both of giving the course clinically directly with young adults and also with training group leaders. The presenter is also the program developer of this ACT group format.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn how to apply an ACT-consistent group approach to presenting problems of diffuse mental health problems and stress.
    2. Learn how to work with the "life-compass" as a tool for values clarification.
    3. Learn exercises and metaphors that are easy for the participants to adopt and use in their own clinical work, either individually or in group settings.

    93. Applications of deictic relational framing
    Symposium (1:15-2:45pm): RFT - Research/ Perspective taking
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    Chair: LOUISE McHUGH, Swansea University
    Target Audience: Intermediate, Advanced
    • The Effects Of Teaching Situation-Based Emotions On Perspective Taking
    LOUISE McHUGH, Swansea University
    Alina Bobarnac, Swansea University
    Phil Reed, Swansea University
    • Deictic Relational Framing and Connectedness among College Students: A Small Analog Study
    ROGER VILARDAGA, University of Nevada, Reno
    Thomas Waltz, University of Nevada, Reno
    Michael Levin, University of Nevada, Reno
    Steven C. Hayes, University of Nevada, Reno
    Colin Stromberg, University of Nevada, Reno
    Kimberly Amador, University of Nevada, Reno
    • Deictic framing protocols to increase discrimination of own behavior and reduce impulsive behavior
    CARMEN LUCIANO, University of Almería
    V. Sánchez, University of Almería
    Francisco Ruíz, University of Almería
    Marisa Páez, University of Almería
    R. Vizcaino, University of Almería
    O. Gutiérrez, University of Almería
    • Deictic relational responding in beliefs attribution: People with high social anhedonia are impaired in reversing the frame of I-YOU
    MATTHIEU VILLATTE, PH.D., University of Picardie
    Jean-Louis Monestès, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie - Neurosciences Fonctionnelles & Pathologies – CNRS UMR 8160 - Centre Hospitalier Ph. Pinel
    Louise McHugh, Ph.D., University of Wales, Swansea
    Esteve Freixa i Baqué, Ph.D., University of Picardie
    Gwenolé Loas, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie - Neurosciences Fonctionnelles & Pathologies
    The current symposium reports four empirical studies examining deictic relational responding across a number of different populations. The first study trained children with Autistic Spectrum Condition to tact their own emotions, and examined the effect of this training on deictic framing / perspective taking. The second study tested deictic relational framing and connectedness among college students. The third study used deictic framing protocols to increase discrimination of own behavior and reduce impulsive behavior in high and low emotional avoiders. The fourth study explored deictic relational responding and belief attribution in people with high levels of social anhedonia. Findings from the four studies support the contention that deictic relational framing is a distinct relational repertoire the training of which can facilitate social communication.

    94. Overcoming Resistance - Made Simple
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Skills/ Barriers To Change
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1220
    RUSS HARRIS, M.D., private practice, Melbourne Australia
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    This is workshop is both experiential and didactic. It goes step-by-step through the most common factors in resistance and barriers to change -- and how we can not only help clients (and ourselves) to get unstuck, but we can also turn these obstacles and barriers into useful opportunities to develop core ACT skills. It also covers an incredibly simple defusion technique that can be used to overcome any objection to therapy and teach defusion skills at the same time!
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn the most common factors in resistance
    2. Learn a different and more comprehensive interpretation of the popular F.E.A.R. acronym
    3. Learn a variety of techniques for overcoming resistance and increasing motivation.

    95. "ACT-ifing" Religious Traditions
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Spiritual-Theoretical & Practical
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1224
    HANK ROBB, PH.D., Private Practice
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate
    The principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy have been suggested already to be in, or available for use to support, many traditional dualistic spiritual beliefs and practices. This workshop suggests ACT based principles and practices could be used to support a monistic, pragmatically oriented approach to spiritual development. This workshop will explore the philosophical and practical aspects of such a proposal.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Identify the outlines of a monistic, pragmatically oriented approach to spiritual development;
    2. Identify a possible root metaphor for the approach;
    3. Consider ACT principles as a basis for spiritual development rather than an adjunct to it.

