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ACT as a Brief Intervention

Learn to do ACT briefly but effectively, in time-limited settings, with the evidence-based model of FACT: Focused Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.

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About This Online Training Course

4.6
Start date
Starts 01 December 2026
Length
6 weeks | 8 hrs total (12 months access)
Who this course is for
For Mental Health & Health Professionals, Coaches
Accreditation
8 CE / CMESee all accreditation details

Are you facing the challenge of optimising client outcomes with as few treatment sessions as possible? Practitioners often struggle when limited to just a few sessions, or short sessions of 20-30 minutes. That’s where FACT (Focused Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) comes in handy.  It’s an evidence-based adaptation of ACT, designed to be effective in a brief intervention format, that’s now widely used in the USA, Europe and New Zealand.

In this training, you’ll learn how to do ACT in as few as 1 to 6 sessions – even in sessions as short as 20 to 30 minutes. You’ll learn to streamline your existing ACT interventions, and also use new techniques, to work briefly but effectively with common clinical issues, including depression, anxiety, addiction, grief, hopelessness, self-criticism, chronic illness, stress, and more.

What You Will Learn

This six-week immersive course builds on foundational ACT training. It gives you focused tools and strategies for working confidently in any type of brief intervention setting. 

You will learn how to:

  • Use FACT as brief intervention for depression, anxiety disorders, addictions, stress, grief, medical problems and a wide range of other common issues.

  • Do an effective ACT intervention in as little as 5 to 10 minutes

  • Do rapid case formulation and treatment targeting

  • Introduce and actively practice with any core ACT process - defusion, acceptance, values, committed action, flexible attention, self-as-context – in less than 15 minutes 

You will also:

  • Discover exciting new research about the surprisingly high effectiveness of brief therapy interventions

  • Learn the art of focused interviewing skills

  • Observe  many clinical demonstrations of the specialised techniques and strategies at the core of FACT

ACT as a Brief Intervention
Normally $450
$275
Early Registration | Save $175
Offer ends on November 6
Enroll now
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Find out more
Learn FACT with Dr Russ Harris

Dr Russ Harris, MBBS, is an internationally-renowned ACT trainer, and author of the world’s best-selling book on ACT, The Happiness Trap. Russ’s background is in medicine. As a physician, he became increasingly interested in the psychological aspects of health and wellbeing, which ultimately led him to change careers and become a therapist.

Russ’s ACT training reaches an extensive global audience of health professionals, and he has authored nine books on the ACT model. His best-known work, The Happiness Trap, has sold over one million copies, with translations into over thirty languages.

Russ's popular textbook for professionals, ACT Made Simple, reflects his genuine passion for making the principles and practice of this evidenced-based therapy simple, clear and easy to put into practice.

Russ Therapy demonstration
Why Is It Useful To Master Brief Interventions?

In time-limited settings, it’s obviously essential to have as much clinical impact as possible in a short space of time. But even in standard therapy settings, insurance rebates are reducing, the cost of living is rising, therapy is increasingly unaffordable, so clients, more than ever before, are unwilling to have long term therapy. Therefore any health practitioner can benefit from learning how to have more impact in less time.

This course gives you a solid but flexible structure, and a wealth of practical tools, so you can compassionately guide your clients through life-enhancing change in a short space of time.

A Unique, Engaging Learning Experience

Your six-week learning journey will include:

  • Engaging in-depth video lessons: clinically rich, simple to understand, straightforward to apply, and delivered with Russ’s trademark playfulness and humour 

  • Powerful therapy demonstrations, that clearly show you how to put FACT into practice with a wide range of common issues, from depression and anxiety to addiction and chronic illness 

  • Practical tools and step-by-step guidance – with direct feedback from Russ Harris on a daily basis 

  • A wealth of additional written and audio materials, including eBooks, MP3 audios, and client handouts to keep!

intervention selector
Who Will Benefit From This Training?

