Why You’ll Love this Course:
As a therapist, you’re likely familiar with countless clinical examples of perfectionism, though you may not have conceptualized them this way. Whenever you encounter different types of linear, rigid, or inflexible patterns of thinking and behavior, perfectionism is at play. These types of struggles can sometimes feel intractable in therapy, and it can be difficult to know how to help patients move towards openness, curiosity, and flexibility to enact meaningful and impactful behavioral change. This course will teach you how to use an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to not only improve your ability to recognize the many ways perfectionism may present, but it will provide you with evidence-based tools to more effectively decrease perfectionism-related behaviors while increasing psychological and behavioral flexibility.
Course Description:
This course will provide practical instruction to therapists seeking training in how to integrate an ACT-based approach focused on targeting perfectionism, rigidity, and inflexibility into their clinical work across diverse populations. Appropriate participants have some prior knowledge and/or training in cognitive and/or behavioral therapies, and they are interested in learning how ACT specifically can improve patient flexibility. This course will place a strong emphasis on understanding the role language plays in maintaining inflexibility, while incorporating skills that can be applied in psychotherapy to improve overall patient psychological flexibility and enhance treatment effectiveness.
Who is this for:
Clinicians who have some previous knowledge and/or training in any type of cognitive and/or behavioral therapies. However, participants do not need to be experts in CBT or behaviorism to benefit from this course.
Instructional Level:
Intermediate
Recommended Course Prerequisites:
None
Included:
Handout:
Rules and Rule-Governed Behaviors: Self-Assessment
Experiential practice using above handout
Educational Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
Name at least two components of psychoeducation about psychological inflexibility vs. psychological flexibility that can be utilized in session.
Name at least three consequences of rule-governed behaviors.
Implement at least four strategies to promote psychological flexibility in session and for patient homework.
Common Clinical FAQs Answered:
How do I use ACT for perfectionism when a client is too rigid for traditional CBT?
How can I identify "hidden" perfectionism that doesn't look like typical neatness or high-achievement?
Why is psychological flexibility the missing link in treating intractable rigidity?
How can I teach my patients to move from rules to values-based living?
What are the best ACT interventions for decreasing perfectionistic behaviors?
Nikki Rubin, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Co-founder
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Nikki Rubin, Psy.D. is a co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MindScience Collective. She is a licensed clinical psychologist (CA PSY30047, NY 019595) who specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). She has particular expertise in the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, ADHD, perfectionism, and grief and loss.
Dr. Rubin is the owner of Nikki Rubin, Psy.D., A Psychological Corporation, providing evidence-based treatments for adults, along with supervision, consultation, and private practice coaching for clinicians. She is passionate about mentorship for mental health clinicians, and thus serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at UCLA, training doctoral students in ACT. She is also the creator of The Complete Private Practice Toolkit, an educational course designed to help clinicians start or enhance their private practices.
In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Rubin serves as a Clinical Advisor at Psych Hub, where she lends her expertise to advancing the company’s mission of expanding access to evidence-based behavioral health education, resources, and pathways to care. Lastly, along with MindScience Collective co-founder Peter Economou, Ph.D., she co-hosts When East Meets West, a podcast exploring the intersection of eastern spiritual practices and western behavioral science, further reflecting her commitment to innovative and integrative approaches to mental health care.
Disclosure:
Dr. Rubin is a co-founder of MindScience Collective and will receive financial benefit from all course sales. She is also the instructor of “Using Mindfulness in Psychotherapy: Practices and Tools,” Behavioral Case Formulation,” and “Values Clarification: An ACT Tool for Figuring Out What Matters.”