    96. A Perfect Match: Meditation and ACT
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Mindfulness, Meditation, Buddhism
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1228
    LINDSAY FLETCHER, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of several third wave behavioral treatments to incorporate mindfulness into therapy. The term mindfulness is borrowed from Eastern religious and spiritual traditions that emphasize meditation practice as an important technique for the alleviation of suffering. While many third-wave therapies emphasize informal mindfulness practices, including ACT, this workshop will explore the inclusion of “formal” practices that may enhance treatment when they are adapted for use with the ACT model. There is a growing literature showing that meditation is a powerful tool for therapists and clients and Buddhist traditions provide a nearly limitless supply of different meditation practices. Furthermore, most meditation-based therapies do not include a values component. Thus, ACT and meditation may mutually benefit each other.
    The purpose of this workshop will be to teach participants how to conceptualize particular meditation practices in terms of an ACT definition of mindfulness. During the workshop, meditation exercises will be taught experientially. Participants will learn to apply these techniques to provide an ongoing practice for therapists and clients. We will explore how to apply mindfulness skills in the therapy interaction and use clinical examples. This workshop is meant to inspire clinicians and researchers to investigate how meditation may enhance mindfulness when used with clients and therapists.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Learn meditation techniques that have been adapted for use with ACT.
    2. Learn how to conceptualize Buddhist meditation techniques in terms of the ACT definition of mindfulness.
    3. Learn about the empirical support for meditation as a psychological intervention.

    97. Single Case Designs for Clinicians- Bridging the gap between research and practice
    Workshop (1:15-4:15pm): ACT - Clinical/ Single subject research, case formulation, treatment planning
    Room: Vrijhof – Kleine Zaal
    JENNIFER BOULANGER, M.A., University of Nevada, Reno
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    Clinicians in private practice rarely have the time, resources, or support to conduct the kind of applied research that is typically awarded grants or published in major peer-reviewed journals. As a result, those who develop, test, and train new therapies rarely have access to the wealth of clinical experience and knowledge possessed by those who practice outside of academic or research settings. However, there is a way for clinicians to incorporate research strategies into their existing practice, thereby improving therapy outcomes for their clients and contributing to the scientific literature.
    Single-case designs do not require large samples of participants or statistical expertise, but allow clinicians to analyze a client’s behavior and the context in which it occurs through repeated measurement over time. These designs can be used to conduct functional analyses of behavioral targets, facilitate case formulation and treatment planning, and improve therapy efficiency and effectiveness. This workshop will introduce clinicians to the logic of single-case designs, demonstrate the application of these methods through case presentations, and help clinicians develop a strategy for incorporating these methods into their existing practices. We will walk through the steps of designing, implementing, analyzing, and publishing/presenting single case designs. Clinicians will also learn to use single case design elements to facilitate case formulation, treatment planning, and progress monitoring. No prior research experience is necessary.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Understand the logic and methodology of single-case, or time-series, research.
    2. Learn how to use single-case designs to facilitate case formulation, treatment planning, and progress monitoring.
    3. Develop a strategy for designing, implementing, and analyzing single case research within private practice settings.

    98. Cognitive Rigidity: Conceptualizations, Mechanisms, Measurement, and Intervention
    Symposium (1:15-2:45pm): Other, ACT - Other, ACT - Clinical/ Cognitive flexibility, physiology, ACT Processes, Measurement, Cognitive Defusion
    Room: Vrijhof – Vergaderzaal 5
    Chair: DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Developing a Measure of Cognitive Fusion
    DAVID GILLANDERS, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
    HELEN BOLDERSTON, Private Practice
    Maria Dempster, NHS Grampian, U.K.
    Frank Bond, Goldsmiths University of London
    • The study of Defusion in clinical setting: a replication of word-repetition studies with an inpatient sample
    GIOVANNI ZUCCHI, PSY.D., Villa Maria Luigia Hospital, Parma
    Akihiko Masuda, Ph.D., Georgia State University
    Giovanni Miselli, Psy.D., IULM University Milan
    Giovambattista Presti, M.D., IULM University Milan
    Paolo Moderato, Ph.D., IULM University
    Cognitive defusion is one of the core processes in ACT and its relation to well-being has been the subject of numerous investigations. However, there are still gaps in our knowledge of this core process. This symposium will attempt to fill some of those gaps by discussing issues surrounding cognitive fusion and defusion. Paper 1 describes the development of a self-report measure of cognitive fusion, while Paper 2 presents the preliminary results of an investigation into the relevance of cognitive defusion with a clinical population, instead of with non-clinical samples as has typically been done in prior studies.

    Friday Afternoon 3:00pm
    99. “What Just Happened?” What We are Training and How
    Symposium (3:00-4:00pm): ACT - Skills/ Training, ACT Training
    Room: Hogekamp – HO 1216
    Chair: M. C. LUCIANO, University of Almería
    Target Audience: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
    • Evaluating introductory ACT workshops: Changes in knowledge and responses to experiential exercises
    ERIC MORRIS, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK
    • How to measure what really works in ACT training
    M. C. LUCIANO, University of Almería
    MARISA PÁEZ, ACT Institute, Spain
    The first paper discusses how workshop participants evaluate introductory ACT workshops on various measures. Pre-, post-, and follow-up ratings on ACT knowledge, comparisons of ACT with mainstream CBT, interest in further ACT training, and rating about the experiential exercises from over 50 workshop attendees will be presented.
    The second paper highlights the fact that we do not know much about the key components involved in learning ACT. While several methods seem to be useful (e.g., learning the conceptual background, reviewing video or audio recordings, role playing, using experiential work in supervision groups, etc.), no instruments are available for measuring the progress that therapists achieve after different kinds of learning sessions. Ideas about the structures of learning sessions and instruments to measure the impact of work done as well as results from therapist training over the last two years in ACT Institute will be presented.

    Friday Plenary 4:30-5:30pm
    100. Enhancing everyday life using ACT and RFT/ Closing
    Plenary (4:30-5:30pm): ACT/RFT - Everyday Life/
    Room: Vrijhof – Agora
    FRANK BOND, PH.D., Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K.
    ERNST BOHLMEIJER, PH.D., Twente University
    PATRICIA BACH, PH.D., Illinois Institute of Technology
    Target Audience: All
    One of the most useful features of ACT and RFT is that they provide a comprehensive analysis of verbal behaviour, which, thus, creates guidance for not only reducing mental ill-health but for promoting vital and effective living in all areas of people’s lives. The aim of this plenary is to discuss research that has explored how the application of contextual behavioural science is producing a greater understanding of how to help people thrive in their daily life—to more effectively move through the everyday psychological barriers that get in our way and more successfully create contexts (e.g., at work) that encourage ourselves and others to maximise our potential.
    Educational Objectives:
    1. Understand the qualities of ACT and RFT that make it applicable to everyday life.
    2. Learn how ACT and behaviour analysis can enhance leadership and group performance.
    3. Learn how ACT, RFT and mindfulness can facilitate health promotion, as well as reduce stigma and re-offending.

