Darrah Westrup - Learning ACT for Group Treatment

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2017 by M. Joann Wright and Darrah Westrup

Context Press

An imprint of New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

5674 Shattuck Avenue

Oakland, CA 94609

www.newharbinger.com

Eye Contact Exercise adapted from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, First Edition by Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly G. Wilson, copyright 1999 by The Guilford Press. Adapted by Permission of The Guilford Press.

Passengers on the Bus and Take Your Mind for a Walk adapted from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Second Edition by Steven C. Hayes, Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly G. Wilson, copyright 2011 by The Guilford Press. Adapted by Permission of The Guilford Press.

Mindful Action Plan by Daniel J. Moran 2015. Used by permission of the author.

Cover design by Amy Shoup; Acquired by Catharine Meyers; Edited by Rona Bernstein; Indexed by James Minkin

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

19 18 17

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Printing

Finally! The scientific literature on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is heavily based on group intervention methods, but through nearly three decades of such studies, no book has been available to walk clinicians through the myriad choice points, barriers, and opportunities presented by ACT in groups. No more. This wonderful and readable volume walks through every relevant area and issue in a way that is wise, evidence-based, and clear. How can you organize an open membership ACT group? What if a group member just wants to tell stories? In area after area and issue after issue, Westrup and Wright have skillfully done the heavy lifting for you. If youre doing ACT in groups, you now have a much easier job: buy the book, read it, and use it.

StevenC. Hayes, PhD, Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, and cofounder of ACT

This long-awaited book finally provides therapists with the guidance they needed to do ACT in groups. Darrah Westrup and Joann Wright have turned their scientific expertise and clinical wisdom into a wonderfully written text that covers all the key aspects of the psychological flexibility model while addressing the typical pitfalls and advantages of doing ACT in this context. This is an essential read for all therapists doing ACT in groups!

MatthieuVillatte, PhD, coauthor of MasteringtheClinicalConversation

Lifes too short to beat around the bush, so Im going to be blunt: if you do ACT with groups, or if you wish to start doing so, you need this book. Chockablock full of wisdom and experience from experts in the field, its not just an optional extra; its an absolute essential. If you want to help groups of people to discover ACT, and leave them glowing with a sense of vitality and fulfilment, then be smart about it: allow Westrup and Wright to light the way for you.

RussHarris, author of TheHappinessTrap and ACTMadeSimple

Westrup and Wright have masterfully woven the ACT approach into the group therapy milieu. Contextual behavioral science, the foundation of ACT, suggests the human condition evolved through the blending of two levels of selection: the group and the individual. The ACT community has long endeavored to address the human condition in a way that reduces suffering and improves quality of living by using applied behavioral science to help at the individual level. Thankfully Westrup and Wright are contributing to the applied literature with an eye on utilizing group therapy to direct the therapeutic process in important, valuable directions. LearningACTforGroupTreatment highlights advanced ACT topics in a manner accessible for a novice. This pioneering book offers practical exercises for immediate application, and gives incisive examples of how to use them in an ACT-consistent manner. Most importantly, Westrup and Wright created a flexible framework to create unique, impactful group therapy interactions. Highly recommended, even if you are not a group therapist.

D.J. Moran, PhD, BCBA-D, founder of Pickslyde Consulting and the MidAmerican Psychological Institute

Its here! And its just whats needed for the therapist looking to do ACT in a group format. For those who have been waiting and asking for a thoughtful and effective guideincluding material ranging from brief basics on ACT to utilizing core processes in a powerful and dynamic way in group therapy to supplementary content designed to support its implementationthis is the book for you. Darrah Westrup and Joann Wright have written this manual in a user-friendly fashion. The book is comprehensive in nature, while also maintaining a compassionate clinical voicefelt in both the example dialogue and the overall approach. ACT delivered in the context of group therapy is not only robust, but also helps clients to connect with others in the very human experience of suffering. Westrup and Wright bring these qualities to life. A must-read for those doing or wanting to do ACT in groups.

RobynD. Walser, PhD, coauthor of LearningACT, TheMindfulCouple, and AcceptanceandCommitmentTherapyfortheTreatmentofPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems; director of TLConsultation Services; assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley; and cofounder of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinic

Brought to us by two ACT master clinicians, LearningACTforGroupTreatment is an essential addition to the library of any therapist who uses mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion processes in groups. This book brings the psychological flexibility model to life in the context of group therapy. I am confident that this text can enhance the effectiveness of any of our group-based work. Masterful!

Dennis Tirch, PhD, coauthor of TheACTPractitioners Guide to the Science of Compassion, and founder of The Center for Compassion Focused Therapy

W e have observed that regardless of theoretical orientation, purpose, means, or setting, facilitators of group therapyincluding usshare a firm belief in the therapeutic power of group intervention. If you have had the opportunity to lead or participate in a therapy group, we are willing to bet that you have also witnessed its transformative power. (You also may have experienced the potential challenges of group workmore on that later.) Something powerful occurs in groups. In this book we seek to put forth acceptance and commitment therapy as a treatment that harnesses and optimizes that power.

It seems logical that if we could articulate the change mechanisms at work in group therapy, our clinical skills would be enhanced. If we know what it is that we are doing that works, and why it works, it stands to reason that this would then effectively guide us in session. It could also help prevent us from making moves that might work against what we ultimately are hoping to accomplish.