Acceptance and commitment therapy: Practical applications in occupational therapy practice (Online course)
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Acceptance and commitment therapy: Practical applications in occupational therapy practice
Occupational therapy services that use psychotherapeutic approaches often focus on helping individuals gain insight into the state of their mental health and to develop coping strategies to promote wellness and occupational participation (COTO, 2023; Nardone & Salvini, 2019). The profession’s focus on occupation offers an important lens and opportunity for the profession to make unique contributions to the practice of psychotherapy.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that balances mindfulness and acceptance processes with commitment and behaviour change in support of achievement of life goals. ACT offers a fresh perspective on psychological suffering and approaches that support meaningful life change by supporting clients with understanding how to change their relationship with painful aspects of their experience. Clients learn to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings as appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward in their lives. With this understanding, clients begin to make necessary changes in their behaviour, regardless of what is going on in their lives, and how they feel about it (Hayes et al., 2012).
Course overview
This course will provide occupational therapists with an understanding of the principles and approaches of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Participants will come away with many practical ACT approaches that can be used in their occupational therapy practice. This 8-part online course includes a combination of videos, audio clips, handouts, and homework assignments covering the following topics:
- Part 1 (approximately 1.25 hours): Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) history, evidence, definition, goal, and key assumptions.
- Part 2 (approximately 1 hour): Occupational therapy content and process. Occupational therapy and ACT.
- Part 3 (approximately 1 hour): What contributes to individuals getting "stuck". Psychological flexibility/inflexibility. OT in-session transition to ACT. Introduction to the Hexaflex.
- Part 4 (approximately 1.25 hours): ACT as a psychotherapy. Occupational therapy/ACT with "stuck" clients. ACT choice point: Situation, thoughts, and feelings. Choice point/hooked/unhooked.
- Part 5 (approximately 1.25 hours): The Hexaflex. The three "Pillars". "Opening up": acceptance vs. experiential avoidance, cognitive defusion vs. cognitive fusion. Using ACT in OT sessions: Practical examples.
- Part 6 (approximately 1 hour): "Centred" "Be present": contact with the present moment vs. inflexible attention, self-as-context vs. fusion with self-concept. Using ACT in OT sessions: Practical examples.
- Part 7 (approximately 1 hour): "Engaging": committed action vs. unworkable action, values vs. remoteness from values. Using ACT in OT sessions: Practical examples.
- Part 8 (approximately 0.75 hours): Bringing it all together. Supervision. Next steps.
Learning objectives
By the end of this online course, you will:
- Be familiar with the ACT conceptual framework, model, and evidence.
- Begin to understand ACT as an evidence-based approach.
- Be familiar with the elements of ACT and incorporation into occupational therapy clinical reasoning.
- Be familiar with a variety of ACT approaches that could be used in your occupational therapy practice.
- Recognize the “next steps” to increase confidence and competence using ACT in your occupational therapy practice.
Target audience
Occupational therapist clinicians who wish to increase their familiarity with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and practical ACT approaches that can be integrated into occupational therapy practice.
Note: This course was developed based on the workshop "Acceptance and commitment therapy: Practical applications in occupational therapy practice" workshops previously offered by CAOT.
Client age groups
Adults (20-64 years old)
Areas of practice
Acute Care, Chronic Disease Management, Chronic Pain, Forensic Mental Health, Generalist, Mental Health, MSK Rehabilitation, Older Adults, Psychotherapy, Return to Work, Role-Emerging
Experience level
Beginner (0-2 years of experience in this specific practice area)
Time commitment
Approximately 8.5 hours
Language
English
Presenter
Gord Hirano, M.Sc., B.H.Sc.O.T., OT Reg. (Ont.)
Gord Hirano is an occupational therapist with over 35 years of clinical experience. He is the Executive Director at the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia and is an Assistant Professor (Adjunct) in the O.T. program at McMaster University as well as maintaining a private practice in occupational therapy. Gord holds a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University as well as Occupational Therapy. Gord has obtained advanced training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) from leading trainers including Dr. Steven C. Hayes, Dr. Russ Harris and Dr.’s John and Jaimie Forsyth. Gord actively uses ACT in psychotherapy. Further, Gord provides psychotherapy supervision to OTs.
This purchase provides individual access to complete the course within 90 days of purchase. Access the online course immediately following purchase by selecting this online course on My Dashboard on CAOT's learning management system (LMS), using your CAOT My Account login information.
No cancellations/refunds will be provided once the purchase is completed. Please visit the Professional Development FAQ for additional information. Please note that the terminology used in this online course is reflective of the CAOT Style Guide at time of recording. If you have any questions, please contact CAOT's Professional Development team at education@caot.ca.
Gord Hirano
OT Reg. (ON)
Gord is an Occupational therapist (OT) with over 35 years experience. He as well holds a masters of rehabilitation counselling degree. Gord is the Executive Director at the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia. He maintains a clinical practice in OT and psychotherapy using Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Mindfulness and Motivational interviewing approaches with adult individuals who live with schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and chronic pain. Further, Gord provides psychotherapy supervision to individual OTs and groups of OTs and has provided a multitude of education and trainings in CBT psychotherapy specifically for OTs.
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