    Workshops

    • "ACT-ifing" Religious Traditions־־־ Hank Robb, Ph.D.
    • A Perfect Match: Meditation and ACT־־־ Lindsay Fletcher, M.A.
    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Finding Life Beyond Trauma for the Survivor and the Therapist־־־ Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D., Victoria M. Follette
    • The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP): Where From, How To, and Where To --- NIGEL VAHEY, IAN STEWART, LOUISE MCHUGH, LIV KOSNES, Dermot Barnes-Holmes
    • ACT as a Brief Intervention: Theory and Application־־־ Kirk Strosahl
    • ACT as public mental health־־־ Ernst Bohlmeijer, PhD, Ando Rokx, MSc
    • ACT Early: acceptance, mindfulness and values in early intervention for psychosis־־־ Eric Morris, Joe Oliver, Sally Bloy
    • ACT for Disordered Eating: Conceptualization, Assessment and Intervention ־־־ Emily K. Sandoz, Lindsay M. Martin
    • ACT for preventing mental health problems־־־ Jason Lillis, Ph.D., Jennifer L. Boulanger, M.A.
    • ACT for weight related issues ־־־ Jason Lillis, Ph.D., Lindsay B. Fletcher, M.A.
    • ACT for young adults (16-28 year olds) - ACT used in group format as prevention or an early intervention aimed towards psychological ill-health and stress.* ־־־ Fredrik Livheim
    • ACT in Practice: Case conceptualization in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy־־־ Patricia Bach, Ph.D., Daniel J. Moran, Ph.D., BCBA
    • ACT of Love: Sex and Intimacy־־־ Ando Rokx, Aad van Leeuwen, Monique Barnouw
    • ACT Through CBT and CBT Through ACT - Are they so different?־־־ Kenneth Fung, MD FRCPC MSc, Mateusz Zurowski, MD FRCPC MSc
    • ACT Treatment of Stuttering־־־ José Antonio García Higuera
    • ACT With Love ־־־ Russ Harris, MD
    • ACT-Based Contextual Behavioral Supervision־־־ Sonja V. Batten, Ph.D., Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D.
    • An Introduction to Behaviorism & Relational Frame Theory for Beginners־־־ John T. Blackledge, Joanne Steinwachs, Niklas Torneke
    • Applying ACT to Cases of Complex Depression: New Clinical and Research Perspectives־־־ Brandon A. Gaudiano, Ph.D., Kristy L. Dalrymple, Ph.D.
    • Contextual Behavioral Science and ACT/RFT: Discussing scientific strategy and future directions in research־־־ Michael Levin, Roger Vilardaga, Jennifer Boulanger
    • Creative Confusion: An idiot's guide to ACT in groups־־־ Kevin Polk, Mark Webster, Benjamin Schoendorff, Jerold Hambright
    • Demystifying Relational Frame Theory־־־ Daniel J. Moran, Ph.D., BCBA, Patty Bach, Ph.D.
    • Getting Started with ACT Experiential Supervision Skills ־־־ Mary Sawyer
    • Introduction to ACT in Dutch־־־ Jacqueline A-Tjak, Ingrid Postma
    • Issues of Values and Committed Action in the Context of End of Life־־־ Martin Brock, Sonja V. Batten
    • Know Thyself, Choose Thyself: Exploring Flexibility with Self and Valued Living־־־ Emily K. Sandoz, Roger Vilardaga, Steve Hayes, Stephanie Nassar
    • Learning Hexaflex Processes Using Mindfulness for Two Videos־־־ Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., Emily K. Sandoz
    • Living a Vital Life with Obsessions: Treating OCD with ACT־־־ Jennifer Plumb, MA, Benjamin Schoendorff, MSc
    • Mindfulness and Acceptance in the Treatment of Depression ־־־ Kirk Strosahl, PhD, Patricia Robinson
    • A Practitioner’s Field Guide to Developing Effective Language Training Programs Using Relational Frame Theory (RFT) --- NICHOLAS M. BERENS, TIMOTHY WEIL, CARMEN LUCIANO & FRANCISCO JOSÉ RUIZ-JIMÉNEZ, MARTHA PALAEZ
    • OCD and Case Formulation In ACT־־־ Martin Brock
    • Overcoming Resistance - Made Simple־־־ Russ Harris, MD
    • Practical mindfulness for meditation hating clients: The appliance of heartrate coherence training־־־ Marco Kleen
    • Relational Frame Theory - Basic concepts and clinical implications־־־ Niklas Torneke, Jason Luoma, PhD
    • Self-as-context Made Simple ־־־ Russ Harris, MD
    • Sticky Thoughts & Other Unwanted Experiences־־־ Robyn Walser, Martin Brock
    • Teaching ACT More Directly & Making Room for "Second Wave" Moves־־־ Hank Robb, Ph.D.
    • The Art and Science of valuing in psychotherapy־־־ Joanne Dahl, PhD, Jennifer Plumb, MA, Ian Stewart, Tobias Lundgren
    • The Primary Care Behavioral Health Model: A Platform for ACT in Health Care־־־ Patricia Robinson, PhD
    • Turning your life toward maturity: ACT with older adults ־־־ Erwin Lutzke
    • Using ACT to empower the unconscious ־־־ Jacqueline A-Tjak
    • Using ACT to Improve Management of Chronic Pain in Primary Care־־־ Patricia Robinson, PhD
    • Relational Frame Theory (RFT) for Dutch-speaking participants: The theory, its rootings and implications
      Relational Frame Theory (RFT): De theorie, haar oorsprong en implicaties (in Dutch) --- Hubert De Mey

