Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (“ACT”) – Foundation

Process 1: review of evidence

• The six core processes of ACT and their common target: flexible, value consistent living
• Process one: acceptance versus experiential avoidance
• Identifying the pervasiveness of emotion control.
• Learning to see experiential willingness as an alternative to experiential control.
• Making contact with willingness as a choice, not a desire.
• Understanding willingness as a process, not an outcome.

Process 2: undermining cognitive fusion

• Seeing thoughts for what they are – thoughts– so that those thoughts don’t have to dominate the person’s life.
• Help people attend to thinking and experiencing as an ongoing behaviour process, and help them move away from the literal meaning of thoughts.

Process 3: getting into contact with the present moment/mindfulness

• Help people discover that life is happening right now, and to return to now from the conceptualized past or future.
• Making contact with the life that is happening now, whether it involves sorrow or happiness.
• Help people to notice what is happening in relationships in the moment

Process 4: distinguishing the conceptualized self from self as context

• Making contact with a sense of self that is continuous, safe, and consistent, and from which people can observe and accept all changing experiences.
• Differentiate this consistent sense of self as the context, arena, or location in which all experience happens, from the content of experience (e.g., Emotions, thoughts, sensations, memories).

Process 5: values

• Contact and clarify the values that give your life meaning
• Link behaviour change to chosen values, while making room for automatic reactions and experiences

Process 6: building patterns of committed actions

• Develop behaviour change in the service of chosen values, while making room for automatic reactions and experiences.
• Take responsibility for patterns of action, building them into larger and larger units to support effective value-based living.

Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi

Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi is a research Professor at the Institute of Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University. He is a dynamic and entertaining trainer, a pioneering ACT researcher, and the acclaimed best-selling co-author of “A CBT Practitioner’s Guide to ACT: How to bridge the gap between Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and CommitmentTherapy.”, “The Weight Escape”, “Get out of Your Mind and Into your Life Teens”, and “The Thriving Adolescent”. He is a talented and inspiring trainer, whose excellent sense of humour ensures that his workshops are not only practical, but also a lot of fun. He is delighted to present again to clinicians in Singapore after a successful workshops in 2019 and 2020.

Joseph has researched a wide variety of populations, including adolescents, people diagnosed with cancer, professional sports teams, and organizations. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles & his papers on emotional intelligence are amongst the most cited in the world.

We are delighted that Joseph is returning for the fifth time to train more Singaporean clinicians in this pioneering therapy.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

“Prof Ciarrochi was really knowledgeable” T.Y.

“The trainer embraces the practice and has a very open approach even to us who have very strong views. His manner helps to give “space” to the things we conclude and hold as “truth”.” A.R.

“Fabulous Knowledgeable presenter” F.D.

“Loved the workshop thank you, particularly the role playing live demos and art of interviewing” P.W.