ACT in Steps A Transdiagnostic Manual for Learning Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) can be applied to any psychological disorder that involves struggle with inner experiences. With over 300 randomized clinical trials supporting its effectiveness, ACT has seen rapid growth in popularity, and an increasing number of therapists are being trained in its use. As such, the demand for practical resources on providing ACT has never been greater.

ACT in Steps is aimed at any therapist who wants to get familiar with ACT. Chapters walk therapists through a recommended sequence of ACT sessions, including creative hopelessness, control as the problem, acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, values, and committed action, and provide accompanying materials for clients. The book also provides information on assessment, case conceptualization, treatment planning, and intervention that therapists can use as a starting point for practicing ACT. Exercises and worksheets are included which will continue to be useful long after readers have achieved mastery of ACT. Designed to serve as a more structured framework from which therapists can learn and experiment with ACT concepts, ACT in Steps is suitable for anyone interested in applying ACT across a range of presentations, from graduate students seeing their first clients to clinicians with years of experience interested in learning about ACT for the first time.

Michael P. Twohig, PhD is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University. He received his BA and MS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed his clinical internship at the University of British Columbia Hospital. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the organization most associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and three books: An ACT-Enhanced Behavior Therapy Approach to the Treatment of Trichotillomania (with Woods), ACT Verbatim for Depression and Anxiety (with Hayes), and Innovations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (with Levin and Krafft). His research has been funded through multiple sources including the National Institute of Mental Health.

Michael E. Levin, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Utah State University and a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno under the mentorship of Dr. Steven C. Hayes and completed his predoctoral internship at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium. Dr. Levin's research focuses on online and self-guided Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions to improve the reach and impact of mental health services, which has been supported by funding sources including the National Institute of Health. He has published over 100 articles and book chapters, primarily on ACT. Dr. Levin has published two previous books: Innovations in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (with Twohig and Krafft) and Mindfulness and Acceptance for Addictive Behaviors (with Hayes).

Clarissa W. Ong, MS, is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology program at Utah State University. She received her BA from Smith College. Her research interests include developing and testing process-based interventions for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive related concerns and psychometric evaluation of clinical measures.