    Symposia

    • Towards a functional contextualist neuroscience־־־ BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF, STEVEN C. HAYES, KELLY G. WILSON

      Don't you mind speaking of mind? Reflecting on mirror neurons and other homunculi on the Neuroscience scene־־־ PAOLO MODERATO
      An exploration of acceptance related processes in presurgically implanted epileptic patients by means of real-time frequency-band analysis system־־־ BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF
      ‘Behavior is what the organism is doing’ – limbs, neurones, biochemistry, thoughts, and feelings. Within a context. Reaching out to the neurosciences, starting from where they are.־־־ ROB PURSSEY

    • ACT and Living Successfully with Psychotic Experience־־־ DAVID GILLANDERS

      Acceptance and Present-Moment Processes with People who Hear Distressing Voices־־־ ERIC MORRIS, Philippa Garrety, Emmanuelle Peters
      Psychotic Symptoms and Illness Beliefs do not Predict Successful Valued Living With Psychosis, But Psychological Flexibility Does־־־ LAURA WEINBERG, DAVID GILLANDERS
      The Relationship between Self-Schemas, Illness Beliefs, Psychological Flexibility and Distress in people with Psychosis־־־ REBECCA LOWER, DAVID GILLANDERS
      The Impact of Psychological Flexibility and Negative Schemas on Changes in Delusional Ideation Over Time ־־־ JOE OLIVER, KENNEDY MCLACHLAN
      Developing a trans-diagnostic ACT group in an acute psychiatric inpatient ward. ־־־ GORDON MITCHELL, AMY MCARTHUR, LAURA WEINBERG, Lucy Clark, Marie Mirfield

    • ACT in the Workplace ־־־ FRANK BOND

      The Impact of ACT training on Leadership־־־ FRANK BOND
      The Impact of ACT and CBT on Stress at Work־־־ Paul Flaxman, FRANK BOND
      The Impact of ACT Training on Stress and Burnout in Human Services Workers־־־ JO LLOYD, Frank Bond
      Can ACT reduce staff stigma? Preliminary findings and work in progress־־־ Sue Clarke, Georgina Taylor, Kelly Wilson, Bob Remington

    • ACT and Chronic Illness־־־ DAVID GILLANDERS

      Beliefs, Acceptance, Knowledge, Emotional Distress and Self Care in Older People with Type 2 Diabetes.־־־ DAVID GILLANDERS, Vicky Thurlby
      ACT based Treatment of Chronic Pain - Outcome data to three years־־־ KEVIN VOWLES, PH.D., Lance McCracken, Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert
      Flexing the gut - Quality of Life in Irritable Bowel Syndrome־־־ NUNO FERREIRA, David Gillanders
      The Evolution of General Psychological Flexibility and Pain Specific Acceptance across time in people with Chronic Pain־־־ ALEXANDRA DIMA, David Gillanders

    • Assessment, Treatment, and Process in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Illness־־־ KEVIN E. VOWLES, PH.D. (Chair)

