Walden Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Related to Social Change Discussion

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the most recently developed approaches under the CBT umbrella. Stephen Hayes, who developed ACT in the 1980s, was trained in traditional CBT. On the surface, ACT would appear to agree with the basic premise of the “it is what it is” statement from this week’s introduction. This approach is not only about acceptance, however, but also commitment, which in this context refers to the commitment to change behavior.
ACT focuses on values and psychological flexibility. It uses mindfulness to bring clients into the present moment in order to nonjudgmentally examine thoughts and emotions. Rather than looking at what happened in the past or might happen in the future, ACT focuses on the present. After this acceptance, an ACT therapist would attempt to move clients in the direction of their values through a series of questions, such as: “What are the things that you really value? What would you like to see written on your tombstone?” By examining what clients would like to be different in their lives, they can begin to change behaviors that do not fit into their value system or worldview.
Steven Hayes believes that social change can come from a person who is acting from his or her value system, and that in this way, ACT is related to social change. For this Discussion, you examine the basic tenets and strategies of ACT and take a position on Hayes’s social change argument. Can a therapeutic approach based on acceptance of thoughts—rather than changing them—be a catalyst for behaviors and actions that lead to social change?
Required ReadingsArch, J. J., Eifert, G. H., Davies, C., Plumb Vilardaga, J. C., Rose, R. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Randomized clinical trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for mixed anxiety disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80(5), 750–765. doi:10.1037/a0028310 Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.Cullen C. (2008). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): A third wave behavior therapy. Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy, 36, 667–673. doi:10.1017/S1352465808004797 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A ThirdWave Behaviour Therapy by Cullen, C., in Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Vol. 36/Issue 6. Copyright 2008 by Cambridge University Press – US – Journals. Reprinted by permission of Cambridge University Press – US – Journals via the Copyright Clearance Center. Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.Cully, J. A., & Teten, A. L. (2008). A therapist’s guide to brief cognitive behavioral therapy. Retrieved from http://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn16/docs/therapists_gu…
p. 28–43Fruzzetti, A. E., & Erikson, K. R. (2010). Mindfulness and acceptance interventions in cognitive-behavioral therapy. In K .S. Dobson (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapies (3rd ed.) (pp. 358–360). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Ruiz, F. J. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy versus traditional cognitive behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of current empirical evidence. International Journal of Psychology & Psychological Therapy, 12(3), 333–357. Retrieved from the PsycINFO database (Accession No. 2012-27684-002). Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.Psychotherapy.net. (n.d.). Embracing your demons: An overview of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Retrieved September 28, 2016, from http://www.psychotherapy.net/article/Acceptance-an…Documents: Course Project Overview (PDF document)Required MediaBig Think. (Producer). (2012). Big Think interview with Steven Hayes [Video file]. Retrieved September 28, 2016, from Note: This video is approximately 38 minutesOptional ResourcesHowells, K. (2010). The “third wave” of cognitive-behavioral therapy and forensic practice. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 20, 251–300. doi:10.1002/cbmSpringer, J. M. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Part of the “third wave” in the behavioral tradition. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(3), 205–212. doi:10.1080/14639947.2011.564824
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