The centre are pleased to bring you an opportunity to train with the Centre Directors Stuart Ralph and Jonny Say in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Skills for OCD treatment.
Who is this training for?
This presentation is for practitioners (mental health professionals) in the area of treatment of OCD. In this three-hour online workshop scheduled for Friday 16th January, 2026, from 12pm UK time (7am New York) for qualified and trainee counsellors, psychotherapists, and psychologists experienced in working with OCD, this training explores the ACT tools we use for OCD therapy. A basic understanding of ACT and the hexaflex will help as this won’t be covered on this training as we are focusing on the skills primarily.
What is ACT for OCD?
ACT is now recommended in combination with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as a frontline treatment for OCD by the International OCD Foundation. ACT provides a systematic approach to being able to mindfully observe obsession (intrusive thoughts), let go of compulsions and voluntarily direct one’s attention to what matters most in that moment. In other words, it provides tools to help clients do the Response Prevention (RP) part of ERP more effectively. Many clients struggle to just ‘sit with obsessions and associated emotions’ and ‘drop compulsions’. ACT provides a framework to learn to do this.
ACT also enables clients to connect their ERP work more closely to their values and goals for living a meaningful life. This enables clients to relate more deeply to a values-based motivation to do the hard work of OCD recovery.
Why this training?
Stuart and Jonny will take participants through a sequence of ACT tools that are helpful in OCD treatment. We will introduce the practices and demonstrate in role play how we use them with our clients. We will discuss common barriers and ways to overcome them.
This will provide participants with an ACT toolkit to use with their clients and increase participants understanding on how to integrate ACT into ERP. This helps therapists to increase buy in, reduce dropout rate, offer approaches for clients that struggle with typical ERP and increase rewarding and meaningful engagement in the process.
Participants will learn how to work with resistance and difficulties clients have when trying to engage in ERP, or when practicing ACT tools.
Therapist learning objectives
1) Learn a sequence of core ACT tools to help clients with thoughts (intrusive thoughts and mental compulsions), feelings (emotions, sensations, impulses, hyperawareness) and urges (to do compulsions or maladaptive coping methods)
2) Learn ACT skills to support motivation (values & goals, workability)
3) Practice and observe the tools being used, to get a feel for how this can be applied in therapy sessions
4) Feel confident to start to use the tools with your clients to compliment ERP
5) Discuss and understand some of the main barriers to ACT skills with clients and how to overcome them
The last segment of this presentation will allow participants to ask questions about the material presented. Participants will also be encouraged to ask questions regarding client examples within their current treatment, struggles etc. This section will be available to participants on the day but not the download released at a later date.
Trainer: Stuart Ralph and Jonny Say
Key points
This training in on 16th January 2026 at 12pm to 3pm UK.
It will be recorded. You will have 6 month’s access to the live recording.
The QA will be available in the live version of the training, not the
replay - don’t miss out.
Price: Early bird rate - £70 before 30th November 2025 (£100 there after)
Please note: This training is only open to therapists and other mental health professionals.