      Measuring acceptance and fusion in individuals seeking treatment for chronic fatigue ־־־ KEVIN VOWLES, PH.D., Nikie Catchpool, Anne Johnson, Kathryn Bristow, Katherine Hadlandsmyth
      The function of acceptance and values in pediatric Sickle Cell Disease־־־ Lindsey L. Cohen, Ph.D., Aki Masuda, Kevin E. Vowles, Josie Welkom, Crystal Lim, Amanda Feinstein
      ACT in the treatment of epilepsy: Where are we now and where are we going?־־־ TOBIAS LUNDGREN, JoAnne Dahl, Lennart Melin, Nandan Yardi, Bryan Kies
      Development and Evaluation of a Self-help based ACT treatment for persons with long-standing chronic pain־־־ JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D., Tobias Lundgren

    • Short mindfulness interventions with the old, the young and the fearful־־־ LOUISE McHUGH

      Short web-based manipulation of self-focused attention: a comparison of Attention Training and mindfulness ־־־ JEAN-LOUIS MONESTÈS, Matthieu Villatte, G. Loas
      Can changing perspective on one’s own experience increase awareness of negative psychological events in others?־־־ MATTHIEU VILLATTE, PH.D., Louise McHugh, Jean-Louis Monestès
      The Behavioural Approach Test (BAT); Thought Suppression Vs Mindfulness־־־ NIC HOOPER, Laura Davies, Louise McHugh
      Stimulus over-selectivity as a model of cognitive functioning in older adults: Mindfulness as a potential intervention־־־ LOUISE McHUGH, Anna Simpson, Phil Reed

    • RFT Methods Applied to Clinical & Health Psychological Issues־־־ LOUISE McHUGH

      Thought Suppression and the Transfer on Stimulus Functions־־־ NIC HOOPER, Louise McHugh, Jo Saunders
      Transformation of Health Risk Functions of Pseudo-Food Names־־־ EMILY K. SANDOZ, Chad E. Drake, Kelly Wilson
      Comparing IRAP, IAT and Facial Electromyography (EMG) as measures of implicit attitudes towards the overweight־־־ Sarah Roddy, Ian Stewart
      Implicit future expectations and autobiographical memory in depression־־־ LIV KOSNES , Louise McHugh , Jo Saunders, Robert Whelan

    • Recent Investigations Using The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure --- NIGEL VAHEY
      Resistance to Anti-smoking Information As a Function of Implicit Expectancies Toward Smoking and Smoking-cessation --- NIGEL VAHEY
      An implicit measure of emotional avoidance --- NIC HOOPER
      Will the Real Nazi Please Stand-Up; Attitude Formation and the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) --- SEAN HUGHES
      Testing an adaptation of the IRAP to increase sensitivity to detect implicit relations at the individual level --- MIKE LEVIN

    • Applications of deictic relational framing־־־ LOUISE McHUGH

      The Effects Of Teaching Situation-Based Emotions On Perspective Taking־־־ LOUISE McHUGH, Alina Bobarnac, Phil Reed
      Deictic Relational Framing and Connectedness among College Students: A Small Analog Study־־־ ROGER VILARDAGA, Thomas Waltz, Michael Levin, Steven C. Hayes, Colin Stromberg, Kimberly Amador
      Deictic framing protocols to increase discrimination of own behavior and reduce impulsive behavior־־־ CARMEN LUCIANO, V. Sánchez, Francisco Ruíz, Marisa Páez, R. Vizcaino, O. Gutiérrez
      Deictic relational responding in beliefs attribution: People with high social anhedonia are impaired in reversing the frame of I-YOU ־־־ MATTHIEU VILLATTE, PH.D. , Jean-Louis Monestès, Louise McHugh, Ph.D., Esteve Freixa i Baqué, Ph.D., Gwenolé Loas

    • Framing different behavioral strategies in a coherent picture: Where ACT takes place־־־ GIOVANBATTISTA PRESTI, MD, PhD (chair), BENJAMIN SCHOENDORFF (discussant)

