Building on the Basics: ACT Impactful Strategies Part 2
Building on the Basics: ACT Impactful Strategies Part 2
Early Registration rates available through April 30, 2026.
Friday, June 5, 2026
9:00 AM to 12:15 PM EST
Live Webinar via Zoom
3 CEs
THIS IS PART 2 OF 2, designed specifically for those who attended Part 1.
Completion of Part 1 is required for participation in this live webinar. If you did not attend the event in January 2026, you can take Part 1 as a recorded webinar by registering here.
Testimonials about Part 1
Excellent presentation. Joel is knowledgeable and passionate on the subject and very articulate.
This presentation was so helpful.
Amazing 3 hours. Love the way foundational theory and practical information and examples were shared together.
This was inspirational! Game changing!
It was an authentic & powerful experience.
About Part 1 of this Workshop
In the past, when preparing ACT workshops, I usually began with the theoretical model—the concepts and processes that form the foundation of the approach. This time, however, I began with a project of reflecting on 25 years of using ACT in clinical practice, asking what the work has actually been like in the therapy room and what has genuinely helped the people I met there. This presentation emerges from that different starting point, guided by a few essential questions: What has truly worked? What has helped people suffer less and thrive more? What strategies have reliably created real-world impact? This workshop will provide an entry—or a re-entry—into the heart of ACT: a practical, flexible set of strategies rooted in compassion, values, and a clear-eyed understanding of human suffering and change. It will serve as a solid starting point for those new to ACT and a useful reminder and re-orientation for those who have been using the model for years. Take Part 1.
About Part 2 of this workshop
This workshop will pick up where the first left off. Joel will share additional examples of “lessons learned” about ACT best practices from using ACT in various settings: a 10-week ACT-based program in a local pain clinic, behavioral integration work in a diabetes clinic, individual therapy in a private practice, and a VA addictions clinic. We will dive more deeply into the six ACT core processes of Acceptance, Defusion, Values, Committed Action, Present Moment awareness, and Self-as-Context. Part 2 will extend the learning of content back onto participants’ own cases, challenging participants to think through and conceptualize from an ACT lens.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Identify examples of experiential avoidance in their own clients.
Identify examples of the “inside-out” trap in their own client cases.
Generate cognitive defusion interventions in response to a sample case.
Explain how to do values work—raising the salience of clients’ values to counter powerful feeling and mood states (e.g., depression, anxiety, pain).
Describe how clients (or anyone) can practice acceptance/allowing as behaviors or skills.
Describe subtle ways to incorporate mindfulness into the process or flow of ACT work—not just as discrete exercises.
Bio – Joel Guarna, PhD
Joel Guarna is a licensed psychologist in the state of Maine. He earned his PhD from Bowling Green State University in 2000 and trained at the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology. He later served as a staff psychologist in the VA Healthcare System in Boston. He has worked in a variety of medical settings including the MMC Diabetes Center in Scarborough and the Mercy Pain Center. He was a Clinical Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine while serving as Behavioral Health Faculty Lead at the MMC Family Medicine Residency. Joel ran his private practice in Portland for 18 years. In 2024, he joined Psychology Specialists of Maine (PSM) as Director of Education and Training, where he coordinates a variety of educational experiences and continues to see a caseload of clients. Joel has been a student of ACT since 1999 and has given over 50 presentations on ACT both locally and at regional and international conferences from Seattle to London. He is a founding member of the Southern Maine ACT (SMACT) community and remains active in leading study groups and providing consultation through SMACT.
Continuing education
Psychology Specialists of Maine (PSM) has been designated by the Maine Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a pre-approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists in Maine. This program has been approved for 3 (three) CE hour(s) of Category One CE credits. Our programs are led by experts and specialists who provide advanced clinical training focused on expanding interventions and techniques for therapists in agencies and private practice. This program was designed to meet the continuing education requirements of psychologists, counselors, and social workers licensed in Maine. All participants are requested to retain a copy of the event flyer and Certificate of Completion for documentation when renewing their license.
Need to Cancel?
Please review the Cancellation Policy for this event.
