Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Experienced Practitioner?de?ed??ede??d????de?ed???de??d????de?ed???de??d??? Guide to Optimizing Delivery by Darrah Westrup PhD

by Darrah Westrup

Are you ready to take your ACT practice to the next level? If so, Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a powerful resource that can help you streamline your approach and overcome common hurdles that present in therapy.At some point or another, you have probably encountered difficulty putting theory into practice when it comes to using ACT in sessions with clients. You aren’t alone. Although ACT is a powerful treatment option for a number of psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, and more, it is a complex, ever-evolving model, and as such it can often be difficult to deliver effectively. The truth is that even the most seasoned ACT therapist will face challenges in their client sessions from time to time. This is the only advanced professional ACT book on the market, and it is designed to help you close the gap between what you’ve learned in ACT training and your actual client sessions. Inside, licensed psychologist Darrah Westrup, PhD, provides valuable tips and real-life client scenarios to help you hone your understanding of the core processes behind ACT. You’ll also learn practical strategies for moving past common barriers that can present during therapy, such as over-identifying with clients or difficulty putting theory into practice. Most importantly, you’ll learn when to deliver specific ACT components, and how to adapt your treatment for each client. This user-friendly, pragmatic, and thoughtful guide does not promote “error-free” ACT, but rather, ways to identify and work with the therapy process as it unfolds. A must-read for any therapist or mental health professional interested in sharpening their ACT skills.

Genres: Psychology

Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Hugh Simonich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt some reluctance before purchasing this book as it was published in 2014 and I had already read quite a few ACT books. I didn't want just a rehash of what I had already read, but I found that I thoroughly enjoyed Westrup's perspective, insight and style of writing.

I could tell from the beginning that Westrup was well grounded in ACT theory and clinical practice. There was a nice flow to her writing and she hit on some important topics, particularly with practicing with fidelity. Practicing ACT with fidelity means practicing within ACT's theoretical roots. In that way, it's different from other therapies. She emphasizes a focus on using behavioral principles as our guide to recognizing and responding to the ACT processes and their contextual functions within session. She also emphasized many ACT qualities, such as: guiding, not forcing; being present; using metaphor as appropriate; getting out of content and into function; experiential learning mindful awareness of what you're experiencing; resisting your urge to fix or avoid what's difficult for you; modeling a fluid sense of self; recognizing and avoiding potential traps in content and our urge to be right; modeling openness and awareness; leveling the field between you and the client; responding with compassion without the need to fix or solve problems; acknowledging difficult thoughts and feelings; remaining silent when appropriate and attentively listening; observing and acknowledging subtle changes from a functional perspective; supporting, but not aligning; remaining aware of what you're communicating with your body, expressions, words and tone; uncovering long-term values and using those as guides for committed action toward goals; and remaining flexible with what is, especially the unexpected.

There are more, but that's a pretty good picture. Westrup reminds me that ACT is NOT a set of helpful techniques, but a layered practice that may seem counterintuitive at times and is difficult to learn. She also reminds me that ACT, if practiced with fidelity, can have quite profound effects.

I consider ACT like an onion where I can peel back layer after infinite layer. I too found that the most difficult part of ACT is in the practice. I can read all the books and articles and have the delusion that I now KNOW ACT. I've just taken another step on a long ACT journey. Also, I'm reminded that the practice of ACT requires a complex skill set and it's much more difficult to master than one initially thinks (that is, if there is such a thing as ACT mastery).

Westrup shows deep insight into how to think about and practice ACT. I found this book extremely helpful for my practice. I highly recommend.

[Caleb Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Best book on ACT delivery that I’ve ever read.

[Olivier Marchildon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply the most practical and clinically useful of the dozen books I read on ACT. Full of illuminating exemples.

A must read for every clinician serious in their work with ACT