Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy that has been found to be effective for a wide range of clinical presentations, including anxiety, depression, substance use, pain, and transdiagnostic difficulties (Gloster et al., 2020). Since ACT was first studied in 1986, there have been over 1,039 randomized controlled trials examining ACT (Hayes, 2019). ACT has been studied in its application to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and studies have found that clients who receive ACT for OCD experience reduction in OCD symptoms, as well as additional reduction in concurrent depressive symptoms (Evey & Steinman, 2023; Philip & Cherian, 2021, Twohig et al., 2014; Twohig et al., 2010, Twohig et al., 2018). Rather than viewing OCD as a deficit or dysfunction, ACT uses a functional contextual approach to place the problem in the way one reacts to obsessive thoughts and urges, and how one becomes rigid in one’s behavioral responses in their contexts. ACT uses six core processes of change to reduce suffering and improve quality of life (Hayes et al., 2012). Each of the core processes of ACT are used to shift from OCD-based behaviors to connecting with one’s values in the face of obsessive thoughts and urges.

This workshop builds on the strong efficacy of ACT for OCD to provide attendees with a hands-on, interactive experience of the ACT core processes at work when ACT is integrated into Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD. Participants will gain a foundational understanding of ACT and its theoretical basis for application to OCD treatment. Experiential exercises and live role-play therapy demonstrations will be used to help participants see firsthand how ACT can be combined with Exposure and Responsive Prevention for enhanced treatment of OCD. Participants will leave with a strong understanding of how to engage clients in ACT for effective treatment of OCD, that not only reduces OCD symptoms, but leads to a more values-aligned life.

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Attendance and Location Details

Date and Time

**This is a 6-CE online seminar delivered virtually in real-time via an industry-standard webinar platform**

Friday, March 14, 2025 10:30am to 6:00pm CST / 11:30am to 7:00pm EST / 8:30am to 4:00pm PST

*Live Webinar Attendees: Zoom link and course materials will be made available to you 24-48 hours prior to event date

Agenda:

10:30am – 12pm: Theoretical Basis and Model of ACT for OCD
12pm – 12:15pm: Break
12:15pm – 1:45pm: Acceptance and Values for OCD
1:45pm – 2:45pm: Lunch
2:45pm – 4:15pm: Committed Action and Defusion for OCD
4:15pm – 4:30pm: Break
4:30pm – 6pm: Self-As-Context and Mindfulness for OCD

Objectives:

This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:

a). Learn and describe the core tenets, principles, and underlying theory of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy applied to OCD.

b). Explain each of the six core processes of ACT and their application to OCD.

c). Illustrate how ACT interventions can help individuals with OCD build psychological flexibility.

d). Identify and describe how to move fluidly through core processes in moment-to-moment experiences in session.

e). Explain how to create values-based exposures for OCD based on willingness and values.

f). Describe how to use cognitive defusion to notice and disengage from OCD-based thoughts and compulsive urges.

Target Audience:

The target audience for this event includes psychologists, social workers, counselors, MFT’s, psychiatrists and other clinical mental health professionals.

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Instructor(s): Emily Wharton, PsyD

Material Author(s): Emily Wharton, PsyD

Dr. Emily Wharton is a Clinical Psychologist providing psychotherapy to individuals and couples in her private practice, and a Clinical Instructor at the Cognitive Behavior Institute, where she teaches courses in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Dr. Wharton has also served in roles of Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, and licensed clinical psychologist in the Palo Alto VA. She has provided supervision and training for VA and Stanford psychiatry residents, medical students, and psychology trainees in ACT, DBT, and MI. Dr. Wharton trained at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium, San Francisco VA, UCSF, and Palo Alto VA. Dr. Wharton has also served as the Member-At-Large Director for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Wharton has given lectures and trainings for the Palo Alto VA, Stanford University, and the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science. Dr. Wharton has published papers and book chapters on ACT for PTSD, ACT for moral injury, mindfulness practices for anxiety disorders, and group trauma-focused CBT for parents of preterm infants. Learn more about Dr. Wharton at www.DrEmilyWharton.com/about-me.

For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.

Course Materials & Delivery Method:

• Course materials (including the link to view the scheduled live webinar) are made available to all registered attendees 24-48 hours before the event start time. 
• This training is interactive and provides opportunities to ask direct questions to the trainer as well as request immediate help from staff if needed. The attendee will view the presentation in real-time from their connected device via an industry-standard internet webinar platform.

CE Approvals:

Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not quality for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, 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: July 23, 2024 – July 23, 2025. Social workers completing this course receive [see advertisement] live interactive webinar continuing education credits.

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