Transforming Interrupted Lives: Using ACT as A Client-Centered Process-Based Approach for Treating Trauma

Join ACT expert Robyn Walser for this two-day workshop on using ACT with clients who've experienced traumatic events.

Change is an inherent part of the human experience, and many individuals seek therapeutic support when faced with challenges that impede their personal growth and well-being. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has emerged as a powerful and flexible therapeutic approach with multiple levels of process that can be tailored to meet individual client needs. 

Trauma treatment is an ideal vehicle for exploring the flexibility intrinsic to ACT. Trauma can profoundly impact individuals' lives, functioning as a barrier to growth and health. It has the power to leave lasting emotional scars that disrupt a sense of well-being. This workshop will focus on multiple levels of process and client-centered needs through the lens of trauma and its fallout. 

The integration of ACT and other trauma therapies (prolonged exposure, EMDR, written exposure therapy, etc.) will be explored along with the therapeutic relationship as the key mode of delivery for the six core processes in ACT. Didactic, role-play, and experiential exercises will be used with the goal of empowering clients to navigate their trauma-related challenges while fostering self-compassion and resilience.

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Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D. is Director of TL Consultation Services and and works at the National Center for PTSD. She is the Co-Director of Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services and is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-authored 7 books on ACT including a book on learning ACT. She has most recently written a book entitled: The Heart of ACT- Developing a Flexible, Process-based, and Client-centered Practice Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Dr. Walser has expertise in traumatic stress, depression, moral injury, and suicide; and has authored a number of articles, chapters, and books on these topics. She has been doing ACT workshops since 1997; training in multiple formats and for multiple client problems. Dr. Walser's workshops feature a combination of didactic and experiential exercises designed to provide a unique learning opportunity in this state-of-the-art intervention.