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 publications and a small, but growing body of promising research. 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.
This workshop 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 through dyadic work and to analyze the function of yearnings within a couples therapy video vignette.
As a result of attending this event, participants will be able to:
Demonstrate how to extend the ACT core processes interpersonally within couples therapy
Explain the central role of yearnings, and their respective vulnerabilities, within intimate relationships
Analyze the function of yearnings in the patterns of interaction between intimate partners
For more info and registration: coming soon