ACT for Beginners

Join Dr Russ Harris in this absorbing six-week course, and learn how to help your clients reduce suffering and build meaningful lives with Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.

Russ Harris smiles against a background featuring abstract shapes in various shades of blue and white.

About the course

Start date

Starts 18 August 2026

Length

16hrs | 6 weeks

Who this course is for

For Mental Health Professionals, Health Professionals & Coaches

Accreditation

16 CE/CMESee all accreditation details

Organization Enquiries

Find out more

Do you ever feel frustrated, stuck, or overwhelmed, trying to support your clients in the face of their problems and suffering? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a creative, compassionate, mindfulness-based approach, to help your clients break free from their struggles, be kinder to themselves, and move forwards with their lives, guided by core values.

Join world-renowned ACT trainer Russ Harris as he brings Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to life in this interactive, online course. Russ will guide you step-by-step through the ACT model with humour and clarity, turning complex ideas into practical skills you can use in session.

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Learn ACT with Dr Russ Harris

Dr Russ Harris, the world’s most popular ACT trainer, makes ACT simple: easy to understand, straightforward to apply, in a format that's fun, engaging and inspiring.

Russ is the author of ACT Made Simple, the world’s best-selling textbook on the ACT model. A physician, psychotherapist, and world-leading authority on ACT, Russ is also a consultant to the World Health Organization. Although he’s written numerous books on ACT, the best known is The Happiness Trap, which has sold over 1.5 million copies.

Feel Supported as You Build Practical ACT Skills

Russ’s intensely practical program gives you complete flexibility to learn the art of ACT, whenever it suits you. You can zip through the whole training in just six weeks - or go more slowly, learn in depth, and let it sink in over months.

The course also includes a whole warehouse of powerful resources you simply won’t find anywhere else:

beautifully crafted video lessons,
humorous animations,
dynamic therapy sessions,
inspiring audio recordings,
uplifting eBooks,
and a stack of useful client handouts.

And you can ask questions, share experiences, and obtain feedback and support directly from Russ Harris, via our interactive forum.

Learn Simple, Effective ACT Approaches

This entire course has been carefully designed with our professional learners in mind, to ensure that you gain a comprehensive and practical grounding in the theory of ACT, which you can immediately put into practice with your clients or patients. You’ll learn how to:

Build authentic, compassionate, supportive therapeutic relationships
Interrupt and undermine rumination, worrying and obsessing
Foster a deep, genuine connection with values, for motivation, inspiration, and fulfilment
Shift from self-judgment to self-compassion (even when clients claim they ‘don’t deserve it’)
Take the power out of difficult thoughts, beliefs, rules, and judgments - without ever needing to challenge or dispute them
Take the power out of difficult feelings, emotions, urges and memories – without any attempt to escape, avoid, distract, or suppress.
Set clients free from inertia, indecision and hopelessness
Teach the art of ‘mindfulness on the go’: easy-to-do practices to focus and engage without meditation
Enable clients to access a transcendent sense of self
Dissolve procrastination and overcome barriers to change
Apply ACT effectively with a wide variety of clinical problems
‘Dance’ flexibly between core ACT processes in session, creatively adapting them as you go
Apply ACT to yourself, on your own stresses and struggles, to prevent burnout and make your work fulfilling. This not only gives you confidence in the model, but also authenticity with your clients!

Russ sits on a couch, leaning forward with his hands clasped, speaking to a woman seated opposite him in a bright, comfortable room with large windows.

Course Format & Suitability

For the first six weeks of course access, you’ll get 2-3 hours of new content each week (sixteen hours in total). And for the first twelve weeks, you can directly interact with Russ, via the forum - asking questions, sharing breakthroughs, getting feedback and support.

This course is suitable for therapists, counsellors, doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, coaches, and any other health professional. You can do it at any point in your career, whether you’re just starting out or highly experienced. You’ll learn the basics of ACT, in a fluid and flexible way, so you can use it as a stand-alone model, or combine it with other models you’ve trained in.

Enrollments

We're happy to help if you can't attend the current intake. Once your purchase is complete, contact our customer service team and we can enrol you in a future intake.

