Wk 5 - ACT

Question 1

What does ACT say about challenging and disputing thoughts?

Answer 1

we don’t need to give these thoughts any attention and let it influence your life. just let it go, take a step back, and just observe your thoughts for what they are.

Question 2

What are the 2 main concepts of ACT?

Answer 2

1) Mindfulness/ Acceptance

2) Commitment to Values & Motivation

Question 3

Describe what mindfulness and acceptance is about. (2)

Answer 3

• paying attention to the moment and your experience; being present
• allow thoughts and feelings to be there and noticing them, even if they are uncomfortable or painful.

Question 4

Describe what values and motivations is all about (3)

Answer 4

• look ahead and focus on what we are pursuing in life
• focus on what we value and our ambitions
• pursuing your values is never an easy journey, there are many painful aspects of pursuing a life worth living. if we choose to avoid pursuing this life because we want to avoid the pain, we will never pursue and achieve the things we value.

Question 5

What is psychological flexibility?

Answer 5

The ability to contact the present moment more fully as a conscious human being. Not letting our current thoughts and feelings get in the way of working towards our valued long-term life goals. To be able to change or persist when doing so serves valued ends.

Question 6

Name the 3 commitment aspects of the ACT model

Answer 6

1) Being Present
2) Values
3) Committed action

Question 7

Name the 3 acceptance aspects

Answer 7

1) Acceptance
2) Cognitive Defusion
3) Self as Context

Question 8

Describe Acceptance. (2)

Answer 8

1) Let our thoughts and emotions be there, whether they are positive or negative. dont avoid it.
2) Letting Go - don’t need to engage the thought. dont need to evaluate (approve/ resist) or judge it.

Question 9

Describe being present.

Answer 9

paying attention to the now, especially our values.

Question 10

Describe Cognitive Defusion.

Answer 10

Taking a meta position, and seeing ourselves as separate from our thoughts, and not fused together. Unhook our self from our thoughts, so that our behaviors and feelings wont be influenced by these negative thoughts.
eg. NOT “I am good/bad” –> “I am having the thought that I am good/bad”

Question 11

Describe the idea of self as context.

Answer 11

The self is an observer of different roles. Rather than seeing the self as the identity in itself.

Question 12

Describe what are values.

Answer 12

• the things that make life worth living; represent direction in our lives
• consciously chosen
• rewarding if we live according to them

Question 13

Describe what is committed action.

Answer 13

• living in ways that is consistent with values, despite the pain it may bring
• brings us closer towards the lives we value which gives us pleasure and satisfaction in the long run

Question 14

What are the 3 assumptions of ACT?

Answer 14

1) life is suffering
2) holistic - we cannot separate ourselves from our experiences (eg. painful emotions/memories)
3) We create our own “psychological suffering”.

Question 15

Elaborate on the assumption of ACT that life is suffering.

Answer 15

We all will experience pain, disappointments, and sadness in our lives. But we can nevertheless still live rich, meaningful, and purposeful lives. We should accept every part of the experience, and we should not deny the painful parts of our lives.

Question 16

What is relational frame theory?

Answer 16

Argues that patterns of thoughts and beliefs about how things are related are all learnt from an early age through our social experiences. It explains why people hold negative unhelpful associations. These associations are not always helpful or true.

Question 17

According to ACT, what is considered health and dysfunction?

Answer 17

Health
- Able to accept that the good and bad are part of life (openness to all feelings and thoughts)
- commit to live in line with these values
- cognitive flexibility
Dysfunction
- self is too fused with thoughts. holding on to conceptualized self rather than seeing self as context
- try to avoid or suppress negative and painful parts of life

Question 18

What are the 3 steps involved in ACT assessment?

Answer 18

1) identify client’s values
2) identify negative thoughts that client is fused with
3) look out for any experiential avoidance

Question 19

What is the questionnaire used in ACT assessment called?

Answer 19

Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ)

Question 20

Describe 2 metaphors you can use to explain the idea of self as context.

Answer 20

1) Chessboard metaphor
- white chess pieces are good thoughts and feelings
- black chess pieces are the bad thoughts and feelings
- you are the chessboard! you are the context in which these thoughts and feelings a playing out. you are not in the game
2) Passengers on the bus metaphor
- you are a bus heading to your own destination (your values)
- you pick up passengers in your life. they may be good or bad. they may shout at you to turn left, right, stop etc. these are your emotions and thoughts.
- but you are the bus driver. you thank all of them for being in your life, tell them to take a seat, and tell them this is where we are heading.

Question 21

Describe the idea of the struggle switch.

Answer 21

When we struggle with our anxiety/anger/sadness, we add on secondary emotions to these primary emotions. Eg. if we cope with our sadness by going to drink alcohol excessively, we feel guilty afterwards. guilt is the secondary emotion, which creates another layer of pain to our existing pain.
If we choose to let go of the rope and not act on our primary emotions, we are switching off our struggle switch.

Question 22

Describe the idea of the struggle switch.

Answer 22

When we struggle with our anxiety/anger/sadness, we add on secondary emotions to these primary emotions. (Eg. if we cope with our sadness by going to drink alcohol excessively, we feel guilty afterwards. guilt is the secondary emotion, which creates another layer of pain to our existing pain.)
If we choose to let go of the rope and not act on our primary emotions, we are switching off our struggle switch.

Question 23

Describe the technique of cognitive defusion.

Answer 23

1) separating from painful thoughts and recognizing that they are JUST thoughts rather than the absolute truth
2) stepping back from the thought and phrase it in a distant manner. Can externalize it through personification, or soft toys etc.

Question 24

How do you get clients to accept their painful emotions?

Answer 24

1) observe their body
2) breathe
3) expand and release tension
4) allow feelings to be there

Question 25

Describe the technique of exploring values.

Answer 25

1) Therapist can ask questions like
- “what is a moment in your life when you felt a deep sense of wellbeing? it could be an ideal future or a dream”
- “what does this mean to you?”
- “what could you do this week that is rooted in these values?”
Therapist can use self-disclosure
2) “80th birthday - what would you be able to look back on? what would you hope to be in your life?”
3) Funeral - visualise funeral, ask client to report what she would like to hear the witnesses saying about her? what do you want them to remember you for?
4) Values shopping mall (only have $100 to spend, which shop will you go into)

Question 26

How do you build committed action in the client? How do you manage their reluctance to committed action?

Answer 26

Let them know that you can only access these values if you are willing to experience some hurt. It is difficult to completely avoid the painful aspects of experience. Values action is painful, but if you want it, you need to accept both the satisfaction and the pain. Just let the anxiety about the potential pain be there.

Question 27

ACT has larger effect sizes than CBT. true or false

Answer 27

False - similar effect sizes

Question 28

According to APA Division 12, what can ACT be used for?

Answer 28

Chronic pain, OCT, Depression, Mixed Anxiety disorders

values work is helpful for people with existential crisis

Question 29

In ACT, what is the relationship between clients and counselors?

Answer 29

Egalitarian/equal relationship

Question 30

What are the goals of ACT?

Answer 30

1) to help clients behave in ways that are consistent with their values; committed action
2) willingness - being open to the whole experience
3) help clients change the function of thoughts. thoughts are just thoughts they are not facts, it doesn’t need to drive our behavior

Question 31

Moving from FEAR to ACT. what do they stand for?

Answer 31

Fusion, Evaluation, Avoidance, Reason Giving (rationalizing unhelpful coping strategies)

ACT - Accept, Choose, Take Action