      ACT and 'Impulsive' behavior: A case study of pathological gambling־־־ SARA BORELLI, Psy. D.
      Case report: compulsory, school and social problem behaviors in an 18 yrs old student־־־ Greta Carlotti, Psy. D., Giovambattista Presti, MD, PhD, Paolo Moderato, PhD
      Case report: dysfunctional behavioral repertoire in a pre-adolescent girl with congenital dwarfism־־־ Ramona Carlotti, Psy D., Giovambattista Presti, MD, PhD, Paolo Moderato, PhD
      Case report: dysfunctional behavioral repertoire in a young woman with mild mental retardation and bipolar disorder־־־ FRANCESCA SCAGLIA, Psy. D.
      Case report: Applying ACT in a case of prolonged avoidance of school by an adolescent boy with performance anxiety ־־־ MASSIMO RONCHEI, Psy. D.
      ACT approach in Chronic Insomnia: A case study־־־ KATIA COVATI

    • Welcome to the functional Babel: Talking ACT in non English-speaking countries־־־ GIOVANBATTISTA PRESTI, MD, PhD (chair), GIOVANNI MISELLI, Psy. D. (discussant)

      Babel's AAQ-II: do different languages result in different outcomes in Europe?־־־ JEAN-LOUIS MONESTÈS, NELE JACOBS, Marco Kleen, Francis De Groot, Jacqueline A-Tjak, Maria Karekla, Frank Bond, Giovanni Miselli, Psy. D., Matthieu Villatte, Ph.D.
      Building towers in Babel: spreading and sharing knowledge, translating manuals and self-help books־־־ MATTHIEU VILLATTE, PH.D. , Jean-Louis Monestès, Giovambattista Presti

    • ACT and Mindfulness with chronic pain־־־ ERNST BOHLMEIJER, Ph.D, Martine Veehof, Ph.D., Karlein Schreurs, Ph.D., Peter Heuts

      Results of a meta-analysis־־־ Martine Veehof, Ernst Bohlmeijer, Ph.D.
      A multidisciplinary approach in a rehabilitation centre־־־ KARLEIN SCHREURS, PH.D.
      ACT in Teams־־־ PETER HEUTS

    • Tinnitus and acceptance - "Is it the sound or your relationship to it?"־־־ Gerhard Andersson, Vendela Westin, Hugo Hesser, Caroline Croft

      Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Tinnitus Distress־־־ VENDELA WESTIN
      Clients' in-session acceptance and cognitive defusion behaviors in ACT treatment of tinnitus distress־־־ HUGO HESSER, M.SC., Vendela Westin, M.Sc., Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Gerhard Andersson, Ph.D.

    • New Research on Measuring Stigma and its Relationship to ACT Processes־־־ MICHAEL LEVIN

      Measuring weight stigma־־־ JASON LILLIS, PH.D., Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Michael Levin
      Development and Psychometrics of a New Measure of Self-Stigma in Addiction־־־ JASON LUOMA, PH.D., Alyssa Rye, Kara Bunting, Chad Drake, Barbara Kohlenberg, Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D.
      Generalized Prejudice: Testing a Relational Frame Theory Account of Prejudice and Stigma־־־ MICHAEL LEVIN, Roger Vilardaga, M.A., Jason Lillis, Ph.D., Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D., Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Barbara Kohlenberg
      Predictors of stigma among addictions counselors־־־ ROGER VILARDAGA, M.A., Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Michael Levin, Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D., Mikaela Hildebrandt, Barbara Kohlenberg, Nancy Roget

    • Using ACT with Non-Clinical Populations: Findings from Recent and Ongoing Outcome Studies־־־ MICHAEL LEVIN

      ACT for Stigma and Burnout with Substance Abuse Counselors־־־ Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Jacqueline Pistorello, Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Barbara Kohlenberg, Ph.D., Roger Vilardaga, M.A., Michael Levin, Jason Lillis, Ph.D., Mikaela Hildebrandt
      Using ACT to prevent mental health problems among college freshman ־־־ JACQUELINE PISTORELLO, PH.D., Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Jason Lillis, Ph.D., Chelsea MacLane, Ph.D., Michael Levin, Jennifer Boulanger, Anthony Biglan, Ph.D., John Seeley, Ph.D.

