Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Second Edition: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change

Steven C. Hayes · Kirk D. Strosahl · Kelly G. Wilson

Jan 2011 · Guilford Press

About this ebook

The definitive, complete guide to using ACT in clinical practice. With a therapist friendly, accessible structure, the originators of this increasingly popular therapy demonstrate how to intervene with clients to strengthen six key processes that promote psychological flexibility and well-being. Since the original publication of this seminal work, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has come into its own as a widely practiced approach to helping people change. This book provides the definitive statement of ACT--from conceptual and empirical foundations to clinical techniques--written by its originators. ACT is based on the idea that psychological rigidity is a root cause of a wide range of clinical problems. The authors describe effective, innovative ways to cultivate psychological flexibility by detecting and targeting six key processes: defusion, acceptance, attention to the present moment, self-awareness, values, and committed action. Sample therapeutic exercises and patient-therapist dialogues are integrated throughout.

About the author

Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. His career has focused on the analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and its application to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. Kirk D. Strosahl, PhD, is a primary care psychologist at Central Washington Family Medicine, in Yakima, Washington, where he is promoting the use of ACT in general medical practice with predominantly low-income underinsured or uninsured clients. Kelly G. Wilson, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Mississippi, where he is also Director of the Center for Contextual Psychology and the ACT Treatment Development Group.