ACT for worrying, ruminating & obsessing
Key strategies to successfully reduce these deeply entrenched habits
Course Description
About this workshop
Clients (and therapists) often get repeatedly caught up in worrying, ruminating, obsessing, fantasising about the life they could have, ‘analysis paralysis’ and dwelling on ‘if only’.
These covert behaviours (i.e. cognitive processes) are not easy to disrupt.
A bit of defusion, a bit of mindfulness: that is not likely to help much with such deeply entrenched and consuming mental habits. Indeed, some clients don’t even want to change these habits: ‘Worrying helps me prepare for the worst’, ‘Ruminating helps me understand myself’. So if we want to help our clients (and ourselves) to change these covert behaviours, we’ll need to come at it from all points of the hexaflex.
In this workshop, you will learn many techniques and strategies to help your clients (and yourself) successfully reduce worrying, ruminating and obsessing (WRO).
Russ proudly proclaims his workshops a ‘jargon-free zone’ – and bases his training on three core values: simplicity, clarity, and having fun. His highly acclaimed ACT workshops are brief, powerful, cost-effective and life-enhancing.
Who would benefit from this workshop?
Meant for practitioners who have received basic introductory training in ACT, we recommend this workshop for mental health professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurse practitioners and mental health counsellors.
Positive feedback from Russ’ previous workshops
“I could listen to Russ all day, an awesome presenter with superb ACT knowledge”
“Another great experience with the wonderful Russ Harris. Super sessions that the world should know more about!”
“Superb CPD, Russ Harris is an ACT guru who makes learning the theory and strategies fun, like all learning should be”
“It was interesting, enriching and educational.”
“Very satisfied and will be returning for more. Thank you!”
“I loved the videos and the experiential exercises”,
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to:
- First validate and normalise WRO, before gently exploring the costs
- Help clients become aware of the many ‘payoffs’ (reinforcing consequences) – mostly unconscious – that continually reinforce WRO
- Understand and explain the purpose of WRO in evolutionary terms
- Use simple metaphors to help clients see the unworkability of these cognitive processes, and open them to an alternative
- Overcome resistance to change
- Use powerful mindfulness practices such as ‘dipping in and out of the stream’ to rapidly disrupt WRO.
- Teach clients fast, effective strategies to help them ‘prepare for the worst’ or ‘understand who I am’ (methods that are much quicker and more efficient than WRO)
- Tease out values and values-based goals from beneath WRO
- Overcome barriers to change, such as the short-term increase in emotional discomfort that often occurs as WRO first reduces
- Work with WRO in simple, informal ways throughout every session, using techniques such as ‘thought ticking’
- Modify the popular ‘worry time’ technique from CBT to make it ACT-congruent
- Utilise a simple strategy to help clients whose WRO relates to a difficult dilemma, tough decision, or values conflict
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.
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.
In this workshop you will learn how to:
- First validate and normalise WRO, before gently exploring the costs
- Help clients become aware of the many ‘payoffs’ (reinforcing consequences) – mostly unconscious – that continually reinforce WRO
- Understand and explain the purpose of WRO in evolutionary terms
- Use simple metaphors to help clients see the unworkability of these cognitive processes, and open them to an alternative
- Overcome resistance to change
- Use powerful mindfulness practices such as ‘dipping in and out of the stream’ to rapidly disrupt WRO.
- Teach clients fast, effective strategies to help them ‘prepare for the worst’ or ‘understand who I am’ (methods that are much quicker and more efficient than WRO)
- Tease out values and values-based goals from beneath WRO
- Overcome barriers to change, such as the short-term increase in emotional discomfort that often occurs as WRO first reduces
- Work with WRO in simple, informal ways throughout every session, using techniques such as ‘thought ticking’
- Modify the popular ‘worry time’ technique from CBT to make it ACT-congruent
- Utilise a simple strategy to help clients whose WRO relates to a difficult dilemma, tough decision, or values conflict
This program is sponsored by Contextual Consulting and is approved for 3 CE credits for psychologists. To find out more, including attendance requirements and how to access your certificate, go to our continuing education information page.