Preferred registration deadline: January 31st

3 CEs

Unlock the transformative power of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in your work with children and adolescents! This dynamic 3-hour workshop equips you with practical, playful strategies to help young clients, tweens, and teens navigate life's challenges with resilience and purpose.

Dive into the world of ACT Kidflex, a developmentally adapted framework that empowers children and teens to manage difficult emotions, build meaningful connections, and pursue their goals with confidence.

Through engaging exercises, case studies, and interactive discussions, you'll learn to:

• Foster acceptance and self-compassion: Help youth embrace their thoughts and feelings without judgment.
• Cultivate present-moment awareness: Guide children and teens in developing mindfulness skills to navigate stress and difficult experiences.
• Clarify values and committed action: Inspire young clients to identify what truly matters to them and take steps towards a more fulfilling life.

Whether new to ACT or seeking to deepen your practice, this workshop offers a fresh perspective and innovative tools to enhance your therapeutic impact. Join us and discover how ACT can revolutionize your work with children and adolescents!

This is an interactive synchronous distance learning course via Zoom.

General Admission: $65**
**Eligible discounts can be applied during checkout.

Class size is limited to 45.

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Course Outline

Content Level: Beginner

Target Audiences: Case Managers, Counselors, Teachers/Educators, Marriage & Family Therapists, Nurses, Psychologists, School Staff, Social Workers, and other Mental Health Professionals

Agenda:

Introduction and Overview of ACT and its relevance to working with children and adolescents (10 minutes)

ACT Core Principles (60 minutes)

• Introduction to psychological flexibility, acceptance, defusion, self as context, values, and committed action
• Experiential exercises to illustrate ACT concepts
• Case examples demonstrating ACT principles in action with children and adolescents

ACT Kidflex (60 minutes)

• Overview of the ACT Hexaflex model adapted for children and adolescents
• Discussion of developmental considerations in applying ACT with young clients
• Practice adapting ACT interventions to suit different age groups and presenting concerns

Experiential Exercises and Metaphors (45 minutes)

• Introduction to creative and engaging techniques for teaching ACT concepts to children
• Hands-on practice with experiential exercises and metaphors
• Discussion of how to tailor these techniques to individual clients and therapeutic goals

Wrap-up and Q&A (5 minutes)

*A 5-minute break will occur approximately halfway through the workshop.  

Learner Outcomes

• Explain the core principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), including psychological flexibility, present moment awareness, cognitive defusion, and values-based action.
• Summarize common clinical problems encountered in child therapy using a psychological flexibility model.
• Demonstrate how to adapt ACT interventions for children and adolescents, taking into account their developmental needs and cognitive abilities.
• Apply skills in experiential exercises and metaphors to engage children and adolescents in the therapeutic process and enhance their understanding of ACT concepts.

Course Completion Requirements:

• The Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Professional Development, provider #2130, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/24/2024 – 9/24/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 3 general continuing education credits.

• The Brown School is also an approved provider of Social Work CEs in Missouri and Illinois.

• To earn ACE credit, attendees must arrive at the scheduled time, attend the entire course, and complete an online course evaluation. ACE credit is not provided for partial attendance.  However, you may still qualify for partial Social Work Missouri and Illinois CEs provided by the Brown School.

• Brown School CE Certificates will be available online within 10 business days of course completion by visiting your learner profile at https://ce.wustl.edu/portal/logon.do?method=load&parentSite=brown. You will receive an email notification with specific instructions for accessing the online certificate when it is available. ACE CE Certificates, if requested in your evaluation survey, will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.

• For more information about CEs, accessibility, refund/cancelation policy, our grievance policy, or other inquiries please visit our About Us page or email brownprofdev@wustl.edu.