Syllabus
Master of Social Work
SSWO 643 – ACT
Credits - 3
Description
This course focuses on one of today’s popular therapeutic approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, commonly referred to as ACT. The course uses a case-based learning approach to provide student-learners with hands-on experiential learning opportunities to practice the specific skills and therapeutic strategies being presented.
“ACT is based on a philosophy of science, functional contextualism, that focuses on the behavior of individuals within their historical and situational contexts. ACT draws on a comprehensive theory of language, relational frame theory (RFT), which accounts for the influence of culturally shaped language processes on learning and human behavior. ACT and RFT are supported by a growing body of research that supports ACT’s efficacy with a wide variety of problems and suggests that ACT works by its theorized mechanism of change. ACT can be delivered in an array of formats and is easily accessible for those seeking training, and ACT offers a non-stigmatizing, universalizing approach to alleviating suffering that positions social workers and clients as subject to the same, normally occurring processes of human behavior” (Boone et al., 2015).
Enjoy the journey through this empowering approach to healing, recovery, and growth!
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
School of Social Work Program Outcomes:
Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:
- Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
- Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
- Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
- Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
- Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
- Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
- Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- EPAS Competency 6b: use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.
- EPAS Competency 7b: demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.
- EPAS Competency 8a: engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals.
Assignments
Weekly Discussions
In most weeks, there are two discussion forums each week, one is a whole class forum and the other is a small group forum. Both discussion forums are fairly demanding each week but keep in mind that this is the focus of the work and the learning in this course.
Whole-Class Discussions
Description: An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion threads within each module. The discussion threads provide one method for students to integrate reading materials and multimedia into the course discussion and demonstrate their knowledge about the discussion prompt. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Students are expected to post an initial response to the weekly discussion questions by Saturday, adhering to the requirements outlined in the Discussion Rubric, and to respond to a minimum of 2 classmates in meaningful and substantive ways.
The whole class discussion board provides an opportunity to process and reflect on the activities and exercises you will be completing in the Tirch text, Experiencing ACT from the inside out.
Small-Group Practice Exercises (Discussions)
Description: You will have an opportunity to role-play and practice therapy sessions in this small group discussion space. Discussions will build on each other from week to week.
The small group forum is a skills practice lab – a safe place to practice the new ACT skills that are introduced each week with a small cohort of peers in order to bring ACT to life in students’ own clinical practice.
Week 7 ACT Reflective Essay
For this assignment, you will write a 4 to 5-page (not counting title and reference pages) APA-style reflective essay. You will express your reaction to each therapeutic approach and how you plan or don’t plan to use it in your future clinical practice as well as your evaluation of your current comfort and skill level in using each modality with future clients.
Week 8 Letter from the Heart
In the final week, you will summarize your growth in a form of a letter to yourself. This letter is an opportunity to provide yourself with guidance and suggestions on how to continue becoming a reflexive social work practitioner.
Grading Policy
The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignment | Point Value | Percentage of Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement | 1 pt | 1% |
| Whole Class Discussions (Concepts) | 35 pts (5 pts each) | 35% |
| Practice Discussions (Groups) | 30 pts (5 pts each) | 30% |
| Week 7 ACT Reflective Essay | 24 pts | 24% |
| Letters from the Heart | 10 pts | 10% |
| Total | 100 points | 100% |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
All assignments are to be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on the dates as assigned.
Unless otherwise specified below, all module discussions and assignments are due on the last day of the module or unit week. Initial discussion posts are due by 11:59 PM Saturday, and responses to classmates are due by the end of the course week; except for the early discussion due dates noted in Week 8.
Course Weeks
Week 1: Mar 13 – Mar 19
Week 2: Mar 20 – Mar 26
Week 3: Mar 27 – Apr 2
Week 4: Apr 3 – Apr 9
Week 5: Apr 10 – Apr 16
Week 6: Apr 17 – Apr 23
Week 7: Apr 24 – Apr 30
Week 8: May 1 – May 5
Week 1 | ACT’s Six Core Processes and Informed Consent
EPAS Competency 8a: engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals.
Discussions
- Week 1 Discussion: ACT from the Inside Out – Establishing a baseline and defining a challenge
- Week 1 ACT Practice: Informed Consent and ACT’s Six Core Processes (Group)
Week 2 | Use of Life Maps, aka The Matrix in ACT
EPAS Competency 7b:demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.
Discussions
- Week 2 Discussion – ACT from the Inside Out – The ACT Matrix
- Week 2 ACT Practice: Mapping your Life (Group)
Week 3 | Case Conceptualization in ACT, Present Moment, and Self-as-Context
EPAS Competency 8a: engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals.
Discussions
- Week 3: ACT from the Inside Out – Present Moment and Self-as-Context
- Week 3 ACT Practice: Case Conceptualization with ACT (Group)
Week 4 | Practicing Openness: Acceptance and Defusion in ACT
EPAS Competency 7b:demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.
Discussions:
- Week 4 Discussion: ACT from the Inside Out – Perspective Taking and Defusion
- Week 4 ACT Practice: Avoidance and Control (Group)
Week 5 | Awareness of Experience: Acceptance and The Present Moment in ACT
EPAS Competency 6b:use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.
Discussions
- Week 5: ACT from the Inside Out – Experiential Acceptance and Values Authorship
- Week 5 ACT Practice: Connecting To Your Future Self (Group)
Week 6 | Engaging with Life
EPAS Competency 8a: engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals.
Discussions
- Week 6 Discussion: ACT from the Inside Out – Accepting, Choosing, and Taking Action
- Week 6 ACT Practice: Commitment and Purposeful Steps (Group)
Week 7 | Psychological Flexibility and Becoming an ACT Therapist
EPAS Competency 6b:use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.
Discussions
-
Week 7: ACT from the Inside Out – Enhancing the Cultivation of Psychological Flexibility
Assignment Submission:
- Week 7 Reflective Essay on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Week 8 | Becoming a Reflexive Social Work Practitioner
EPAS Competency 6b:use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.
(Please note the early assignment and discussion due dates the final week)
Discussions
- Week 8 Letters from the Heart
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Social Work Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/social-work/
- Library Tutorial: Find an article
- Video Tutorials: https://library.une.edu/research-help/guides-tutorials/video-tutorials/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Policies
Essential Academic and Technical Standards
Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Confidentiality Statement
Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.
Attendance Policy
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.