1. health and fitness
2. therapy

5TH AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND
CONFERENCE OF
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
28 September- 29 September 2011
Pre Conference Workshop
30 September– 2 October 2011
Conference
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
ACT ANZ 2011
Table of Contents
Welcome to the Conference ................................................................................................................... 3
Pre-conference workshops ..................................................................................................................... 4
Posters .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Follies & Frivolities .................................................................................................................................. 9
Schedule……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..11
Additional workshop information
Day 1…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….15
Day 2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….22
Day 3…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……30
Presenter Biographies ........................................................................................................................... 38
About Brisbane ..................................................................................................................................... 46
Map of Brisbane .................................................................................................................................... 47
Conference Venue ................................................................................................................................ 48
Things to do in and around Brisbane .................................................................................................... 49
Transport............................................................................................................................................... 51
Restaurants and Cafés .......................................................................................................................... 52
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................... 54
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |2
WELCOME
Welcome to the Conference
Welcome to the 5th annual ANZ conference for the Association of Contextual and Behavioral Sciences (ACBS).
Since the first conference in Wollongong in 2006, we have seen the ACT community explode in numbers and
skill. We now have several recognised trainers in the community and several more on the way. We have
supportive ACT communities in almost every major city in New Zealand and Australia. Our ANZ-ACBS
community is reaching critical mass: I expect us to produce many clinical innovations and research findings in
the coming years.
This year‟s conference is exciting, with clinicians and researchers from around the world gathering to share their
knowledge of ACT, and the basic language theory underlying ACT, Relational Frame Theory. There is also a full
and varied social calendar, including Kayaking, Jazz, Lawn Bowling, and of course the famed Follies.
We hope that the conference not only helps you to become a better practitioner: we hope it helps you to gain
“psychological refreshment” and improve your own life.
“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that [nobody] can sincerely try to help another without
helping [themselves]. Serve and thou shall be served.
---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sincerely yours,
Joseph Ciarrochi, Ph.D.
Past President, ANZ-ACBS; President Elect ACBS
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |3
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for PTSD and Related Problems:
Using Mindfulness and Values to Create Positive Life Change
Sponsored by the Australian Psychological Society Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Interest Group.
28th and 29th September, 9:00am-5:00pm
Robyn Walser W201
The concept of emotional avoidance offers organization to the functional analysis of trauma-related problems
and lends coherence to understanding the sequalae of trauma. Many individuals who have been diagnosed with
PTSD or who have trauma related problems are struggling with traumatic memories, painful feelings and
unwanted thoughts and they take great efforts to avoid these private experiences. The avoidance or control of
private internal experience commonly seems to become the goal of many trauma survivors and has a powerful
impact on individuals diagnosed with PTSD or its related problems.
One therapeutic alternative to emotional or experiential avoidance is acceptance. Acceptance can create a new
context from which the trauma survivor may view the world and the self. If efforts to control private experience
are relinquished as a means to mental health, then efforts to take healthy action, while still acknowledging
emotion and thought without effort to control or change them, can lead to valued and life enhancing behavioural
changes. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a structured intervention that applies acceptance
techniques to internal experience while encouraging positive behaviour change that is consistent with individual
values and goals. The basic theory and ACT‟s application to PTSD will be presented. Opportunity for role-play,
case formulation and interactive exercises will be offered.
Educational objectives:
1. Participants will be able to describe the role and impact of experiential avoidance as it relates to
PTSD and trauma related problems.
2. Participants will be able to describe the major steps in ACT and how they can be applied to the
treatment of trauma related problems.
3.
Participants will be able to describe how values are impacted by traumatic experience and how
ACT can be used to support behaviour change in relationship to the same.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |4
The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Relational Frame Theory
link
Wednesday 28th September 2011 9:00am – 5:00pm
Louise McHugh & Emily Sandoz N515
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on enhancing psychological flexibility in the service of
achieving core life values. One thing that distinguishes ACT from other psychotherapies is its grounding in basic
theory. ACT‟s foundation of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) ensures that ACT is coherent and evidence based.
It also allows for the continued refinement of therapy at the process level, facilitating evidence-based evolution
and development. The current workshop aims to explore the RFT-ACT link by systematically working through
specific ACT techniques across the six targeted processes of psychological flexibility, This will not only
demonstrate how RFT underpins ACT, but will foster working knowledge of how RFT can be applied to the
application of ACT in conceptualization and intervention.
RFT worksheets will be provided
Client-therapist role plays will be incorporated into the session
Educational objectives:
1. To understand the basics of Relational Frame Theory (RFT)
2. To understand how RFT unpins ACT
3. To learn how to apply RFT knowledge in conceptualization and treatment of clinical difficulties.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |5
Using ACT to promote highly effective workers and workplaces
Thursday 29th September, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Frank Bond N515
From reducing stress to enhancing leadership skills, research has shown ACT to be very powerful in promoting
performance, productivity and well-being in the workplace. This workshop will show participants how to tailor
ACT strategies and techniques in order to serve a diverse range of workers in very different types of
organisations and industries. It will also describe how improving psychological flexibility opens up new avenues
for enhancing leadership skills, accelerating performance, increasing safety participation, and even improving the
design of work. Participants will learn how to use ACT techniques to boost different types of leadership skills,
from day-to-day performance management to those that are transformational in nature. The workshop will also
show how to design and organise work, and the working environment, to promote psychological flexibility.
Educational objectives:
1. Successful participants will learn, remember, and recall the six domains of ACT training: valuesclarification, committed action, contacting the present moment, self-as-context, defusion, and
acceptance.
2. Successful participants will learn the broad impact of ACT training applications in the workplace.
3. Successful participants will improve their own leadership skills through participation in exercises
aimed at values-clarification and increasing mindfulness
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |6
Using ACT with Children, Adolescents, and Parents
Thursday 29th September 2011, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Lisa W. Coyne & Louise Hayes F509
Acceptance and mindfulness-based treatment approaches have been developed, applied, evaluated, and
disseminated across many types of clinical issue, population, and setting. Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy (ACT) is an exemplar of this type of approach, and emphasizes full, non-judgmental awareness and
acceptance of ones‟ psychological experiences in the context of committed, valued action.
Although there are many opportunities for ACT training with adult populations, there are relatively few in which to
learn how to apply this approach with children, adolescents, and their families. Yet training opportunities are
needed, given the rich developing literature on both basic developmental processes that may be targeted by
ACT, as well as emergent adaptations of ACT for youths. Thus, this workshop aims to provide clinical training
regarding the ways that ACT can be used to address problems of youth and parenting. A basic overview of the
scientific literature to date regarding children, adolescents, and parents will be presented. Functional
assessment strategies, case conceptualization and treatment planning from an ACT perspective will be
reviewed. More specifically, the presenters will discuss how treatment goals and the six core components of ACT
work can be tailored in developmentally sensitive ways to youths and parents. Clinical examples will be used to
illustrate therapeutic techniques.
The workshop will be a mix of didactics and experiential work. Participants will be encouraged to discuss cases
as well as treatment ideas, role-play, and participate in a number of exercises.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |7
POSTERS
Health Promotion & Performance
Child, family & other
Psychopatholgy
SUNDAY
SATURDAY
FRIDAY
Day
Presenter
Topic
Alyssa Ryan
ACT-based resilience training program to individuals with diabetes running in
2012
Rowan
Burckhardt
Effectiveness of a group-based ACT intervention on weight loss and weight
maintenance
Carl Graham
Pain (STEPS) programme: An ACT oriented behavioural intervention in
chronic pain; the case for turning treatment-as-usual upside down.
Jenny Grant
Reducing the interference of worrying and distracting exam-related thoughts
Chris Horan
ACT-Based resilience training program for police recruits: NSW Police RCT
Alison Christie
Innovations and issues in the measurement of valued living
Claire Rowsell
The role of emotional awareness and experiential acceptance on adolescent
social relationships Mindful Parenting Program for Foster Carers
Kylie Bear
Mindful Parenting Program for Foster
Eric Morris
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training for clinicians:an evaluation
Anica Dimovski,
Kylie Burke,
Frank Muscara,
A Program for Parents of Children with a Life Threatening Illness – „Take a
Breath‟: From Development to Evaluation
NeLi Martin
The Poetry of ACT – Science meets Art
Rob Brockman
The relationship between Acceptance of voices, positive psychotic
symptoms, emotional distress, and beliefs about voices.
Tory Bacon
A RCT investigating ACT for persistent symptoms of psychosis
Caroline Burrows
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a treatment model with
survivors of adult sexual assault.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |8
FOLLIES AND FRIVOLITIES
Wednesday 28 September – Kayaking then BBQ at Riverlife Kangaroo Point
Enjoy beautiful views of Brisbane from the best spot possible upon its most wonderful asset, the Brisbane River
by Kayaking Brisbane River adventure, then enjoy a modern Aussie BBQ, at Riverlife, Kangaroo Point – see
www.riverlife.com.au Only 50 kayaks are available, so book early if keen to paddle. If we have over 50 kayakers,
abseiling is available if we have at least 12 willing participants. This seriously fun activity is an extra $89 all up.
To reserve your place, call 3891 5766 to book and pay for the adventure and evening meal. Easy ferry access by
catching the Inner City Ferry from North Quay ferry terminal to Thornton Street Ferry Terminal – a brief and
beautiful journey allowing some relaxing time on the River before getting more active with the kayaking. Please
see maps below which outline the 650 m walk from the Sebel Citygate to the North Quay ferry terminal
Thursday 29 September – Sublime Brazilian vibes and dine at Brisbane Jazz Club
Brisbane Jazz Club www.brisbanejazzclub.com.au. Relax to smooth Brazilian vibes from “The View from
Madeleine‟s Couch” http://madeleinescouch.com , in a sublime riverside jazz club. Mingle with international and
local ACT enthusiasts while enjoying iconic sights and sounds of Brisbane. Great à la carte menu catered
by www.storybridgehotel.com.au and there‟s an inexpensive BJC bar. $15 booking fee to cover venue and band.
Places strictly limited to 150 jazzers, who must treat this precious venue like a good friend‟s lounge room! Book
and pay via www.anzact.com. Easy ferry access – catch the Inner City Ferry from North Quay ferry terminal, this
time to the Holman Street Ferry Terminal –please see the map below for the walk from the Sebel Citygate.
Friday 30 September – Lawn bowls, live music, & BBQ at New Farm Bowls Club
New Farm Bowls Club – relax while having a leisurely game of barefoot bowls, chat with new and old ACT
friends, enjoy a few quiet drinks and a delicious Aussie barbecue/smogasbord at another iconic Brisbane Venue
– an inner suburban bowling club. Casual atmosphere and gentle live music - see http://newfarmbowls.com.au
Fantastic ferry access by catching one of Brisbane's legendary CityCats once again from the North Quay ferry
terminal but this time all the way to the New Farm Park terminal – one of Australia's most beautiful commuting
journeys, and then a 200 m stroll beside Brisbane's gorgeous New Farm Park to the bowls club door. Local bus
stop directly outside will take you straight back to King George Square through The Valleys pumping nightlife.
Saturday 1 October – the Follies at the Transcontinental Hotel right in the City
The third ANZACT Follies will hit The Transcontinental Hotel, 482 George Street, Brisbane at 7:30pm. ANZACT
2011 will be taking over the function room of this historic (est. 1884) pub. Casual and delicious meals from 6pm
in the steak house / restaurant, before heading straight upstairs to the Follies. Pub price drinks at the private
function bar upstairs, crowded by thronging ANZACT‟ers – with ample seating to view the frivolities.
The Follies began in living out one of the ACBS values; remembering to hold ourselves and the work we do
lightly. What better way to do this than through humour? And Aussies and Kiwis are legendary at taking the piss!
The Follies has become an undoubted highlight and important part of the culture of the international ACBS world
conferences. After two years roaring success in Adelaide and Melbourne, it is an integral part of ANZACT. We...
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 |9
oh sorry... YOU will put on skits, songs, and (hopefully ) funny power point presentations, etc. related to ACT
figures, the conference, ACT, RFT and Psychology in general. It will feature YOU the conference attendees. And
will be kind of, sort of... coordinated by local ACT devotees, NeLi Martin (MC supremo), Jeni Nichols, Elizabeth
Borland, Jan Parr and Nik Kotlarov. We can... nearly... guarantee you will experience lots of laughter and tears.
This is a great way to get to know your ANZACT community and be as silly and irreverent as you want.
All you have to do is show up on the night and enjoy the fun. For those of you who are brave (or foolish) enough
to perform, The Follies is a golden opportunity to do something (anything!) funny, silly, ridiculous - take the
„mickey‟ out of any ACT people you desire - sing, dance and generally ACT OUT. We will have a sound system,
computer with data projector and screen ready on the night for any presentations, DVD‟s, music and the like.
When you get to the conference, please seek out NeLi Martin 0420 221461 or Jeni Nichols 0413704156 and let
her know you are keen to perform. She and others will be hassling for willing Follies conspirators throughout
ANZACT.
We‟re dead keen to keep each presentation to within 3 minutes, so please keep it short and sweet, and don‟t
make us bring out the big hook! On the bright side, this strict time limit may hopefully make it easier to craft up a
short sharp theatrical shock to the world of ANZ ACBS. There‟s no time like the present to prepare for the Follies.
We really would love to have you show up out the front of the Follies. (Your performance anxiety is welcome too!)
Transcontinental Hotel - just 250m straight down the road from the Sebel Citigate. 7.30pm Saturday night kickoff.
See you there!
SHORT WALK TO THE FERRY - street and satellite
map from Sebel Citygate to North Quay ferry
terminal
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 10
Friday, 30/09/2011,
Conference Day1
8:30-9am
9am - 9.50am
10am - 11:15am
Stream 1 - F509
Registrations
Keynote: Joe Ciarrochi
Robyn Walser:
Introduction to
Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy
(ACT). Clinical skills.
