ACT for PTSD: Session Overview and Values Clarification
Booz Allen
Department of Veterans Affairs
Yale University
University of Nevada, Reno
Key Points
- Know that there’s no 1 right or wrong sequence when applying ACT concepts.
- Don’t begin your work in ACT without a planful sequence of skills.
- Work with the client on identifying core values in an individualized way.
- Homework helps the client reflect on values and commit to small, values-driven goals.
Materials Downloads
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Transcript
I’d like to summarize the take-home messages from Module 2.
There is no 1 right or wrong sequence to use when applying ACT concepts to PTSD or posttraumatic problems in living once you’re fully practiced in all of the ACT principles and techniques. However, I do believe that there is a danger to beginning your work in ACT without working your way through a planful sequence of skills. The best way to do this, in my experience, is to choose a structured or semi-structured ACT treatment protocol and to work your way through it at least a couple of times. This will help you move from initial adherence to a protocol to competence in a larger theoretically-driven approach.
The ACT core process described as values clarification is about working with the client to determine what he wants his life to move toward rather than away from. By starting with a brief introduction of values work, you can help increase the client’s motivation to move through the more complex trauma-specific work ahead.