The Top 10 Resources For Learning About Acceptance And Commitment Therapy
I use ACT with both individuals and couples so it may be that you are working with me therapeutically or just interested in ACT.
Wherever your ACT experience lies, here’s a list of some of the stuff that’s out there on ACT that’s really worth reading.
If you click on any of the amazon links in this post you will be taken to the website or the correct book on amazon to save you the hassle of searching for it (and for which I earn about 10p in affiliate sales – yippee, I’m gonna be rich!)
New to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy? Start here
An Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – An Online Course
This is my own online course that will take you through the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model.
It includes videos, audio tracks and written exercises to really help you get to grips with ACT.
You can apply the model to your own life and take the learning at your own pace. It’s a great course, but I would say that because I created it!
Click here to be taken to the online course website.
Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Course suggested reads
The Happiness Trap – Russ Harris
It’s one of those books where you find yourself saying “oh yeah, I do that” out loud as you read it. Harris explains ACT simply, includes exercises you can apply to your own life, and makes the whole thing feel accessible rather than academic. I recommend this to every client and it’s the perfect starter if you’re thinking about coming on my Introduction to ACT course. Get it on Amazon here.
ACT Made Simple – Russ Harris
If there’s one book I recommend more than any other to therapists wanting to learn ACT, it’s this one. Russ Harris takes a model that could easily disappear up its own hexaflex and makes it genuinely usable. Clear language, practical exercises, ready-to-use scripts for sessions — it’s the book that makes ACT feel doable rather than daunting. Get it on Amazon here.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – The Process and Practice of Mindful Change
This is the seminal text — the place where it all started. I haven’t put it in the beginner section for good reason: open it without some ACT knowledge and you’ll wonder what on earth you’ve got yourself into. Come back to it once you’ve got the basics and your understanding will improve considerably. Just take it slow. Get it on Amazon here.
The ACT Matrix
This book takes the core ACT concepts and gives you a way to explain the whole model to clients in about five minutes. Genuinely useful in the room. Worth noting — the matrix I use and teach has developed from Mark Webster’s version, so expect some differences from what’s in the book. Get it on Amazon here.
Loops by Mark Webster
A short download-only book that explains Functional Contextualism in plain English, then shows you how to use loops to explain why we get stuck in unhelpful behaviour patterns. Essential reading if you’re on my intermediate course — and it’s only a couple of quid. Get it on Amazon here.
Learning ACT – Luoma, Hayes and Walser
A skills training manual for ACT therapists that breaks the model down into competencies. Not the easiest read, but if you work through it properly — exercises, DVD and all — you’ll come out the other side with a much more solid grasp of ACT in practice. Get it on Amazon here.
Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – Darrah Westrup
I love this book. It’s as much about how to be a good therapist as it is about ACT — Westrup focuses on where ACT therapists go wrong, get confused, or get stuck, and gives really practical advice on the trickier parts of the modality. I read it cover to cover in a few days, which is high praise from me. Get it on Amazon here.
So there we go. If you start with these books and websites and read them all you will have a great start in understanding and practicing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Do you have a favourite book that I don’t mention here? Why not mention it in the comments below?