This course is new or has been updated recently.

Break Free: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 3 Steps: is a complete resource for understanding ACT, and a collection of exercises to help clients apply the principles of ACT in their lives. You will be able to help them break the chains of unhappiness with this accessible guide for building ACT skills and getting on the path to a mindful and meaningful life.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): offers acceptance and mindfulness strategies to address three areas of focus:

Accept: what is out of personal control

Commit: to a values-driven life by defining personal values and how a person wants to live life

Take action: that moves a person in the direction of what they value most

THE 3 STEPS

ACT 101: This easy to use book begins with examples of ACT in practice, then pairs the main pathologies and principles into 3 steps and explores the 3 of them in 3 step-specific chapters.

Practice Makes Progress: Guided writing exercises and visualizations will aid clients in moving through various life challenges by applying ACT.

Live in the Moment: Mindfulness practice plays an important role in ACT. Clients will learn how to connect to the present moment and stay in that moment to disentangle themselves from the confusing web of thoughts and emotions, and get in touch with what’s going on around them.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the clinician will be able to:

• identify the six pathologies of ACT and help clients identify how each pathology is interfering in their ability to live the life they desire
• identify the six principles of ACT and guide clients through the process of applying each one to their current life to enhance mental health and well-being
• teach clients specific skills to accept what in their lives can’t be changed and commit to taking action to live according to values they define
• train clients to use mindfulness to enhance their well-being
• explain how ACT approaches troublesome thoughts and emotions differently than CBT in order to best help clients transcend problems created by thoughts and emotions
• use the six principles of ACT to shape exercises and discussion in order to facilitate the client process of creating a life worth living despite problems and challenges

Syllabus / Course Instructions

• This course is appropriate for CE for beginning, intermediate and advanced level clinicians and addiction professionals.
• The Course consists of reading the selected book, successfully completing an online posttest and filling out a course evaluation.
• The book is not included. It must be purchased separately. We have supplied a link to Amazon.com for your convenience.
• Purchasing your course will give you access to both a printable copy of the test and an online version. Print the test to use as a companion as you read the book and answer the questions.
• You cannot exit the online test once you begin, so have your answers ready.

Additional Resources On This Site for CE

• Rethinking Narcissism: The Bad and Surprising Good about Feeling Special
  by Craig Malkin, PhD: 7 CE Credits
• The Gift of Therapy
  by Irvin Yalom: 10 CE Credits
• Getting Over OCD: A 10-Step Workbook for Taking Back Your Life
  Jonathan S. Abramowitz, PhD: 12 CE Credits
• The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know (2nd Edition)
  David J. Miklowitz, Ph.D.: 15 CE Credits
• Working With Narrative in Emotion-Focused Therapy: Changing Stories, Healing Lives
  by Lynne E. Angus, PhD, CPsych and Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD: 7 CE Credits
• Flourish: A New Understanding of Well-being
  by Martin E.P. Seligman: 13 CE Credits
• The Reality Slap: Finding Peace and Fulfillment When Life Hurts
  by Russ Harris, MD: 8 CE Credits
• Emotion-Focused Therapy
  by Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD: 6 CE Credits
• ACT Made Simple: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  by Russ Harris, MD: 11 CE Credits
• The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress, and Anger that Trigger Addictive Behaviors
  by Rebecca Williams, PhD and Julie Kraft MA, LMFT: 7 CE Credits
• On Becoming a Better Therapist: Evidence-Based Practice One Client at a Time (2nd Edition)
  by Barry L. Duncan: 10 CE Credits

Additional Resources Not On This Site

• American Psychological Association
• Association of Social Work Boards
• National Association of Certified Counselors
• National Association of Addiction Professionals

Bio: Tanya J. Peterson, MS, NCC

With credentials such as a Nationally Certified Counselor and her own personal experience with mental health care, author Tanya J. Peterson uses writing and speaking to increase understanding of and compassion for people living with mental illness as well as to help all people enhance their own mental health and well-being. She has written four critically acclaimed, award-winning novels, a self-help book, and she writes extensively for the mental health website HealthyPlace.com. Her HealthyPlace writing includes a weekly column entitled Anxiety-Schmanxiety. Additionally, she writes the main article in their weekly newsletter and has written more than 100 articles about various mental health topics that appear around the HealthyPlace.com. Furthermore, Tanya has written numerous mental health articles for varying online and print sources. She has been a guest on radio programs, speaking about mental health and her writing. She has also spoken about mental health regionally and nationally. She lives with her family in Oregon. Visit www.tanyajpeterson.com to learn more about Tanya and find links to connect with her.