ACT Worksheets

 Here's a big collection of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy worksheets from Russ Harris, author of several ACT books. For some of these worksheets, reading the book(s) is going to be a help. But many are self-explanatory. Check out the Free Stuff tab on Harris's site for additional ACT-based help--videos, audio, etc. 

ACT Worksheets

ACT--Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, for long--encourages us to stop devoting all our energy to battling our symptoms (say, anxiety or depression) and instead focus on working toward the meaningful goals we set for ourselves. Our symptoms will just have to come along for the ride. Sound interesting? On ActMindfully.au, find big sets of ACT-oriented worksheets from ACT therapist Russ Harris. Set aside your symptoms for a moment and check them out. 

More Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Worksheets

Plus some Russ Harris chapter samples at ACT Mindfully.  Some old, some new--among the new, worksheets and pages from The Confidence Gap.  

More ACT and Mindfulness

From New Harbinger, here are some audio and worksheets meant to accompany reading of Mindfulness for Two.

And from RMIT University Counseling, listen in on Six ACT Conversations (pick a number, then click that "Audio & Worksheets" tab to get to the material).

Values Bull's Eye (and other ACT worksheets)

From thehappinesstrap.com (Dr. Russ Harris), here's a collection of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy worksheets (first meant for readers of The Happiness Trap; linked within a link on a previous post).

ACT Worksheets

Posted at jamesdrew.net, a series of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Worksheets.

They're grabbed (with permission) from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Trauma-Related Problems.

CBT Worksheet Collection

Not the first mention here, but worth re-checking out: the big collection of CBT worksheets at GET Self Help. At the bottom of the page, links to more resources...including this site (thanks).

More ACT Worksheets

A page of free resources from thehappinesstrap.com includes generous excerpts from several books by Russ Harris, MD (The Happiness Trap, ACT Made Simple, ACT with Love) and various worksheets related to the books.  This is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy territory--focused on mindfulness, values, acceptance, and the like.  Good stuff.  

Therapy Metaphors

Among the many things to recommend getselfhelp.co.uk, here's a page of Therapy Metaphors--stories (and a video) therapists have developed to illustrate concepts and how-tos.

Ignore the yelling passengers on the bus or boat (your negative thoughts) and steer in the direction you want to go! Stop struggling to get out of quicksand (distressing thoughts and feelings)--letting it (them) be helps you escape! And so forth.

Not worksheets...at least until you cut and paste them into worksheet form. Have others? Send 'em in.

ACT/Mindfulness Worksheets

From livemindfully.blogspot.com, a set of ACT/Mindfulness Worksheets. (ACT = Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.) Here they are:

• Valued Directions Worksheet
• Values Questionnaire
• Life Purpose Worksheet
• Values Inquiry Worksheet
• Values Discovery Worksheet
• Values Workbook
• FFMQ
• KIMS
• MAAS
• Pleasant Events Worksheet
• Stressful Events Worksheet
• Meditation Record
• Mindful Eating Record

Also on the site, a long list of links to great mindfulness mp3s.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Worksheets and Book Excerpts

From actmadesimple.com (site for the book ACT Made Simple), a resource page with a great collection of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy worksheets and book excerpts.  (Thanks to Julianne for the heads-up!)

Mindfulness and Acceptance for Depression

At the Therapy Worksheets Bookstore, check out the Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression, by Kirk Strosahl and Patricia Robinson.  It's a "third wave" approach to tackling depression.  Instead of challenging and replacing negative thoughts as in o.g. CBT, clients are encouraged to acknowledge and accept their moods.  The concept being, depression and anxiety (covered in another workbook) are along for the ride, but you're in charge, you don't have to let them take the wheel.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Worksheets

From jamesdrew.net (site of a psychotherapist in Sugar Land, Tx) a collection of ACT worksheets mostly pulled from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Trauma-Related Problems. Linked from the site:

• Acceptance of Thoughts and Feelings Worksheet
• Clarifying Values Worksheet
• Creative Hopelessness Worksheet
• Daily ACT Rating Form
• Exploring Self-as-Context Assignment 1
• Life Compass
• Nonviolent Communication Model Handout
• Self-as-Context: Assignment 2
• Values and Goals Worksheet
• What Have I Given Up for Anxiety This Week?

Valued Directions Worksheet

Direct from the pages of The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety, here's a Valued Directions Worksheet posted by integrativehealthpartners.org. On the worksheet, rate the importance, satisfaction, and your intentions in several areas: Work, Relationships, Health, Family, Spirituality, etc. It's ACT in action.

Introduction to Mindfulness

Here's a six-page Introduction to Mindfulness from scribd.com which includes several exercises, among them "Mindfulness in Your Morning Routine," "Mindfulness of Domestic Chores," "Take Ten Breaths," "Notice Five Things." All good and helpful for a whole raft of different symptoms. Try 'em out.

ACT Now

Helpful Acceptance and Commitment Therapy resources linked on site co-managed by Jason Luomo, one of the authors of Learning ACT. Especially great are the linked illustrations of ACT principles--useful for ACT-ers and a simple introduction to some basics for the uninitiated.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a rarity in that it may be more easily understood via a workbook than by its more wordy, academese-heavy basic texts. Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, by Steven Hayes is a nice intertwining of text and exercises, a solid example of the emerging "third wave" cognitive behavioral tradition.

For those who want to dig deeper into ACT (and its foundation, Relational Frame Theory), try joining the ACT Yahoo Group. Also, ACT workshops, I'm told, are among the most wrenching/satisfying out there. Enjoy.