Overview

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based contemporary psychological approach to behaviour change that promotes the idea of people living more in line with their values whilst providing them with practical strategies for managing adversity. In this book, Dawn Johnson and Richard Bennett have collated fifty of the questions that have most frequently been put to them whilst delivering ACT training and supervision to a wide range of therapists and other helping professionals. This book is the first of its kind to provide concise answers to a range of philosophical, theoretical, conceptual, and practical questions raised by practitioners who are learning ACT. It will be of interest to psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, counsellors, psychiatrists, and a broad range of other mental health practitioners and trainees. It serves as a useful resource for those new to the practice of ACT, and for more experienced practitioners who might want to consider these questions themselves.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dawn Johnson ,  Richard Bennett (University of Birmingham, UK)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.280kg
ISBN:  

9781032429373

ISBN 10:   1032429372
Pages:   190
Publication Date:   29 August 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Introduction. Part I: Defining the philosophy and theory of ACT. 1. What is the best way to describe ACT to a client? 2. Which kinds of issues can ACT help with? 3. What are the basic assumptions that ACT makes? 4. How does evolutionary theory apply to ACT? 5. What is functional contextualism? 6. Why do ACT practitioners answer every question with 'it depends'? 7. What is the most important behavioural principle to remember? 8. What on Earth is Relational Frame Theory? 9. Why does ACT use so many metaphors? 10. What is the relationship between ACT and other cognitive behavioural therapies? Part II: Conceptual questions about the ACT model. 11. What is psychological flexibility? 12. What does ‘creative hopelessness’ mean? 13. Is ‘contact with the present moment’ the same thing as mindfulness? 14. What is self-as-context and how does it differ from defusion? 15. Doesn’t acceptance just equate to giving up and letting life steamroller you? 16. What is meant by ‘transformation of stimulus functions’? 17. How do I tell values apart from goals or rules? 18. How can I tell the difference between toward and away moves when clients are taking action? 19. How does the concept of compassion fit with ACT? Part III: Putting ACT into practice. 20. Do I need to know RFT in order to practice ACT? 21. How do I know whether ACT is the right intervention for someone? 22. Can ACT be adapted for diverse populations? 23. Where do I start with introducing ACT to a client? 24. Should I show the Hexaflex to my clients? 25. How do I explain each component of the Hexaflex? 26. In which order should I work through the components of the psychological flexibility model? 27. How can I encourage people to tune in to the present moment? 28. How do I actually do self-as-context work with a client? 29. How do I promote acceptance in sessions? 30. How do I know which defusion procedure to use? 31. How do I deal with values conflict? 32. So, I just get people to work out their values and encourage them to do value-driven behaviour all the time, right? 33. Do I have to address all the processes in every session? 34. How do I apply ACT with (insert diagnosis here)? 35. How many sessions should a course of ACT intervention include? Part IV: Developing skills as an ACT practitioner. 36. What do I need in place in order to practice ACT safely and effectively? 37. Should ACT practitioners practice ACT for themselves? 38. Why is experiential learning better than didactic learning? 39. Why is there no formal qualification in ACT? 40. How can ACT practitioners shape their learning? 41. Do I need ongoing ACT supervision? Part V: Critical questions about ACT. 42. How strong is the evidence for ACT? 43. Traditional CBT has a well-established evidence base. Why does the world need ACT? 44. Isn’t ACT just another case of ‘the emperor’s new clothes’? 45. ACT uses a lot of eye-catching tools and techniques. Isn’t this all just a bag of tricks? 46. How does ACT fit within a culture where the medical model dominates? 47. Is it not harmful to encourage people to tune into and accept their pain and discomfort? 48. What if people have harmful or antisocial values? 49. The client says, ""I’ve done everything you suggested but it hasn’t taken away my discomfort"". What do I do next? 50. What do I do if a technique does not work out like it is supposed to?"

