Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a modern form of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) that combines behaviour change tools with strategies for cultivating mindfulness and acceptance. Grounded in the clinically helpful philosophy of functional contextualism and developed from relational frame theory – a potent way of thinking about thinking and language – ACT therapists help people become more flexible in how they relate to their most challenging experiences, in the service of making their lives about what is most important to them. Viewing clinician and client as fundamentally alike, training in this deeply empathic, experiential, and transdiagnostic approach to psychotherapy will help you move beyond diagnosis and attend to what matters most to you and your client – in therapy, and outside of it.
The ACT certificate will provide you with an opportunity to explore:
- the foundations of the model – and how to build your own unique interventions using them
- clinical applications of the six core processes of ACT
- the power of the ACT Matrix for simultaneous assessment and intervention
- using ACT as a brief intervention and in group settings
- ACT as a treatment for trauma
- ACT and self-compassion
- therapeutic and personal applications of positive psychology
Prerequisite
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Model, the Application, the Practice, or an approved equivalent, is a prerequisite to all other workshops*, which are advanced level trainings that build on the knowledge in the introduction workshop. For information on approved equivalents, email fswprofessionaldevelopment@wlu.ca.
* There is no prerequiste for Positive Psychology: The Science of Well-Being, Resilience, Meaning and More.
Completion Requirements
To complete the ACT certificate, you must complete all seven workshops. All other workshops can be taken in any order. You can complete this certificate in as little as one year or take up to seven years. You do not have to be working toward the ACT certificate to take any of these workshops.
Becoming a Therapist
Completing the ACT certificate will not qualify you to register with any college or association, including the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers or the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Please visit those websites for information on becoming a therapist in Ontario.
Delivery Options
The ACT certificate workshops are available remotely through Zoom.
Registration
No application required. Select a workshop then a section to view dates and cost, or to add the workshop to your cart. Complete your registration with payment.
Contact Information
For more information about this certificate contact the Faculty of Social Work Professional Development office:
Email: fswprofessionaldevelopment@wlu.ca
Phone: 548-889-4967
See our website and Frequently Asked Questions for more information.