Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills-Training Manual for Therapists

322 Pages·2007·3.77 MB·English

by  Jason Luoma PhD

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US $44.95 PSYCHOLOGY
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The groundswell of interest in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is among the most
remarkable developments in contemporary psychotherapy. Whether you are new to the profession or a
an experienced clinician with an established career seeking to incorporate ACT work into your practice,
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this book is an essential resource. ACT is both a unique approach and somewhat counterintuitive in its
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methods. Learning to “do ACT” well requires practice, patience, and good information. This book is a
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major contribution to ACT professional literature: a comprehensive, activity-based workbook that will
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help you understand and take advantage of ACT’s unique six-process model, both as a tool for diagnosis
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and case conceptualization and as a basis for structuring treatments for clients.
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Learning ACT begins with an overview of the ACT model, outlining its theoretical and philosophical
underpinnings. Next you will learn how to understand and make use of the six core ACT processes.
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In later chapters, you’ll be introduced to the ACT approach to establishing an effective and powerful
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therapeutic relationship and learn to conceptualize cases from an ACT perspective. Throughout these
chapters are numerous exercises to help you apply what you are learning in order to process the material
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at a deeper level.

Unique to this volume is a DVD that includes role-played examples of the core ACT processes in action.
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Use this helpful addition to bring to life the concepts developed in the text. An invaluable aid to serious
ACT study, the DVD can be reviewed often as you gain facility with the model.
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The Most Comprehensive Guide to An Acceptance Commitment Therapy
Utilizing ACT in Your Clinical Practice Skills-Training Manual for Therapists
A step-by-step guide to mastering:
JASON B. LUOMA, PH.D., is the director of the Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Train- L
ing Center in Portland, Oregon, and a researcher with the University of Nevada, Reno. U • Contact with the present moment
Includes
O
• Acceptance
STEVEN C. HAYES, PH.D., is University of Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology at the Uni- W DVD with
M • Defusion
versity of Nevada, Reno.
A sample
A • Self-as-context
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ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D., is a psychologist with TL Consultation Services and the National Center • • Committed action client
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for PTSD at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System.
E H • Values work
sessions
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A • Integrating the hexagon model in practice
ISBN-10: 1-57224-498-4 Y
ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-498-6 E
S JASON B. LUOMA, PH.D.
54495
STEVEN C. HAYES, PH.D.
newharbingerpublications, inc.
www.newharbinger.com
9 781572 244986
ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D.
If you are looking for a hands-on approach to acceptance and commitment therapy, this book is must! Very well
organized and written in clear, concise terms, Luoma and colleagues spell out the essentials of doing ACT, with
annotated narrative in session transcripts demonstrating key points. You will leave this book with not only a set of
clinical skills, but also with the knowledge of when and how to apply them in therapy.
—Kirk Strosahl Ph.D., coauthor of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential
Approach to Behavior Change and A Practical Guide to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Learning ACT is by far the best practical skill-building work book produced so far in the ACT literature.
Teaching psychotherapy skills is complicated, and this book serves as a model for how it can be done. This book
breaks down the ACT core process into bite-size portions making these skills visible, understandable and doable.
The book is organized around core competencies but uses an ingenious system of therapist-client dialogue where
the reader is encouraged to interact and respond applying each core skill. Besides all the cutting edge skill training
abundant in this book, you cannot miss the compassionate vital spirit that these extraordinary ACT therapists
bring into the therapy room. This book will surely be a classic for teaching psychotherapy!
—JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Uppsala
University in Uppsala, Sweden

Publisher’s Note
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has an extensive literature. The theory and philosophy that
comprise ACT were first formulated and presented in book form by Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl,
and Kelly G. Wilson in 1999.
The book you hold is addressed to clinicians who wish to apply the principles of ACT in their
practices. This book goes beyond the philosophy, theory, concepts, and techniques of ACT, and addresses
the acquisition of skills and competencies by the practitioner. Learning ACT is a practical rather than
theoretical book.
For that reason, this book does not take the place of the ground-breaking theoretical and philo-
sophical text that first introduced the ACT treatment model, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An
Experiential Approach to Behavior Change, by Hayes, Strosahl, and Wilson (Guilford Press). The authors
strongly encourage their readers to consult and use this indispensable foundational book and the other
important works on ACT that are referenced in Learning ACT.
New Harbinger is proud to present Learning ACT as a valuable new addition to the ever-growing
literature of ACT.

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L e a r n i n g
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An Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Skills-Training Manual for Therapists
JASON B. LUOMA, PH.D.
STEVEN C. HAYES, PH.D.
ROBYN D. WALSER, PH.D.
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Note: This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject
matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological,
financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a
competent professional should be sought.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2007 by Jason B. Luoma, Steven C. Hayes, and Robyn Walser. All Rights Reserved.
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Image of flying fish on page 61 used with permission of J. Ciarrochi & D. Mercer. Images for conducting
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Interventions (part 1), 2005. University of Wollongong, Australia.
Acquired by Catharine Sutker; Cover design by Amy Shoup; Edited by Jude Berman
PDF ISBN: 978-1-57224-875-5

The Library of Congress has cataloged th eprint edition as:
Luoma, Jason B.
Learning ACT : an acceptance and commitment therapy skills-training manual for therapists / Jason B.
Luoma, Steven C. Hayes, and Robyn D. Walser.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-498-6
ISBN-10: 1-57224-498-4
1. Acceptance and commitment therapy--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Hayes, Steven C. II. Walser,
Robyn D. III. Title.
RC489.A32L86 2007
616.89’142--dc22
2007031814
To my partner, Jenna LeJeune, for your support, your sacrifice, and your faith in me.
—JBL
I would like to dedicate this book to David H. Barlow, and to my fellow interns (Peter M. Monti, Kelly D.
Brownell, A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert, and Carol Heckerman Landau) who worked under him in the first class
of clinical psychology at Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, 1975–1976 and
who such showed patience and kindness in shaping up a wild man to be able to work with people.
—SCH
I would like to dedicate this book to Susan L. Pickett. Thanks for the encouragement over the years and
for always having faith in me.
—RDW

CONTENTS
A LETTER FROM THE SERIES EDITORS ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi
INTRODUCTION 1
C 1
hapter
THE SIX CORE PROCESSES OF ACT AND THEIR COMMON TARGET 9
C 2
hapter
DEVELOPING WILLINGNESS/ACCEPTANCE 23
C 3
hapter
UNDERMINING COGNITIVE FUSION 57
C 4
hapter
GETTING IN CONTACT WITH THE PRESENT MOMENT 91
C 5
hapter
DISTINGUISHING THE CONCEPTUALIZED SELF FROM 109
SELF AS CONTEXT