This 6-week interactive training is ideal for practitioners who want to:

  • Strengthen and streamline their ACT skills, so they can work more efficiently

  • Use brief, practical strategies to rapidly foster cognitive flexibility, emotional flexibility, and behavioural flexibility

  • Quickly build clients’ skills in self-compassion, values-based problem-solving, ‘quick’n’simple defusion’, ‘mindfulness-on-the go’, and ‘rapid acceptance’

  • Do ACT in time-limited settings such as primary care, short in-patient stays, school or university counselling, prisons, EAPs, and crisis intervention services

Who This Course is For

ACT for Brief Interventions is open to any professional who works with physical or psychological health. This includes therapists, coaches, counselors, physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, physios, dietitians, occupational therapists, youth workers, BCBAs, speech therapists, and any other type of health professional - as well as students and researchers in these fields.

However, we recommend you have a solid beginners level understanding of ACT. This can include:

  • Attend an introductory level 2-day ACT workshop (with any trainer).

  • Complete our online ACT for Beginners course.

  • Work through a beginners-level ACT textbook, such as ACT Made Simple or Learning ACT.

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.

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

3 sessions in FACT illustration

Course Overview

Course Modules

Course Excerpts

 
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What People Say About This Course

4.6
1,265 participant ratings
98.4%
Would recommend this course to a colleague.
Angela McCaffertyPsychotherapist - Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK

I'd recommend ACT to every therapist to learn and use. I'd recommend Russ and the Psychwire course because the content and variation of techniques used, are sure to suit most if not all learners.

Keira NoblePsychologist - Sydney NSW, Australia

I found the content extremely useful. I enjoyed the delivery of the course- the humor and quick and succinct videos provided clarity and made it easy to review and learn the skill. The online videos of sessions were also fantastic to see the skills demonstrated with fluency.

Matt TaylorPsychologist - New Orleans, LA, USA

This course has helped me to make practical, effective changes in my practice and made me a better clinician. It's exactly what I was looking for. I enjoy getting to watch the sessions to see the different interventions used in a primary care setting.

Samantha FreemanPsychologist - Camden NSW, Australia

It's really practical and helpful with lots of resources. It's like I get to experience my own 'therapy' whilst I do the course and then understand more what it is to be the 'client'.

Barry TamPsychologist - Hong Kong

It has been very well in explaining therapy in a home-base learning format. Also, while breaking materials of a week down to different module and exercises, it helps us organize our knowledge we learned.

Julia TwynholmPsychologist - UK

Lots of case examples and chances to observe skills being used and practical tools to use. I like watching FACT in action and tools to apply it.

Continuing Education & Professional Development (CE/CME/CPD)

ACT as a Brief Intervention is designed for mental health professionals, health professionals and coaches worldwide. On completion you'll receive an official certificate of completion, which can be submitted to registration bodies for CPD.

This course is accredited for 8 CE/CME credit hours for US licensed professionals:

  • Psychologists - 8 CE hours, APA - co-sponsored with Amedco, an APA-approved sponsor

  • Social workers - 8 general CE credits, ASWB ACE

  • Physicians - 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, ACCME

  • Nurses - 8 contact hours, ANCC

  • Counselors, MFTs & addiction professionals - 8 hours, accepted by most US state boards via APA and ASWB ACE credit — see the state-by-state list

  • Approved CE activity with the New York State boards for Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, and Marriage & Family Therapy.

View the full learner notification for this course (PDF) - includes complete accreditation statements, state board acceptance lists, learning objectives and faculty disclosures.

be present, open up, do what matters

How Your Course Works

Build Skills Week by Week

New content is released weekly, designed to support steady learning and integration. You can follow the recommended schedule or move at your own pace.

Access Anytime for 12 months

You’ll have a full 12 months to explore the entire course, return to key ideas, and learn at your own pace. There's no set time to be online.

Supported While You Learn

Join our course forum to ask questions, share experiences, and connect with expert trainers and fellow professionals in a supportive environment.

Explore Bonus Content

Your course includes optional bonus content, so you can dig deeper into topics that matter most to you.

Download Free Digital Library

Download a library of extra tools and resources to enrich your learning and support your practice.

Receive a Certificate

Receive a certificate and the option to earn CE / CME credits upon completion of your course.

Frequently asked questions

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