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Hosted by JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D.
Life’s challenges are diverse. They may be circumstantial or broad-based. Suffering and lack of momentum are common results of life’s
ups and downs. JoAnne Dahl will help guide listeners to spend less time with their problem and more time focusing on ‘values’ based action as in Acceptance Commitment Therapy. Opinion leaders from a variety of modalities will join JoAnne for candid discussions focusing on general principles for living as well as specific solutions for difficult problems.
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Welcome to ACT taking hurt to hope. Today, in our final program we are going to continue to talk about prosocial behavior. Remember that Prosocial behaviors are those intended to help other people. Prosocial behavior is characterized by a concern about the rights, feelings and welfare of other people. Behaviors that can be described as prosocial include feeling empathy and concern for others and behaving in ways to help or benefit other people. One of the 6 key processes in ACT is valuing. We have found that it is often quite difficult to ask people what makes them happy or what does a person value. It is quite difficult to find empathy for oneself. On the other hand it is quite easy for a person to feel empathy for others and know instinctively how to help another even using minimal language. This program hopefully will bring some insight into how prosocial behavior may be the quickest path to values when working with ACT.
Our guest today is none other that Dr Steven Hayes is Foundation Professor and Director of Clinical Training at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada Reno, NV. An author of over 35 books and over 500 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. You can read more about Steve’s work, his many books and current trainings around the world at www.stevenchayes.com.
JoAnne Dahl is an American, from Vermont, who has lived most of her adult life in Sweden. She is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. Her research of 35 years has focused on helping people with chronic illness to find ways to get some wiggle room around difficult symptoms in order to continue living a vital life. We are all dealt a hand of cards from the start and the key is to enjoy life fully together with those cards, rather than fight them.
JoAnne’s research includes helping people with epileptic seizure disorders, all types of chronic pain, obesity and asthma. She is an internationally recognized psychotherapist trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a relatively new evidence based therapy form. She has several books on this topic and is well known in the international community as an expert.
Recently, JoAnne was named Teacher of the Year for her inspirational and enthusiastic work in the classroom. This National Teacher of the Year award by given by the Swedish Behavior Therapy Association. JoAnne was also awarded The Golden Light Award given by the National Epilepsy Association for ‘Contributions for development of Psychological Treatment in the Developing Nations’, awarded by the Swedish Government.