Topic: Children and young people

These articles explore how ACT supports the emotional well-being and psychological development of children and young people. They provide practical strategies and interventions to help navigate challenges, build resilience, and nurture self-acceptance as they pursue meaningful goals and values.
The critical importance of early support and access to services for neurodivergent adolescents

Neurodivergence, which includes autism spectrum condition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, brings unique strengths. It can also bring its own unique difficulties. Unfortunately, neurodivergent adolescents often face barriers in accessing timely support, impacting their mental health, education, and overall well-being. This was the focus of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), […]

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Inside Out 2 from an ACT psychologist perspective

Here’s Dr Joe Oliver’s take of Inside Out 2, from a clinical psychologist and ACT therapist perspective:  As a fan of the first movie and its powerful message about embracing difficult emotions, I was keen to check out how this sequel might tackle adolescence and the challenges of puberty. As a reminder, in the first […]

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Supporting children and young people’s mental health – a necessity not a luxury

While the emotional well-being of our youth is acknowledged as a key challenge in modern times, some new statistics are showing the worrying rate that these concerns are affecting wider society. A new report from Deloitte¹ found that 46% of working parents are concerned about their child’s mental health. Even more alarming, 29% of parents […]

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Exploring the effectiveness of ACT in easing stress among adolescents – a meta analytic review

The power of acceptance In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents, posing significant risks to their mental and physical well-being. In the quest to combat this rising issue, Binder et al. (2023) turned their attention to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). In a recent systematic review and meta-analysis titled […]

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ACT for adolescent anxiety: a systematic research review

Anxiety in young people is both incredibly common and can be incredibly debilitating. It can interrupt key developmental tasks related to establishing social connections, undertaking academic requirements, and developing a healthy sense of self. Although many young people report experiencing anxiety, a subgroup describes their anxiety as very restrictive. They need some help and assistance […]

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Meet our speaker: Louise Hayes

For many of you, Louise is another of the giants in the global ACT community. She’s the founder of DNA-V model for young people and adolescents, a published author and she’s trained over 10,000 professionals. In her spare time she runs a not-for-profit organisation taking professionals into the Himalayas to learn mindfulness and raising money […]

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Parent, child, and family outcomes following ACT for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial

The study aimed to test the efficacy of a brief, group-based ACT intervention for mothers and fathers of autistic children, adolescents, and adults. The intervention resulted in gains for parents, with the greatest treatment effects observed for parent depression and family distress, which were maintained at the 4-month follow-up. Parents also reported short-term gains with respect to personal goal attainment, and […]

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DNA-V: scientific publications around DNA-V and ACT for youth and adults

About the DNA-V Model DNA-V is an evidence-based model that fosters psychological resilience and values consistent living, vitality, and success. It aims to help people manage challenges, stress, and change. DNA-V integrates principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and positive psychology, drawing from contextual behavioral science. The model is updated continuously to incorporate new research findings. We hope you […]

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Psychological flexibility of parents of children with disabilities: a systematic literature review

Gur, A. & Reich, A. (2023). Psychological flexibility of parents of children with disabilities: A systematic literature review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 136.   Background The World Health Organization estimates that over 1 billion people worldwide live with a disability. Around 100 million of these are children. There are different models of disability: medical or […]

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The psychologically flexible parent

Parenting with mindfulness & acceptance – Chris McCurry, PhD D.W. Winnicott famously said, “There is no such thing as a baby”. By that he meant that one cannot isolate the child from the environment, especially the social environment. In my work as a basic 25 to 30 kid per week private practice psychologist I see […]

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