About ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has become a well-established, evidence-based approach in mental health care.
It blends mindfulness, acceptance and behaviour change principles to help people build psychological flexibility and resilience in the face of life's challenges.
ACT offers a different way of working with distress: making room for difficult thoughts and feelings while taking committed action guided by one's values.
As clients develop a more flexible relationship with their inner experience and take meaningful steps towards what matters to them, change can be deep and lasting.
What will I learn?
Through Relational Frame Theory (RFT), participants will delve into the fundamental concepts underlying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
The structure of ACT sessions, incorporating models like the Hexaflex and Triflex, is explored to provide a framework for therapeutic practice.
A pivotal aspect emphasized is the identification of choice points within therapy sessions, guiding individuals towards meaningful behavioural changes.
Through experiential exercises, participants learn to apply ACT techniques effectively across various conditions, enhancing their ability to facilitate client progress.
Additionally, mindfulness experiential sessions deepen understanding and application of mindfulnessbased interventions within the ACT framework.
About the Trainers
Sreelakshmi Edavana Santhosh
Sreelakshmi is an RCI-licensed Clinical Psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice, and a trainer and supervisor with Connect & Restore (CORE). She completed her MSc in Clinical Psychology at St. Agnes Centre for Post Graduate Studies and Research and her MPhil in Clinical Psychology at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, where she went on to serve as Assistant Professor and Consultant Clinical Psychologist from 2019 to 2021, teaching, training and supervising MPhil clinical psychology trainees.
Her work is trauma-informed and rooted in attachment theory. She has completed the three-year programme with Somatic Experiencing International and is a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP). She has also completed Level 1 and Level 2 skills training in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) through the India EFT Council. She is trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Russ Harris, and is also trained in EMDR.
She has conducted multiple skill-building ACT workshops for mental health professionals.
Dr. Shwetha Rai
Dr. Shwetha Rai is a former Professor of Clinical Psychology at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. For more than fifteen years there she taught, practised and supervised MPhil Clinical Psychology trainees. She holds a PhD in Psychology from Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, and an MPhil in Clinical Psychology from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
She trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Steven Hayes and Russ Harris. She is also trained in EMDR and trauma therapy, with a particular interest in healing attachment injuries. Her therapeutic work draws on psychodynamic thinking, and she trained in Psychoanalytic Thinking at the Workplace at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, London. Her experience also spans psychotherapy, psychological assessment and clinical research.