The Little ACT Workbook

134 Pages·2017·1 MB·English

by  Michael Sinclair

The Little ACT Workbook: An Introduction to Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy: a mindfulness-based guide to leading a full and
meaningful life

This edition first published in Great Britain in 2016 by Crimson
Publishing Ltd 19–21 Charles Street
Bath
BA1 1HX

© Dr Michael Sinclair and Dr Matthew Beadman, 2016

The right of Dr Michael Sinclair and Dr Matthew Beadman to be
identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it
shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or
otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any
form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and
without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on
the subsequent purchaser. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic and mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without prior permission of Crimson Publishing.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78059 243 5

Typeset by IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd Printed and bound in Malta
by Gutenberg Press Ltd
Contents
About the Authors
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: So what’s new about ACT?
Chapter 2: A radically different approach
Chapter 3: Wake up!
Chapter 4: Loosen up!
Chapter 5: Step up!
Chapter 6: Round up
Recommended reading
Further useful resources
This little book packs a big punch. You can use it as either a rapid
refresher course or a brief but powerful introduction to ACT. With an
engaging and easy-to-read style, Mike Sinclair and Matt Beadman take
you step-by-step through the theory and practice of Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy, and show you how to enrich and enhance your
sessions with the core ACT processes. You’ll learn how to wake up,
loosen up and step up to create a richer, fuller, more meaningful life. An
excellent addition to your ACT library.
Dr Russ Harris
Author of ACT Made Simple and The Happiness Trap

The Little ACT Workbook is one of the clearest and best-written
presentations of ACT I’ve seen. Short and practical, you can put it in your
pocket and begin immediately to relate to your own life in a new way.
Highly recommended.
Steven C. Hayes
Co-developer of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and
author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life

The Little ACT Workbook is a wonderful introduction to how to succeed in
life. Based on clear scientific principles and evidence, it may surprise,
intrigue, amuse or inspire. It will ask you to look at your circumstance in
an entirely different way than you have done before. What you will see is
that our goals and our difficulties are connected, our own thoughts are as
likely to help as to mislead, and one sure way to lose is to refuse to
participate. What you will do is up to you.
Lance M. McCracken, PhD
Professor of Behavioural Medicine, King’s College London

The Little ACT Workbook by Michael Sinclair and Matthew Beadman is
an excellent introduction to how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
(ACT) can help you to pursue a life of meaning and purpose. The authors
have brilliantly distilled the essence of ACT, drawing upon the most up-
to-date science that underpins this new approach to cognitive
behavioural therapy. This is a clear, engaging guide as to why we
struggle with unwanted thoughts and feelings, and what steps you can
take for an alternate, effective approach to life’s experiences. The book
uses carefully chosen exercises and metaphors that will strengthen your
ability to be aware of and, most importantly, do what most matters to you.
Dr Eric Morris
Director of the La Trobe University Psychology Clinic, Melbourne
Australia, and co-author of ACTivate Your Life

Want to learn how to get unstuck and get moving in life? Dr Michael
Sinclair and Dr Matthew Beadman have written an accessible, fun and
practical book that will open you up to the skills to do just that. They
artfully bring together the key components of Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy, a powerful and scientifically grounded
mindfulness-based behavioural change programme. I would highly
recommend this book.
Dr Joe Oliver
Co-author of ACTivate Your Life

I just loved reading this book. It is so practical in its’ organisation and
written in everyday language that is easy to understand. The authors
systematically teach three core ideas which are at the heart of ACT:
wake up, loosen up and step up. In each section, they provide numerous,
easy-to-follow daily strategies to help increase your ability to be in the
present moment, to practise detachment when you are in troubled
waters, and to live your life guided by what really matters to you. The
case examples used to highlight key concepts are really well done. The
authors have succeeded at their goal of making ACT refreshingly simple
to understand and utilise in daily life.
Kirk Strosahl, PhD
Co-founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and
author of In This Moment: Five Steps to Transcending Stress
Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience
About the authors
Dr Michael Sinclair CPsychol CSci AFBPsS is a Consultant
Counselling Psychologist registered with the Health and Care
Professions Council, UK. He is an Associate Fellow of the British
Psychological Society (BPS), a Chartered Scientist registered with the
Science Council and a Senior Practitioner on the Register of
Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy (BPS). Following several
years working within the NHS, Michael now works as the Clinical Director
of City Psychology Group (CPG) in London. He is an experienced ACT
practitioner who has delivered the highest quality psychological treatment
and training for over 16 years. Michael provides ACT interventions to
people of all ages, couples and families, who are experiencing a range of
psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. He provides
ACT coaching to corporate executives, as well as ACT supervision to
other psychologists. Michael has published a range of mindfulness-based
self-help books, as well as academic papers on his research and
practice. He is committed to helping people to live full and meaningful
lives.
Dr Matthew Beadman CPsychol is a Clinical Psychologist accredited by
the British Psychological Society and registered with the Health and Care
Professions Council, UK. He works as a Clinical Associate at City
Psychology Group (CPG) in London. He has a keen interest and
expertise in applying ACT for pain management and is also employed as
a Clinical Psychologist within the NHS. Matthew has published peer-
reviewed research in a number of clinical areas, written reviews of the
evidence supporting ACT interventions, and published experimental
research exploring core ACT processes. Matthew has worked as a
psychologist in the NHS and prison service for over ten years and is
particularly interested in delivering brief, practical interventions, which
create meaningful change for his clients within a shorter period of time.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to our ‘nearest and dearest’ (you know who you are!) and all
our colleagues for their support and patience while we have written this
book. We’d also like to thank all the people we have had the pleasure to
meet and serve in our work over the years. We are deeply grateful to you
for sharing your experiences and a part of your life with us; without you
this book would not have been possible. Lastly, but by no means least,
we want to express our deepest gratitude to the entire Association for
Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS); we are extremely lucky to be
part of such an inspiring community.