ACT Made Simple

As a therapy modality, I love ACT. Though it's a cohesive theory in it's own right, I find it really brings together the best parts of a multitude of therapy modalities. It takes from some therapy techniques I love (motivational interviewing, mindfulness, and even a sort of pastoral approach to values) and even takes the good and disregards the bad of therapies I don't resonate with as much (here's looking at you, CBT and Narrative Therapy). So as a way to grow and treat others, I really like ACT.

However, some of the same caveats to most talk therapies apply here. It's not good with severe mental health disorders, nor with people on the autism spectrum. is very complicated and very big. There's a process based therapy and not a technique. So it's not linear.

But this is a review of the book, not the treatment. And this is maybe the best therapy modality textbook I've ever read. It is clear, winsome, comprehensive, realistic, and even funny. This is surprising, as ACT is a process based therapy modality, and not a technique based one. So it is not linear at all. That makes the task all the more difficult to write a textbook about it, and this is done with amazing clarity and succinctness in this book.

It's a fun read, but it's a lot. Some chapters are only a page or two, as it touches on one topic before changing gears into the next. This shotgun approach, while necessary with such a modality and done very well here, makes information retention near-impossible. The author says as much, saying these things really need to be practiced as you learn it, otherwise it'll never sink in.

The book, therefore, seems to straddle between being a treatment manual, reference work, and general audience nonfiction how-to. It's best to read this once all the way through, accept that you won't remember much, and then use the book as a reference tool moving forward. I also appreciate the copious amount of free online resources available that accompany the content of this book. This is all very, very well done. I encourage every therapist and therapist-to-be to at least check out ACT, and this textbook is the best way I know to do it.