Upcoming intake dates:

August 18
October 13
December 8

If you need an invoice, please fill out the form here.

What You'll Learn

Course Goals

Get versatile with values and dance around with defusion
Discover five powerful tools to develop and strengthen psychological acceptance
Create focus, flexibility and fulfilment through contacting the present moment

Empower through acceptance and liberate through self-as-context
Ten powerful ways to rapidly reduce the believability of negative thoughts (without ever challenging them)
Seven surefire techniques to get to values
Learn the art of mindfulness without meditation and how to innovate your own mindfulness techniques

Course modules

Week 1: Opening ACT: What's it all about

Module one

We begin by introducing how this course works and what you can expect.

Module two

This module gives some vital contextual & background information on ACT.

Module three

We explore why it's hard to be happy, looking at the inevitability of pain and the challenges of caring.

Module four

We dive into the ACT 'Hexaflex' and 'Triflex'.

Module five

This module explores the core pathological processes in ACT, or what we like to call the 'Anti-Hexaflex'.

Module six

We investigate the 'choice point,' exploring key point & examples to guide your clients.

Module seven

This module focuses on the therapeutic relationship and its vital role as an ACT therapist.

Module eight

This practical module gives tips and tricks when setting up a session.

Module nine

This highly demonstrative module focuses on how to take a history in a session.

Module ten

We delve into establishing behavorial goals with your clients.

Module eleven

This module focuses on mindfulness and contacting the present moment.

Module twelve

This bonus module includes further therapy demonstrations and useful research.

Module thirteen

This highly practical module includes some reading & homework tasks to apply in your week with your clients.

Module fourteen

Quiz questions & conclusion

Week 2: Drop the struggle

Module one

We begin this week by exploring the concept 'I just want to be happy' and how we can guide our clients through this thought process.

Module two

We continue and delve into psycho-education about control, and investigate what's in our control.

Module three

This module focuses on the theory behind 'creative hopelessness.'

Module four

A practical module which demonstrates dealing with creative hopelessness in session.

Module five

We explore 'dropping the struggle' in this module.

Module six

This highly practical module delves into dropping anchor, giving practical exercises and demonstrations of this technique.

Module seven

Some practical tips and tricks when giving homework to clients.

Module eight

This module explores therapy sessions when things go wrong, covering ways to manage these difficult sessions.

Module nine

Some bonus content for you including more therapy demonstrations and exercises.

Module ten

This module contains exercises to try throughout the week on your own and with your clients.

Module eleven

Quiz questions and conclusion

Week 3: Watch your thinking

Module one

We begin week 3 by looking at cognitive fusion and defusion.

Module two

This module delves into the first steps of defusion.

Module three

We continue to look at defusion, going further with how to guide clients through this process.

Module four

This module tackles the concept of creative hopelessness with thoughts.

Module five

We explore some practical ideas to deal with clients who argue 'but it's true!'

Module six

This module explores playful defusion, with practical demonstrations and theory to ground your understanding.

Module seven

We consolidate our understanding of common defusion techniques in this module.

Module eight

This module explores mediative defusion, giving practical tips to set up the exercises.

Module nine

This module covers setting homework tasks for clients around defusion.

Module ten

A bonus module for you packed with exercises, more tips and tricks.

Module eleven

Weekly tasks and challenges to tackle during the week with your clients.

Module twelve

Quiz questions and week conclusion

Week 4: Take a stand

Module one

This week begins by introducing values.

Module two

We dive into the difference between goals and values.

Module three

Self-practice is the focus of this module where we explore our own values

Module four

We look at how to elicit values from our clients.

Module five

This module gives keys and ideas for values homework.

Module six

Highly practical demonstrations are featured as we learn by example in this module.

Module seven

We investigate what committed action is in this module.

Module eight

This module covers overcoming barriers in both ourselves and with our clients.

Module nine

The focus of this module is dealing with challenging situations and includes practical tips to guide.

Module ten

We dive into the nuts and bolts of goal-setting.

Module eleven

This bonus module includes therapy demonstrations and more insights on values.

