ACT for Depression and Anxiety Disorders
This powerful, practical, and simple-to-apply course, with support from Dr. Russ Harris in a dedicated forum, covers all aspects of depression and anxiety disorders, including suicidality.
About the course
Start date
Starts 23 June 2026Length
16hrs | 6 weeksWho this course is for
For Mental Health Professionals, Health Professionals Organization Enquiries
Find out moreDepression and anxiety disorders are incredibly common, frequently co-occur, and are often challenging to treat – especially if clients are suicidal. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of research supporting Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) not just for depression and anxiety disorders, but also for their comorbidity. (Indeed, some studies show significant long-term results from as few as three hours of therapy!)
This in-depth training will give you a wealth of practical tools and strategies to work quickly, effectively and compassionately with the full spectrum of depression and anxiety disorders – including mandated or suicidal clients. You’ll learn how to work both ‘top down’ (e.g. defusing from schemas and core beliefs) and bottom up (e.g. mindful grounding and interoceptive exposure).
And the good news is, you don’t have to be an ‘ACT purist’; you can freely use these methods with other models.
$590
Starts 23 June
ACT for Depression and Anxiety DisordersEnroll now
$590
Late enrollments
ACT Interventions that Stick
This course is led by Russ Harris, the world’s leading ACT trainer. It includes an interactive forum where you can connect with Russ daily, to ask questions, share experiences, and get feedback, as you learn how to:
Win over coerced, reluctant or ambivalent clients
Foster defusion from hopelessness, even on the first visit
Rapidly interrupt and undermine rumination, worrying, and obsessing
Motivate the unmotivated
Implement compassionate, values-guided exposure
Develop self-compassion (and overcome common barriers like “I don’t deserve it”)
Foster defusion from ‘rigid thinking’, core beliefs and schemas (without any need to challenge or dispute)
Accept intense feelings of anxiety
Help clients find meaning and fulfilment even when they say: “life is meaningless”, “nothing matters”, “I have no values”
Effectively target suicidality, and create simple relapse plans
You’ll also learn how to flexibly adapt your interventions on the fly, meeting clients where they are while maintaining momentum and rapport. Gain the skills to:
Use compassionate, flexible exposure to address anxiety at its core
Work with function and process to target problematic behaviours effectively
Introduce quick, simple mindfulness practices for clients who struggle to meditate
Learn ACT-congruent emotion regulation strategies
Build skills in values-based problem-solving and action-planning,
Introduce ‘mindful ceasefires’: the antidote to ‘panic attacks’
Incorporate relaxation and self-soothing techniques where needed
Learn From The World’s Leading ACT Trainer
This course is led by internationally-acclaimed ACT trainer, Dr Russ Harris
Russ is both a physician and psychotherapist, and has trained over 90,000 health practitioners around the globe.
He is the author of the million-copy bestseller, The Happiness Trap, and the number one ACT textbook worldwide, ACT Made Simple.
His trainings are acclaimed for being fun, engaging, simple and practical.
Russ will guide you through the course and interact with you regularly via the forum.
Learning That's Practical and Fun
Russ has a loathing of dull, boring training, so he’s gone out of his way to make this course fun, engaging, and incredibly practical. Each lesson is clear, engaging, and thoughtfully crafted, so you can stay focused, absorb key ideas, and build confidence in using them.
You’ll learn at your own pace through:
Beautifully produced video lessons that are clear, practical, and clinically rich
Therapy demonstrations showing how ACT unfolds, fluidly and flexibly
Real-world case examples to deepen your clinical understanding
Many downloadable tools and client resources – including scripts, audios, and handouts - to help ‘scaffold’ new skills in between sessions
Playful, light-hearted animations to bring some humour and lightness to your learning
You'll move beyond theory into real-world clinical application, learning how to deliver structured, compassionate therapy that makes a real difference in clients' lives.
Flexible Learning: 12 Months Access
The online format gives you total flexibility to learn whenever it suits you.
Each week, for the first six week, 2.5 hours of new content will be released.
For the first 12 weeks, Russ will be available every day (except weekends), to answer your questions or give you guidance, via the interactive forum
On top of that, you’ll have access to the whole course for 12 months – so you can watch all your favourite videos again.
And of course, you can keep all the audio and written materials forever (and freely share them with clients, if desired).
Who Should Attend?
This course is open to, and useful for, any professional who works with physical or psychological health. This includes therapists, coaches, counsellors, 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.
Prerequisites
It’s not essential, but before enrolling, we recommend you do one of the following:
Attend an introductory level 2-day ACT workshop (with any ACT trainer).
Complete Russ's online ACT for Beginners course
Work through a beginners-level textbook, such as ACT Made Simple.
