About this course

Learning Objectives

• Describe the core principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the context of pain management
• Analyze ACT for chronic pain as a treatment modality and compare it with other evidence-based treatments for pain management
• Explain the six core processes (mindfulness, acceptance, cognitive defusion, self-as-context, value clarification, committed action) in treating those with chronic pain
• Explain the emotional impact of chronic pain and integrate ACT strategies for addressing and managing pain-related emotion
• Utilize treatment strategies and practical guidance to treat patients with chronic pain through ACT intervention

Learning Levels

• Beginner

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Phoebe Long, PhD

  Psychologist & Director of Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

  Dr. Phoebe Long is a licensed psychologist who works with older adolescents and adults. Authentic, attentive, and warm, Dr. Long uses her humor and inquisitiveness to develop a safe environment where clients feel supported and able to share vulnerabilities and struggles. She creates meaningful relationships with each client and helps them explore their life story, with a focus on enhancing their strengths and meeting their goals for therapy and beyond. Clients gain insights into how they tend to respond to stressors, and expand their framework for how to more effectively navigate stress and interpersonal concerns. Dr. Long relates especially well to young adults navigating life transitions, relationships, independence, and identity development. Her therapy style is empathetic and responsive to the unique needs of each client, with a goal of helping each person live a more meaningful life.

  Areas of Expertise: Dr. Long specializes in working with older adolescents and adults. She has experience treating anxiety disorders, depression, relationship issues, chronic health concerns, identity formation, personality disorders, life transitions, grief, and trauma. She also has significant training and experience in conducting psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations. Dr. Long’s style is integrative, blending structure from behavioral approaches with warmth and acceptance from interpersonal approaches. Her training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT) gives her a toolbox to draw from to promote skills such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, building acceptance of life experiences as they come, and living a values-based life.

  Experience and Training: Dr. Long earned her master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University at Albany, SUNY. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke University. She has worked in a variety of outpatient settings, including university counseling centers, private practice, the National Institutes of Health, and a community mental health center. She has received significant training in behavioral therapies, including ACT and DBT. Dr. Long completed her APA-accredited doctoral internship at the Catholic University of America and currently serves as the Director of The Ross Center's Postdoctoral Fellowship program. She is passionate about using her training and clinical experience to help facilitate insight and behavioral change with her patients.

References

• Blackledge, J. T. (2003). An introduction to relational frame theory: Basics and applications. The Behavior Analyst Today, 3(4), 421.
• Dahl, J., & Lundgren, T. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in the treatment of chronic pain. Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: Clinician’s guide to evidence base and applications, 285-306.
• Dahl, J., & Lundgren, T. (2006). Living beyond your pain: Using acceptance and commitment therapy to ease chronic pain. New Harbinger Publications.
• Feliu-Soler, A., Montesinos, F., Gutiérrez-Martínez, O., Scott, W., McCracken, L. M., & Luciano, J. V. (2018). Current status of acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain: a narrative review. Journal of Pain Research, 2145-2159.
• Hayes, S. Wilson.(1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change.
• Harris R. (2008). The happiness trap: How to stop struggling and start living. Boston: Shambhala Publications.
• Hayes, S. C., & Smith, S. (2005). Get out of your mind and into your life: The new Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications,Inc.
• Hayes, S. C, Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Hughes, L. S., Clark, J., Colclough, J. A., Dale, E., & McMillan, D. (2017). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for chronic pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 33(6), 552-568.
• Jonassen, D. H. (2006). A constructivist's perspective on functional contextualism. Educational Technology Research and Development, 43-47.
• Lombardero, A., Assemi, K. S., Jacobs, N. N., Houmanfar, R. A., Trejo Jr, S., & Szarko, A. J. (2023). An acceptance and commitment training (ACT) framework for teaching cultural humility: A guide for translating ACT from a therapeutic context into a medical education curriculum. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 30(2), 261-273.
• McCracken, L. (2015). ACT for Chronic Pain. Unpublished manuscript.
• Scott, W., & McCracken, L. M. (2015). Psychological flexibility, acceptance and commitment therapy, and chronic pain. Current Opinion in Psychology, 2, 91-96.
• Strosahl, K.D. , Robinson, P. J., & Gustavsson, T. (2012). Brief interventions for radical change: Principles and practice of focused acceptance and commitment therapy. New Harbinger Publications
• Vowles, K. E., & McCracken, L. M. (2008). Acceptance and values-based action in chronic pain: A study of treatment effectiveness and process. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(3), 397–407. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.3.397
• Vowles, K. E., & Sorrell, J. T. (2007). Life with chronic pain: An acceptance-based approach (therapist guide and patient workbook). Unpublished manuscript.
• Wetherell, J. L., Afari, N., Rutledge, T., Sorrell, J. T., Stoddard, J. A., Petkus, A. J., & Atkinson, J. H. (2011). A randomized, controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain. Pain, 152(9), 2098-2107.
• Woidneck, M. R., Pratt, K. M., Gundy, J. M., Nelson, C. R., & Twohig, M. P. (2012). Exploring cultural competence in acceptance and commitment therapy outcomes. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(3), 227.