Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a practical, efficient and empowering way of working with individuals which has been shown to be effective in over 1000 Randomised Controlled Trials. ACT works by focusing on the development of psychological flexibility – teaching people a set of skills to enable them to respond to difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions in more helpful and effective ways, enabling them to get unstuck and take action to build a rich, full and meaningful life in line with their values.

As with any new approach, making sense of the theory, knowing where to start, which tools and techniques to use and how to formulate clients’ problems from a different perspective can feel overwhelming. If you are looking for a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to learning the theory and practice of ACT which will equip you with the underlying knowledge of how ACT works and the core clinical skills to integrate this approach into your work, then ACT Foundations is for you.

What will you get out of this training?

• Understanding of the scientific and philosophical approaches to behaviour that ACT is built on.

• How to introduce ACT to clients and establish goals for therapy.

• Knowledge of the six core processes and when to work with them.

• Practice in using the ACT Matrix to formulate problems from an ACT perspective.

• Experience in working with each of the six core processes using psychoeducation, metaphors, language and experiential exercises.

• How to deal with common practitioner pitfalls and client challenges.

• A roadmap and resources to help you Get your ACT Together!

• Experience of applying ACT to yourself to develop a deeper understanding of the model.

• A hardcopy or PDF workbook plus downloadable resources.

• Certification for 18 hours CPD/CE credit.

About the training and course tutor

This is a live and interactive event hosted online via Zoom – running from 9:30am to 4:15pm (UK time) on the 5th, 12th and 19th March 2025.

If you need your organisation to be invoiced, please email enquiries@reflexionpsychology.co.uk to secure your place(s) on the course.

ACT is done with head, hands and heart – it’s more than a collection of tools and techniques; it’s a philosophy of what it means to be human. As such, this course includes opportunities to learn through practicing core skills, observing demonstrations, group discussion, listening, reflecting and applying ACT to yourself.

The course is led by Dr. Matt Johnson BSc (Hons) PhD ClinPsyD CPsychol – Consultant Clinical Psychologist, ACT Therapist, Trainer and Supervisor. Matt is a Chartered Psychologist, a full member of the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology and is registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. Matt is also a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. 

Matt worked for more than 25 years in the NHS, charity sector and education and now works in independent practice specialising in ACT. In addition to his clinical and leadership experience, Matt is a qualified teacher in Higher Education and an Accredited Tutor with The Association for Psychological Therapies with experience of teaching and training students, trainees and professionals from a range of disciplines at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level.

Matt has trained hundreds of mental health professionals in ACT, here’s what some of them had to say:

“Matt is a really great communicator - he talks from a personal, passionate and experienced place about the subject.”

“Matt was very engaging and knowledgeable, and his passion for ACT shone through!”

“Matt has been a great trainer - he is clearly very experienced in using ACT and this enriches the training by bringing it to life with examples.”

“Matt was engaging, thorough, patient, and knowledgeable. I liked his style of presenting the content as he drew from personal experience often which helped to further understand the content.”

“Matt was very informational, witty, kept us engaged and answered all questions professionally and compassionately.”

“Matt was an excellent facilitator: warm, inviting, non-judgmental, and very informative with an impressive ability to answer questions from participants.”

“Matt was an amazing tutor. He really knows his stuff and shows genuine passion for the course area which really helps to build your confidence with this framework.”

Who would benefit from this training?

This course is designed for mental health professionals seeking to expand their knowledge of the ACT model. It is suitable for individuals with little or no previous experience of ACT, as well as those who have some familiarity with the model but wish to deepen their understanding and extend their use of ACT in clinical practice.