Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health: An update on ACT research in children and young people

Led by Dr. Victoria Samuel the session starts with a general introduction to ACT and the concept of psychological flexibility, followed by a brief explanation of the hexaflex and the rationale behind it. We would then move on to reviewing the evidence across different settings (schools, clinical practice, and parents), while reflecting on methodological limitations and practical implications of the research findings.

Finally it will focus in on the example of the development of the Interactive Training in Emotional Resilience with ACT( InTER-ACT) a unique, engaging, evidence-based wellbeing programme for children and adolescents.

Learning outcomes

• To understand the aim and relevance of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for children and young people (CYP).
• To gain an overview of the state of the current evidence on ACT for CYP and the implications of these findings.
• To better understand key stages involved in developing new interventions, through the use of a case study on InTER-ACT – a universal ACT intervention for adolescents.