New Directions in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

This module is an intermediate-level course in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

It is designed for participants who wish to deepen their confidence in applying ACT in personal or professional contexts and to develop a broader understanding of how ACT has evolved over time.

The course requires participants to have basic prior knowledge of ACT, whether gained through participation in ACT I or other introductory ACT training, workshops, or professional experience.

Over the past four decades ACT has developed from a structured model-based approach toward a more flexible, process-oriented and experiential behavioural science. This module explores contemporary directions within ACT, including process-based therapy, developmental and relational perspectives, and brief intervention approaches.

Students will be introduced to a range of ACT-informed therapeutic stances that emphasise psychological flexibility as a dynamic and context-dependent process. The course encourages participants to explore what resonates for them, recognising that there is no single “correct” way of practising ACT.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

• an increased understanding of psychological flexibility as a dynamic and context-sensitive process
• awareness of how language and relational learning influence patterns of struggle and behavioural responding
• a basic understanding of Relational Frame Theory and its relevance to therapeutic work
• understanding of Functional Contextualism, including the concept of workability and behaviour in context
• recognition of avoidance, fusion and behavioural narrowing in everyday or clinical situations
• familiarity with brief ACT approaches such as Focused ACT (F-ACT)
• an ability to use experiential tools, including the ACT Matrix, to support behavioural awareness
• awareness of newer developments in ACT, such as process-based therapy and developmental models
• continued practice of mindful noticing, self-observation and reflective learning
• the beginnings of a developing individual ACT-informed therapeutic stance

Learning and teaching

Models, Processes, Philosophy, and Theory

• Development of ACT within the third wave behavioural therapies
• ACT as a transdiagnostic and increasingly process-based approach
• Revisiting the ACT Hexaflex alongside newer ACT developments
• Introduction to Relational Frame Theory and language as a source of both suffering and meaning

Functional Contextualism and Behaviour in Context

• Workability and behavioural responding across different life contexts
• Experiential learning as a core feature of ACT
• Recognition of avoidance and protective behavioural patterns
• Brief ACT approaches, including Focused ACT (F-ACT)

Experiential Frameworks and ACT Models

• Use of experiential tools such as the ACT Matrix to map behavioural patterns
• Metaphors, visual mapping and behavioural experiments
• Supporting motivation and awareness in therapeutic conversations

Contemporary Directions in ACT

• Introduction to process-based therapy and key change processes
• Developmental models such as DNA-V
• Therapist stance, relational context, and timing of interventions
• Integrating multiple ACT-informed perspectives

Coursework and assessment

This takes the form of a reflective learning journal.

Students are expected to include reflective commentary on each weekly session, including insights arising from experiential activities and any suggested between-session reflection tasks.

Course Structure

Sessions will include:

• teaching input
• guided experiential exercises
• reflective writing
• group discussion
• role-play practice in later sessions

Active Participation

Acceptance, willingness and values-based action are central to ACT and learning on this module will involve experiential engagement.

Students will be invited to participate in exercises and reflective discussions.

Exercises will be presented in a neutral and educational manner; the course is not intended as personal therapy.

Reading suggestions

Harris, R. (2019). ACT made simple: An easy-to-read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy (2nd ed.). New Harbinger Publications.

Hofmann, S. G., Hayes, S. C., & Lorscheid, D. N. (2021). Learning process-based therapy: A skills training manual for targeting the core processes of psychological change in clinical practice. Context Press/New Harbinger Publications

Hayes, L. L., & Ciarrochi, J. (2015). The Thriving Adolescent: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology to Help Teens Manage Emotions, Achieve Goals, and Build Connection. New Harbinger Publications.

Polk, K. L. & Schoendorf, B. (Eds) (2014). The ACT matrix: a new approach to building psychological flexibility across settings and populations. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Library and computing facilities

As a student on this course you are entitled to join and use the University’s library and computing facilities. Find out more about using these facilities.

Accessibility

Our aim is access for all. We aim to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long term medical condition, disability or specific learning difficulty. We are able to offer one-to-one advice about disability, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors and co-ordinating lecturers, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment and dyslexia screening.