Theoretical Foundations of Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Challenges, Potentials and Implications for Practice

Abstract

Reports of psychological suffering are increasingly frequent around the world. Strategies that accommodate a higher number of individuals at less cost and in a shorter pe­riod are important tools for promoting mental health. Group therapy is one of these interven­tion possibilities. However, few studies present descriptions of group therapies based on con­temporary approaches. The objective of this work is to present possibilities and challenges for the construction and management of group therapeutic proposals based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), from the therapist’s behaviors to those of the client. Guidelines for managing an ACT group, directions for the ACT therapist, and ways to observe and cre­ate possibilities for members to experience the core processes of the Psychological Flexibility model were described. It is suggested that more works should be produced and published in Portuguese that robustly address the construction of group therapeutic skills from the per­spective of ACT.