Sponsored by the APS
ACT IG
Stream 2 - W201
Stream 3 - N515
Stream 4 - N518
Stream 5 - N519
Stream 6 - B236 -
Russ Harris: The
Confidence Gap - An
ACT approach to
Success, Confidence,
and Peak Performance
Lisa Coyne: ACT
with Children,
Adolescents, and
Parents - skills
building workshop
Niklas Torneke,
Darin Cairns, & Rob
Purssey: Functional
Contextualism History, and RFT
Joe Ciarrochi & Linda
Bilich: What do people
really value? What
people say VS seem to
unconsciously want.
Alison Christie:
Measuring Valued
Living – instrument
development and
validation
Morning tea
Poster presentations: Health Promotion & Performance
11:15am - 11:45am
11:45am - 1pm
1pm - 2pm
2pm - 3:15pm
Robyn Walser:
Introduction to
Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy
(ACT). Clinical skills.
Russ Harris: The
Confidence Gap - An
ACT approach to
Success, Confidence,
and Peak Performance
Lisa Coyne: ACT
with Children,
Adolescents, and
Parents - skills
building workshop
Torneke, Cairns &
Purssey: History of
Functional
Contextualism, and
RFT basic science
Joe Ciarrochi & Linda
Bilich: What do people
really value? What
people say VS seem to
unconsciously want.
NeLi Martin and Paul
Atkins: The Buddha
Was a Functional
Contextualist
Frank Bond: Using ACT
to promote highly
effective workers and
workplaces - reducing
stress, improving
leadership
Louise McHugh &
Emily Sandoz: The
ACT and RFT
Clinical link;
Enhancing ACT skills
with RFT knowledge
Jennifer Gregg and
Glenn Callaghan:
ACT and FAP
(Functional Analytic
Psychotherapy).
Clinical skills building
workshop
Louise Hayes: Values
with adolescents - it's
about discovery and
creation.
Mary Sawyer, Robyn
Walser, Martin Brock,
NeLi Martin. ACT
based Contextual
Behavioral
Supervision
Louise Hayes: Values
with adolescents - it's
about discovery and
creation
Annie Sloss et al:
ACT in Groups; &
Anna Hawke:
"CanChange"
telephone ACT for
bowel cancer
survivors study
Lunch
John Forsyth: ACTs of
Kindness and
Compassion - nurturing
kindness to self and
others.
3:15pm - 3:45pm
3:45pm - 5pm
F Amph -
Afternoon tea
John Forsyth: ACTs of
Kindness and
Compassion - nurturing
kindness to self and
others.
Frank Bond: Using ACT
to promote highly
effective workers and
workplaces - reducing
stress, improving
leadership
Louise McHugh &
Emily Sandoz: The
ACT and RFT
Clinical link;
Enhancing ACT skills
with RFT knowledge
Jennifer Gregg and
Glenn Callaghan:
ACT and FAP.
Clinical skills building
workshop
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 11
Saturday, 1/10/2011,
Conference Day2
Sunrise Yoga with Neli
8:30-9am
9am - 9.50am
10am - 11:15am
Stream 1 - F509 On campus
Registrations
Keynote:
John
Forsyth
Stream 2 - W201
Stream 3 - N515
Stream 4 - N518
Stream 5 - N519
Stream 6 - B236
John Forsyth: Facing
the Unmet Burden of
Human Suffering Using ACT in a SelfHelp Context
Darin Cairns: Flexible
Child II: How RFT
explains development Hexaflex processes in
raising children
Carl Graham: An
ACT oriented
intervention in
chronic pain; turning
treatment-as-usual
upside down.
Jane Morton /
Spectrum Victoria:
ACT for Borderline
Personality Disorder clinical skills
workshop
Paul Atkins: Self at
work: Understanding
how the way we talk
about ourselves
predicts our wellbeing,
motivation and
empowerment at work
Martin Brock: When it
gets really intrusive OCD experiences
and interventions
from an ACT
perspective
11:15am - 11:45am
11:45am - 1pm
1pm - 2pm
2pm - 3:15pm
ACT in relation to
traditional CBT: John
Forsyth, with Ross
Menzies, Joseph
Ciarrochi, and Niklas
Torneke
Cairns: Flexible child II,
RFT and child
development, Hexaflex
processes in raising
children
APS interest group AGM from 1.15pm
Robyn Walser:
Jennifer Gregg: ACT
Acceptance and the
with chronic and
Treatment of
terminal medical
Trauma. ACT for
conditions. Working
PTSD clinical skills
with shame, stigma,
building workshop.
"willpower"; building
Sponsored by the APS
valued actions
ACT IG
Carl Graham: ACT
for chronic pain;
turning treatment-asusual upside down.
Jane Morton /
Spectrum Victoria:
ACT for Borderline
Personality Disorder clinical skills
workshop
Morning tea
Poster presentations: Child, family,& parenting
Paul Atkins: Self at
Martin Brock: When it
work: Learning to trust
gets really intrusive oneself. Theory,
OCD experiences
research & strategies to and interventions
motivate and empower
from an ACT
people.
perspective
Lunch
Alphabet soup for the
soul: Triple P, ACT,
RFT, ABA – parents,
relations and
relationships: Alan
Ralph, Lisa Coyne,
Louise Hayes, L
McHugh, D Cairns
Niklas Torneke: ACT
from bottom-up:
Understanding ACT
and clinical
interventions from an
RFT perspective
Research Forum:
Forsyth, Bond,
Kashdan, McHugh,
Ciarrochi, Atkins,
Coyne, Cairns
Niklas Torneke: ACT
from bottom-up:
Understanding ACT
and clinical
interventions from an
RFT perspective
Russ Harris: Self-ascontext Made Simple:
Quick n‟ easy ways to
access the "observing
self"
Rachel Collis: How
Using ACT in the
Workplace Could
Transform Everything
3:15pm - 3:45pm
3:45pm - 5pm
F Amph
Afternoon tea
Robyn Walser:
Acceptance and the
Treatment of
Trauma. ACT for
PTSD clinical skills
building workshop.
Jennifer Gregg: ACT
with chronic and
terminal medical
conditions. Clinical
skills building workshop
continued
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 12
Russ Harris: Self-ascontext Made Simple:
Quick n‟ easy ways to
access the "observing
self"
Rachel Collis: How
Using ACT in the
Workplace Could
Transform Everything
Sunday, 2/10/2011,
Conference Day3
8:30-9am
9am - 9.50am
10am - 11:15am
Stream 1 - F509
Registrations
Keynote: Robyn Walser
Emily Sandoz: ACT for
Disordered Eating: a
contextual behavioral
approach to Eating
Difficulties.
Clinical
skills building workshop.
Stream 2 - W201
Todd Kashdan: Nuanced
Feelings: Creating a
flexible attitude toward
emotions.
Stream 3 - N515
Stream 4 - N518
Stream 5 - N519
Stream 6 - B236
Matthew Smout: ACT
for
Addictions:
Developing
compassion for our
vices
Eric Morris: ACT
for
Psychosis
Skills Workshop recovery through
psychological
flexibility
Robyn Walser:
Psychological First
AID: Mental
Health Response
to DisasterSponsored by the
APS ACT IG
Jennifer
Gregg:
ACT for Reluctant
and
Resistant
Patients - building
motivation, moving
toward values
Morning tea
Poster presentations: Psychopathology
11:15am - 11:45am
11:45am - 1pm
Emily Sandoz: ACT for
Disordered
Eating/"Eating
Disorders".
Clinical
skills building workshop.
Positive
psychology,
Coaching, and ACT:
Common themes and
goals. Kashdan, Frank
Bond, Russ Harris, Joe
Ciarrochi
Matthew Smout: ACT
for Addictions Developing
compassion for our
vices
Eric Morris: ACT
for
Psychosis
Skills Workshop recovery through
psychological
flexibility
Robyn Walser:
Psychological First
AID: Mental
Health Response
to Disaster
Sponsored by the
APS ACT IG
Jennifer
Gregg:
ACT for Reluctant
and
Resistant
Patients continued
1pm - 2pm
2pm - 3:15pm
Lunch
Robyn Walser: ACT for
Couples. Clinical skills
building workshop.
Sponsored by the APS
ACT IG
Darin Cairns and Louise
McHugh: RFT, language
and perspective-taking in
autism / ASD &
schizophrenia. How to
train deficient skills
Robert Purssey: ACT
on Drugs: Functional
Contextual
Pharmacology
Mark Donovan:
Confident carers,
cooperative kids empowering
parenting
programs
via
ACT metaphors
Mary Sawyer and
Martin
Brock:
Fostering Creative
Hopelessness
Creatively
James
Hegarty:
The promise of,
and problems with,
"mindfulness"
3:15pm - 3:45pm
3:45pm - 5pm
F Amph -
Afternoon tea
Robyn Walser: ACT for
Couples. Clinical skills
building workshop.
Darin Cairns and Louise
McHugh: RFT, language
and perspective-taking in
autism / ASD &
schizophrenia. How to
train deficient skills
Robert Purssey: ACT
on Drugs: Functional
Contextual
Pharmacology
Kylie Burke: Take
a Breath – ACT
skills for parents
of seriously ill
kids
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 13
Mary Sawyer and
Martin
Brock:
Fostering Creative
Hopelessness
Creatively
Claire
Edwards:
Creative activities
for
Mindful
therapists
dC
Acceptance and
Commitment
Therapy
it
nt Therapy
Acceptance and
Commitment
Therapy
Contemporary Theory Research and Practice
Theory
Contemporary
actice
Pr
d
Research an
Edited by
J.T. Blackledge, Joseph Ciarrochi and Frank P. Deane
Showcasing contemporart theory, research and
practice of ACT across a range of clinical applications,
including;
Deane
Edited by
hi and Frank P.
, Joseph Ciarroc
J.T. Blackledge
ISBN 9781921513145
Number of Pages 336
AVAILABLE NOW
RPP
$59.95
•
•
•
•
•
•
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eating disorders
depression
anxiety
schizophrenia
borderline personality disorder
PTSD
substance abuse
Contributions are from leading ACT practitioners
including co-founders Kirk Strosahl, Kelly Wilson and
Rob Zettle. Chapters range from detailed treatments
of the scientific and theoretical aspects of the ACT
model and research program, to several fully applied
and detailed discussions of how to apply ACT to a
variety of human problems.
Divided into two parts, the first section features
theoretical treatments of ACT, with the second section
presenting extended descriptions of how to apply ACT
in different contexts.
This book will not only tell you what to do with clients
struggling with various problems, it will also tell you
how those things work.
Buy online
www.aapbooks.com
Knowledge | Behaviour | Discovery
or visit the Open Leaves bookstand at the conference
ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION
Please Note: workshop information is listed in order of day and time
DAY 1 –
Friday 30th September 2011
9am Keynote: Joseph Ciarrochi F509
Friday 10am-11.15am
Robyn Walser: Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Clinical skills.
Continues until 1pm: F509
Sponsored by the Australian Psychological Society Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Interest Group
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a “third wave” behavioral treatment that emphasizes acceptance of
emotion and thought while maintaining a focus on positive behavior change that is meaningful and consistent with
personal values. ACT uses a variety of verbal, experiential and homework techniques plus mindfulness to help
patients make experiential contact with previously avoided private events (thoughts, feelings, sensations), without
excessive verbal involvement and control – and to make powerful life enhancing choices. The workshop will discuss
and demonstrate ACT techniques that may be broadly useful for intervening with multi-problem patients dealing with
issues such as anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and PTSD. The workshop will provide clinicians with a basic
understanding of ACT, and with personal experiences that will allow development of ACT skills.
Russ Harris: The Confidence Gap - An ACT approach to Success, Confidence, and Peak
Performance.
Continues until 1pm: W201
This workshop is loosely based on my ACT-based self-help book, The Confidence Gap: from fear to freedom. It looks
at how we can simply and effectively apply the ACT model to multiple common issues that are linked to low selfconfidence, including anxiety, insecurity, fear of failure, and low self-esteem. It also covers the ACT philosophy of
success, and the use of ACT for peak performance in nay field of human endeavour. The workshop is both didactic
and experiential.
Educational objectives
1. Learn the key five factors that create low self-confidence
2. Learn the ten essential rules of the confidence game
3. Learn how to use ACT to effectively handle fear of failure
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 15
Lisa Coyne: ACT with Children, Adolescents, and Parents - skills building workshop.
Continues until 1pm: N515
Acceptance and mindfulness-based treatment approaches have been developed, applied, evaluated, and
disseminated across many types of clinical issue, population, and setting. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
(ACT) is an exemplar of this type of approach, and emphasizes full, non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of
ones‟ psychological experiences in the context of committed, valued action.
Although there are many opportunities for ACT training with adult populations, there are relatively few in which to learn
how to apply this approach with children, adolescents, and their families. Yet training opportunities are needed, given
the rich developing literature on both basic developmental processes that may be targeted by ACT, as well as
emergent adaptations of ACT for youths. Thus, this workshop aims to provide clinical training regarding the ways that
ACT can be used to address problems of youth and parenting. A basic overview of the scientific literature to date
regarding children, adolescents, and parents will be presented. Functional assessment strategies, case
conceptualization and treatment planning from an ACT perspective will be reviewed.
More specifically, the presenters will discuss how treatment goals and the six core components of ACT work can be
tailored in developmentally sensitive ways to youths and parents. Clinical examples will be used to illustrate
therapeutic techniques. The workshop will be a mix of didactics and experiential work.
Educational objectives
1. To learn how conceptualize child, adolescent, and parenting cases from an ACT perspective
2. To learn about the current assessment of ACT relevant processes in youth
3. To address each of the six core components in work with children, teens, and families
Niklas Torneke, Darin Cairns, & Rob Purssey: Functional Contextualism - History, and RFT
basics – integrating biological, cognitive and behavioural psychology.
Continues until 1pm: N518
What is functional contextualism? What is this RFT thing? Where did it come from and how did it get here? In this talk
we will outline RFT and FC from their humble beginnings and trace the path through the history of psychology to the
exciting world of ACT and Contextual CBT.
