Act for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors ─ Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Bridge Psychological and Spiritual Care

For the first time ever, three pioneers in the field of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) present an edited volume that outlines how the core ACT processes can be applied to religious and spiritual care approaches.

If you are a clergy leader or pastoral counselor, people struggling with difficult situations or life traumas frequently turn to you for guidance. And while you’re passionate about helping, you may be unprepared for counseling people with certain mental health challenges. On the other hand, if you are a psychotherapist, you may need guidance in supporting your client’s religious belief system in therapy. In either case, this book presents a powerful road map to help you provide the best care.

In this book, you’ll find a complete overview of ACT, as well as strategies for integrating ACT and issues related to spirituality. You’ll also learn how the core processes of ACT—such as commitment to change and values-based living—can be seamlessly tied into spiritual and religious counseling, no matter your faith or therapeutic background.

By teaching you how to fuse conceptual psychological and spiritual principles, this book will provide you with the tools needed to enhance your counseling skill set.

Jason A. Nieuwsma, PhD, is assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University, and serves as the Associate Director for the Mental Health and Chaplaincy program in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Nieuwsma has led multiple projects and authored numerous articles focused on improving the integration of mental health and spiritual care services, and has trained hundreds of chaplains and mental health professionals in the application of acceptance and commitment therapy.

Robyn D Walser, PhD, is associate director of the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division and associate clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting and therapy practice. Walser is developing innovative ways to translate science into practice, and is responsible for the dissemination of state-of-the-art knowledge and treatment interventions in her current position. Walser has coauthored three books, including Learning ACT, The Mindful Couple, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor and director of clinical training at the department of psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 38 books and over 540 scientific articles, his career has focused on analysis of the nature of human language and cognition, and its application to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering and promotion of human prosperity. Among other associations, Hayes has been president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. His work has received several awards, including the Impact of Science on Application Award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy.