September/October 2015

On-going OACBS Projects

OACBS Website

The OACBS Board is excited to announce we have acquired OregonContextualScience.org as the new on-line “home” for OACBS! We are starting by posting some static information about our chapter, such as how to join, find an ACT therapist, and contact us. After we get this basic information posted, we will explore plans for adding more content. All Board members have contributed input to this project, with former OACBS President Scott Rower and President Brian Thompson leading the effort, and President-Elect C. David Maxey efficiently implementing the Board’s vision. You are welcome to visit OregonContextualScience.org, but note that it will remain a work-in-progress with incomplete information at least until we publish the November/December 2015 newsletter.

ACT Study Groups

Last spring, OACBS organized our first series of ACT reading groups. We had a total of 6 groups: 3 on-line and 3 in-person. It was great to have so much interest in the reading groups, though there were some difficulties with the logistics that we can learn from. This fall, OACBS would like to organize a new series of study groups, but we need your help. OACBS is an all volunteer organization. Not everyone has the availability to serve on the board or join a committee. But how about hosting a once a month ACT study group? All you have to do is open up your office or home for an hour or so to some other ACT-interested therapists to talk about a book you all are reading together. No need to have any particular ACT expertise- just an interest in ACT and a willingness to be the point person for the group. You can even choose the book, time, and place of the meeting. If you’re willing to consider being a study group host this time around, please click here to let us know what would work best for you. And thank you for willing to be of service to our CBS community.

Upcoming Professional Trainings

The opportunities listed below may be of interest to OACBS members. Please note, these trainings are not endorsed by OACBS and the information is simply provided as a convenience to members. If you know of any CBS-related training events in our area that you’d like announced in the next newsletter, please email that information to Member At Large, Meghan Marty.

Member Spotlight

Brian GoffBrian Goff, PhD

What type of work do you do? I’m a licensed psychologist in independent practice, founder and director of an ACT-oriented nonprofit clinic (Evergreen Clinical), and clinical faculty at George Fox University.

What got you interested in contextual behavioral science (ACT, FAP, RFT, etc.)? Prior to my work in ACT, I spent 10 years with DBT and was the assistant director of the Portland DBT Program. I transitioned out of DBT when my wife and I adopted a sibling set of three children and I moved to part-time clinical work. I wanted to practice as a generalist and found ACT (a) personally appealing, (b) broadly applicable, and (b) an “orientation cousin” to DBT.

What is your favorite ACT metaphor? Passengers on the Bus or Fruit Bowl (SaC), depending on the day.

Name your top 3 values. Connection, Challenge, Love

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Playing with my kids, golfing, and fitness-related activities.

What might other OACBS members not know about you? I used to entertain thoughts (read: fantasies) of being a professional golfer. Now I entertain thoughts about working with golfers on their mental game using ACT principles.

The Beatles or the Rolling Stones? Rolling Stones — especially at the gym.

Anything else you would like to share? Favorite super power would be teleportation. I don’t like snakes.

Member News

Articles

OACBS members (in bold below) authored two articles in the most recent edition of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, both of which can be accessed through your ACBS membership (just log in through contextualscience.org):

Creating a peer-led acceptance and commitment therapy consultation group: The Portland model by Brian L. Thompson, Jason B. Luoma, Christeine M. Terry, Jenna T. LeJeune, Paul M. Guinther, and Harold B. Robb

Recognizing common clinical mistakes in ACT: A quick analysis and call to awareness by Martin J. Brock, Sonja V. Batten, Robyn D. Walser, and Harold B. Robb

Event

Portland Mindfulness Therapy offers CBS / ACT – consistent meditation classes, both formal (4 sessions) and informal (drop in group)

The formal class is held on Thursday evenings 6:30-8:00 p.m. The four class meetings each apply one of the ACT mindfulness processes in order to teach traditional sitting, mindfulness meditation: 1. Contact with the Present Moment; 2. Willingness; 3. “Disentanglement” from thoughts (defusion); 4. Observer-self (self-as-context). Class is about half experiential, half discussion. It requires preregistration and costs $100 total. Registration is available at portlandmindful.com/classes.

The informal sitting group meets Tuesday evenings 6:30-8:00. We sit in a traditional fashion, for two 25-minute sessions, with walking meditation in between. The sitting is followed by a 20 minute, mindful discussion. This group is open to anyone with some background in meditation or mindfulness, or after discussion with the instructor (OACBS member Joe Rhinewine). The sitting group is also taught from a CBS / ACT perspective with some influences from Buddhism and other traditional meditation approaches.

New OACBS Members

Welcome to our newest OACBS members. We look forward to your contribution to our community!

Lori Haymore
Connie Beck
Charly du Bois
Trond Willmann
Martha Plante
Casey Peters
Natalie Bencomo
Josh Kaplan
Amanda Kruszewski
Nicola Moine
YK Jeong