Acceptance and commitment therapy

Professor Bruce Arroll discusses acceptance and commitment therapy. Bruce is a GP in south Auckland, Director of the Goodfellow Unit and professor in the department of general practice and primary health care at the University of Auckland.

Topics

What is ACT?
Concept of people who are stuck and then transitioning them to flexibility.
Processes that underline acceptance and commitment therapy.
How practical is all of this in the constraints of a 15-minute consult?
Conditions that benefit from ACT include depression, chronic pain, diabetes, chronic fatigue.

Take home messages

There are treatment outcome benefits when you focus on the patient's values as it helps you understand what the patient is willing to do to support their treatment vs what you think they are willing to do.
Being active in your approach by using ACT often works better than empathy and a box of tissues for many patients.
A way to preface a change discussion: 'If you're having a bad day you can't make yourself feel better by sitting still – you need to start doing things'.