Can a functional contextualism respect neurology and pharmacology while not losing the power of learning history and
the influence of the environment on a person's life? Can a functional contextualist respect cognition and reasoning
without getting lost in metaphors and theories piled on theories? Can a functional contextualist be as at home in the
lab as she is in the clinic?
The answer is yes! For the first time in history we may have an approach that satisfies scientists and practitioners and
can unite biological, cognitive and behavioural psychology along with evolutionary science in a way that opens exciting
directions in our ability to understand how people and work, through to how to help them.
Joe Ciarrochi & Linda Bilich: What do people really value? What people say VS seem to
unconsciously want.
Continues until 1pm: N519
This workshop will provide a short review of research that looks at the link between explicit values statements and
implicit (often unconscious) motives. It will then look at the methods for reliably identifying implicit motives, and how
these might be applied to everyday ACT practice.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 16
Alison Christie & Matthew Smout: Measuring Valued Living – instrument development and
validation
B236
One of the most significant distinctive features of the philosophical basis of ACT is that increases in valued living are
preferred criteria for evaluating its success over psychiatric symptom reduction. However, despite refining our
measurement of psychological flexibility, as yet we have few methods to measure individuals‟ progress in valued living
and continue to rely on symptom measures to evaluate ACT studies. The Valuing Questionnaire, developed by Drs
Matthew Smout and Matthew Davies from Adelaide University aims to produce a brief, psychometrically strong tool to
measure valued living in research (outside the domain-based approach). Matt Smout presented this at the conference
in Parma.
Alison has been working on validating this measure with a reduced set of questions but a broader sample (18-70 years
old). She has been working on a reduced set of questions and in her data the four and two factor approach best
explain the data. She is focusing on convergent validity with a (non-pain-based) version of the Chronic Pain Values
Inventory (which has received the best psychometric validation with the current tools) and also convergent validity with
Satisfaction with life, Meaning In Life, Ryff‟s well-being and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. She is also
looking closely at the third and fourth factor (pliance and clarity) to see if they are necessary for retention.
Friday 11.45 – 1pm
NeLi Martin and Paul Atkins: The Buddha Was a Functional Contextualist:
B236
Although ACT is a modern scientific model developed in the last 30 or so years, it draws on techniques that are at
least 2500 years old with mindfulness. Mindfulness is not all of ACT nor is it all of what the Buddha taught.
This workshop will explore mindfulness, values and committed action in the six core processes of ACT as a Contextual
Behavioural Approach and compare and contrast a Secular Buddhist Dharma framework and the Links of Dependent
Co-arising, where the Buddha offered a guide to effective action rather than a religion.
ACT: a Contextual Behaviour
Approach
Self-as-Context
Values and Committed Action
Acceptance
Defusion
Contact-with-present-moment
Buddha-Dharma: Links of Dependant Origination – Four Truths – Three
Marks
Not-self / Anatta
Generosity, Ethical Precepts, Intention / Dana, Sila, Karma Cetana
Compassion, Equanimity / Karuna, Upekka
Mindfulness / Vipassana, Sati
Concentration / Samadhi,
Educational objectives
1. Participants will understand the differences and commonalities between Secular Buddhist Dharma and ACT
frameworks and methodologies.
2. Participants will experience noticing Dukkha, Anicca, Anatta. (Suffering, Impermanence, Not-Self)
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 17
Friday 2pm – 3.15pm
John Forsyth: ACTs of Kindness and Compassion - nurturing kindness to self and others.
Continues until 5pm: F509
Many people want to be kind, but don‟t know how to do it. The purpose of this workshop is to provide a forum to
explore the experiential nature and expressions of unkindness (self, others, our clients) and to show how ACT may be
used to nurture self and other kindness and compassion in the context of valued action. We‟ll dive into how we (and
our clients) tend to be unkind (self and others), what stands in the way of ACTs of kindness, and strategies to nurture
our collective capacities for kindness, compassion, and vitality in our daily lives.
Participants will be encouraged (but never forced) to engage the material at a personal level, meaning as it applies to
their own lives, and then also in the context of their clinical work. Clinical worksheets and other practical tools will be
provided.
Educational objectives
1. Learn to conceptualize kindness and compassion within an ACT framework
2. Learn strategies to nurture ACTs of self and other kindness and compassion (e.g., loving kindness and Tonglen
practice)
3. Learn how to move from intentions about ACTs of kindness and compassion toward committed ACTions.
Frank Bond: Using ACT to promote highly effective workers and workplaces - reducing stress,
improving leadership.
Continues until 5pm: W201
From reducing stress to enhancing leadership skills, research has shown ACT to be very powerful in promoting
performance, productivity and well-being in the workplace. This workshop will show participants how to tailor ACT
strategies and techniques in order to serve a diverse range of workers in very different types of organisations and
industries. It will also describe how improving psychological flexibility opens up new avenues for enhancing leadership
skills, accelerating performance, increasing safety participation, and even improving the design of work. Participants
will learn how to use ACT techniques to boost different types of leadership skills, from day-to-day performance
management to those that are transformational in nature. The workshop will also show how to design and organise
work, and the working environment, to promote psychological flexibility.
Educational objectives
1. Successful participants will learn, remember, and recall the six domains of ACT training: values-clarification,
committed action, contacting the present moment, self-as-context, defusion, and acceptance.
2. Successful participants will learn the broad impact of ACT training applications in the workplace.
3. Successful participants will improve their own leadership skills through participation in exercises aimed at valuesclarification and increasing mindfulness
Louise McHugh & Emily Sandoz: The ACT and RFT Clinical link; Enhancing ACT skills with RFT
knowledge.
Continues until 5pm: N515
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 18
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on enhancing psychological flexibility in the service of achieving
core life values. One thing that distinguishes ACT from other psychotherapies is its grounding in basic theory. ACT‟s
foundation of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) ensures that ACT is coherent and evidence based. It also allows for the
continued refinement of therapy at the process level, facilitating evidence-based evolution and development. The
current workshop aims to explore the RFT-ACT link by systematically working through specific ACT techniques across
the six targeted processes of psychological flexibility, This will not only demonstrate how RFT underpins ACT, but will
foster working knowledge of how RFT can be applied to the application of ACT in conceptualization and intervention.
RFT worksheets will be provided. Client-therapist role plays will be incorporated into the session.
Educational objectives
1. To understand the basics of Relational Frame Theory (RFT)
2. To understand how RFT unpins ACT
3. To learn how to apply RFT knowledge in conceptualization and treatment of clinical difficulties.
Jennifer Gregg and Glenn Callaghan: ACT and FAP (Functional Analytic Psychotherapy).
Continues until 5pm: N518
The therapeutic relationship has an unquestionable importance in its effect on clinical change. The mechanism of this
effect range across theories and is the anchor therapists use in not only their conceptualization but also their
interventions and therapeutic frame throughout the process of bringing about meaningful changes in the lives of their
patients. The relationship between the patient and therapist is a powerful element in ACT, and is an important level of
analysis and intervention. However, some may argue that ACT is in many ways an intrapersonal approach that
targets teaching individuals new ways to interact with their own content.
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) on the other hand, is a fundamentally interpersonal approach that targets the
use of the same behavioral principles within the therapeutic relationship to bring about change. This workshop will
seek to provide a context for discussing the integration of these two approaches and maintaining an acceptance and
mindfulness based approach to therapy while also conducting brief contextual analyses of client behaviors, targeting
those behaviors to change, and shaping more effective client interpersonal behaviors during session. Responding
effectively to problem behaviors in-session (especially during difficult moments of therapy) in the context of a FAP and
ACT approach will be highlighted in the workshop.
Educational objectives
1. Describe the key differences and similarities between ACT and FAP
2. Describe the use of functional analysis with interpersonal behaviours in session
3. Conceptualize a case from an integrated ACT and FAP perspective
Louise Hayes: Values with adolescents - it's about discovery and creation.
Continues until 5pm: N519
Many ACT clinicians find values work with adolescents can be associated with fusion and avoidance. This brief
workshop will explore ways to make valuing activities work with adolescents. It will cover theoretical issues as well as
research on values; however, the main focus of the presentation will be on practical valuing exercises.
We conceptualise valuing as a discovery and creation process. We will be learning how to help adolescents discover
themselves, their role in relationships, and their place in the world. The workshop will also allow for group sharing of
values exercises that have worked in the clinic.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 19
Educational objectives
Clinicians should gain knowledge of valuing as a process, and practical valuing exercises.
Mary Sawyer, Robyn Walser, Martin Brock, NeLi Martin. ACT based Contextual Behavioral
Supervision
B236
For both beginning and experienced ACT therapists, ongoing supervision is part of being professionally responsible.
ACT supervision processes are somewhat different to the usual case presentation style of supervision. This panel will
assist you in clarifying what ACT supervision is and how to move forward to become an ACT supervisor. Making the
decision to become an ACT supervisor can be scary and daunting. The therapist must be experienced and be willing
to experience their own difficult emotions, sensation and thoughts in order to work within the ACT framework with
effectiveness.
Panellists from the USA, UK and Australia will provide their unique perspectives on the ACT supervision processes
covering both supervisee and supervisor perspective. The panel will present a multi-modal approach for ACT group
supervision, peer supervision and individual supervision. Guidance on how to set up supervision groups will also be
discussed. The panel will provide case examples of “workability” in supervision and will discuss common difficulties
encountered for both the supervisor and supervisee.There will be ample time for Q & A during the panel discussion.
Friday 3.45 - 5pm
Annie Sloss, Wenda Mcpherson and Reuben Lowe: ACT in Groups
B236
Working in group therapy is a highly rewarding, resource efficient method of facilitating understanding and practice of
ACT principles. Group therapy is for many clients, often equal to or more effective than individual therapy. The group
therapy setting provides the opportunity for participants to enrich and accelerate their growth and learning through the
group process whilst integrating the principles of ACT.
Working within a group provides opportunity for participants to: Connect with and relate to others experiencing similar
difficulties; experience consensual validation from the group; be inspired by, and learn from others experiences, and
develop a greater willingness to change.
This workshop will address: Structure and evolution of the ACT group program at The Melbourne Clinic; Benefits of
using ACT in a group setting, including participant‟s reflections; Unique challenges of working with ACT in a group
setting; Creative solutions and exercises developed in response to ACT group needs and opportunities; Experiential
ACT group exercises; Future directions and the influence of other therapy modalities on our practice.
Anna Hawke: "CanChange" telephone ACT for bowel cancer survivors study
B236
Presenting an investigation of the effect of a randomised controlled trial of a six month telephone-delivered
intervention to improve health outcomes for colorectal (CRC) survivors. Intervention participants received 11
telephone-delivered health coaching sessions over six months from a study-trained „Health Coach‟. The sessions
focused on leading a healthy lifestyle consistent with national recommendations for cancer survivors, and health
coaches used ACT-strategies to enhance behaviour change. Data was collected at baseline and post-intervention or
at 6 months. Outcome measures included body mass index, diet [vegetable and fruit intake], physical activity, healthrelated quality of life, psychological flexibility AAQ-II, and mindfulness.
Educational objectives
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 20
1. To understand the design and implementation of a randomised controlled trial of a telephone-delivered lifestyle
intervention to improve health outcomes for cancer survivors.
2. To understand the effectiveness of a randomized controlled trial of a lifestyle intervention to improve health
outcomes for cancer survivors.
3. To understand the translation in to clinical practice of a novel lifestyle program to improve health outcomes for
patients recently diagnosed with cancer.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 21
DAY 2:
Saturday 1st of September 2011
9am Keynote: John Forsyth F509
5.28am NeLi Martin: Sunrise Yoga - Move with Mindfulness
Centring awareness in the body rather than in the head / thinking mind is an integral practice of mindfulness. It
establishes the platform from which thoughts can be observed and defusion is possible. It opens up the possibility of
acceptance of what is by coming to know what is occurring in a non-conceptual way. This workshop will offer
participants experience in the simple yet not easy practice of mindfulness of the body through the internal sense of
touch, whilst the body is still as well as moving into and out of different postures. This offers a clear pathway to
mindfulness in daily life.
All experiential; bring your yoga mat (I can supply some if requested) and wear comfortable and easy to move in
clothes!! Yoga isn‟t about achieving or end gaining. You don‟t have to be able to touch your toes to participate.
However, yoga postures are a challenge for most of us. You can use this as an opportunity to explore what it‟s like
when you come to the edge of your known repertoire of behaviour and sense the possibilities of flexibly extending this
known repertoire whilst respecting values of self-care, health and well-being.
Saturday 10-11.15am
John Forsyth: Facing the Unmet Burden of Human Suffering - Using ACT in a Self-Help Context
F509
There is no escaping this simple fact: the burden of human suffering is enormous, and we have inadequate resources
to meet the need for care. Many human beings suffer with various forms of psychological and emotional pain and yet
do not seek help. Studies also show that of those that do seek help, many receive suboptimal or inadequate care. The
costs associated with education and training in evidence-based practices are enormous, and there is no indication that
we will soon arrive at a point where we have an adequate supply of trained mental health professionals to alleviate the
burden of human suffering.
It‟s time that we consider creative, cost-effective, and maximally impactful solutions that are capable of reaching
individuals who are suffering and yet, for whatever reason, do not receive optimal care. The purpose of this talk is to
walk the audience through the scope of the problem we face, and suggest a cost-effective, efficient, and broadly
impactful solution, namely one based on the application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in a self-help
context. Results will be presented from our own work testing the effectiveness of ACT when delivered in a pure selfhelp context (i.e., no therapist coaching or contact).
Symptom and process-based outcomes showed that ACT self-help is helpful, that ACT processes fully mediate
clinically-relevant outcomes, and that ACT self-help performs as well and often better when compared to traditional
CBT self-help. Notably, through this effort we were able to touch the lives of 700 people, across 25 countries, who
reported suffering with severe anxiety and depression, within the span of 6 months. That kind of reach and impact is
humbling. Implications of this work for the ACT community will be discussed, including newer developments
integrating ACT with new technologies, telemedicine, and telehealth.