Module twelve

This module has assignments and further readings for the week.

Module thirteen

Quiz questions and conclusion

Week 5: Hold yourself kindly

Module one

We begin this week by looking at acceptance and avoidance.

Module two

This module explores dropping anchor, defusion and acceptance.

Module three

Handy tips and tricks when getting your clients started on their journey of acceptance.

Module four

We delve into further acceptance metaphors and techniques to help guide your clients.

Module five

We focus on self-compassion in this module, looking at the building blocks of this practice.

Module six

Some homework tips and tricks in this module.

Module seven

This module explores keys for staying on track and re-directing focus.

Module eight

We look at linking values to pain to foster acceptance.

Module nine

A bonus module filled with tips and tricks to use with your clients.

Module ten

Further assignments and readings to enrich your learning.

Module eleven

Quiz questions and conclusion

Week 6: Bringing it all together

Module one

We begin this week by exploring what is the self-as-context.

Module two

We delve deeper into the self-as-context, and how to make this explicit with clients.

Module three

We continue and explore self-as-context metaphors

Module four

We dive into the conceptualised self and the function of self-concept.

Module five

We build on our understanding with self-as-context exercises.

Module six

A practical module with demonstrations of self-as-context interventions.

Module seven

We delve into client confusion with practical tips and tricks to help guide clients in session.

Module eight

We focus on mindful savoring and appreciating.

Module nine

This module delves into using ACT flexibly.

Module ten

We take a pause and focus on therapist self-care.

Module eleven

We bring it all together in this conclusion.

Module twelve

Further readings, assignments and important messages to enrich your learning.

Module thirteen

A bonus module packed with enriching content and therapy demonstrations.

Module fourteen

Quiz questions and finishing comments.

Accredited Continuing Education Credits

This ACT for Beginners training is designed for mental health professionals, health professionals and coaches worldwide. Upon completion, you'll receive an official certificate that may be submitted to relevant registration or licensing bodies for continuing professional development, where applicable.

16 CE/CME credits are designated for a range of licensed mental health professions, including:

psychologists, social workers, counsellors,
physicians, nurses,
marriage and family therapists,
addiction professionals.

Acceptance for other professions may vary by board and jurisdiction. View the complete CE/CME accreditation details and board approvals here.

How Your Course Works

Two course bundle - save $685Full price $1140

ACT for BeginnersJoin Dr Russ Harris in this absorbing six-week course, and learn how to help your clients reduce suffering and build meaningful lives with Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.

Select intake date

ACT as a Brief Intervention

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Two Course Bundle

ACT for Beginners

ACT as a Brief Intervention

TOTAL

$455

Full price $1140|Save $685

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Two course bundle - save $730Full price $1215

ACT for BeginnersJoin Dr Russ Harris in this absorbing six-week course, and learn how to help your clients reduce suffering and build meaningful lives with Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.

Select intake date

ACT for Perfectionism and People Pleasing

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Two Course Bundle

ACT for Beginners

ACT for Perfectionism and People Pleasing

TOTAL

$485

Full price $1215|Save $730

Enroll Now

Two course bundle - save $685Full price $1140

ACT for BeginnersJoin Dr Russ Harris in this absorbing six-week course, and learn how to help your clients reduce suffering and build meaningful lives with Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.

Select intake date

ACT for Grief and Loss

Select intake date

Two Course Bundle

ACT for Beginners

ACT for Grief and Loss

TOTAL

$455

Full price $1140|Save $685

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See All ACT Training

ACT for Beginners

About the course

What You'll Learn

Course Goals

Week 1Opening ACT: What's it all about

Week 2Drop the struggle

Week 3Watch your thinking

Week 4Take a stand

Week 5Hold yourself kindly

Week 6Bringing it all together

Course excerpts

Accredited Continuing Education Credits

How Your Course Works

Can I keep the ACT course materials?

Will ACT for Beginners give me a solid foundation in ACT principles?

Is this course useful even if I already know about mindfulness?

How is ACT for Beginners different from Russ's books or the in person workshops?

What certificates are available for this course?

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