Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Course

Sharpening your ACT Skills From the Inside Out

Are you interested in digging deeper into the ACT model? Do you have clients with whom you feel stuck? Do you need a refresher on ways to revitalize your therapy sessions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this training is for you!

In this 2-part series on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, participants will learn to use the ACT model to reduce clients’ avoidance and inflexibility by being fully present in the session, moment by moment. We will explore ways of broadening flexibility with one’s self-concept and facilitating effective perspective-taking. The training also will focus on using metaphors to keep in-person and telehealth sessions vibrant and interactive and bridging cultural divides through present-moment awareness.

The first session will include a brief review of the ACT core constructs and will discuss case conceptualizations with clinical examples, with emphasis on perspective-taking and the power of the present moment. Session 2 will expand and elaborate on session 1 material, and will encompass how to use metaphors, culture, and working with challenging clients.

This training is geared toward therapists with a beginner to intermediate level of familiarity with the ACT model. It is not intended for people with no knowledge or understanding of ACT.

Dr. Martin is a peer-reviewed ACT trainer who strives to provide participants with foundational to advanced-level skills while keeping her instruction enlivening and active. Attendees will participate in large group didactics interspersed with experiential exercises, discussions, and small-group practice. Resources and handouts will be shared so attendees can start utilizing new tools immediately.

This 2-week course will take place on the following Fridays from 9:00 AM - 12:15 PM EDT: June 12 and June 19, 2026. 

Participants will receive 6 CEs following their completion of the course.

Staci Martin, PhD is a licensed psychologist who specializes in using mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to treat adolescents and adults with medical conditions at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Her research focuses on ACT interventions for people with chronic pain and parents of children with health conditions. She is the Principal Investigator of two ACT-based protocols and has published over 80 peer reviewed publications. Dr. Martin is a past board member of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), President Emeritus of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of ACBS Board, and current chair of the ACBS Plenary committee. She also is an associate editor of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. She has been conducting ACT trainings since 2014 and is recognized as a Peer-Reviewed ACT Trainer. Her other training topics have focused on ACT for health and wellness, maximizing the power of mindfulness in sessions with clients, ethics, and cultural competence.

Additional Program Information:

Target audience: social workers and counselors

Content level: Intermediate/Advanced

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the difference between content and process in client sessions and explain how focusing on content can reinforce avoidance.

2. Identify 2-3 present-moment techniques that can be integrated into therapy sessions.

3. Explain how to facilitate effective perspective-taking.

4. Describe how to create an action plan to incorporate process skills into your work.

5. Identify at least two techniques that can be used with challenging clients.

Outline and Agenda:

Day 1

9:00 – 10:30 Identifying when clients are stuck in "content" and how this leads to avoidance and inflexibility in and out of sessions

10:30 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:30 Using ACT core constructs (e.g., mindfulness, acceptance) to help clients become more flexible and more connected with their values

11:30 – 12:15 Facilitating effective perspective-taking

Day 2

9:00 – 10:30 Adapting metaphors and present moment techniques with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds

10:30 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 11:30 Generating new therapeutic options with "stuck" and/or challenging clients

11:30 – 12:15 Creating your own action plan to incorporate process skills in your practice

Course interaction and system requirements:

This live webinar hosted on Zoom is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation (using their microphones and/or the chat option). System requirements for Zoom can be viewed at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-PC-and-Mac.

Fee and registration:

Cost is $250 for 6 CE credits/hours. Refunds are available for up to seven days prior to the program (this may not include TicketTailor fees). After that, we offer credit that can be applied to a future program. Registration is open until the course is full. In some cases, we will enable a wait list option once the course is full.

Course completion and CE info:

To receive CE credit/hours, participants must log in at the scheduled time, attend the entire program and complete an online evaluation at the end of the program. If you are licensed in Illinois, an additional exam must be requested and completed in order to receive credit for the program.

Certificates will be emailed out within 7 business days following receipt of evaluation.

CE credit is currently available for social workers in all 50 states. Our credits are also accepted for counselors in 49 states (excluding New York). All other professionals (including psychologists and marriage and family therapists) must confirm CE approval with their state board.

Bright Ideas Continuing Education, provider # 1757, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/19/2024-11/19/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 6 clinical continuing education credits.

Bright Ideas Continuing Education has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7705. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Bright Ideas Continuing Education is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Bright Ideas Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0781.

​Bright Ideas Continuing Education is also authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to provide social work continuing education.

If you have any questions, concerns or special accommodation requests, please contact us at 410-575-3870 or info@brightideasceus.com.