Educational objectives
1. Understand the unmet burden of human suffering
2. Learn how ACT can be used in a self-help context
3. Summarize main findings from 2 ACT self-help clinical trials
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 22
Darin Cairns: Flexible Child II: How RFT explains development - Hexaflex processes in raising
children.
Continues until 1pm: W201
This workshop is the follow on from the Flexible Child presentation done in the last 2 years. It outlines human
development from an RFT approach. Showing how each frame develops and shifts perception of ourselves, our world
and others. This talk will show how our culture has evolved developmental „streams‟ that promote symbolic thinking
and processes that accelerate development in a all domains of functioning. It will then show how these same devices
can turn against us to create rigidity and inflexibility, damaging development and mental health.
This talk is modelled on Flexible Child I but will have more examples, ideas, and methods for application. For those
who have seen Flexible Child I this workshop represents changes made based on requests and feedback. Participants
will learn: How to capture and construct developmentally informed clinical interventions; How understanding of „self‟ is
developed; How to identify sources of „control‟ in a person‟s environment; How to create flexibility and loosen rigidity
Educational objectives
1. Learn how to assess the impact of relational framing on perception and development
2. To understand the Hexaflex and why it matters so much.
3. To understand how to use symbolic activities within developmental contexts to target change in
development and functioning.
Carl Graham: An ACT oriented intervention in chronic pain; turning treatment-as-usual
upside down.
Continues until 1pm: N515
Limited access to tertiary treatment services and the failure of existing medical approaches to adequately manage
chronic pain disorders suggested a need for a redesign of the traditional medical service delivery model to one that
delivered behavioural based management skills to patients prior to medical treatment. A two day programme based on
3rd wave behavioural principles, followed by optional patient-initiated clinic medical appointments, was trialled
successfully and will be outlined in detail.
Discussion of the programme outcomes will include an outline of the common pain response issues which impact on
behaviour, symptom management and mood. A rationale for Psychologist-lead treatment will be presented based on a
psychoneuroimmunological model which facilitates practical strategies to better integrate behavioural and medical
treatment with the needs of the patient.
The workshop will include: Introduction to the treatment model; Discussion of the nature of pain from a psychological
perspective; Outline the ACT principles as applied to the treatment programme; Provide skills package specific to
behavioural neuromodulation; Connect above principles to broad chronic disease framework.
Educational objectives
1. Understand psychological, behavioural and physiological interactions which underlie pain
2. be able to implement a behavioural neuromodulation protocol in a chronic pain patient
3. understand how they could have a role as a psychologist in the treatment of physical health disorders
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 23
Jane Morton / Spectrum Victoria: ACT for Borderline Personality Disorder - clinical skills
workshop.
Continues until 1pm: N518
The workshop will describe Spectrum‟s development and evaluation of the Wise Choices ACT group program for
people with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). We outline the benefits of understanding BPD
symptoms, including deliberate self-harm and chronic suicidality, from an ACT perspective. Some Wise Choices group
treatment sessions will be described together with some of our favourite handouts and worksheets.
Educational objectives
1. describe an ACT-consistent understanding of BPD symptoms including deliberate self-harm
2. describe issues that require particular care when conducting group treatment for people with BPD symptoms
3. explain how mindfulness, defusion, acceptance and values work can be approached in a graded manner and why
this is important when working with this client group
Paul Atkins: Self at work: Understanding how the way we talk about ourselves predicts our
wellbeing, motivation and empowerment at work.
Continues until 1pm: N519
In organisations, decision making is increasingly being delegated to lower levels and we are called upon to be „leaders‟
- knowing what matters to us, being empowered and taking responsibility for bringing about change. In the workplace,
in parenting, therapy and even gender roles we are asked to “find our own voice”, be emotionally aware and decide for
ourselves instead of relying upon authorities. And yet at the same time, models of leadership and effective work are
becoming more collaborative and emergent.
How are we to make sense of ourselves to meet all these demands? How can we be strong and assertive at the same
time as being willing to change and open to others' perspectives? And how do we recognise 'maturity' in leaders and
coworkers at work? Our answers to these question depend in part on who we think we are. Are we the products of
society, independent agents or some combination of the two?
We will consider together the idea of an evolving self through two lenses, an inside out approach that emphasizes
stages of adult development, and a more functional contextual approach that emphasizes selfing as a set of behaviors
in context. We will also look at how a functional contextual (ACT/RFT) view of self might change our thinking about
developmental activities at work to enhance empowerment and motivation. Along the way there will be an opportunity
for you to share how you have worked with clients to help them feel more comfortable balancing assertiveness with
receptiveness, and individuality with collaboration.
Educational objectives:
1. Understand the development of self in terms of increasing complexity of self rules.
2. Describe ways that this developmental understanding is relevant to workplace situations such as motivating and
empowering people
3. Become better able to understand the impact of self rules upon behavior.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 24
Martin Brock: When it gets really intrusive - OCD experiences and interventions from an ACT
perspective.
Continues until 1pm: B236
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a new model of behavioural treatment that emphasizes acceptance of
internal experience while maintaining a focus on positive behaviour change. This approach is designed to address
maladaptive avoidance of internal experiences associated with many problems in functioning while also focusing on
making and keeping commitments. A Functional Contextual Model for OCD and also a Case Formulation approach in
ACT has been developed; both will be described in this workshop.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is recognized as a complex disorder and is difficult to treat, due in part to the intrusive
nature of the types of thoughts which can be highly distressing and motivation to abate, avoid or eliminate them is
strong. In this experiential workshop opportunities will be given to develop awareness of the typical experiences found
in OCD and to explore and share the challenges for therapists.
Educational objectives
1. Participants will begin to understand the Core Activities of Case Formulation in ACT.
2. Participants will have an understanding of a Functional Contextual Model of OCD.
3. Participants will explore the highly intrusive nature of OCD.
Saturday 11.45 – 1pm
ACT in relation to traditional CBT: John Forsyth, with Ross Menzies, Joseph Ciarrochi, and
Niklas Torneke
F509
Though ACT and traditional CBT have much in common, there are important differences: Traditional CBT views
thoughts as a cause of dysfunctional behavior and engages in logical-empirical challenging of these thoughts,
whereas ACT does not. Cognitive challenging interventions will be defined here as the direct attempt to change the
form or frequency of a particular cognition. ACT tends to reduce attempts at cognitive challenging and instead focuses
on cognitive defusion, the attempt to alter the context in which thoughts occur without directly targeting the form or
frequency of those thoughts (e.g., let your self-criticisms come and go).
This panel will discuss the philosophical assumptions underlying cognitive challenging (i.e., that cognitions are causal).
Then it will look at the potential benefits and risks of challenging, focusing especially on those challenges based on
logical or empirical grounds. Finally, the panel will make practical suggests about when challenging is most and least
likely to work.
Pre-reading for the panel is not necessary, but the interested reader is referred to three articles, which you can
download at acceptandchange.com, or by following the link below:
Ciarrochi, J., Robb, H., & Godsell, C. (2005). Letting a little nonverbal air into the room: Insights from Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy. Part 1: philosophical and theoretical underpinnings. Journal of Rational-Emotive & CognitiveBehavior Therapy, 23, 79-106.
Ciarrochi, J., & Robb, H. (2005). Letting a little nonverbal air into the room: Insights from Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy. Part 2: Applications. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 23, 107
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 25
Robb, H., & Ciarrochi, J. (2005). Some final “gulp” words on REBT, ACT, and RFT. Journal of Rational-Emotive &
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 23, 169-173.
Saturday 2pm – 3.15pm
Robyn Walser: Acceptance and the Treatment of Trauma and its related problems.
Continues until 5pm: F509
-
Sponsored by the APS ACT IG
The concept of emotional avoidance offers organization to the functional analysis of trauma-related problems and
lends coherence to understanding the sequalae of trauma. Many individuals who have been diagnosed with PTSD or
who have trauma related problems are struggling with traumatic memories, painful feelings and unwanted thoughts
and they take great efforts to avoid these private experiences. The avoidance or control of private internal experience
commonly seems to become the goal of many trauma survivors and has a powerful impact on individuals diagnosed
with PTSD or its related problems.
One therapeutic alternative to emotional or experiential avoidance is acceptance. Acceptance can create a new
context from which the trauma survivor may view the world and the self. If efforts to control private experience are
relinquished as a means to mental health, then efforts to take healthy action, while still acknowledging emotion and
thought without effort to control or change them, can lead to valued and life enhancing behavioural changes.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a structured intervention that applies acceptance techniques to
internal experience while encouraging positive behaviour change that is consistent with individual values and goals.
The basic theory and ACT‟s application to PTSD will be presented. Opportunity for role-play, case formulation and
interactive exercises will be offered.
Educational objectives
1. Participants will be able to describe the role and impact of experiential avoidance as it relates to PTSD and
trauma related problems.
2. Participants will be able to describe the major steps in ACT and how they can be applied to the treatment of
trauma related problems.
3. Participants will be able to describe how values are impacted by traumatic experience and how ACT can be used
to support behavior change in relationship to the same.
Jennifer Gregg: ACT with chronic and terminal medical conditions. Working with shame,
stigma, "willpower"; building valued actions
Continues until 5pm: W201
As chronic medical conditions become a larger health concern globally, more and more patients are affected by them.
Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions dramatically impact patients‟ quality of life as well as
their longevity. Patients with conditions such as these often live with many difficult emotional experiences including
shame, stigma, and guilt for not sticking to pliance-heavy instructions about health behaviours that are difficult to
maintain. Struggle with such emotions can become a larger focus than actually changing health behaviours.
Additionally, individuals who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness may feel paralysed by fear of what is to
come, and find it difficult to continue to live with vitality.
Recent research from around the globe has supported work on using mindfulness and values to enhance the lives of
individuals with chronic and terminal illnesses and support the move toward making meaningful changes in one‟s life
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 26
and health. In this workshop, we will explore such topics as: addressing shame and stigma related to conditions such
as obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses with a strong behaviour component, the issue of "willpower" and overcoming
behavioural patterns that contribute to ill health, working with worry related to increased dependency at the end of life,
and a strong emphasis on helping patients continue to move toward their values, even with a chronic or terminal
illness.
Educational objectives
1. Define and conceptualize a patient‟s “willpower” to engage in health behaviour change.
2. Describe how to address strong emotions such as shame, guilt, and fear in work with individuals with chronic or
terminal illness
3. Create a plan for helping patients continue to move toward their values, even with a chronic or terminal illness
Alan Ralph, Lisa Coyne, Louise Hayes, Louise McHugh, Darin Cairns:
Alphabet Soup for the Soul: Triple P, ACT, RFT, ABA – parents, relations and relationships.
N515
This panel aims to connect traditional parent training with RFT, using the strengths of the Triple P research. It will
discuss how parents' verbal behavior is likely to impact on parenting and our attempts to intervene. We will then
consider how ACT as a model can be used with parenting interventions. We will focus on resistance and difficult to
engage parents. Audience questions will be welcomed and form part of the presentation.
Niklas Torneke: ACT from bottom-up: Understanding ACT and clinical interventions from an
RFT perspective
Continues until 5pm: N518
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a integrative form of behaviour therapy, which has received a lot of
attention in recent years. ACT is usually described using a clinical model called ”the Hexaflex”, which consists of six
basic clinical principles. Originally ACT developed within the historical tradition of behaviour analysis, with its emphasis
on operant and respondent learning, and grew from modern research on human language and cognition within this
particular psychological tradition. The theory that summarises this research is called relational frame theory (RFT) and
is the backbone of ACT.
This workshop will give an introduction to relational frame theory. It will present its basic concepts with a special
emphasis on the clinical utility of the theory, as it is implemented in ACT. The workshop will also show how more basic
learning principles are used within the context of doing ACT. In short: the workshop will present ACT from bottom up,
increasing the partakers understanding of how knowledge of basic scientific principles build the psychotherapy model
of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Educational objectives
1. Understanding the connection between ACT and the basic scientific theory that underlies the model
2. Being able to describe basic clinical principles in ACT from an RFT perspective
3. An increased understanding of ACT as part of a wider scientific tradition of psychological treatment: clinical
behaviour analysis
Russ Harris: Self-As-Context Made Simple: Quick n’ easy ways to access the "observing self"
Continues until 5pm: N519
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 27
A highly experiential workshop which demonstrates in simple, clear, non-technical language many different ways to
talk about and facilitate the experience of self-as-context – from lengthy interventions such as the classic „Observer
Exercise‟ to extremely brief ones. It brings together metaphors and experiential exercises from ACT practitioners such
as Steve Hayes, Robyn Walser, Kirk Strosahl, Kelly Wilson, JoAnne Dahl, and Hank Robb (as well as some of my own
innovations).
By the end of this workshop, attendees will have repeatedly experienced the psychological space of self-as-context,
and will have a variety of tools to facilitate this process in therapy. They will also get an opportunity to practice most of
these techniques on each other.
Educational objectives
1. Learn how to talk to the „average joe‟ about self-as-context – in a jargon-free manner
2. Experience the „psychological space‟ of self-as-context
3. Learn a variety of techniques for rapidly facilitating this experience in therapy
Rachel Collis: How Using ACT in the Workplace Could Transform Everything
Continues until 5pm: B236
ACT is showing promise as an intervention in organisations but using ACT in this context poses particular problems,
for example:
Making „values‟ work in organisational settings. Many organisations have been doing a version of values work for
some time. This can mean that people assume that they know about working with values. However, few
organisations understand values in the ACT sense and this can cause problems. For example, having situations in
which values are adopted by organisations in name but not in spirit; dealing with pliance when exploring shared
values. By identifying ACT-consistent definitions of values that can be used in organisations, we have the potential to
resolve this and influence more people than ever.
Combining ACT with problem solving. ACT often has to be integrated with other interventions that have a primarily
problem-solving focus e.g. decision sciences, business process redesign, job design. Both problem solving and
acceptance-based interventions must be explained with care so as not to contradict each other.
Working flexibly without creative hopelessness. Creative hopelessness is often difficult to introduce to participants
who do not believe that they have experienced any unworkability in their responses to life. The assumptions and
language of therapeutic ACT can be unworkable in this setting and can „turn people off‟ ACT.
Modelling vulnerability. At work, competence and strength is highly prized but this can equate to rigidity and
avoidance of distress and the suppression of difficult material. Dealing with this successfully is a key component of this
work.
The common „hooks‟ of stress, politics, status, groupthink etc. An organisation is a complex system – politics,
group dynamics, issues of power and influence – all need to be managed effectively. When using ACT in an
organisational setting it isn‟t enough to be good at ACT, there is also a need for skills and knowledge in understanding
organisations, management and team dynamics.
Normalising ACT. Many approaches commonly used in ACT can appear highly unusual – and strange - and often
need to be adjusted to better fit with the context. This session will give practical strategies for how to handle these
difficulties effectively, in order to create more effective ACT-informed workplace interventions
Educational objectives
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 28
1. To identify how ACT can fit with the „problem solving‟ mode of mind inherent in coaching, training and
organisational development approaches.
2. To explore how ACT can contribute to more effective organisations.
3. To deliver practical tips and suggestions for communicating ACT principles to non-clinical populations, for
example showing how ACT can best be explained to leaders within organisations
Saturday 3.45 - 5pm
Research Forum: John Forsyth, Frank Bond, Todd Kashdan, Louise McHugh, Joseph
Ciarrochi, Paul Atkins, Lisa Coyne, Darin Cairns, & Louise Hayes
N515
In this research seminar, a range of leading ACT/RFT researchers will very briefly mention one research highlight that
they have seen in the last year and why it is interesting. They may also mention something about where they see
research in ACT/RFT going in the future, including any gaps or needs that need to be addressed. Each speaker will
have 3-4 minutes. The rest of the time will be open for a general discussion of issues arising.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 29
DAY 3:
Sunday 2rd of October 2011
9am Keynote Robyn Walser F509
Sponsored by the APS ACT IG
Sunday 10am – 11.15am
Emily Sandoz: ACT for Disordered Eating: a contextual behavioral approach to Eating
Difficulties.
Continues until 1pm: F509
Disordered eating has been associated with significant problems in mental health, physical health, and social
functioning. Psychologists have long approached disordered eating in terms of the rationality or accuracy of the
individual‟s experience. Consistent with a wide trend in mental health, several emerging mindfulness- and acceptancebased eating interventions focus instead on improving an individual‟s awareness of, openness to, and flexibility with
the dynamic experience. Early findings support psychological inflexibility as the mechanism by which disordered eating
comes to disrupts people‟s lives and psychological flexibility as the mechanism by which quality of life can be restored.
This workshop will 1) propose relational learning processes involved in disordered eating, 2) review conceptualization
of eating difficulties in terms of psychological flexibility, and 3) explore assessment and treatment of disordered eating
from this perspective.
Educational objectives
1. Participants will develop a working knowledge of relational learning processes involved in disordered eating
2. Participants will be able to effectively conceptualize of disordered eating in terms of psychological flexibility
3. Participants will be able to generate novel assessment and treatment techniques for disordered eating from this
perspective, and describe the principles supporting them.
Todd Kashdan: Nuanced Feelings: Creating a flexible attitude toward emotions.
W201
The optimal use of emotion regulation strategies is largely dependent on emotional awareness. Proper attention to and
accurate understanding of emotions provides information that facilitates the choice and use of the most useful emotion
regulation strategy in a particular situation (i.e., psychological flexibility).
In this workshop, we discuss theory and research on how disturbances in emotion awareness directly and indirectly
(via influences on emotion regulation) contribute to anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and aggression. We will detail
concrete assessment and treatment strategies based on the best available evidence, and the relevance of this
dynamic construct to delivering treatment to clinical populations. Additional information will be provided on cultural
issues that influence emotional awareness, clarity, and attention, and how this knowledge can be taught to students,
supervisees, and clients.
Participants will work on their ability to identify and understand emotions. This skill will be further leveraged to
maximize individual and team strengths, minimize weaknesses, and moderate learned behaviours. We will discuss
how these skills can modify existing therapeutic and organizational climates to be more energizing, productive, and
fulfilling. Participants will be exposed to cutting edge scientific theories, methods, and findings. They will be given
concrete tools for assessing meta-emotions for therapeutic and consulting purposes. At the end of the workshop,
participants will leave with a greater understanding of emotions and emotion regulation.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 30
Educational objectives
1. Knowledge of how to define, assess, and address emotion awareness, clarity, and attention in clinical,
organizational, and teaching contexts.
2. Knowledge of dynamic, flexible approaches to personality assessment
3. Ability to teach other people about meta-emotions and how they are relevant to well-being and psychopathology
Matthew Smout: ACT for Addictions - Matthew Smout: ACT for Addictions - Developing
compassion for our vices
Continues until 1pm: N515
This workshop will provide instruction and experience conceptualising addiction in ACT processes, focus on key ACT
interventions to build self-knowledge and skills necessary to overcome addictive behavioural patterns and discuss
practical issues in adapting ACT practice to work with this complex client group.
Educational objectives
1. Increase theoretical knowledge of how to conceptualise addiction using an ACT framework
2. Increase practical knowledge of appropriate ACT skill-building exercises for use with addiction
3. Increase practical knowledge of how to tailor standard ACT protocols to work with addiction.
Eric Morris: ACT for Psychosis Skills Workshop - recovery through psychological flexibility
Continues until 1pm: N518
This skills workshop will focus on developing the core skills and knowledge to work clinically with people recovering
from psychosis using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Early work by Bach and Hayes (2002) and Gaudiano
and Herbert (2006a) suggests that there may be benefits to helping people distressed and disabled by psychosis
develop skills in mindfulness and value-driven action. Broader developments in psychological treatments for psychosis
have demonstrated the value and acceptability of offering mindfulness as a way of disengaging from hallucinations,
unusual thoughts and experiences (Chadwick et al., 2005). There has been increased interest in the potential of
acceptance-based treatments to support recovery from a first episode of psychosis (Morris & Oliver, 2009). It can be
argued that the therapeutic stance and methods of ACT may augment current treatment approaches for psychosis.
More specifically, the use of ACT may: enable a “values-based” recovery, reduce the impact of “fear of recurrence” of
psychosis through development of self as context, enable individuals to notice the process of self-stigmatisation,
contexts where this operates as a barrier, and commit to valued directions in the face of these appraisals, and improve
relapse prevention plans through the use of mindfulness and committed action, and augment efforts to improve
communication and problem-solving within families affected by psychosis.
The presenter will outline the work that he and UK colleagues have done on using ACT to help people with psychosis,
which has been influenced by the broader developments in the psychological understanding of psychosis developed in
the United Kingdom. The presenter will describe the approaches taken in using ACT in community, inpatient, early
intervention and rehabilitation settings.
The workshop will cover the three main areas of ACT with psychosis: Part 1: An overview of the aspects of the
experience of psychosis that may be amenable to ACT intervention Part 2: Getting started: Engagement, Assessment
& Formulation Part 3: Progressing with the treatment
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 31
Robyn Walser: Psychological First AID: Mental Health Response to Disaster
Continues until 1pm: N519 - Sponsored by the APS ACT IG
The effects of disaster and terrorism on individuals and populations can be devastating. The initial experience of
disbelief and loss can be followed by years of re-building lives and restoring hope. The psychological effects of trauma
can last a life time. This session will explore the cognitive, behavioral and affective impact of trauma and will identify
strategies to assist clients during acute phases of the trauma experience. Psychological First Aid will be presented and
use of cognitive-behavioral interventions explored. The basics and core actions of mental health providers following
trauma will be also be presented.
Jennifer Gregg: ACT for Reluctant and Resistant Patients - building motivation, moving toward
values
Continues until 1pm: B236
Psychological interventions are developed, studied, and often implemented in settings where individuals are actively
selecting a psychotherapeutic intervention. However, the majority of individuals who might benefit from an broad,
lifestyle-based intervention such as ACT do not ever elect to enter into psychotherapy and may be put off by
perceived stigma related to mental health. Contexts such as physical healthcare settings, schools, and workplaces
may provide opportunities for encountering such individuals, and services at this level may serve as secondary or
tertiary prevention and may dramatically increase the applicability of an intervention like ACT. However, motivating
individuals to engage in a psychologically-based intervention in these settings is not always easy. This workshop will
explore the use of ACT interventions to enhance motivation for treatment, and discuss ACT-based strategies for use
with patients who may benefit from an intervention such as ACT, but who might not initially select such a treatment.
Educational objectives
1. Conceptualize resistance and reluctance functionally in terms of the behaviour of the patient and of the therapist
2. Describe how to address motivation within a values framework
3. Create a plan for helping patients to move toward their values in multiple settings.
Sunday 11.45-1pm
Positive psychology, Coaching, and ACT: Common themes and goals. Kashdan, Frank Bond,
Russ Harris, Joe Ciarrochi W201
This panel will discuss how three movements can be united into the strongest framework for helping other people and
improving organizations. How can ACT benefit from the theories, research, and applications in positive psychology
and coaching? What are the pivotal challenges in bringing these three approaches together? The panelists will be
debating and collaborating on stage. Their goal is to bring a better understanding of cutting edge ideas for living a welllived life. Their goal is to explore new territory. Their goal is to speed up the evolution of innovative applications.
Educational objectives;
1. Insight into what ACT is missing and how it can be improved.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 32
2. Bridging new theories and research with work on the frontlines.
3. Gain a broader perspective on well-being and the various strategies to reach it.
Sunday 2pm-3.15pm
Robyn Walser: ACT for Couples. Clinical skills building workshop F509
Sponsored by the APS ACT IG
Continues until 5pm
Having a vital and healthy relationship is the goal of most couples. They want to enjoy each other, grow together and
cultivate intimacy. However, couples can bump into problems in their relationship in a number of ways including losing
the path of vitality through breakdowns in communication, connection and growth. Couples can become disengaged,
angry, bored, and lazy in their interactions and begin to struggle in their relationship with negative thoughts and
feelings about themselves and their partners.
Avoidance of emotional experience by both partners can lead to movement away from personal values and values
related to the partnership. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT, Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) is a
behaviourally based psychotherapeutic intervention that is designed to target and reduce problematic avoidance of
negative thoughts and emotion while also encouraging individuals to make life enhancing behavioural changes that
are consistent with their personal values. The key goal of ACT is to create psychological and behavioural flexibility.
Flexibility is about openness to experience and the richness of life. The ACT approach to offers clear suggestions for
how to better relationships and addresses relationship problems through use of acceptance and mindfulness, and
values-based approaches to living. In addition, use of acceptance of self and other may be a helpful tool in preventing
problems while also contributing to growth and understanding within the relationship. The central focus of this
workshop, then, will be to review the application of ACT and explore how the ACT approach can be applied to the
relationship.
Darin Cairns and Louise McHugh: RFT, language and perspective-taking in autism / ASD &
schizophrenia. How to train deficient skills W201
Continues until 5pm
Researchers within cognitive and traditional developmental fields have written volumes on the social-cognitive nature
of social problems in disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, with the "Theory of Mind" (ToM) construct receiving
the majority of attention.
While behaviour analysis has offered descriptions of how to teach basic social behaviour to individuals with autism,
descriptions of complex social behaviour (e.g., understanding deception, empathy, "self-reflection" - all falling under
the rubric of "perspective taking") have eluded commonly utilized behavioural intervention resources, and little or no
research has attempted to remediate social deficits in schizophrenia. However, researchers within behaviour analysis
are beginning to investigate how complex social behaviour constructs can be examined within a behaviour analytic
framework, with recent progress in derived multiple stimulus relations offering particular promise. "Relational Frame
Theory" (RFT) accounts of ToM, perspective-taking in particular, have yielded testable hypotheses, developmental
profile analyses, and descriptions of treatment protocols.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 33
This workshop will summarize this literature, and discuss the relevance to clinical disorders such as autism-related and
schizophrenia spectrum related deficits.
Educational objectives
1. To understand the basics of Relational Frame Theory (RFT)
2. To understand the RFT account of social communication
3. To learn how to train social communication skills where they are deficient
Robert Purssey: ACT on Drugs: Functional Contextual Pharmacology N515
Continues until 5pm
ACT considers complex clinical problems from a functional contextual perspective. FC empowers clinical effectiveness
and links clinical work to basic science. Functional contextual pharmacology can do the same. Behavioural
pharmacology arose within BF Skinner‟s lab from the same strategic foundations as RFT and ACT. Understanding the
functional contextual effects of drugs allows fresh scientific and clinical expertise.
Functional contextual principles have since Skinner guided progressive science. Mainstream psychopharmacology has
increasingly assumed a mechanistic neurochemical model. Scientific evidence demonstrates that reductive biologism,
while spectacularly successful commercially, has not yielded a single valid model of drug action on human behavior.
Clinical outcomes have not improved since the drugs of the 1950‟s. Indeed current misleading medicalising models are
likely worsening outcomes, and may well be causing substantial harm to public health – especially to our most
vulnerable, children both alive and unborn.
We‟ll clarify and contrast the philosophical assumptions and strategic approaches of functional contextual VS
mechanistic “neuropsycho”-pharmacology, and review published basic science and clinical outcome data. The
scientific record of evidence starkly and powerfully contradicts commonly held beliefs about the mechanisms of action
and also the effectiveness of psychiatric drugs. Undermining Pharma‟s biomythologies allows creative ways forward a contemporary functional contextual account of drug action on human behavior.
Furthermore, RFT may allow precise exploration of common beliefs, or “attributions” of behavioral issues e.g.
“diseases”, “how drugs work” and “placebo”. How might RFT transform basic and clinical understanding of drug effects
on humans? Of practical use to ACT therapists with clients taking medications. Of interest to anyone wanting to
develop a coherent, progressive and therapeutic science of drugs and human behavior.
