Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) combines acceptance and mindfulness strategies with commitment and behavior change strategies. Its aim is psychological flexibility: being in contact with the present moment and acting in line with chosen values.
Primary sources: ACBS: about ACT, ACBS: ACT certification and training, ACBS: interview with Steven Hayes on the history of ACT
We give you information and answer for how we select it. Check terms, prices and dates with the organiser.
We do not run courses. Each programme has a link to the organiser and a check date.
ACBS, international
The association’s page on learning ACT. It links to a directory of ACT trainers, a calendar of workshops and conferences, and supervision and peer consultation listings. The page says the ACT community has decided not to formally certify therapists.
Praxis, listed by ACBS
An online foundational course taught by Steven Hayes: 10 modules and about 16 hours of video, with written materials, real-plays, clinical tapes and audio exercises. The listing says it is not a beginners’ course and does not mention a certificate or CE credits.
Listed byACBS online learning list (a listing, not accreditation)
Contextual Consulting, UK
A UK provider of ACT training, supervision and therapy. The page lists live workshops with set dates and on-demand courses, from an introduction to the ACT model to ACT for specific groups and conditions, and mentions an ACT pathway. It states no entry requirements or certificates.
Listed byACBS online learning list (a listing, not accreditation)
Portland Psychotherapy Training, USA
Live courses and webinars on ACT-informed exposure, interoceptive exposure, values, and ACT for shame and self-criticism. Hours are not stated. The site says it is approved by the APA to offer continuing education credits.
Listed byACBS online learning list (a listing, not accreditation)
Channel: Joe Oliver (Contextual Consulting) · Checked: November 1, 2026
Michael Twohig on approaching exposure from an ACT perspective: psychological flexibility, value-driven action, tying exposures to a client’s values and building a context that supports the work.
Open on YouTube ↗Channel: Joe Oliver (Contextual Consulting) · Checked: November 1, 2026
Joe Oliver shows how to use values conversation cards, developed by Louise Hayes, to open conversations about what matters to a client, with young people or adults.
Open on YouTube ↗Practitioner registries, training standards, conferences. The links go to official sites; the descriptions are ours.
international
The international association for contextual behavioral science. Its site lists peer-reviewed ACT trainers, an events calendar, supervisors and peer consultation groups, chapters and special interest groups, and the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.
UK and Ireland
The regional chapter of ACBS: a members’ hub with a map to find members locally, an events and jobs directory and a blog. Members first join the international ACBS and then the chapter.
Short scales to see the starting level and change over time. They are screening, not a diagnosis.
Many tests can be sent to a client as a link (a button on the test page), and the result comes to your email. If answers show signs of risk, the test shows help lines.
ACBS states there is no ACT certification process and no such thing as an officially certified ACT therapist; it keeps a list of peer-reviewed trainers, which is not a certification. Check who teaches, how much practice and supervision is included, and what you receive at the end.
ACT grew out of the behavioral tradition (the third wave of CBT) but sets a different aim: psychological flexibility, meaning contact with the present and changing or keeping behavior in line with chosen values. The client learns to relate differently to difficult thoughts and sensations.
In our catalogue the ACT filter shows PSWQ (worry), SCS-SF (self-compassion) and CBI (burnout). These are general scales: they can be sent to a client as a link and repeated to see change.
Entry rules are set by the provider and depend on the country. Some trainings are open to mental health professionals in general, others state no entry requirements. Read the conditions on the programme page.
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