Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a neurodiversity affirming therapy based built upon over 40 years worth of research on human language and behaviour. It is an effective therapy for anxiety and a variety of other conditions.
The goal of ACT is to increase what is called psychological flexibility which is a person's capacity to adapt in difficult experiences while remaining true to one’s values. ACT has many benefits such as increased self-awareness, better resilience, emotional intelligence, decision making, and overall well-being.
ACT teaches us how to better understand ourselves and have a new perspective to our difficult thoughts and feelings. It helps make thoughts and feelings that are upsetting or unhelpful less powerful and therefore less likely to hold us back from doing things that are important or valuable to us.
ACT teaches strategies such as mindfulness, body awareness, and goals setting through interactive activities and can be customized to fit a variety of developmental levels.
Elisa Hill M.Sc., BCBA has a Master of Science Degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy and has been Board Certified as a Behavior Analyst since 2014.
Elisa was trained at Southern Illinois University in ACT and Verbal Behavior by Dr. Mark Dixon, a leader in ACT research and neurodiversity affirming behaviour supports. Elisa co-authored research with Dr. Dixon showing the beneficial effects of ACT for children on the autism spectrum.
Elisa was also trained in ACT at an intensive 4-day workshop by world leaders in ACT including Dr. Evelyn Gould, Dr. Louise, Hayes, and Dr. Dr. Steven Hayes - the developer of ACT and the author of over 600 scientific articles, 40 books.
ACT is an interactive and experiential therapy where learning is done through a variety of enjoyable and interactive activities. ACT encourages creativity on the part of the child/teen and incorporates their interests and passions.
ACT is also woven into how we support parents and other team members to make our supports more meaningful and effective. At ABC we also have our own clinical counsellor who can collaborate and also provide supports on complex cases as needed.
Free video presentation from the National Autism Conference – “Act Training for Parents” by Dr. Mark Dixon
http://legacy.wpsu.org/live/2012_player/69201
There are many great books on ACT such as: