Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workshop: ACT Now!

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, trapped in your own mind by intrusive thoughts, exhausted by anxiety, panic or stress?

Are you noticing that you are feeling stuck at a crossroads, in need of change, but not really too sure on what to do next?

Are you questioning why you aren’t happy and looking for ways to improve your life?

Then, now is the time to ACT.

Imagine feeling in touch with what REALLY matters to you and living the life that you have been dreaming of. Personal growth and introspection is important, especially when so much feels chaotic and out of our control.

With the right support you can set introspective goals and learn how to:

• Manage painful feelings and thoughts 
• Build self-awareness and promote mental flexibility
• Let go of unhelpful thoughts and behaviours
• Gain a sense of freedom and clarity
• Control yourself and your path in life 
• Work toward meaningful goals that reflect your values and what you want from life
• Shift your habits for the long term and attain your goals!

It’s time to take charge of your habits so that you can live the life you have been dreaming of. This group will support you with accepting difficult feelings and committing to your value-driven goals. There is truly no better time to take charge of your habits and goals…

ACT Now! The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Workshop is a powerful tool for growth and change, keep reading or check out this introductory video to learn more…

WHAT TO EXPECT

Prepare yourself to engage and participate in group discussions for 2 hours, once a week for five weeks (Starting October 22, 2022)

During this time, you will learn and incorporate a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness activities so that you may practice accepting life as it is, while also committing to action that will  enrich your life each and every day. 

Our facilitators, Sheila and Valentina will teach you grounding activities and remind you that emotions are a normal and necessary part of the human experience. By emphasizing acceptance, kindness and understanding toward yourself Sheila and Valentina will support you in your practice of psychological flexibility and commitment to self-compassion. 

As a group, we will heal through the power of connection. Together, we will create a community by offering a private, confidential and safe space. We will invite like-minded individuals, seeking to come together to support and hold each other accountable in reaching our desired goals. With the support of our group and the facilitators, we will identify our own core values which will guide us through life and identify ways in which we will be able to adjust our behaviours, so that they are both in line. In doing so, we will learn how to approach difficult situations by grounding ourselves in our own self-knowledge, acceptance, and compassion.

This group will provide a workbook with guided activities to complete during each session and exercises for  to practice at home throughout the course. 

Some of the most common topics discussed when using ACT as a tool for growth and change include:

• Acceptance and Compassion for Self and Others
• Addiction and Substance Use
• Anger
• Anxiety, Fears and Panic
• Blame
• Body Acceptance
• Bipolar and Borderline Personality
• Communication
• Depression
• Emotional Regulation and Consideration of Multiple or Alternative Perspectives
• Generalizations (i.e., all or nothing thinking)
• Insomnia
• Mindfulness
• Motivations
• Past Experiences
• Problem Identification
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
• Trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms
• Underlying Assumptions and Interpretations of Events
• Value Systems, Personal Biases and Beliefs
• Workplace Balance and Stress Management

HERE’S WHAT WE WILL COVER OVER 5 WEEKS 

Each class will begin with a grounding exercise and end with a survey that will promote self-reflection and inquire about your satisfaction with the group.

Week 1 – Introducing ACT

We will discuss your initial interest in joining this group and establish group ground rules and group norms. We will dive deeper into Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a therapeutic tool and approach to meeting your goals and introduce mindfulness, such as “dropping anchor.”  We will observe our thought patterns and behaviour in order to  enhance  our self-awareness. We will begin to uncover our strengths and what it is that adds meaning to our lives. 

Week 2 – Letting Go & Regaining Control

We will develop skills for letting go of unhelpful thoughts and feelings, and focus on building skills to support accepting factors that are outside of our control.  As a group, we will run through a few exercises that demonstrate the suffering and struggle, which result when we refuse to accept our reality. 

Week 3 – Enhancing Communication & Developing Self-Compassion

We will discuss and learn more effective communication styles and strategies. We will look at how communication can be used as a tool for fostering compassion. We will participate in an exercise to build greater compassion and a sense of internal peace with self and others. We will share strategies to develop self-compassion for your current and younger self.

Week 4 – Overcoming Mental Barriers & Setting SMART Goals

We will bring our senses into the group, as we mindfully hold an object, experiencing  textures, scent, weight, visual and auditory details in order to promote flexible attention and presence. We will apply these skills to our own thinking, observing the ways we get “hooked” by thoughts. We will learn how to set SMART and value guided goals in order to develop an actionable plan so that we may start living our desired lives. 

Week 5 – Challenging Ourselves & Concluding the Course 

We will learn about a values-guided approach to change. We learn the “Challenge Formula” and discuss how we might respond to any challenging situation. We will share ways in which to deal with dilemmas, difficult decisions and tough choices so that we may feel more equipped when confronted with these challenges. We will conclude the course with a general review of our journey together, what we learned and how we will use these skills moving forward.

Are you interested in joining us? Great! We would love to have you. Our work begins on Saturday October 22. CLICK HERE to sign upand we’ll be in touch with the next steps. 

WORKSHOP DETAILS

When: Saturday October 22 – November 19, 2022

Where:This is a virtual course. We will send you the link 30 minutes before our first session!

Facilitators: Sheila McDonough (MSW, RSW)  & Valentina Messier (MA,RP)

Size of the Group: This group will consist of 5-10 individuals. 

Coverage: For many people, group therapy with a Social Worker (MSW, RSW) or Psychotherapist (RP) is covered by extended health benefits. If you intend to pay via insurance, please let us know when you are signing up.