ACT for physical health problems
Intermediate level deep dive into skills development
Many practitioners report that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is enormously helpful for physical health problems and the psychological fallout that goes with them. They see people’s lives improve, their well-being increase as they are less overwhelmed by health problems and worries about health. ACT provides skills for people to be more open to their experiences, so they can be more mindfully aware and able to take important steps towards values.
But what are the benefits of delving deeper into the model? How can it truly assist the individuals you work with, especially those who feel trapped and unable to move forward? Perhaps they are fixated on a past version of themselves when they were healthier, making it challenging for them to accept the changes in their health. Alternatively, they may persist in engaging in harmful behaviours, despite the evident harm and damage caused. These clients are the ones who would benefit from acceptance, self-compassion, defusion, and values work, but often exhibit resistance when it comes to learning these valuable skills.
If you aspire to elevate your ACT skills to new heights, enabling you to seamlessly and adaptively deliver ACT processes, overcome resistance, and amplify the impact of your interventions, then this workshop is tailor-made for you.
About this workshop
Join Dr Ray Owen, leading ACT for health expert, as he demonstrates the transformative power of ACT in our upcoming workshop on health-related challenges. Discover how to navigate loss of identity, address emotions, break free from unhelpful behaviours, and gain insights into moment-by-moment functional analysis.
In this skills-building workshop, you will learn:
- The role of an altered sense of self (“I’m just not the person I used to be…”), and powerful methods to work with self-as-context which can help build a new approach to loss of identity
- Tools to work with emotions connected with loss of identity
- Key techniques to work with unhelpful rule-governed behaviour and develop more helpful rules and behaviour for people with altered health
- How to use moment-by-moment functional analysis to get unstuck from content
- Methods to use perspective-taking to enhance self-compassion
- How to work with trauma and moral injury within physical health from an ACT perspective
- And much much more…
By the end of this workshop, participants will have acquired practical skills and knowledge to effectively address the challenges associated with loss of identity and altered health, promoting personal growth and well-being.
Who will benefit from this workshop?
This intermediate-level ACT for health workshop is for people who are already familiar with the core ACT model (values, defusion, acceptance etc) in a physical health setting but want to take their skills to the next level and dive into the more complex aspects of the model. It is is designed for practitioners working within health settings who already know about ACT or use it to some extent. The workshop will assume that participants already have a good grasp of the basics of ACT, and have some experience of applying it with people who have physical health problems, as the fundamentals of the ACT model will not be covered .
The experiential exercises will bring us into contact with difficult thoughts and feelings – please be aware of this in deciding whether to attend.
If you are interested in learning about the basics of ACT for physical health problems, check out our upcoming workshop, ACT for physical health problems: an introductory level skills workshop with Dr Ray Owen.
Group booking discounts
Contextual Consulting offer discounts for groups of people from the same organisation e.g. an NHS Trust that does not have a contract arrangement with us.
Please email us here to arrange a group discount or find out more about our CPD contracts here.
APA psychologists: This program is sponsored by Contextual Consulting and is approved for 12 CE credits for psychologists.
Nationally certified counselors: This workshop is available for 12 credit hours. Contextual Consulting Ltd. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7578.
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.
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the role an altered sense of self ("I'm just not the person I used to be...") plays in the experience of loss of identity. Apply powerful methods, such as working with self-as-context, to develop a new approach towards addressing and coping with loss of identity.
- Employ effective tools to manage and work through emotions associated with the loss of identity. Develop strategies to process and cope with complex emotional experiences in a constructive manner.
- Utilize key techniques to identify and modify unhelpful rule-governed behaviours related to altered health. Acquire skills to develop more adaptive rules and behaviours that support well-being and adjustment to changed circumstances.
- Apply moment-by-moment functional analysis techniques to overcome being stuck in unhelpful thought patterns or behaviours. Gain the ability to examine and shift focus from content to context, allowing for greater flexibility and problem-solving.
- Utilise perspective-taking as a method to enhance self-compassion. Acquire the skills to consider alternative viewpoints and cultivate a compassionate and understanding attitude towards oneself in the face of identity loss and altered health.
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.