Back in 2013, I was introduced to some of the concepts and principles of ACT by a close friend of mine as well as a fellow presenter at a conference I was attending.
I had been speaking on the topic of Integral Theory and it’s application to psychology and more specifically to clinical approaches in counseling.
I was intrigued and excited by the potential I found in ACT, especially since the Integral approach did not have any specific approaches or techniques that were of practical use while in session. It focused on theories, guides, and other concepts to help inform a clinician, but very few interventions.
ACT met almost all the requirements to be labeled as an “integral” approach and had identified and tested six processes which allow for the adaptation of skills I already possessed, aligning them to these identified processes and validating their usage.
The more I began to inject several of the concepts and exercises into my session, the better the outcomes became not only for my clients, but for me as a practitioner. The more this happened, the more my respect and enthusiasm for the approach grew.
After going full on into reading as much as I could, training both on line and in person, and continuing to use the approach in my own clinical setting, I began to both note which exercises and concepts were essential and began to be asked to lecture on these findings. It is these finding that are the base of what I am presenting here.
Over time I have become connected to the university system here, speaking at Rhode Island College and Johnson and Wales University. I have presented for the Rhode Island Mental Health Counselors Association, and have also been asked to speak on national platforms and various agencies as well. Again, what I find works best from these experiences I will begin to add to this resource.
Finally, in the process of doing this, there has become a small group of practitioners that I meet with regularly and a growing number who were looking to join us. Given the restraints of time, supervising interns, giving presentations and running a private practice, developing this online resource became part of the natural progression of this journey.
I am hoping that between what I and others in that initial group can contribute, that we will be able to support one another in this journey and build a stronger an healthier community.
While you will see a lot of postings from me, I very much hope that this is not the case in the future. I encourage you to send me messages and get involved further to strengthen a growing community and to truly make this project truly ours.
Wishing you all well,
Todd Schmenk
Leave a comment