Clients get stuck; helpers get stuck with them.  They get stuck in their feelings, thoughts, stories and repetitive behavioral patterns, called psychological rigidity. Persistent psychological rigidity can be seen as the core of most mental disorders.  Help your clients get unstuck by learning skills of psychological flexibility.  Watch your clients get out of their heads and move toward living well regardless of the diagnosis.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) views clients as stuck rather than sick and occasional psychological rigidity and experiential avoidance as a part of the human condition.  ACT is an accepted evidenced based practice helping clients with a wide range of emotional, psychological and behavioral difficulties. It combines the wisdom and effectiveness of motivational interviewing, mindfulness practices and behavioral activation. 

An ACT clinical approach uses experiential exercises and metaphors to engage the client in conversations that move away from symptom reduction only and move toward a life that has more meaning and purpose.  By integrating ACT into your practice, you can help your clients to:

·      Unhook from negative/harmful thoughts

·      Be more present

·      Accept what cannot be changed

·      Focus on what’s most important in their lives

·      Take committed action toward their values

·      Have a kinder and more realistic view of themselves

Using a combination of didactic presentation and experiential exercises, this workshop will introduce ACT model, philosophy and core concepts of psychological rigidity and flexibility.  Attendees will leave this training with a basic understanding of ACT approaches and with specific interventions they can employ immediately.  Following sessions build on the overview and provide more in-depth focus on additional interventions that enhance flexibility.  

Day 1

Overview of model

• Illustrate the power of language and normal mental processes to amplify pain into suffering

• Describe the role of experiential control and avoidance in psychopathology

• Introduce the ACT hexaflex as a clinical frame

• Identify the 6 core processes of psychological rigidity

• Describe the 6 core processes of psychological flexibility

Day 2:

Focus on experiential activities using skills from the hexaflex, using clinical examples, exercises, demonstrations and practice dyads.

• “present moment”

• “perspective taking”

• “acceptance”

• “defusion”

• “values”

• “committed action”

Target Audience:

Mental and Behavioral Health Professionals, Social Workers, Psychologists, Physicians, Nurses, Therapists, Counseling Staff, Alcohol and Drug Counselors, and clinical staff in mental health, substance abuse, co-occurring, behavioral or health settings.   This workshop is a combination of didactic material, individual reflections, group discussion, and experiential activities.  

12 CEUS for LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, LADC, CCS. Psychology and Alcohol and Drug Approval pending.

Presenters:

Richard Lewis MA, MS, LCPC worked for 23 years in the Maine Medical Center Department of Psychiatry as an outpatient Clinical Counselor , Residency Faculty and Clinical Supervisor. He is currently a Disaster Behavioral Health consultant, a member of the Maine Medical Center Residency Training Faculty and Clinical Assistant Professor with Tufts University School of Medicine teaching Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Gender Issues in Psychiatry, Clinical Hypnosis and EMDR as well as providing individual therapy supervision to PGY3-4 Residents. He is a Past President of the Maine Mental Health Counselors Association and of the American Mental Health Counselors Public Policy and Legislative Committee. He helped develop the Disaster Behavioral Health Team for Maine Medical Center and, along with his colleagues, presented nationally and internationally on development of that function in hospital and similar organizational settings. He is a grateful member of the Southern Maine ACT Consultation Group for the better part of a decade where ACT scholarship, application and peer consultation come together for joyful discovery.

Teresa Valliere, LCSW, LADC, CCS is an individual therapist, group facilitator, clinical supervisor and trainer with 23 years of experience in a variety of settings. She was director of inpatient services for a women’s substance abuse and co-occurring disorders residential programs;  led an Assertive Community Treatment team;  supervised a large detoxification and rehabilitation center specializing in co–occurring disorders, relapse prevention and early recovery for men and women; facilitated groups for anger management and with domestic violence offenders. For the last 16 years she has been facilitating trainings on addiction, mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and supervision for a wide variety of agencies and organizations in Maine. She served as adjunct faculty for North Carolina State University, University of New England and University of Southern Maine in social work and counseling. She currently serves as visiting faculty in the psychiatry residents program at Maine Medical Center (Tufts Medical School). She has expertise in trauma and recovery, relational theory, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, group facilitation and clinical supervision.  She maintains a private practice in Portland Maine serving adults with a special focus on caring for professionals in mental health, medical, legal and other helping professions through training, supervision, and direct counseling. She has been a member of the Southern Maine Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [SMACT] peer supervision community since 2009.

This training takes place at the Woodfords Club in Portland where there is plenty of parking on-site. Morning and afternoon refreshments are included. Lunch is available at several local restaurants within walking distance. Kitchen facilities for bringing your own meal are available (microwave, refrigerator.)

Check in begins at 8:00AM. Workshop runs 8:30AM-4:30PM with a morning and afternoon breaks, and 1 hour lunch.