Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Masterclass

Foundations of ACT & Psychological Flexibility

Languaging

• Human language: A launching pad for progress and a trap for suffering
• When rules rule the wrong way, and problem-solving becomes the problem
• How to spot when the mind starts running the session

Defining Psychological Flexibility

• Clinical diagnoses as the reverse of flexibility
• Identifying rigidity patterns in clients and clinicians
• Living Flexibly: Looking at psychological flexibility as a skill

The Six Skills of Psychological Flexibility

• Accepting – Opening up to inner experience without defense, avoidance, or escape
• Defusing – Observing thoughts as thoughts, not directives or truths
• Contacting the Present Moment – Orienting attention to what’s here and now
• Perspective-Taking – Accessing the self-as-context to improve personal awareness
• Valuing – Identifying and articulating what truly matters
• Committing – Choosing and sustaining behavior in the service of values

The Obstacles to Psychological Flexibility

• Common therapist errors: Conceptual, procedural, and emotional
• Misapplications of mindfulness and acceptance strategies
• When ACT interventions become rule-bound or mechanical
• Limitations of the research and potential risks
• Applied assessment and process tracking
  • Using ACT-consistent assessment tools (AAQ-II, VLQ, PsyFlex, etc.)
  • Evaluating client progress through flexibility processes
  • Linking assessment data to functional analysis and treatment planning

ACT in Action: From Principles to Processes

Case Conceptualization and Psychological Inflexibility

• Assessing behavior through function, not form
• The paradox: Control strategies that amplify distress
• Reframing major DSM-5-TR™ diagnoses through the lens of ACT

Analyzing the Inflexahex Case Conceptualization Model

• Experientially Avoiding – Struggling to escape feelings instead of making room for them
• Fusing – Getting entangled with thoughts and treating them as literal truths or commands
• Being Distracted – Losing contact with the here-and-now through worry and rumination
• Attaching to a Conceptualized Self – Over-identifying with personal stories, labels, or roles instead of flexible self-awareness
• Drifting from Values – Neglecting what truly matters and following habits, rules, or comfort instead of purpose
• Reacting or Disengaging – Acting impulsively or shutting down rather than taking deliberate vital action

Integrating ACT with Evidence-Based Treatments

• Behavioral activation with accepting and contacting the present moment
• Exposure and ritual prevention with committing
• Motivational Interviewing with valuing
• Prolonged exposure with perspective-taking and defusing

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Case Studies

• Rowen: ACT for Insomnia
• Kai: Motivational Interviewing and ACT for substance use
• Lior: Motivational Interviewing plus exposure and ritual prevention for OCD
• Indra: ACT for Psychosis

Advanced Application and Experiential Practice

The ACT Matrix in Clinical Practice

• Evaluating client experience across the “Toward/Away” and “Internal/External” dimensions
• Using the Matrix to reveal avoidance patterns and clarify valued directions
• Applying the Matrix to moment-to-moment interventions in session
• Using the Matrix for therapist reflection and supervision

The Mindful Action Plan (MAP)

• Guiding people with the MAP to better behavioral health
• Applying the MAP with trauma, anxiety, and burnout presentations
• Using MAP principles for therapist vitality and self-care

Experiential Skills Training

• Partner practice: functional formulation and intervention review
• Small-group work using the Matrix and MAP to guide brief interventions
• Classic ACT experiential exercise for professional growth
  1. Passengers on the Bus
  2. Taking Your Mind on a Journey
  3. Who Are You?