Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) & Mindfulness Workshops for Health Professionals

Help is on the way: Training and professional development opportunities for psychologists and other health professionals

The Swinburne Psychology Clinic runs an annual workshop series on the use of ACT and Mindfulness. The training has been designed for psychologists, counsellors and other health professionals who working in a counselling setting and/or are developing their counselling skills.

Acceptance andCommitmentTherapy (ACT)
ACT is a therapeutic approach based on values, which draws on mindfulness and acceptance skills to help clients develop a new relationship with difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions, thereby enhancing their psychological health. Mindfulness means bringing awareness to the ‘here-and-now' experience, with openness, interest and receptiveness, enabling an individual to ‘live in the moment', develop self-awareness, enhance emotional intelligence and develop the resilience to manage painful thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness training is empirically supported as an effective intervention in a wide range of clinical disorders, including chronic pain, anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD, substance abuse, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder. When therapists apply mindfulness skills in their own lives, they find they can be more attuned to their clients; more able to work effectively with strong emotions; and more able to handle their own reactions. This enhances therapist effectiveness and reduces burnout.

Facilitator Information
Dr Russell Harris who is a medical practitioner, psychotherapist and the author of The Happiness Trap delivers the Psychology Clinic's annual workshops. He has been using mindfulness interventions for many years for the treatment of medical and psychological problems.

Workshop Details
Fees, Dates and Further Information:	Current Swinburne students will receive a 50% discount on workshop fees in 2009. Sep-October 2009 abrydon@swin.edu.au or (03) 9214 5528