ACT for adolescents
A practical, skills based introduction
Explore innovative and engaging ways to work with adolescents and young people in therapy by using ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy). This workshop introduces adaptions to ACT principles for young people (12-24) through the DNA-V framework — a developmental approach designed to meet their unique needs and enhance therapeutic outcomes. Blending theory with hands-on practice, participants will gain tools to help teenagers and young clients navigate the challenges of self-identity, emotions, relationships, and values.
Whether you’re new to ACT or building on existing skills, the focus is on what actually works in the room, giving you tools you can use straight away.
Background to the workshop
Adolescence is a period of rapid change, often marked by self-doubt, emotional intensity, and shifting relationships. Many young people respond to this by avoiding difficult thoughts and feelings, which can increase distress over time.
Clinicians working with this group often need approaches that are not only evidence-based, but also engaging, flexible, and developmentally appropriate.
ACT offers a strong foundation for building psychological flexibility, and the DNA-V model (Discoverer, Noticer, Advisor, Values) helps translate these processes into forms that resonate with young people. Together, they provide a clear, practical framework for supporting adolescents to move towards what matters.
What you will gain from this workshop
- A clear, practical understanding of the DNA-V model and how to use it within ACT when working with young people
- Practical tools to engage adolescents in values-based living, driving motivation in ways that resonate with their experiences.
- Simple, effective ways to introduce values so they feel relevant, not abstract or forced.
- Techniques for using metaphor and experiential exercises to help young people understand and address their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
- Strategies for helping adolescents develop a more flexible and compassionate relationship with self-criticism and painful self-stories.
- Ideas for guiding young people in navigating the complexities of social relationships and building meaningful, balanced connections.
- Insights and techniques to integrate these tools into your practice, including guidance on applying ACT and DNA-V to specific challenges such as anxiety, self-esteem, and social difficulties.
About this workshop
This highly practical and interactive workshop introduces theory in digestible segments, followed by opportunities to see it in action through live demonstrations. You’ll engage in experiential activities designed to give you confidence using ACT and DNA-V techniques with your young clients. With small group discussions, role-plays, and reflective exercises, this workshop equips you with skills you can immediately apply in practice. Additionally, participants will learn ways to adapt the Portland Peer Supervision model to refine and build on their ACT and DNA-V applications post-workshop.
About the speakers
This workshop is led by two highly experienced clinicians and trainers who specialise in applying ACT with young people.
Duncan Gillard is an HCPC-registered Senior Educational Psychologist and an experienced ACT and DNA-V practitioner and trainer. He is the author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Dummies and The Science of Children’s Wellbeing, and has published a number of peer-reviewed papers in ACT and contextual behavioural science. Duncan is also Lead Psychologist for an inclusion team working with young people at risk of school exclusion and those struggling with school avoidance.
Freddy Jackson Brown is an HCPC-registered Chartered Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with children and families in the NHS. He has published widely, including peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and books on ACT, and brings particular expertise in child development, communication, behaviour, and working with systems around the young person.
Together, they bring a strong combination of clinical experience, research, and real-world application, with a focus on what actually works when using ACT and DNA-V with young people.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
This workshop is for psychologists, counsellors, social workers, teachers, and other professionals working with young people aged 12–24.
It’s suitable for those new to ACT as well as those with some experience who want more practical ways to apply it with adolescents. No prior knowledge of DNA-V is needed.
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 6 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 6 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 6 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.
Recommended reading
- Read our knowledge hub post on the DNAV model
Duncan Gillard, Grindle, C., Hooper, N., Freddy Jackson Brown, & Hancock, R. (2023). The science of children’s wellbeing: Practical sessions to support children aged 7 to 11. Speechmark.
Jackson Brown, F., & Gillard, D. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy for dummies. Wiley.
References
Faulkner, S., O’Dell, S. M., & Geisinger, D. (2018). Targeting Psychological Flexibility, Sleep Hygiene, and Physical Activity in High School Students using the DNA-V Model. Psychiatry, 49(10), 980–989.
Hayes, L., & Ciarrochi, J. (n.d.). Growing up flexibly: DNA-v as a contextual behavioural science approach to working with young people. In Levin, M. E., Twohig, M. P., & Krafft, J. (Ed.), Recent Innovations in ACT. 2019.
Perry-Parrish, C., Copeland-Linder, N., Webb, L., & Sibinga, E. M. S. (2016). Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Children and Youth. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 46(6), 172–178.
Williams, K. E., Ciarrochi, J., & Heaven, P. C. L. (2012). Inflexible parents, inflexible kids: a 6-year longitudinal study of parenting style and the development of psychological flexibility in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(8), 1053–1066.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe the key components of the DNA-V model and explain how it maps onto core ACT processes when working with young people
- Apply the DNA-V framework to structure sessions with adolescents in a way that is developmentally appropriate and engaging
- Use at least two experiential exercises or metaphors to help young people respond more flexibly to difficult thoughts and emotions
- Identify patterns of experiential avoidance in young people and implement strategies to support behavioural exploration and learning
- Guide young people in clarifying values and linking these to meaningful, achievable actions
- Demonstrate strategies for responding to self-criticism and difficult self-stories using ACT-consistent approaches
- Adapt ACT and DNA-V interventions to address common clinical presentations such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and social difficulties