Reviews

'A superb text. Entertaining, informative, well-written, easy-to-read, and highly relevant for every ACT practitioner. The authors brilliantly answer all those common questions that just about everyone grapples with in their ACT journey, from the technical stuff like functional contextualism and relational frame theory to the hands-on practical stuff like how to actually work with self-as-context. I wish I'd had access to a book like this when I was learning ACT. It would have saved me so much confusion!' Russ Harris, M. D., and Author of ACT Made Simple and The Happiness Trap 'I've been in and around ACT for over 15 years, and so when I saw the title of this book, I assumed that I'd already know the answers to the FAQs. That was not the case. There have been niggling questions over the years about the ACT model that I've semi-ignored, and this book now gives me the answers to those questions in a comprehensive, clear, and accessible way. I guess that's what I find most remarkable about the book: it will be useful to both a total newbie and to those more experienced with ACT.' Nic Hooper, Ph.D., Lecturer in Psychology at Cardiff University, UK and Author of The Unbreakable Student 'Here is a book that could only be written by people with deep knowledge, years of clinical practice and teaching, and direct experience of living by the ACT model. They home in on the key questions that really matter to new (and indeed experienced) practitioners. They answer them with clarity, with precision, depth, as well as with warmth and humour. Above all this is a supremely practical book; not obsessed with people getting ACT 'right', but with helping people to become more confident and effective in using ACT to help themselves and others. It should be on the bookshelf of any new ACT practitioner, and also anyone who teaches or supervises them. I know my copy will become well-thumbed.' Ray Owen, DClinPsy, Consultant Clinical and Health Psychologist, Peer-reviewed ACT Trainer, and Author of Facing the Storm and Living with the Enemy 'This book is a true gem. Not only does it provide you with the most useful answers to various ACT questions. It's well written, wisely organised, easy-to-read, and very practical too. This book is a must-have for every practitioner wanting to develop their skills in ACT.' Rikke Kjelgaard, Psychologist, Peer-reviewed ACT Trainer, author of Samtal som foerandrar: en Guide till ACT i Praktiken, and chief rock'n'roller at www.rikkekjelgaard.com 'This is the book I wish I had while I was teaching and supervising ACT trainees. A must-have resource for anyone learning or teaching Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It will answer all your burning questions in a thorough yet concise and understandable format. Highly recommended!' Jill Stoddard, Ph.D., author of Be Mighty: A Woman's Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and The Big Book of ACT Metaphors: A Practitioner's Guide to Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 'The book was a real treat to read, both as an ACT practitioner and as an ongoing student of the model. I found it especially useful because I often encounter many of these questions in my practice with clients. I recommend this book to newcomers and seasoned practitioners alike. It offers a good starting point for learning about the principles of ACT and at the same time offers the possibility to revisit fundamental theoretical and practical ideas. The book is very well structured, so the reader can jump to any question to get a specific answer.' Gabriel Roseanu, Ph.D., Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapist and Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Oradea, Romania 'If you are an ACT practitioner looking to dive more fully into the ACT model, then this book is for you. It's jam packed full of pearls of wisdom, answering all the questions you ever wanted to ask about ACT but were too afraid to ask. Highly recommended.' Joe Oliver, Ph.D., Founder of Contextual Consulting and co-author of The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Self-Esteem 'This is such a useful book! As a quick reference guide, the authors have created a go-to resource for accessible answers to questions that you will find yourself asking or find that others ask of you. More than that, this book is also a really absorbing and stimulating read, inviting us to think more about the how of ACT rather than the what. It makes a perfect accompaniment to many other ACT core texts.' Elizabeth Burnside, DClinPsy, Clinical Psychologist and Academic Director of North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme. 'What a great read. This will be very useful for professionals and teachers who want to learn more than just the Hexaflex. The reader can dive into the under-the-hood aspects of ACT, deepen their therapy skills, and they will become more flexible in their work. You'll find answers to all your commonly asked questions answered instantly and be entertained in the process. A great companion to dip into whenever questions arise.' Louise Hayes, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and co-author of Get Out of Your Mind and into your Life for Teens, Your Life Your Way, The Thriving Adolescent and What Makes You Stronger

Author Information

Dawn Johnson works as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice, offering therapy, teaching, training, supervision, and consultation. She previously had a long career in the National Health Service and has extensive experience of adapting ACT to work with people with intellectual disabilities, neurodiversity, and severe mental health problems. Richard Bennett works as a Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist. He lectures at the Centre for Applied Psychology at the University of Birmingham and works at Think Psychology, the independent psychology practice he founded, which offers therapy, supervision, and training.

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