Functionally Speaking

Speaking to Ingrid Ord was a wonderful opportunity to get a perspective of how a Christian views Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and about her book, ACT with Faith.  I have a history of working the the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP; the organization that was highlighted in the Academy Award winning movie, Spotlight), and have worked with very distraught Christians and understand the obstacles of applying ACT to people of certain faith.  Ingrid wrote a really neat book to help unravel those types of issues.  I hope you enjoy the podcast. 

I have a few trainings coming up during 2016, and a lot of exciting projects for 2017.  Contact me for more information.


September 12 & 13, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


New York City, NY


September 15 & 16, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


Portland, ME


September 19 & 20, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


Honolulu, HI


September 27, 2016


Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Everyday Practice


Syracuse, NY


September 28, 2016


Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Everyday Practice


Rochester, NY


September 29, 2016


Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Everyday Practice


Buffalo, NY


October 3 & 4, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


Seattle, WA


October 6 & 7, 2016


ACT I: Two-Day Training with Praxis


Columbus, OH


October 13, 2016


Keynote Speech at the BSN Conference:


Building Leadership Commitment


Jacksonville, FL


October 20 & 21, 2016


ACT I: Two-Day Training with Praxis


Pittsburgh, PA


October 24 & 25, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


Sacramento, CA


October 26 & 27, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


San Francisco, CA


November 3-6, 2016


ACT BootCamp with Steve Hayes, Robyn Walser, Kelly Wilson, Tim Gordon, Matt Boone, Emily Sandoz, and Thomas Szabo


Tampa, FL


November 15-16, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


Des Moines, IA


November 17-18, 2016


Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training


Omaha, NE

Norman Gustavson is an ACT therapist and trainer working in Afghanistan. He tells of his experiences working with clients and trainees in Kandahar, and about the state of mental health treatment in that region.  He also talks about how mindfulness meditation helps him with his job and explains how he uses The Matrix with clients, as well.

Brandon Gaudiano has done a great deal of research in
contextual behavioral approaches related to clinical work. His website at Brown University
is a treasure trove of great publications that you can download, read, and
apply.  He also has a new book titled Incorporating Mindfulness and Acceptance
into the Treatment of Psychosis: Current Trends and Future Directions. It
is available on Amazon, and you can get to that bookstore by clicking through the
ACBS website.  Whether you treat
individuals with serious mental illness or not, Brandon discusses important
points for anyone applying the ACT model in treatment. Enjoy!

I am very excited to have Tony Biglan on Functionally Speaking.  He wrote a fantastic book called The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives & Our World.  I highly recommend the book, and you
can order it by going to the ACBS Click-Thru page first.  Check out his cool website that hosts a neat
video about the topic, and even shows endorsements from many scholarly people,
including Senator Jeff Merkley.  Tony’s
answers to my questions are really enlightening, and I think you’ll find this podcast
particularly interesting.  And, if you
like this interview, check out Tony’s interview on Trent Codd’s CBT Radio podcast.  I look forward to your
feedback.

Beate Ebert is
doing a remarkable job helping reduce suffering and improve quality of living
for people in Sierra Leone.  She’s
helping establish mental health infrastructures, training professionals in
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and doing important implementations of
public health initiatives to reduce the spread of Ebola in West Africa.  She and I worked together with Joanne Dahl
presenting ACT workshops in Sierra Leone. 
Beate and I reminisce about that experience and talk about the
challenges of disseminating the contextual behavioral sciences.  Beate explains how she used ACT to influence
people’s actions to reduce the spread of the Ebola virus.  (Check out Steve Hayes’s blog about this
topic here.)

We also discuss our experience in the amputee camps,
conversations with adults who were child-combatants, prevention measures, and
our interaction with Father Peter Conte, a great community organizer in
Freetown. (To read a little bit about Peter, look here). 

If you’d like to assist in this Beate’s initiatives, check
out the Commit + Act organization’s website and Facebook page.