Advanced ACT MBI Course

Advanced ACT MBI Course
18-Month Course

Course description:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third-wave psychological intervention that blends acceptance and mindfulness strategies with commitment and behavior change techniques to increase psychological flexibility. This 18-month highly interactive and experiential course offers a unique opportunity to learn from some of the leading ACT and Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) experts in the world including Aisling Leonard-Curtin, Dr Trish Leonard‐Curtin, Prof. Louise McHugh, Dr Sarah Cassidy, Dr Kirk Strosahl, Dr Patti Robinson, & Dr Patricia Zurita Ona.
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Who the course is for:
Individuals seeking to develop fluency & flexibility in understanding and applying ACT and MBI to their client work, including and not limited to:

• Psychotherapists & counselors trained in psychodynamic/humanistic psychotherapy.
• Psychologists seeking to apply ACT and MBI to their area of practice.
• CBT therapists seeking to incorporate innovative mindfulness and valued action exercises into their client work.
• Mental Health professionals and allied health professionals including, and not limited to, psychiatrists, GPs, mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, behavior analysts, & executive coaches.

Why ACT & Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI)?

ACT was the first of the ‘third wave’ therapies and has the largest body of empirical data to support its effectiveness. It is also considered an empirically validated psychological intervention by the American Psychological Association (APA). A growing body of empirical data confirms that cultivating acceptance, mindfulness, and openness to experience is highly effective for multiple presenting issues including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety disorders, addictions, psychosis, chronic pain, PTSD, personality disorders, and eating disorders. ACT and MBI have also been found to be helpful in the workplace for reducing absenteeism, increasing productivity, and job satisfaction. ACT is a highly versatile and adaptable approach that can be delivered as a long, medium, or short-term therapy, with empirical support for as few as four sessions.

What will the Advanced ACT MBI course involve?

145-hour hybrid learning divided across 80-hours of live online trainings and 40-hours of pre-recorded modules complemented with nine 2.5-hour small-group consultations & three 1:1 consultations (25 hours of consultations). Recorded sessions will provide in-depth theoretical and applied advanced ACT MBI including role and real plays that attendees can return to throughout the course. Live trainings will provide multiple opportunities for experiential learning in addition to didactic learning. Training sessions will be complemented with nine 2.5-hour small-group consultations and three 1:1 consultations (25 hours of consultations). Small-group consultations will include a maximum of twelve people and will be scheduled in line with what works best for each group. In addition, each consultation group will be subdivided into smaller groups of four who will meet regularly at times of their choosing to further implement the skills learned throughout the course. All trainings and consultations will be conducted online after the overwhelmingly positive feedback for our first fully online Advanced ACT MBI cohort running from March 2020 to June 2021.

As you progress through this course, you will move from an intermediate understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive ACT and MBI to a more fluid, fluent understanding, and application of ACT and MBI. There will be multiple opportunities to observe, practice, and refine ACT skills to develop fluency in application. The course content will be guided by three core values: Meaning/purpose, workability, and competency, with an emphasis on experiential learning, interaction, and engagement (including roleplays/realplays).

The 2022/23 Advanced ACT MBI will include input from international trainers on our extended team. Specifically, an intensive 15-hour training with Dr Patricia Zurita Ona, psychologist, and author of multiple books on ACT for OCD, Borderline Personality Disorder, perfectionism, and emotional regulation. In addition to 14-hour Focused ACT (FACT) basics and 21-hour mastery FACT training with Dr Kirk Strosahl and Dr Patti Robinson, co-founders of FACT and world-renowned authors. Our core team, Aisling Leonard-Curtin, Dr. Trish Leonard-Curtin, Professor Louise McHugh, and Dr. Sarah Cassidy, will also provide attendees with an in-depth knowledge and application of the six core processes of ACT, in addition to modules on Compassion Focused Therapy, Polyvagal informed practice, Relational Frame Theory, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, and how to use ACT and MBI with young people.

Upon completion of this course, you will…

• Have developed flexibility and fluency in conceptualizing and delivering ACT and MBI with both adults and young people across a wide range of clinical presentations.
• Have an advanced understanding of the theories and principles underlying these approaches.
• Be able to adapt your ACT and MBI skills, integrating these processes into your existing way(s) of working with your clients to respond to the unique needs and challenges of each client.
• Be able to apply ACT in your own life to (i) create a sense of vitality, meaning, and fulfillment, (ii) respond effectively to your own unwanted internal experiences, particularly those that arise when working with client presentations you may be struggling with, and (iii) help protect against burnout.
• Be awarded a certificate of completion with continuing professional development hours.

2022/2023 Cohort

The 2022/2023 cohort for the Advanced ACT MBI course will be limited to 50 people, with most trainings limited to the current cohort. Previous cohorts will have the option of a ‘top-up’ (i.e., join training days on topics that were not covered during their course), such as polyvagal-informed practice. The 2022/2023 cohort will be given a similar option for the following offering to access any additional trainings. Once you have completed the Advanced ACT MBI Course, you are granted a lifetime-discounted rate of 20% for all ACT Now Purposeful Living courses. Trainings with our international team members, namely Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, Dr. Kirk Strosahl, and Dr. Patti Robinson are open to those outside of the Advanced ACT MBI cohorts.

Cost & Registration

The Adv ACT MBI course costs €3330 in total and is payable in six installments of €555. There is a 10% discount for paying in one installment. A deposit of €555 is required to secure your place.