    • Experimental analysis of complex human behavior: disambiguation of relational networks and transformations of functions through hierarchical and analogical relations. ־־־ FRANCISCO RUIZ

      Relational coherence in ambiguous and unambiguous relational networks־־־ Jennifer L. Quiñones, STEVEN C. HAYES, Ph.D.
      Transformation of functions through hierarchical frames.־־־ ENRIQUE GIL, Carmen Luciano, Ph.D., Francisco Ruiz, Vanessa Sánchez
      Transformation of functions through analogical relations: An experimental analysis of metaphors as clinical method. ־־־ FRANCISCO RUIZ, Carmen Luciano
      Modelling Hierarchical Relational Responding־־־ IAN STEWART

    • Applications of ACT to children, adolescents and their parents: Case studies־־־ FRANCISCO RUIZ

      Application of ACT on a persistent oscurity phobia in a 11 years old boy. ־־־ Francisco Ruiz, Vanessa Sánchez, Carmen Luciano, Ph.D., Rosa M. Vizcaíno
      Application of ACT on a case of bullying in a 9 year old boy־־־ Francisco Ruiz, ROSA M. VIZCAÍNO , Carmen Luciano
      Application of ACT to improve the performance of a 12 year old chess-player, to treat familiar problems and self-injury behaviors.־־־ FRANCISCO RUIZ, Carmen Luciano
      ACT in family: a case on eating disorders־־־ MARISA PÁEZ, PH.D.

    • Young clinical ACT researchers from Uppsala University־־־ JOANNE DAHL

      A short term self help based manual treatment for patients with severe chronic pain־־־ JENNY THORSELLl, REBECCA TINGVALL, ANNA FINNAS, MARIA GYBRANT, Emma Jokimaki , Moa Brathen, Elin Waxin, Karin Andersson, Sofia Fredriksson, Johanna Aronsson
      Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Increase of Social Support in Families of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth: A pilot study with multiple baselines־־־ Malin Dahlstrom, Emma Wallin
      Acceptance and Commitment therapy for bariatric surgery patients־־־ JoAnne Dahl, Sandra Weineland
      ACT in the treatment of epilepsy: Where are we now and where are we going־־־ Tobias Lundgren, MS, JoAnne Dahl, Lennart Melin, Nandan Yardi, Bryan Kies

    • Time-Series Designs in Clinical Practice־־־ JENNIFER L. BOULANGER, Jason Luoma, Ph.D., Merry Sylvester, M. A., James Yadavaia

      A multiple-baseline study of ACT for self-stigma around sexual orientation: Issues in the measurement of less overt behaviors־־־ JAMES YADAVAIA
      Exploring feasibility through single case design: A single case of ACT with a woman with traumatic brain injury־־־ MERRY SYLVESTER, M.A.
      Time-Series Designs in Clinical Practice and an Example Using the Training of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy through Videoconferencing־־־ JASON LUOMA, PH.D., Rikard Calmbro
      Using Time-Series Designs to Aid in Case Conceptualization, Treatment Targeting, and Progress Monitoring: A case of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the long-term treatment of a severe, multi-problem client־־־ JENNIFER L. BOULANGER

    • Values in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Conceptualization, Clinical Exercises and Assessment־־־ REGAN M. SLATER

      What are Values? Unpacking Values as Conceptualized in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy־־־ REGAN M. SLATER, Stephanie L. Nassar, Maureen K. Flynn, Kate K. Kellum, Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D.
      An Improved Measure of Valued Living: The Valued Living Questionnaire-II (VLQ-2)־־־ STEPHANIE L. NASSAR, Maureen K. Flynn, Regan M. Slater, Kate K. Kellum, Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D.
      Values-Centered Exercises: Impact of Values Work on Psychological Well-Being־־־ MAUREEN K. FLYNN, Regan M. Slat