TITLE:
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: An Overview of Techniques and Applications
AUTHORS:
Stephen Larmar, Stanislaw Wiatrowski, Stephen Lewis-Driver
KEYWORDS:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Stigma, Mental Health, Therapeutic Engagement
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Service Science and Management,
Vol.7 No.3,
June
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has
emerged over the last twenty years within the context of the Third Wave of
Cognitive Therapies, and has been utilised with reported success in a range of
therapeutic and mental health settings. Social and self-stigma related
to seeking assistance for mental health and other concerns has been shown to
reduce client engagement with therapeutic support. Numerous studies have been
undertaken that support ACT as an empirically validated framework for engaging
stigmatised client groups. This paper provides a review of the key
philosophical underpinnings and prominent techniques employed in ACT. Further,
the paper highlights the utility of ACT in treating mental illness and other
conditions by encouraging therapeutic participation through a use of techniques
that inherently reduce the self and social stigma related to psychological
disturbance and disability.