Educational objectives
1. Fundamentally transform participants understanding of the effects of drugs on human behaviour
2. Clinicians can use clear, mainstream scientific data to transform their clients beliefs about the “biological” bases of
their distress, also how drugs work, and thereby…
3. Learn to enable truly informed consent for clients in regard their psychiatric drugs, and empower their clients to
harness the effectiveness of medications to alleviate suffering over the long term.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 34
Mark Donovan: Confident carers, cooperative kids - empowering parenting programs via ACT
metaphors N518
Traditional parenting programs utilising contingency management principles have well-established efficacy for 50-70%
of parents struggling to manage problem behaviours in their children. The Confident Carers - Cooperative Kids
program (CCCK) attempts to improve the initial program engagement, program perseverance and the development of
independent problem solving capabilities of the remaining 30-50% through the use of a range of images, metaphors,
and mindfulness-based exercises. At a neurological level, the program also draws explicit links with neurobiological
attachment processes between parents and children, and attempts to engage parents‟ right hemisphere processes
rather than relying on traditional left hemisphere language-based interventions.
Workshop participants will be provided with an overview of the main images and metaphors (parenting compass,
bushfire model, power struggle, virus x), including experiential exercises of how to apply these in clinical practice.
Handouts of these materials will be available to participants. Findings from research over the past 4 years will also be
summarised, including a recent qualitative follow-up study.
Educational objectives
1. Introduction to ACT-based metaphors and images that can be used with parents
2. Practice in using a model of shared case-conceptualisation that can be used with parents
3. Insights into how parents respond to ACT-based parenting intervention
Mary Sawyer and Martin Brock: Fostering Creative Hopelessness Creatively N519
Continues until 5pm
You may have done some ACT training and you are still not sure how to get the first couple of sessions happening in
real time. Some of the struggles therapists have with doing ACT are sometimes about what core processes to do,
when and how to.
Clients often enter therapy after struggling with “the problem” for a long time, sometimes, after seeing other
therapists and attempting to use creative ways of getting rid of the problem. Language based social convention
dictates that if we have unpleasant inner experiences, there is something wrong and must be changed. These
culturally sanctioned problem solving rules teach us that in order to have healthy successful living, we have to control
our private experiences and “the problem” will go away.
Informed consent and Creative Hopelessness are considered to be the fundamental cornerstones for the practice of
ACT. This workshop will give you the skills for how to get through the first couple of sessions focusing on Informed
Consent, Creative Hopelessness and your client‟s rigid rules can be the source of the problem not the solution.
Treatment involves having to face previously avoided experiences, and as ACT processes can be intense, the client
has to be prepared for this by giving informed consent.
With a mixture of presentation and experiential opportunities during the workshop, you will be guided by two
experienced ACT therapists who will role- play demonstrations of these techniques, as well as conducting rounds,
giving you close supervision during your practice.
Educational Objectives:
1. How to prepare your clients for beginning ACT therapy by reviewing informed consent with them
2. Guiding your client through Creative Hopelessness by drawing out examples from the client‟s history of
unsuccessful attempts to fix their problem and gently questioning their workability
3. Identifying your client‟s favourite rigid rule/s about how they are meant to be in their lives.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 35
Sunday 3.45pm-5pm
Kylie Burke: Take a Breath - ACT skills for parents of seriously ill kids N518
Discovering that a child has a diagnosis of a serious childhood illness/injury (SCII) is understandably distressing for
families. Along with the worries of having an ill child, the diagnosis and treatment often brings many changes to how
the family operates day-to-day. Parents must contend with the possibility of their child‟s death along with the serious
impact on their child‟s future.
Although most families will adapt to the illness and treatment, a proportion may find themselves overwhelmed and
unable to adjust. Specifically, severe acute stress reactions and posttraumatic responses in vulnerable children and/or
families, which often continue after recovery from the illness or treatment, are commonly reported across a range of
SCIIs (e.g., cancer, acquired brain injury, cardiac disease and admission to Intensive Care Units). Given this, support
for parents is vital. This poster will introduce the area of SCII, present an ACT conceptualisation of the impact of SCIIs
on families, as well as describe the progress made so far with the development and piloting of a parent group
intervention program called „Take a Breath‟. Future research directions (e.g., RCT methodology) will also be
addressed.
Educational objectives
1. the context of psychosocial distress for parents of children diagnosed with serious childhood illnesses/injuries
2. how ACT can be used to reduce parental experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion and to bring focus to their
values and actions in a way that helps them to be more effective as parents in the context of SCII
3. the current state of the evidence for the Take A Breath program and future research directions
James Hegarty: The promise of, and problems with, "mindfulness" B236
Mindfulness has become a very popular technique among therapists, particularly with the growth of studies showing
the positive benefits of mindfulness based practices in a variety of clinical populations. However, there is no agreed
upon psychological definition of mindfulness. There appears to be no consistent theoretical understanding of what
mindfulness is, and despite its apparent usefulness in a variety of situations the mechanisms of its action are largely
unknown. In addition, most mindfulness based techniques are taken from other complex traditions of training, are
often applied by those unfamiliar with those traditions, and by those who can be poorly trained in the techniques they
use.
In this workshop these difficulties will be briefly reviewed and illustrated. Also, participants can expect practical
experience in mindfulness based techniques while investigating, hopefully in detail, what mindfulness is and how it
applies to therapy. Most of this workshop will be experiential – with participants being asked to reflect on their
experiences with a view to developing their own definition of mindfulness, and a personalized approach to using
mindfulness in their work.
An underlying notion behind this workshop is that the existing literature in this area does not serve us well, and if we
are to develop a truly psychological approach to mindfulness we cannot wait for some expert to tell us what to do, or
how to do it. As practitioners we need to develop our own psychological understanding of mindfulness, and how to
apply it honestly in our work. Perhaps most importantly, we have to do this ourselves.
Educational objectives
1. Participants will be aware of the problems with various definitions of mindfulness, and how this impacts on use of
these techniques in therapy.
2. Participants will experience different types of “mindfulness” practices, and be able to identify which aspects of
mindfulness they accentuate, or target.
3. Participants will develop their own tentative definition of mindfulness and relate how they will express this in their
use of mindfulness in therapy.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 36
Claire Edwards: Creative activities for Mindful therapists B236
Art therapy derives from the psychoanalytic tradition and is therefore very different from ACT, however doing art can
be considered a mindful and self-reflective activity, which can enhance client engagement and enjoyment and can
assist clinician to be more self-reflective. Discover your inner creative therapist in this experiential workshop.
Educational objectives
1. How to use art to enhance ACT ;
2. The rationale behind this and
3. How to use art as self-care for therapists
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 37
PRESENTERS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Paul Atkins is an Associate Professor at the Crawford School of Economics and
Government, ANU. In addition to his teaching and research in mindfulness, adult
development and organisational behaviour; he conducts leadership workshops and
executive coaching from an ACT perspective. He is a registered organisational
psychologist and holds a Masters degree in Cognitive Science and a PhD in Psychology
from Cambridge University. He has had training in ACT with Kelly Wilson and Russ Harris
and is currently up to his eyeballs in RFT related papers trying to come to terms with a
whole new way of seeing the world.
Linda Bilich is the Treasurer ANZ ACBS ANZ Chapter of ACBS and works as a clinical psychologist at the
School of Psychology University of Wollongong. She has been working with ACT for 6 years.
Frank Bond is a past president of the ACBS. He is a Professor of Psychology and Head
of Department at Goldsmiths College, University of London. His formal clinical training was in
Beckian CBT, and beginning in 1995, he attended numerous ACT workshops and conferences.
Having read all of the books and most every relevant article on ACT, he has been very
involved in the development and testing of ACT in organisations. Through this process, he has
received, and provided, a great deal of training in ACT. He specialises in anxiety disorders,
work-related stress, leadership, and performance. He is a Chartered Psychologist in the UK.
Martin Brock MSc is a Lecturer/Practitioner at the Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham, England. His
qualifications include an MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, a Diploma in Nursing, an
ENB 650/PG Diploma in Adult Behavioural Psychotherapy and an RMN.
His Clinical experience has spanned 30 years in the NHS. He has worked as a Cognitive
Behavioural Psychotherapist and has been a Principal Adult Psychotherapist for 11 years. In this
position he has a lead role for developing Acceptance and Mindfulness Based Treatments within
the Trust Psychological Services. His education experience includes teaching, supervising and
assessing students within undergraduate and postgraduate provision and he has extensive
experience as a clinical workplace mentor within PGDip/BSc/BA/MSc programmes. Part of his current role is that of
Education and Practice Consultant within which he delivers modules in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Acceptance
and Mindfulness Based Approaches at degree level in association with Sheffield Hallam University. Martin is also joint
programme leader for an MSc in Psychological Approaches in Psychosis which commenced September 2009.
Robert Brockman is a clinical psychologist working in private practice in Sydney, and
as
lecturer and psychology clinic supervisor at the University of Western Sydney, School of
Psychology. Robert has clinical and research interests in both ACT
and contextual approaches as applied to CBT. He is currently in the final year of his doctoral
qualification where he is exploring the role of acceptance amongst voice hearers within a
psychiatric population.
Kylie Burke is a Research Fellow and psychologist at the Parenting Research Centre and the
author of the Take A Breath Parent Intervention. She has experience working with children, parents and
families, having worked in clinical psychology and research roles in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Services (CAMHS), government and community support sectors. Kylie has a specific interest in the
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 38
development and implementation of training programs for professionals working with families She is currently
researching the role of psychological flexibility in parenting adolescents as part of her PhD project (due for completion
in 2012) and is in the final stages of completion of an RCT of a parent intervention program at the Parenting Research
Centre.
Caroline Burrows is a Social Worker and Psychotherapist working at the Eastern
Centre Against Sexual Assault (ECASA) in Victoria. In this role she provides counselling
to
adult, adolescent and child survivors of sexual assault, drawing on ACT as her primary
treatment approach. She is in the process of completing a Masters of Counselling and
Psychotherapy at the Cairnmillar Institute. Her Masters research project examined the use
of
ACT with survivors of adult sexual assault, and forms the basis of her conference poster
presentation. She attends a Melbourne ACT peer supervision group and has taken a leading role in promoting ACT in
her workplace.
Darin Cairns is the Senior Clinical Psychologist at the LEARN Foundation, a not for profit
organization that provides services children and families with developmental, behavioural and
emotional problems. He has presented over 150 workshops on applying learning and behavioural
theory to developmental, clinical and organizational psychology.
Glenn Callaghan is a professor of psychology at San Jose State University in California. He
has published a variety of articles on FAP ranging from behavioural conceptualisations to
research methodology essential to FAP‟s development to single subject treatment outcome
studies. He is co-author of the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Rating Scale, a coding system
used to identify the mechanism of change in FAP. He developed and authored the Functional
Idiographic Assessment Therapists.
His interests in FAP lie with the use of principally-based interpersonal behaviour therapies
focused on long-standing pervasive repertoire problems such as those seen in recurrent
depression, dysthymic disorder, and personality disorders. He is engaged in both psychotherapy
and the supervision of FAP therapist, and conducts workshops introducing FAP to new therapist and training FAP
skills to intermediate and advanced therapists.
Joseph Ciarrochi is associate professor at University of Wollongong and is one of the most cited people in the
world in the area of emotional intelligence. He has received over a million dollars in Australian
Research Council grant funding to conduct research on promoting well-being. He has written
three books on ACT, and has published over 80
journal articles and book chapters generally focused on the causes of well-being. Recently, he
has received a prestigious Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, which will allow him
to focus all his energy on research and promoting well-being. He has just been elected president
of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, the international
organization for ACT. For more information about Joseph, please see
www.acceptandchange.com
Rachel Collis is a coach, trainer and facilitator who fell in love with ACT in 2008. She
works with individuals and teams throughout Australia. Rachel also teaches at QUT in the
School of Business on the Executive MBA programme. She has been awarded the QUT
Faculty of Business, Student Choice „Awesome Tutor‟ Award in recognition of her “passion
and enthusiasm in promoting and supporting student learning, the development of critical
thought and ability to inspire students to achieve success.”
Lisa Coyne is an Associate Professor, Psychology Department, Suffolk University. What has
been and continues to be a central pursuit in her life and academic work is to learn as much as she
can to alleviate suffering, and to use that knowledge to help children and their families. She brings
those values with her when she works with children and parents in therapy, as well as when she
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 39
conducts empirical research, which involves working to better describe and influence what goes on in parent-child
relationships when they aren‟t working well.
She received my M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi. She completed my pre-doctoral internship and
postdoctoral fellowship at Brown Medical School, at the Paediatric Anxiety Research Clinic (PARC).
Alison Christie is an honours student in psychology and work one day a week as a
support worker with a non-profit organisation called PANDSI (Post and Antenatal Depression
Support and Information).
Mark Donovan is the Clinical Supervision Coordinator at the
School of Psychology, University of Wollongong. Mark has evolved from Narrative/CBT to ACT
over the past 5 years, and now uses ACT as his guiding approach in clinical psychology
practice, training, supervision and life. Mark qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1996 and has
worked in a range of child services in Australia and UK over the past 15 years. He is the codeveloper of the Confident Carers – Cooperative Kids program. Mark likes to bring humour and
vitality to whatever he does.
Anica Dimovski is a Senior Research Officer and psychologist at the Parenting Research
Centre. Anica contributed to the development of the Take A Breath Parent Intervention. She has
experience working with children, parents and families, having worked in schools with the
Department of Education and Early Development, privately in a psychology clinic and within the
early intervention sector. Anica has developed skills in the delivery of programs and individual
treatment plans for a range of areas, including child emotional and behavioural problems, autism
spectrum disorder, overweight and obesity, and families who have experienced traumatic events
(e.g., Bushfires). Anica has research experience in organising the day to day tasks involved with
complex research projects.
