Developing women leaders with ACT
Helping women thrive using an acceptance and commitment approach to leadership development
Are you ready to transform the way we support women in leadership? Many organisations have a gender imbalance in senior roles and take steps to address it, including through leadership development programmes. However, these programmes often send the message that women need to be “more”—more assertive, more commercial, or more something else.
What if we flipped the script? Dr. Alison Maitland and Liz Walker are on a mission to help women to lead unapologetically by harnessing the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Their innovative programme focuses on cultivating psychological flexibility, enabling women to embrace their authentic selves in the workplace.
Background to the workshop
Men and women often experience workplaces differently. This may be as a result of underlying biological differences (maternity leave, menopause etc) or gendered societal or organisational assumptions around roles and responsibilities. As a result of these different challenges, most organisations have an imbalance of men and women in senior roles. Many organisations are taking steps to address this issue, including offering women’s leadership development programmes. However, often these programmes inadvertently imply that women are not ‘enough’. They send the message that women need to be ‘more’… more assertive, more commercial, more ‘something’. The underlying message is that they need to be ‘fixed’ or ‘taught’ in some way.
What if, instead, we used ACT to help women develop the psychological flexibility to lead as themselves? To be open to the challenges of organisation life, to stay present and make values-led choices about how to move forward?
Dr Alison Maitland and Liz Walker are on a mission to help women lead unapologetic lives. In this workshop, they will explore what it means to move away from teaching women what to ‘do’ and instead use ACT tools and techniques to help them explore who and how they could be, and the impact they could have, if they were to lead unapologetically as themselves.
What you will gain from this workshop
In this 2-hour interactive workshop, participants will:
- Understand the societal, organisational and personal experiences that have the power to knock women off track in their careers
- Identify why the usual “fluff and duff” of women’s programmes can be unhelpful
- Explore how, and when, ACT is relevant to women’s leadership development in organisations
- Learn how ACT helps women to ‘unstick’ and step forward to live and lead unapologetically as themselves
- Recognise approaches to building ACT-aligned learning programmes for women leaders
- Highlight differences between using ACT in therapy or coaching compared to a learning environment
- Explain the benefits of taking an ACT-underpinned approach, for both the individual and for the wider organisation
Who will benefit from this workshop?
ACT practitioners who are interested / involved in leadership development within organisations.
- HR / L&D / EDI leaders who are interested in helping women progress through leadership development that shifts behaviour and unlocks potential in organisations.
This workshop is ideal for:
- People working in HR, learning and development / equality and diversity roles.
- Therapists working with women leaders
- Coaches
- Organisational psychologists
This is an intermediate level workshop; attendees are expected to have a basic working knowledge of ACT. We have a free on-demand introduction to ACT workshop available to help you prepare.
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.
At the end of this 2 hour workshop you will be able to:
- Describe the societal, organisational, and personal challenges that impact women's career progression, fostering a deeper understanding of the context in which they operate
- Identify strategies for developing ACT-aligned supportive learning environments that support women leaders.
- Differentiate between the use of ACT in therapeutic settings versus learning environments
APA psychologists: This program is sponsored by Contextual Consulting and is approved for 2 CE credits for psychologists.
Nationally certified counselors: This workshop is available for 2 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.