Enrollments
We're happy to help if you can't attend the current intake. Please contact our customer service once your purchase is finalized, and we can enroll you in the intake of your choice. If you would like to request an invoice, please fill out a form here.
Course Overview
Course Modules
Week 1: Light On The Horizon
Module one
We begin by introducing the course and the various ways you can engage with the content.
Module two
This module focuses on understanding depression and anxiety through the lens of the ACT model.
Module three
We tackle case formulation in this module, with practical strategies and resources to use with your clients.
Module four
This module explores how to flexibly use ACT within your clinical practice.
Module five
We focus on setting up sessions, with therapy demonstrations from Russ Harris.
Module six
We focus on establishing therapy goals, with demonstrations that model key ideas.
Module seven
This module contains simple and powerful strategies to help foster defusion.
Module eight
Optional bonus module that explores the choice point, with demonstrations and teaching to guide your learning.
Module nine
Optional bonus module addressing combining medication with ACT.
Module ten
Optional bonus module that provides expert clinical tips for the ACT newbie.
Module eleven
Quiz questions.
Week 2: Stepping Out Of The Battle
Module one
We kick off this week by discussing the importance of setting an agenda at the start of sessions.
Module two
This module provides a comprehensive recap and practical steps for addressing Creative Hopelessness.
Module three
This module explores dropping the struggle, with demonstrations by Russ Harris to enrich your learning.
Module four
This module focuses on acceptance and self-compassion.
Module five
We investigate the powerful strategy Dropping Anchor, and its interplay with acceptance.
Module six
We explore worry rumination in this module, packed with metaphors and imagery to guide your learning.
Module seven
This module teaches the Dipping In And Out Of The Stream exercise, along with demonstrations by Russ Harris.
Module eight
This module focuses on cognitive flexibility.
Module nine
Bonus module containing several core ACT competencies.
Module ten
Bonus module showcasing therapy demonstrations of playful defusion techniques.
Module eleven
Quiz questions
Week 3: Forging A New Path
Module one
This module provides practical techniques for working with any problematic behaviour.
Module two
We discuss the important clinical considerations regarding validation and normalisation.
Module three
This module addresses how to work with clients struggling with motivation.
Module four
Values are at the centre of this module, with demonstrations by Russ Harris to guide your learning.
Module five
This module discusses committed action; translating values into goals and actions.
Module six
This module explores the 7 Rs to help strengthen new skills and patterns of behaviour.
Module seven
We learn about values-based problem solving in this module.
Module eight
This module explores defusion from rigid rules.
Module nine
This module contains additional skills for working with depression and anxiety.
Module ten
Optional bonus module highlighting how to resolve values-conflicts.
Module eleven
Optional material discussing how the ACT model addresses a client’s past.
Module thirteen
Quiz questions
Week 4: Acceptance & Exposure
Module one
This module delves into the crucial application of ACT-based exposure for clients with depression and anxiety.
Module two
We turn to understanding the interplay between exposure and acceptance.
Module three
This module addresses the development of acceptance skills through the use of metaphors.
Module four
We investigate exposure hierarchies in this high practical module.
Module five
This module explores the application of exposure to panic attacks.
Module six
Bonus module containing recent research on the efficacy of exposure.
Module seven
Optional content containing in-depth therapy demonstrations.
Module eight
Optional content packed with ACT-based emotion regulation strategies.
Module nine
Bonus module with demonstrations related to brainstorming exposure tasks.
Module ten
Quiz questions
Week 5: From Suicidality To Self-Compassion
Module one
We begin week five by introducing early interventions for addressing suicide.
Module two
This module discusses how to adapt core ACT processes with suicidal clients.
Module three
This module demonstrates how to work with suicidal clients in therapy.
Module four
We explore building self-compassion in this module, with step-by-step practical strategies.
Module five
This module troubleshoots goal-setting and confidence issues with clients.
Module six
Optional bonus module containing scripts for developing self-compassion.
Module seven
Quiz questions
Week 6: An Open Mind
Module one
We begin this week by tackling resistance to change.
Module two
We investigate how to handle mandated, coerced or reluctant clients in this module.
Module three
This module explores flexible-selfing, with demonstrations by Russ Harris to enrich your learning.
Module four
This module focuses on addressing sleep difficulties through relaxation and self-soothing strategies.
Module five
We delve into homework horrors in this highlight practical module.
Module six
This module teaches how to foster a client’s appreciation for their own life, no matter the struggles they face.
Module seven
Some final thoughts from Russ Harris.
Module eight
This module teaches how to address impulsive and compulsive behaviours.
Module nine
This module is about creating your own ACT Toolkit.
Module ten
Quiz questions and final conclusion.
Course Excerpts
Accredited Continuing Education Credits
This ACT for Depression and Anxiety Disorders training is designed for mental health professionals 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.
