Introduction to ACT and the Extended Psychological Flexibility Model

1. Describe the six processes that underlie psychological flexibility/inflexibility.
2. Describe the importance of context in understanding client difficulties.
3. Describe the concept of workability in ACT.
4. Identify at least 2 in-session exercises that are designed to promote psychological flexibility.
5. Demonstrate how acceptance, defusion and other forms of cognitive and emotional flexibility work together in supporting openness to experience.
6. Demonstrate how flexible attention to the now and a perspective-taking sense of self assist in establishing awareness.
7. Demonstrate how values and committed action support meaningful living.

ACT Model and Methods

1. Describe how the use of perspective-taking and awareness are essential to creating flexibility.
2. Demonstrate how committed action and values clarification work together in creating meaning and behavioral goals.
3. Describe the essential characteristics of the therapeutic relationship from an ACT point of view, including intrapersonal and interpersonal processes.
4. Appraise the ACT therapeutic stance.
5. Analyze the ACT therapeutic relationship and its core competencies.
6. Describe how flexibility processes are essential to and part of a socially extended process for relational change.

ACT Skills-Building Intensive

1. Apply psychological flexibility processes to the therapeutic relationship.
2. Describe the three overall and essential functions of the ACT clinician regarding psychological flexibility in the therapy session.
3. Describe at least one way of reading each flexibility process as it shows up in session. 
4. Demonstrate the ability to detect flexibility-relevant material in session.
5. Utilize at least one generally useful method of opening the door to each of the flexibility processes in session.
6. Utilize ACT (skills, interventions, techniques) to shift the focus to any flexibility target at will.
7. Respond to client statements using flexibility processes.

Therapist Wisdom and Bringing the Process of Change to Light

1. Describe why the network approach is a radical shift in case conceptualization.
2. Identify the psychological, biological and sociocultural nodes of a network.
3. Develop an individualized ACT treatment plan.
4. Utilize network modeling in case conceptualization.
5. Integrate ACT with existing training, background, and experience as a practitioner.
6. Create ACT-based interventions to cultivate compassionate wisdom in clients.

Objectives for Optional Evening Sessions:

Flexible Implementation of ACT 

1. Use core psychological flexibility processes to focus on interpersonal connection and being bold in therapy.
2. Use core psychological flexibility processes to foster creative hopelessness.
3. Apply the flexible use of multiple core processes in a single episode of contact with a client.

Clinical Examples and Case Conceptualization

1. Utilize  core psychological flexibility processes with challenging or stuck clients.
2. Practice core psychological flexibility processes to focus on qualities of the interpersonal relationship.
3. Formulate a case conceptualization using ACT interventions.

Note: The state of the evidence, risks and limitations, and contraindications will be addressed throughout the training as appropriate.