Claire Edwards is an Art therapist and Educator at the University of Queensland. She was born in the UK and
migrated to Australia in 1989. She qualified as an art therapist at Goldsmiths College, University of London (1984).
She has a research Masters (Hons) in Art Therapy from UWS (2005). She has extensive
experience working in child and adult mental health, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, and child
safety, as well as in private practice, supervision and facilitating training workshops. Claire is the
Field Coordinator of the University of Queensland‟s Master of Mental Health (Art Therapy) and she
also works part time as an art therapist at the Silky Oaks Children‟s Haven. Claire has recently
started introducing ACT into her clinical practice, and is interested in exploring how it can be
combined with art therapy. She draws inspiration from Louise Hayes and Laurie Greco.
John Forsyth John Forsyth is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Anxiety
Disorders Research Program at the University at Albany, SUNY in Upstate New York. For
over 20 years, his work has focused on advancing the science and practical application of
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). John maintains an active research program
focused on ACT and the anxiety disorders, and increasingly the utility and transportability
of
ACT in telehealth and self-help contexts. He has numerous publications, spanning basic
experimental and applied work in ACT and behavior therapy, and has received several
awards for his research and teaching contributions.
John is also an internationally recognized ACT trainer and a senior editor of the ACT book series with New Harbinger
Publications. He has written several popular ACT books, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety
Disorders, The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety, and ACT on Life, Not on Anger. His latest book, Your
Life on Purpose, is for anyone interested in learning how to move with the inevitable pains of life and do what truly
matters to them. John also regularly gives talks and ACT workshops to the public and professionals, and his work has
helped foster growing interest in acceptance and mindfulness in psychology, mental health, medicine, and society..
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 40
Jenny Grant Putting three decades of public sector management behind her, Jenny is
making a career switch by studying for her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Griffith
University. Jenny became interested in Relational Frame Theory during her undergraduate
studies and is intending to focus on applications of RFT in both her research and clinical
work.
Jennifer Gregg is an associate professor at San Jose State University. She has been studying
ACT since 1994. She was Steve Hayes' student at the University of Nevada, Reno for both
undergraduate and doctoral degree; she has attended and conducted many ACT workshops, she
served as an ACT therapist on Methadone Maintenance grant throughout graduate school; she
continued training and delivering ACT at the Palo Alto VA for 4 years and now in the Master's program
at San Jose State University
Carl Graham is a lecturer and clinical supervisor at Murdoch University of Psychology. He is a
consulting Clinical Psychologist at the Fremantle Hospital Pain Medicine Unit and also works in
Private Practice Specialising in behavioural medicine & chronic disease management
Russ Harris is a medical practitioner, psychotherapist and executive
coach. He is Australia‟s leading ACT trainer, and his ACT–based self-help book The
Happiness Trap has now been published in over twenty-six countries and nineteen
languages.
Louise Hayes is a clinical psychologist, working in academic settings at the University of
Ballarat and also in private practice in Victoria. Louise has worked extensively with families,
developing leading programs for disruptive behaviour disorders in young children and affective
disorders in adolescents. Recently, Louise has been involved in a number of research projects
using ACT with young people, including evaluating a group program and trialling ACT in a
psychiatric setting. She has a particular interest in improving training and support for rural and
regional mental health workers and has developed a range of training packages for
professionals.
James Hegarty holds a PhD in Experimental Psychology, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology
from the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has been employed as a Senior Clinical Psychologist by the New
Zealand Department of Corrections (formerly Dept, of Justice), the Youth Specialty Service of the Otago District Health
Board (ODHB), the ISIS Center of the ODHB (a specialist Neurological service), the Dunedin Hospital Pain Clinic, and
the Student Health Service of the University of Otago.
James works half time in Private practice and as a Psychology Advisor to the Accident Compensation Corporation,
New Zealand's national insurer. In the past he has served as an examiner for the Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical
Psychology, the defining qualification for Clinical Psychologists in New Zealand
Chris Horan is a provisional psychologist and doctoral candidate at the Australian
National University, Canberra. He is relatively new to ACT and is currently conducting a trial of
ACT-based resilience training program with the NSW Police.
Todd B. Kashdan is Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason University.
an
Receiving his Ph.D. in 2004 from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Dr.
Kashdan has published over 80articles in peer-reviewed journals, including many of the eminent
outlets in clinical, abnormal, social, and personality psychology, and given over 100 presentations
at national and international conferences. As a central figure in positive psychology research, he
wrote Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life (William Morrow) to promote the
science of well-being for a general audience, is an author of the forthcoming book Designing the
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 41
Future of Positive Psychology (Oxford University Press), serves as associate editor of the Journal of Positive
Psychology, and is on the advisory board for the Templeton Flourishing Children Project.
To date, his clinical work and research has mostly focused on anxiety, depression, positive emotions, gratitude,
purpose in life, how personal strengths operate in everyday life, social relationships, and how to foster and sustain
happiness and meaning in life. For the past 10years, he has been teaching college courses on the science of
happiness. He is regularly invited to give talks and workshops to business executives, schools, parents, retirees,
scholars, and health professionals. His research has been featured in several popular media outlets including a feature
article in the New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, CBS, PBS, and National Public Radio, among others.
More information can be found at: www.toddkashdan.com or http://psychology.gmu.edu/kashdan/
Jessica Klausen is a Psychologist and Acceptance and Commitment Therapist who is in
private practice in the inner-western suburbs of Brisbane. She is an elected member of the
Australian Psychological Society Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Interest Group (APS
ACTIG) and is active in the ACT community in Brisbane. She along with Dr Rob Purssey are the
2011 Conference Convenors.
Louise McHugh obtained a Ph.D. from the National
University of Ireland, Maynooth, in 2004, after which she
joined the academic faculty at Swansea University in Wales, UK. Louise's
research interests are centered on the experimental analysis of language and
cognition from a behavior analytic and Relational Frame Theory perspective,
including especially the development of complex cognitive skills (e.g.,
perspective-taking) and the process-level investigation of behavioral and
cognitive psychotherapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Louise has published over 40 papers on these topics. During her time at Swansea University Louise has been funded
by the British Academy, the Leverhulme Trust, the Waterloo Trust and the Welsh Assembly. Louise is currently the
president elect for the UK ACBS chapter.
NeLi Martin is a psychologist in private practice in Brisbane. She integrates ACT psychology
training with many years of Buddhist Dharma mindfulness study and practice together with Yoga
Teaching and practice. She has studied, practiced and taught ACT since 2007, having trained with
Kelly Wilson, Russ Harris, John Forsyth, Louise Hayes and many others at ACT conferences in
Parma Italy and around Australia. She has run a number of one and two day workshops and 12
week courses on ACT for the public as well as training for other professionals. She also teaches
on a Buddhist Psychotherapy course. She supervises other psychologists and has led the ACT
interest group in Brisbane. www.mindfulness-practice.com
Ross Menzies has been providing CBT for OCD, phobias, anxiety and depression in
inner-west of Sydney for over 15 years. Dr Menzies completed his B.Sc (Psych),
M.Psychol (both with first class honours), then a PhD in clinical psychology at the
University of NSW. He has taught at several universities across Australia and currently
the title of Associate Professor. In 1991, he was appointed founding Director of a major
university Anxiety Disorders Clinic, a post which he held for 17 years. He was also the
Consultant Clinical Psychologist to that unit. He was a founding member of the Anxiety
Disorders Foundation of Australia (NSW Branch), serving on the Board for two years. He
Advisory Board Member of the Sydney Anxiety Disorders Practice and was the Clinical
Director of Anxpsych, an organisation bringing anxiety management skills to the corporate sector.
the
holds
Chief
is an
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 42
Eric Morris works as a consultant clinical psychologist for the Lambeth Early Onset
Service, an inner-city early intervention service for psychosis based in south London. He is
currently conducting research in acceptance and mindfulness interventions for psychosis at the
Institute of Psychiatry, King‟s College London.
Jane Morton is a clinical psychologist and ACT psychotherapist, specialising in the
treatment of clients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and in service development.
She has 30 years‟ experience within public sector mental health services including over ten
years working for Spectrum – the Personality Disorder Service for Victoria. She led a research
project to develop and evaluate Spectrum‟s Wise Choices program, an Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy group series for clients of mental health services with symptoms of BPD.
Frank Muscara is Research Fellow, who has completed a clinical doctorate in
neuropsychology. Clinically, he has specific expertise in assessing children with acquired brain injury, and in providing
family interventions for children and their families. His expertise and areas of interest within research include
investigating outcomes following acquired brain injury. Frank has a specific interest in investigating psychosocial
outcomes within this population, particularly in the long term. Frank has published a number of papers, and coauthored book chapters on this topic. In addition, Frank has an interest in finding better methods of assessing social
outcomes in children with acquired brain injury. He and his team have developed a questionnaire to assess social
functioning in children and adolescents, which will also allow for better assessment of young people with acquired
brain injury.
Robert Purssey completed over a decade of conventional training in psychiatry. Since 2005 he has trained and
specialised in ACT and functional contextual pharmacology. As a psychiatrist he is
disheartened by psychopharmacological biomythologies, pharma/psychiatry
distortions of science, and the modern phrenology of reductive biologistic psychiatric
paradigms. Science, compassion and community inspire Rob‟s life and work. He is a
psychiatrist and ACT therapist working in private practice, a Clinical Senior Lecture in
Psychiatry at the University of Queensland, has actively facilitated ACT interest
groups, and teaches ACT to health practitioners and other fellow humans. In early
2012 he will be joining with fellow Brisbane ACT clinicians to commence “Mindful
Therapy – Brisbane Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Training and Research
Centre”. See www.mindfulpsychiatry.com.au
Alan Ralph has been an Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at
the University of Queensland since July 2001. In 2002 he was appointed Principal
Research Fellow at the University's Parenting and Family Support Centre. He is Chair
of
the Scientific and Professional Advisory Group for the University's world-acclaimed
Triple P – Positive Parenting Program and Director of Training and Standards for the
Australian Psychological Society. Alan's clinical research has centered on establishing
effective methods of improving the interpersonal skills of adolescent and preadolescent children and their parents. He obtained his BA (Honours) in Psychology in
1981, his Masters of Applied Psychology in 1982 and his PhD in 1989, all from Murdoch University in Western
Australia.
Emily Sandoz Emily K. Sandoz, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Emily is the director of the Louisiana Contextual
Psychology Research Group, a collection of students, professors and professionals interested in
the application of contextual behavioral science to making the world a better place. She is the
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 43
co-author of three books, five chapters and three articles on ACT and has provided 20 ACT workshops in 5 countries
for professionals working in a range of settings. Emily is thrilled to have settled home in Lafayette, Louisiana with her
husband and three children..
Mary Sawyer is a psychologist working in her Sydney private practice. Mary has
presented ACT workshops in Australia and at International Conferences in New Zealand, the
Netherlands and USA. She was the first Convener of the Australian Psychological Society
(APS) ACT Interest Group and has been actively involved in promoting ACT in Australia
since 2003.
She has varied experience as an ACT therapist in private practice. She uses ACT working
with
a variety of psychological problems such as; depression and anxiety, grief and loss, posttraumatic stress disorder, all addictions including gambling, alcohol and other drug problems,
adult survivors of sexual abuse and relationship, separation and divorce issues. Mary is committed to enhancing ACT
clinical skills by conducting skills training and supervision in Sydney. She is the convenor of the monthly Bondi
Junction ACT Discussion Group that provides peer supervision, mentoring and a chance for clinicians to experience
ACT in real time.
Annie Sloss is currently the coordinator of ACT group day programs at a leading Melbourne private psychiatric
hospital. She has 15 years of mindfulness training and practice. She commenced ACT training via co- facilitation of
ACT group therapy programs in 2007 and completed advanced ACT training with Russ Harris in 2008. In addition to
facilitating both introductory and long term ACT therapy groups weekly, she leads regular peer supervision for an ACT
therapy team.
Matthew Smout is Team Leader of the Centre for Treatment of Anxiety and Depression
in Adelaide and a Clinical Lecturer with the University of South Australia and University of
Adelaide. He has published a treatment manual and research trial comparing ACT with CBT
for methamphetamine dependence and conducted multiple ACT workshops for clinicians.
Niklas Törneke, MD, is a psychiatrist and has worked as a
senior psychiatrist in the department of general psychiatry in his
hometown Kalmar (in the southeast of Sweden) from 1991 until he started private practice
1998. He earned license as a psychotherapist in 1996 and was originally trained as a
cognitive therapist. Since 1998 he has worked mainly with acceptance and commitment
therapy, both in his own practice and as a teacher and clinical supervisor. His clinical
experience ranges from psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia to common anxiety
and mood disorders with high prevalence in the general population.
Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D. is Director of TL Consultation Services and works at the National Center for PTSD.
As a licensed psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting and therapy
practice. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has coauthored 3 books on ACT including a book on learning ACT. She also has expertise in traumatic
stress and substance abuse and has authored a number of articles, chapters and books on
these topics. She has been doing ACT workshops since 1998; training in multiple formats and
for multiple client problems. Dr. Walser has presented her research findings and papers at
international and national conferences, universities and hospital settings. She is invested in
developing innovative ways to translate science-into-practice and continues to do research and
education on dissemination of ACT and other therapies..
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 44
About Brisbane
BRISBANE CBD AND THE STORY BRIDGE. PHOTOGRAPH BY STUART EDWARDS, SEPTEMBER 2006
Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, is located in the south eastern corner of that state. Queensland, also known as
the Sunshine State, is Australia's second largest State by area and has the country's third largest population. Brisbane
is Queensland‟s largest city with more than 1.6 million people and is situated on Yuggera country. This is a modern
city characterised by parks and dominated by the Brisbane River.
It was settled as a penal colony and was notorious for its harsh treatment of the
convicts. Free settlers began to arrive in Brisbane in 1837 although they were not
allowed closer than 80 kilometres, 50 miles to the penal area. This set a pattern of
a decentralised city that is evident today - Brisbane has several distinct
communities as well as the central area.
