ACT for physical health problems
Intermediate level deep dive into skills development
Working with clients facing physical health challenges often brings unique complexities. While acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) offers a powerful framework for improving well-being and fostering meaningful action, applying it in nuanced, adaptive ways can make all the difference for those who feel stuck. This workshop goes beyond the basics, equipping you with advanced ACT skills to help your clients navigate the profound psychological impact of health-related changes, break unhelpful patterns, and reconnect with their values and sense of self.
Background to the workshop
Physical health issues often come with more than just bodily symptoms—they can deeply impact identity, self-worth, and the ability to engage in life. Many clients struggle with a sense of loss, clinging to past versions of themselves or feeling trapped by unhelpful behaviours that perpetuate suffering. While ACT offers powerful tools like acceptance, defusion, and values-based action, some clients may resist these processes, leaving practitioners feeling stuck. Advanced skills are essential to help clients engage with these tools and foster meaningful change, even in the face of resistance.
What you will gain from this workshop
By attending this workshop, you will deepen your understanding of ACT and gain practical, advanced tools to address the challenges faced by clients with physical health issues. Specifically, you will learn:
- How to work with a disrupted sense of self and use self-as-context techniques to rebuild identity after health-related changes
- Ways to address the emotions tied to loss of identity and foster acceptance and self-compassion
- Techniques to identify and shift unhelpful rule-governed behaviours, helping clients develop more adaptive approaches to their health challenges
- The use of moment-by-moment functional analysis to move beyond content and address psychological stuckness
- Perspective-taking exercises to enhance self-compassion and improve emotional resilience
- Approaches to working with trauma and moral injury in physical health settings from an ACT perspective
By the end of this workshop, you’ll feel more confident and equipped to work with the complex psychological dynamics often present in clients with physical health problems, ultimately enabling them to lead richer, more values-driven lives.
About this workshop
This interactive workshop, led by Dr Ray Owen, a leading expert in ACT for health, combines mini-lectures, video demonstrations, and experiential exercises to bring the concepts to life. Participants will engage in role-plays and practice advanced techniques in a supportive environment, ensuring they leave with practical skills they can immediately apply in their practice. The experiential nature of the workshop will also give attendees the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences, deepening their understanding of ACT processes.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
This workshop is ideal for practitioners working in health settings who already have a solid foundation in ACT and experience applying it with clients facing physical health challenges. It is an intermediate-level workshop designed for those who are familiar with the core ACT model (values, defusion, acceptance, mindfulness) and are ready to take their skills to the next level.
Please note: This workshop includes experiential exercises that may involve connecting with challenging thoughts and emotions. Participants should consider their readiness to engage in this type of work.
If you are new to ACT in health contexts, we recommend attending our introductory workshop, ACT for physical health problems: an introductory skills workshop with Dr Ray Owen, to build a foundational understanding before joining this advanced training.
What past participants say
“Wonderful trainer – such valuable and useful training material, extremely pertinent to my work on both a Cancer and Gynaecology department. The training has further deepened my understanding and confidence in the use of ACT in health settings.”
-Robyn Jury, Clinical Psychologist
Continuing education credits are available both for attending the live workshop and for completing the workshop by viewing the recording of the live event.
APA psychologists: This program is sponsored by Contextual Consulting and is approved for 14 CE credits for psychologists. Contextual Consulting is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Contextual Consulting maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Nationally certified counselors: This workshop is available for 14 credit hours. Contextual Consulting Ltd. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7578.
New York psychologists: This program is sponsored by Contextual Consulting and is approved for 14 CE credits for psychologists. Contextual Consulting is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0316.
To find out more, including attendance requirements and how to access your certificate, go to our continuing education information page.
If you have disability and require adjustments or accommodation, please email us at admin@contextualconsulting.co.uk to discuss your needs and we will do our best to help you.
Booking cancellation
The registration fee will be refunded minus a administration charge if cancellations are received at least two weeks before the workshop date.
Cancellations within two weeks of the event date are charged the full registration fee, other than in exceptional circumstances that can be verified.
Event cancellation
In the event of cancellation of the course outside of our control we will not be held accountable for travel and/or accommodation costs incurred. However, the workshop fees will be refunded.
All workshops will be subject to minimum delegate numbers being met; in the event that a workshop should be cancelled delegates will be given no less than 2 months’ notice.
Replacing delegates
If a delegate is unable to attend and a replacement is nominated there may be a charge depending on the individual circumstances, this will be advised at the time. Please contact the us to request a replacement of delegates at least a week before the workshop date.
Contextual Consulting is committed to the identification and resolution of potential conflicts of interest in the planning, promotion, delivery, and evaluation of continuing education. Potential conflicts of interest occur when an individual assumes a professional role in the planning, promotion, delivery, or evaluation of continuing education where personal, professional, legal, financial, or other interests could reasonably be expected to impair their objectivity, competence, or effectiveness.
There was no commercial support for this event. None of the planners or presenters for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
Graham, C. D., Gouick, J., Krahé, C., & Gillanders, D. (2016).
A systematic review of the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in chronic disease and long-term conditions. Clinical Psychology Review, 46, 46-58.
McCracken, L. M., & Vowles, K. E. (2014).
Acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness for chronic pain: Model, process, and progress. American Psychologist, 69(2), 178-187.
Hann, K. E. J., & McCracken, L. M. (2014).
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of acceptance and commitment therapy for adults with chronic pain: Outcome domains, design quality, and efficacy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3(4), 217-227.
- Describe the psychological impact of chronic illness, pain, disability, and other physical health conditions on identity, self-worth, and daily functioning.
- Apply Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes in a flexible and context-sensitive way when working with clients experiencing physical health challenges.
- Identify patterns of experiential avoidance, rule-governed behaviour, and psychological inflexibility that may contribute to ongoing suffering in health-related contexts.
- Demonstrate the use of moment-by-moment functional analysis to assess and respond to client stuckness during therapy sessions.
- Utilise self-as-context interventions to help clients respond to disruptions in identity and develop a broader sense of self beyond illness or disability.
- Implement interventions that foster acceptance, self-compassion, and emotional openness in response to loss, grief, and health-related life changes.
- Apply ACT-consistent approaches when working with trauma, moral injury, and emotionally complex experiences related to physical health conditions or healthcare experiences.
- Develop values-based intervention plans that help clients build meaningful, adaptive lives alongside ongoing physical health challenges.