Committed Action in Practice ― A Clinician's Guide to Assessing, Planning, and Supporting Change in Your Client

Designed for use by mental health professionals and graduate students, Committed Action in Practice clearly conceptualizes committed action—an integral aspect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—and offers a deeper investigation of the first of the six core processes of ACT. The book also provides comprehensive descriptions and insight into the conceptualization, integration, and application of committed action in therapy.

Committed action is an important part of the hexaflex model for acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—the other core processes being acceptance, defusion, self-as-context and perspective taking, values clarification, and mindfulness. In practice, committed action happens when clients act in the direction of their identified values, even in the presence of obstacles.

Written by Patricia Bach, Daniel J. Moran, and Sonja Batten—three ACT-oriented experts and trainers who are highly prolific in the field of modern behavioral psychology—Committed Action in Practice is a deep, focused exploration of this core aspect of ACT. With sections on the conceptualization, application, and integration of committed action in ACT, you’ll gain an understanding of how this process fits into the hexaflex model, what blocks people from taking values-based action, and how to blend the committed action component of ACT with other evidence-based therapies.

With this comprehensive guide, you’ll know just how committed action works in an ACT treatment plan and be ready to apply it in practice.

Patricia A. Bach, PhD, is clinical assistant professor at the University of Central Florida. She completed her PhD at the University of Nevada and has been providing psychotherapy, supervision, and training in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for more than fifteen years. Bach is a past president of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), and has coauthored a book on ACT case conceptualization.

Daniel J. Moran, PhD, BCBA-D, is founder and executive director of the MidAmerican Psychological Institute, and founder of Pickslyde Consulting. He coauthored ACT in Practice with Patricia Bach, as well as other contextual behavioral science publications. Moran has appeared on The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, and FOX News discussing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)and hoarding. He is also a recognized acceptance and commitment (ACT) trainer, board certified behavior analyst, and president of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS).

Sonja Batten, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a specialization in traumatic stress, who has worked in policy, clinical, and research leadership positions in the public and private sector. She is currently a Senior Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington, DC. Batten is a recognized ACT trainer, a pas president and fellow of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, and author of Essentials of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.