If you stroll through Brisbane CBD you will notice that the parallel King streets
(William, George, Albert, Edward,) run perpendicular to the Queen streets (Alice,
Margaret, Mary, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Queen, Adelaide, Ann running lowest to
highest).
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 46
Map of Brisbane
1
4
2
5
3
2
Ferry terminal locations:
North Quay,
Queens Wharf Rd,
South Bank
QUT Gardens
Eagle St
Point Alice St, City Pier
Holman St
New Farm Park
Important locations
1. QUT BUILDING F- Conference location
2. TRANSCONTINENTAL HOTEL- Follies Saturday night 482 George Street Brisbane
3. SEBEL-CITIGATE – 106 Ann Street preferred accommodation
4. BRISBANE JAZZ CLUB- 1 Annie St kangaroo point
5. NEW FARM BOWLS CLUB- 969 BRUNSWICK ST NEW FARM
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 47
Conference Venue
The conference will be held at the Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove Campus, which is north-west of
Brisbane and is easily accessible by bus, car or foot. Kelvin Grove campus offers cultural and lifestyle precincts,
research facilities and study areas including education, health and the creative industries.
If you look up Boundary St, Kelvin Grove on a GPS, whereis.com or googlemaps you will see the F of our main
meeting area.
Map of Queensland University of Technology (Kelvin Grove Campus)
Busway
CONFERENCE PRECINCT
B236
N519
N518
N515
W201
parking entrance come via
boundary rd
F509main meeting area
registrations meals posters
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 48
Things to do in and around Brisbane
Southbank. Walking distance from where you are staying has lots of stuff to see & do.
www.visitsouthbank.com.au/ You could spend the whole day checking out the landscaping, man-made beach,
views, art galleries, markets (open till 10pm on Fridays), museum & science centre. GoMA will still have their
surrealism exhibition running during your stay as well as an Aboriginal art exhibition.
There is a Ferris wheel similar to the London eye there also and some great restaurants.
The Valley Every city has its central entertainment centre for nightclubs and adult entertainment and Fortitude
Valley is known by locals as simply "The Valley," is it in Brisbane, Queensland. The Valley is centrally located in
Brisbane, just one kilometre from the Central Business District and offers its visitors a wide variety of things to do on
their holiday.
You can go shopping in the Brunswick Street Mall where you will find rows of boutiques and designer dress
shops. Dining out at a restaurant or a cafe or simply hitting the clubs on a Saturday night, Fortitude Valley offers
something for everyone when they holiday in Brisbane.
CityCycle Brisbane City Council has set up bike stations where you can hire bikes to explore the city and
surrounds. We have a pretty good network of bike tracks for you to access a whole lot of Brisbane and there are lots of
points where you can pick up and drop off the bike. Check out
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/cycling/citycycle/index.htm
The Loop free bus service. Stopping at several key destinations, the Loop is a
free service that provides a convenient way to get around Brisbane's central business
district. Runs every 15 minutes from 7am to 6pm.
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/public-transport/buses/freeloop-services/index.htm
Zoos and animal sanctuaries. Australia Zoo (famous for Steve Irwin) is a couple of hours north
http://www.australiazoo.com.au/ or there is a great little Australian animal sanctuary in Brisbane called Lone Pine
http://www.koala.net/index.php. There are plenty of activities to do there including feeding the kangaroos,
watching the platypus busy himself, holding a koala, feeding native birds etc. You can get a ferry from the city which
winds up the Brisbane River so you will see lots of Brisbane on the way to and from.
Ferries. We have a great council catamaran system which runs up and down the river.
http://translink.com.au/resources/travel-information/services-and-timetables/timetables/110418_citycat.pdf
You can hop on and off, checking out what you want. (see transport section for more information and maps)
Shopping. Queen St Mall. Bargains at DFO. http://www.bnecity.com.au/
If you have a bit more time;
Beaches. We are 1-2 hours from beautiful sandy beaches both north
http://www.sunshinecoast.com/ http://www.visitsunshinecoast.com.au/visit.cfm?type=location
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 49
& south http://www.visitgoldcoast.com/
Islands. Fraser is probably too far away for a day trip but we have quite a few islands just off the coast of Brisbane
you can catch a Ferry to
http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/Travel/Destination-Maps/Moreton-Bay-Islands.aspx
OR.
http://stradbrokeisland.org/ /
Whale watching.There are quite a few of whale watching tours on offer leaving from Brisbane. I've done the
Tangalooma one and it was brilliant
http://www.whalewatchingqueensland.com.au/cruises/brisbane/
Wineries.



http://www.sirromet.com/
http://www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au/
http://www.tamborinewinetours.com.au/
Bush walks. Overseas visitors have loved getting into our unique rainforests, climbing a mountain, looking out
from the apex onto the water, seeing waterfalls and swimming in creeks and billabongs. If you are interested in this try
googling Mt Cootha, Mt Warning, Glass House Mountains, Montville, Springbrook National park, Brisbane Forest Park
etc.
Hinterlands. Again both North and South. http://www.hinterlandtours.com.au/
Theme parks. There are 4 major theme parks 1-1.5 hours south of Brisbane. http://myfun.com.au/
& http://www.dreamworld.com.au/
Night clubs City or Valley there is something for everyone. Speak to Jess if you are keen.
Other links to check out
http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/Travel/Destination-Maps/Moreton-Bay-Islands.aspx
http://www.viator.com/tours/Brisbane/Best-of-Brisbane-Full-Day-Sightseeing-Tour/d363-2138B84
http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/destinations/brisbane/48-hours-48-hot-spots/48-hours-48-hotspots_home.cfm?s_kwcid=TC|9948|%2Bthings%20%2Bto%20%2Bdo%20%2Bin%20%2Bbrisbane||S|b|695
1257687
http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/things-to-see-and-do/things-to-see-and-do_home.cfm
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 50
Transport
Brisbane, in the service of lowering our carbon footprint, has an array of transport modalities. Brisbane City Council
has a GoCard smart travel system to access the public transport system. You can purchase a go card for $20 (which
includes $15 of credit) from lots of different places including 7-elevens, newsagencies, bus stations and convenience
stores. You simply swipe on and swipe off on buses, trains and ferries.
By foot:
Its approximately 2.2kms from Brisbane CBD to QUT Kelvin Grove via the
lovely Roma St parklands.
By bus:
There are many buses travelling between King George Square and QUT
Kelvin Grove (busway station pictured right)
By ferry:
Ferries are a great way to explore and
get around Brisbane. There are many
Ferry terminals and services are
regular between the hours of 5.25am
and 12.50am approximately
By train:
You can easily hop onto a airtrain from both domestic and international airports. It stops at Central and Roma St,
walking distance to all CBD accommodation
By car:
Brisbane‟s roads have become increasingly congested and free parking in the CBD is very limited. For locals driving to
the conference, there is a 5 level carpark co-located with Building F on Boundary Rd.
Taxis:
All taxis in Brisbane accept major credit cards and Cabcharge. On evenings in the city, you can find major secure taxi
ranks on Treasury rank (corner of George and Queen Streets), Albert Street rank (Corner of Albert and Elizabeth
Streets), Edward Street rank (Edward Street approaching Elizabeth Street), Eagle Street rank (Eagle Street outside
Friday's Nightclub), McWhirters rank (Wickham Street outside of McWhirters), Ann Street rank (Ann Street outside
Katmandu), Caxton Street rank (Caxton Street outside the Caxton Hotel), George Street (at head of Treasury secure
rank), Eagle Street (at head of Eagle St secure rank), Edward Street (at head of Edward St secure rank) & Warner
Street in Fortitude Valley (approaching Wickham Street).
The main taxi companies are Black and white: 13 3222 & Yellow Cab Co: 13 1924
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 51
Recommended Restaurants and Cafés in Brisbane
Fortitude Valley
In China town you will find an array of asian food. Our picks are Duck on Inn and The Vietnamese, both on Wickham
St.
Also King of Kings has been serving yum cha to Brisbanites for more than 20 years, so it's safe to assume they're
doing something right.
There are also quite a few restaurants (e.g. Mexican, Indian, thai, bistro, pub) in the Brunswick mall and on Brunswick
St heading towards New Farm.
James St Bistro Stylish decor and some seriously good desserts help this popular Fortitude Valley bistro stand out
from the crowd. Arguably the most attractive restaurant on the strip, the interior of James Street Bistro is spread over
two stylish levels.
Southbank
Decks Enjoy the relaxed dining and fabulous food in true Queensland style at Decks. With an innovative modern
Australian menu the restaurant is fully licensed and caters for the whole family.
Ahmets is an award winning restaurant offering the best of traditional Turkish flavours, live music, belly dancing and
beautifully themed decor.
Ginga pleasant Japanese restaurant
Max Brenner just chocolate based drinks and desserts. Need I say more!
Sardine Tin Divine tapas. Try the Chilli prawns with a nice glass of wine
The GOMA café have a chocolate crackle and sit and enjoy the views of the river on a sunny afternoon
West End
The Three Monkeys Quirky café with lots of little nooks to enjoy coffee, cake and a chat
The Gun Shop really good contemporary Australian food in a funky renovated Gun Shop.
Jam Jar in West End is VERY West End, also hot ish right now
New Farm
Watt Overlooking the picturesque Brisbane River, Watt Restaurant + Bar is the quintessential waterfront venue
offering innovative cuisine in a relaxed environment. Located underneath the Brisbane Powerhouse accessible by the
New Farm Citycat Terminal, Watt boasts sundrenched terraces and balconies, alfresco dining areas, beautiful views
across the river and a spacious open forecourt.
Aalto at Powerhouse is a cheaper than Watt but still has brilliant food.
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 52
Himalayan Café The interior of this rather small restaurant might remind you of a Nepalese teahouse were it not for
the fact that there is a massive selection of vegetarian food on the menu, along with such dishes as a delicious, tender
goat stew and a delicately flavoured prawn dish. Seating is available either at the tables and chairs on the pavement
or on the cushions inside.
Brisbane City
Eagle St Pier
Il Centro commands an impressive position at Brisbane's Eagle St Pier, overlooking the colourful lights of the city
reflected in the Brisbane River. Since it first opened in 1992 this restaurant has drawn crowds of people to its dining
room which spills out onto a terrace.
Aria Designed to reflect Brisbane‟s lifestyle; with a menu designed by chef extraordinaire Matt Moran, sublime water
views and spectacular decor, ARIA Brisbane will have you thinking that Queensland‟s capital city is a dazzling place
indeed!
Groove Train With the relaxing, contemporary atmosphere created by the clever colour scheme and funky decor,
you can be sure to sink into your chair and unwind, while the friendly Groove Train staff tend to your needs. The
diverse Groove Train menu is designed to tempt every taste while the house specials make visible the true brilliance of
every chef. All meals offered are guaranteed to be deliciously satisfying, assuring that every choice is the right choice.
Ending in traditional Groove Train style, contentment reaches its peak after indulging in a perfectly brewed coffee and
slice of scrumptious cake from the enticing selection. Located on the Eagle St Pier.
CBD
e'cco, a modern Australian bistro, is located on the city fringe of Brisbane's CBD. The bistro brought new life to a
historic tea warehouse in a once un-fashionable district near the Story Bridge end of the City. When Philip Johnson
took over the site, the ground floor was completely refurbished as a smart but unpretentious space, the perfect
showcase for his distinctive cooking style Located at 100 Boundary Street(Cnr Adelaide Street)
Jackpot
Noodle
is
a
unique
Chinese
restaurant,
providing
high
quality
gourmet
Asian food at reasonable prices. They prepare a wide variety of dishes from the freshest ingredients directly from local
farmers in their modern open kitchen, under the supervision of their master chefs. Located down the bottom of Albert
St.
Tank A fresh approach to Japanese-French food and styling served in a gorgeous and chic environment.
Well worth the drive..... Kuta Cafe and The Summit restaurant
Offering spectacular panoramic views of Brisbane stretching to Moreton Bay, dining at the Summit is a memorable
experience in a truly unique setting with delicious contemporary cuisine for you to enjoy.
Or for those who like to check it out for themselves
http://thethousands.com.au/brisbane/
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 53
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To our international guests
Frank Bond
Martin Brock
Glenn Callaghan
Lisa Coyne
John Forsyth
Jennifer Gregg
Todd Kashdan
Louise McHugh
Eric Morris
Emily Sandoz
Niklas Törneke
Robyn Walser
Thank you for dealing with the email barrages, making the journey, and complicating your personal and professional
schedules by kindly making the space in your lives to come and share yourselves with us!
To our invited national speakers
Paul Atkins
Darin Cairns
Joseph Ciarrochi
Carl Graham
Louise Hayes
Russ Harris
Ross Menzies
Alan Ralph
Rob Purssey
Thank you all for giving up your time and energy so generously to teach us.
To all our presenters
Thank you for your contributions to the development and dissemination of ACT and your willingness to share and lead.
For your extraordinary contribution to organising this conference;
 Linda Bilich, Treasurer of ANZ, ACBS: for handling all the financial transactions in the conference! Thanks
for your prompt responses to our emails, the supportive phonecalls, and decisiveness.
 Rachel Collis for organising accommodation, catering, transportation and for the numerous “you‟re doing a
great job” emails!
 ACBS Board and APS ACT IG for guiding and supporting us in organising this conference
 Priscilla Almada for your website and organising prowess
 Matt Smout for your direction and support
 Brisbane ACT group in particular NeLi Martin, Tania Rotili, Nikita Kotlarov, and Jeni Nichols.
 Registration Desk Attendants Elizabeth Borland, Rachel O‟Connor, Kylie Bear, Helen Jones & Russell
Williamson
 And to those who disseminated information about the conference, helped in many small ways, you know who
you are
 Our partners, Su Main & Andrew Morrison, for picking up the domestic slack.
 Chad Solomon www.chadsolomon.com for the awesome picture on the front page of this program.
Thanks to everyone else who has assisted to make this conference happen
Rob and Jess
A N Z A C T 2 0 1 1 | 54