Event Details

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a contextual behavioral approach with an emphasis on the use of the language research to inform clinical practice. This presentation will orient participants to the context, development, and use of ACT processes to promote client well-being, including the six core processes of psychological flexibility: acceptance, defusion, mindfulness, self-as-context, values, and committed action. Participants will learn ways to enhance psychological flexibility to improve mental health as well as behavioral changes both inside and outside of therapy sessions. Speaker Bio: Giselle Navarro is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Service Administration, and she is near-completion of a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. She also completed a Contextual Behavioral Therapy Fellowship at the University of Chicago to strengthen clinical skills in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Throughout her 10+ years as a clinician, she has worked in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, foster care, home-based, and intensive outpatient programs. She has facilitated DBT coping skills groups for clients with severe addictions, mental health concerns, and relationship distress for the past 4 years and has publications on Motivational Interviewing (in process) and religious coping for alcohol use disorders (2010). She has worked as a counselor specialist at Northern Illinois University’s Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS) for the past 3 years, leading the substance use assessment, prevention, and education program for college students. She currently works as a clinician in private practice and teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level courses at Northern Illinois University’s Department of Counseling and Higher Education.

Date/Time: 07/18/2022 10:00 AM - 07/18/2022 11:30 AM