Harnessing Exposure and ACT for Healing Trauma

Harnessing Exposure and ACT for Healing Trauma

From Avoidance to Flexibility

2
CE Hours available

This training is a fundraiser for Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services, with proceeds benefitting the organization’s vital work treating simple and complex PTSD. We offer 3 donation tiers for participants to choose from.

Trauma-focused therapy often involves exposure to distressing memories to reduce the emotional intensity associated with traumatic events. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) integrates exposure with mindfulness and acceptance strategies to foster psychological flexibility in individuals experiencing trauma.

Unlike traditional exposure therapies that primarily focus on reducing symptoms through direct confrontation of trauma-related stimuli, ACT emphasizes flexibility in responding to internal experience, including pain, and the commitment to values-driven action, helping individuals shift their relationship with trauma-related thoughts and feelings.

This approach allows clients to anchor themselves in the present moment and engage in behaviors that align with their values, despite the presence of trauma-related distress.

Research shows that combining exposure-based strategies with ACT’s acceptance-based framework can enhance trauma treatment outcomes by reducing avoidance, decreasing emotional reactivity, and increasing engagement in meaningful activities. The collaborative integration of exposure and acceptance supports clients in cultivating resilience, moving beyond a symptom-reduction focus to achieve a richer, more fulfilling life in alignment with personal values.

This approach offers a promising framework for treating post-traumatic stress, with an emphasis on acceptance and growth rather than fear avoidance and control. 

This training offers 2 CE hours if attended live. We can only provide CE to those who are present via Zoom for the live sessions. However, the sessions will be recorded and available to watch later. Registrants may access these recordings at any time for up to nine months after the live training ends.

Before registering, please review conflict of interest disclosures and complete CE information here.

December 13, 2024, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. EDT

  • Review of ACT
  • Review of Exposure
  • Integrating ACT and Exposure for Trauma

Participants will be able to:

  1. Explain how exposure to distressing memories can reduce the emotional intensity associated with traumatic events and how this approach is used in trauma-focused therapy.
  2. Learn how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) incorporates exposure alongside mindfulness and acceptance techniques to foster psychological flexibility in individuals experiencing trauma.
  3. Distinguish between traditional exposure therapies focusing on symptom reduction through direct confrontation of trauma-related stimuli and ACT-based exposure, emphasizing acceptance and values-driven action.
  4. Develop skills to use ACT techniques such as acceptance, cognitive defusion, and values clarification to support clients in shifting their relationship with trauma-related thoughts and emotions, reducing avoidance, and promoting resilience.

We are still in the process of finalizing the CE approvals for this workshop, the full list will be displayed soon.

Thompson, B. L., Luoma, J. B., & LeJeune, J. T. (2013). Using acceptance and commitment therapy to guide exposure-based interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 43(3), 133-140. 

Ramirez, M. W., Woodworth, C. A., Evans, W. R., Grace, G. A., Schobitz, R. P., Villarreal, S. A., … & Terrell, D. J. (2021). A trauma-focused intensive outpatient program integrating elements of exposure therapy with acceptance and commitment therapy: Program development and initial outcomes. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 21, 66-72.Yu, S. (2018). Uncovering the hidden impacts of inequality on mental health: a global study. Translational psychiatry, 8(1), 1-10. 

Wharton, E., Edwards, K. S., Juhasz, K., & Walser, R. D. (2019). Acceptance-based interventions in the treatment of PTSD: Group and individual pilot data using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 14, 55-64. 

Molavi, P., Pourabdol, S., & Azarkolah, A. (2020). The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on posttraumatic cognitions and psychological inflexibility among students with trauma exposure. Archives of Trauma Research,, 9(2), 69-74. 

McLean, C., & Follette, V. M. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy as a nonpathologizing intervention approach for survivors of trauma. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 17(2), 138-150. 

Thompson-Hollands, J., Marx, B. P., & Sloan, D. M. (2019). Brief novel therapies for PTSD: written exposure therapy. Current treatment options in psychiatry, 6, 99-106. 

We understand, sometimes things come up!

Praxis will offer a full refund to registrants of both live and live-online trainings who cancel their registration up to 14 days before the course or workshop start date, minus an administrative processing fee of $30 for a 2-day workshop or online course, and a $50 fee for a 4-day workshop. If cancelled within 14 days, no refund will be issued, however, a credit for the same amount will be applied toward another learning product, which expires within 1 year. Please email us at online@praxiscet.com to cancel a registration.