The Mindful Clinician: Deepening Therapeutic Power through Mindfulness and Acceptance Interventions

This interactive workshop introduces mental health providers to mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches, with an emphasis on building practical skills that can be brought into clinical work right away. Participants will gain a strong foundation in Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), exploring how these complementary frameworks cultivate present-moment awareness, psychological flexibility, and values-guided living. The workshop is ideal for practitioners who are new to these approaches, as well as those at a beginner level who want to deepen their experience.

Over two days (a total of six hours), Dr. Martin will guide participants through the practice of mindfulness as both a personal and clinical skill. Attendees will observe demonstrations of exercises that build present-moment awareness and foster acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings. Drawing on the three pillars of the ACT model (openness, awareness, and engagement), participants will learn to assess psychological problems, help clients distinguish between ineffective and meaningful action, and recognize and address avoidance as it arises in session. Experiential exercises, group case conceptualization, and small-group practice will give participants hands-on opportunities to strengthen their skills. Resources and handouts will be provided so that attendees can integrate new techniques into their practice immediately.

This 2-week course will take place on the following Fridays from 10:00 AM - 1:15 PM EST: November 6 and November 13.

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

Testimonials from past participants:

"Facilitator was warm, fun, and knowledgeable. Content was useful immediately in practice." - Nancy L. Piccicuto, LCSW-C

"Instructor was engaging and very present. Lots of the material felt immediately relevant to therapy practice and even pieces that were review felt like good reminders and reinforcement. I love the ACT approach!" - Mariel Stadick, LCSW-C

Dr. Staci Martin is a clinical psychologist with specialized expertise in health psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Dr. Martin is affiliated with True North Therapy and Training as a private ACT consultant and trainer. As a peer-reviewed ACT trainer, she conducts trainings with mental health and medical professionals regularly. She is President Emeritus of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of ACBS, a past ACBS board member-at-large for basic science, and chair of the ACBS plenary subcommittee. For over 30 years, Dr. Martin has worked with medical populations including cancer, sickle cell disease, and various genetic syndromes. At the National Cancer Institute (NCI), she is the Clinical Director of the Health Psychology and Neurobehavioral Research Program. Dr. Martin has received NCI Special Act Awards for her expertise and leadership in the field of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the Outstanding Mentor Award. Dr. Martin has authored over 85 publications in peer-reviewed journals, several of which have been selected as Editor’s Choice or Feature articles. In addition, she has been an invited speaker throughout the U.S. and internationally and has been interviewed on several health-focused podcasts about her work.

Additional Program Information:

Target audience: social workers and counselors

Content level: beginner/intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the core principles of mindfulness-based interventions and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and explain how the two approaches complement one another.

2. Demonstrate foundational mindfulness practices that cultivate present-moment awareness for both therapist and client.

3. Guide clients in practicing acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings using experiential exercises.

Outline and Agenda:

Class 1

10:00 - 11:00

• Introduction to mindfulness and acceptance frameworks for therapy
• Brief review of literature on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Identification of problematic processes, including avoidance and inflexibility

11:00 - 12:00

• Continue discussing avoidance and inflexibility, including how to notice them in therapy
• Mindful awareness exercises for therapists
• Trainer-led mindfulness exercises and discussion

12:00-12:15 - Break

12:15-1:15

• Mindful awareness exercises for clients
• Integrating acceptance and willingness into the work
• Demonstration and small group practice

Class 2

10:00-11:00

• Introduction to values
• Connecting with our professional values
• Using mindfulness to help clients connect with their values in session

11:00-12:00

• Staying in the moment with clients when they get off course
• Challenges to remaining in the present moment and how to work with them
• Demonstration and small group practice

12:00-12:15 - Break

12:15-1:15

• Integrating mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions in real time
• Case conceptualization
• Small group practice
• Q & A

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.