Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, educator, and author. She is the Director of Trauma and Life Consultation and Psychology Services, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of Research at Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services. Dr. Walser has contributed significantly to the dissemination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and holds a pivotal role in implementing ACT in one of the US’s largest national healthcare system. She also works at the National Center for PTSD, where her work focus is on trauma recovery, depression, and moral injury. A writer and scholar, Dr. Walser has co-authored nine influential books on ACT, including The Heart of ACT: Developing a Flexible, Process-Based, and Client-Centered Practice Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Her research and clinical expertise have made her a sought-after voice in advancing the application of ACT to address various complex psychological challenges. Since 1997, Dr. Walser has led ACT workshops worldwide, bringing her deep understanding and passion for process-based, experiential learning to therapists and clinicians. Known for her client-centered approach, Dr. Walser’s teaching emphasizes the integration of evidence-based practices with human connection and flexibility. To learn more about her work and join her newsletter list, visit robynwalser.com.
Workshop Information
Title:
Holding the Unbearable, Choosing What Matters: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Across the Spectrum of Suffering
Presenter: Robyn D. Walser, PhD
Abstract:
Psychological suffering often presents as urgency: urgency to escape, to fix, to reduce risk, and to control painful internal experiences through all manner, including behavior ranging from distraction to substance abuse to death by suicide. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers an alternative stance, one that shifts the clinical focus to functional change in behavior, guided by values and psychological flexibility while “holding” internal experiences. ACT is an evidence-based intervention and has been shown to be effective for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and reduction in suicidal behavior, to name a few (Gloster et al., 200). This three-day training provides an in-depth, experiential exploration of ACT as a coherent, process-based model of behavior change, culminating in its application to suicidal behavior. The first two days are designed to lay a solid, sophisticated foundation in ACT theory and practice. Participants will examine the psychological flexibility model through a functional contextual lens, exploring how experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, dominance of the conceptualized self, and disconnection from values contribute to behavioral constriction and suffering. Rather than treating thoughts and emotions as targets for elimination, ACT invites a reorientation toward changing the function of private events in the service of meaningful action. Through live demonstrations, experiential exercises, and case-based discussion, clinicians will deepen their ability to assess processes, respond flexibly in session, and foster committed action even in the presence of difficult internal experiencing. The third day extends this framework into the clinical complexity of suicidal behavior. Suicidal crises often emerge when psychological pain narrows behavioral repertoires, and escape becomes the most salient option. Using an ACT framework, we will examine suicidal ideation and behavior functionally, understanding them as behaviors shaped by learning histories, relational frames, and reinforcement contingencies, rather than solely as symptoms of diagnosis. Participants will learn how to apply the psychological flexibility processes to expand behavioral options, reduce entanglement with suicidal cognition, and build life-affirming patterns of action. We will address risk assessment, safety planning, therapeutic stance, and the delicate balance between validating suffering and moving toward vitality. Across all three days, emphasis is placed on therapist presence, process sensitivity, and the cultivation of willingness in both our clients and ourselves.
Objectives
- Describe and apply the psychological flexibility model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) using a functional contextual framework to assess and intervene in complex clinical presentations.
- Describe the use of core ACT processes (acceptance, defusion, self-as-context, values, and committed action) to shift the function of difficult internal experiences and expand values-guided behavior.
- Apply an ACT-based functional analysis to suicidal ideation and behavior, integrating psychological flexibility processes with risk assessment and safety planning to increase life-affirming behavioral options.
References
- Gloster, A. T., et al. (2020). The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy: A review of meta-analyses. J Contextual Behav Sci. 18, 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.09.009;
- Tak, J. H., Cho, S.-E., Cho, S.-J., Kang, S.-G., Bae, S. M., & Na, K.-S. (2025). Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for suicidality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Neuropsychiatr.;
- Levin, M. E., Krafft, J., & Twohig, M. P. (2024). An overview of research on acceptance and commitment therapy. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 47(2), 419–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2024.02.007
Schedule
Day One -10am(following Keynote & Break)
Day 1 – ACT Theory and the Foundations of Psychological Flexibility
(First session led by another speaker )
9:30–10:45
Functional Contextualism and ACT as a Behavioral Model
- The philosophy of science underpinning ACT
- Suffering as behavioral constriction
- Changing function vs. changing form
- Overview of the psychological flexibility model
10:45–11:00 – Break
11:00–12:00
The Hexaflex as an Organizing Framework
- Introducing the six core processes
- Flexibility vs. inflexibility patterns
12:00–1:00 – Lunch
1:00–2:00
Acceptance & Defusion (Opening Up)
- Experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion
- Altering the function of internal experience
- Demonstration and experiential practice
2:00–2:15 – Break
2:15–3:00
Present-Moment Awareness & Self-as-Context (Showing Up)
- Attentional flexibility
- Conceptualized self vs. observing self
- Expanding perspective under distress
Day 2 – Values, Action, and Relational Integration
8:30–9:45
Values (Knowing What Matters)
- Values vs. goals
- Vitality and direction
- Clarifying valued life directions
9:45–10:00 – Break
10:00–12:00
Committed Action (Moving Toward)
- Behavioral expansion in the presence of discomfort
- Building sustainable patterns of action
- Process-based case formulation
- Role play / live demonstration
12:00–1:00 – Lunch
1:00–2:00
Integrating the Six Processes in Case Conceptualization
- Tracking flexibility processes moment-to-moment
- Identifying dominant inflexibility loops
- Troubleshooting stuckness
2:00–2:15 – Break
2:15–3:00
Relational Processes and the Therapist’s Stance
- Psychological flexibility in the therapeutic relationship
- Therapist willingness and modeling flexibility
- Bringing the Hexaflex into relational moments
Day 3 – ACT for Suicidal Behavior
8:30–9:45
Understanding Suicidal Behavior Through an ACT Lens
- Functional analysis of suicidal ideation and behavior
- Escape, relief, and behavioral constriction
- Fusion with suicidal cognition
9:45–10:00 – Break
10:00–12:00
Intervening with Psychological Flexibility Processes
- Defusion from suicidal thoughts
- Acceptance of overwhelming psychological pain
- Self-as-context in crisis
- Expanding behavioral options
- Live clinical demonstration
12:00–1:00 – Lunch
1:00–2:00
Risk Assessment and ACT-Consistent Safety Planning
- Integrating evidence-based risk assessment
- Collaborative safety planning
- Validating suffering while moving toward vitality
2:00–2:15 – Break
2:15–3:00
Clinical Integration and High-Stakes Practice
- Common pitfalls in suicide work
- Therapist willingness and fear
- Case consultation and closing reflection