Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) for Mental Health Promotion: Reducing Mental Illness Stigma and Promoting Valued-Living

Abstract

<p>Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) for Mental Health Promotion was developed as a comprehensive handbook for the Strength-In-Unity capacity-building action research project. The project engaged men in the Asian diasporic communities in Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto with the goal of reducing mental illness stigma and promoting mental wellbeing and collective resilience. The handbook provides step-by-step instructions for implementing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a group intervention. It has been found to be effective in supporting project team members and group facilitators to deliver ACT experiential activities seamlessly. In this handbook, the authors place a strong emphasis on adhering to core ACT principles and philosophies, as well as to the project implementation processes, which are essential for delivering and evaluating the effectiveness of ACT in reducing mental illness stigma and promoting mental wellbeing.</p>