Experiencing ACT from the Inside Out A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Workbook for Therapists

From leading acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) practitioners, this experiential training workbook invites therapists to broaden and strengthen their ACT skills through deep engagement with ACT theory and techniques. Everyone from beginning therapists to seasoned ACT practitioners can enhance their work through self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR), a cutting-edge, evidence-based training method. Through a systematic process, readers learn how to effectively apply ACT to a personal or professional challenge and reflect on the experience. Fifteen step-by-step modules are illustrated with vivid examples from the authors' own SP/SR journeys. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes 17 reproducible worksheets. The companion website provides over 3 hours of guided audio practices to accompany the book, as well as printable copies of the worksheets.

See also Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Second Edition: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change, by Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly G. Wilson.

Dennis Tirch, PhD, is Founder of the Center for Compassion Focused Therapy in New York City and Associate Clinical Professor in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. He is author or coauthor of numerous books, chapters, and peer-reviewed articles on acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion-focused therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and Buddhist psychology. His books include Buddhist Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Experiencing ACT from the Inside Out. Dr. Tirch is President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and the Compassionate Mind Foundation USA. He provides online and in-person workshops and trainings globally in mindfulness-, compassion-, and acceptance-based interventions. Dr. Tirch is a Fellow of ACBS and a Fellow and Trainer/Consultant of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is a member of the Zen Garland sangha and a lay teacher of Buddhism.
 
Laura R. Silberstein-Tirch, PsyD, is Director of the Center for Compassion Focused Therapy and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Dr. Silberstein-Tirch is a clinical supervisor and compassion-focused therapy (CFT) trainer who presents internationally on mindfulness and compassion. She is coauthor of books including Buddhist Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Experiencing ACT from the Inside Out. Dr. Silberstein-Tirch is President of the New York City chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and Executive Director of The Compassionate Mind Foundation USA. Her research interests include psychological flexibility and emotions as well as CFT for anxiety and depression.
 
R. Trent Codd, III, EdS, BCBA, is Executive Director of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Center of Western North Carolina in Asheville, where he treats a broad range of clinical concerns. He has particular interest in refractory depression and obsessive–compulsive spectrum disorders. Mr. Codd is a charter member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and a Fellow and Trainer/Consultant of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is coauthor of Teaching and Supervising Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and editor of Practice-Based Research: A Guide for Clinicians.
 
Martin J. Brock, MSc, MA, RMN, is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Counselling and Psychotherapy and Program Leader for the Postgraduate Certificate in Compassion Focused Therapy at the University of Derby, United Kingdom. Mr. Brock has had a long career in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, practicing and supervising evidence-based psychotherapies. He has advanced training and experience in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based CBT, compassion-focused therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Mr. Brock has served as president of the United Kingdom and Ireland chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science; was a founding member of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies ACT special interest group; and was the first peer-reviewed ACT trainer in the United Kingdom. As an ACT trainer and supervisor, Mr. Brock has regularly delivered workshops globally since 2006.
 
M. Joann Wright, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with the Linden Oaks Medical Group in Naperville, Illinois. Dr. Wright is a peer-reviewed trainer in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and a Fellow of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. Dr. Wright has provided ACT training to doctoral students and therapists nationally and internationally since 2008. She is dedicated to teaching and delivering ACT to help people reduce suffering in their lives. Dr. Wright is coauthor of Learning ACT for Group Treatment: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Training Manual for Therapists.
 

I. The ACT SP/SR Approach
1. Introducing Experiencing ACT from the Inside Out
2. Experiencing ACT from the Inside Out: The Conceptual Framework
3. Guidance for Participants
4. Guidance for Facilitators
II. The ACT SP/SR Program
Section A: Facing the Challenge
Module 1. Identifying and Formulating a Challenging Problem
Module 2. ACT SP/SR Challenge Formulation
Module 3. The Psychological Flexibility Model
Module 4. The ACT Matrix
Section B: Centered
Module 5. Contacting the Present Moment
Module 6. Self-As-Context
Module 7. Flexible Perspective Taking
Section C: Open
Module 8. Defusion
Module 9. Acceptance
Section D: Engaged
Module 10. Values Authorship
Module 11. Commitment, Part One: Determining Goals and Barriers to Commitment
Module 12. Commitment, Part Two: Cultivating our Ability to Engage
Section E: Compassionate
Module 13. ACT and Compassion
Module 14. Compassion and Empathic Distress Fatigue
Module 15. Maintaining and Enhancing the Cultivation of Psychological Flexibility