Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been extensively studied and utilized as an individual form of therapy while its application to couples therapy has been somewhat limited to a few notable publications (Harris, 2023; Lawrence, Cohn, & Allen, 2022; Lev & McKay, 2017) and a relatively small, but growing body of promising research (Ahmadzadeh, et al. 2019; Veshki, et al. 2017) suggesting comparable effectiveness of ACT with cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and integrative couples therapy, and in some regards with emotionally focused therapy (Ghahari, et al. 2021). ACT’s model of psychological flexibility, when extended interpersonally, can offer a unique lens to case conceptualization and functional analysis when examining patterns of interaction between intimate partners. What’s more, yearnings - deep, enduring longings or psychological needs, which are a recent addition to ACT’s theoretical base - are often the primary motivators influencing one or both partners seeking therapy. Individual and interpersonal yearnings compete for attention within relationships, as partners attempt to satisfy yearnings in unworkable (values-incongruent) ways that create conflict, tension, and disconnection. Combined with built-in survival mechanisms that surface when faced with a threat to ‘self’ or one’s relationship, partners can become trapped in contextual clash cycles that inadvertently reinforce suffering.
This 14-hour live-online course will introduce a reimagined ACT Hexaflex that situates yearnings as a core functional feature of an interpersonal psychological flexibility model. Participants will have a chance to:
Experience the psychological flexibility processes extended interpersonally;
Conduct a couples intake interview with the InterACT Matrix;
Formulate a multi-level case conceptualization for couples that integrates ACT processes, attachment patterns, behavioral principles, sociocultural factors, and survival mechanisms;
Step into the role of self-as-instrument to work towards creating a therapeutic context of intimacy and vulnerability that begins with safety;
Experiment with deepening affect, perspective-taking, and values-based exercises for intimate partners;
Practice the steps of creative hopelessness for couples to disrupt unworkable patterns of interaction and set the stage for meaningful change;
Enlist the help of the couple in an ongoing collaborative functional analysis that introduces four foundational skills of relational efficacy;
Practice shaping flexibility between partners in ways that naturally fulfill intimate yearnings.
The workshop will include the following components: didactics, experiential exercises, video vignettes, demonstrations, dyadic and small group practice. As a bonus, participants will also get to learn the art of improv! Note: while the case examples and practice will be focused on intimate partners, most of the principles and processes presented in the course are applicable to any interpersonal context.