Course: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Grief | Dec 6th

Presented by: PSCP: The Psychology Network and Equilibria Mental Health Services LLC
Date: December 6, 2025
Location: Virtual Platform
Time: 9:00am- 12:00pm
CEs: 3 credits available

Overview:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third-wave Cognitive Behavioral therapy approach that has gained an evidence base in the treatment of many psychological disorders. This course introduces the student to applying ACT to experiences of grief, loss, and living in the aftermath thereof. Students will explore the case conceptualization of the challenges in navigating grief and identifying ACT interventions that are helpful to inviting change in the grieving client’s life. This hands-on training will involve practicing skills, such as mindfulness exercises and the use of metaphor, as a major component of learning ACT. Additionally, this training emphasizes the incorporation of current research on ACT into a clinician’s decision to utilize ACT with a grieving client.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
-Demonstrate knowledge of the six core processes of ACT
-Demonstrate foundational case conceptual knowledge and skills in conceptualizing grief cases from an ACT perspective
-Demonstrate foundational knowledge of the process of change from an ACT perspective when it comes to experiences of grief, loss and adjustment
-Demonstrate ability to identify ACT interventions that are helpful to inviting change in the grieving client’s life, as well as some skills in delivering those interventions through role play

Presenter:
Carmella Tress, Psy.D. has served as the PI on a multi-site PCORI-funded randomized controlled trial exploring factors impacting treatment outcomes, comparing Prolonged Exposure Therapy, pharmacotherapy, and their combination for Veterans experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Additionally, Dr. Tress served as the LSI on a study in affiliation with the Department of Defense and Temple University exploring Veterans’ Use of Surgical, Medical and Behavioral Health Treatment of Disfiguring Injuries. Dr. Tress has served VA in various roles for approximately 10 years and is currently in a remote psychologist role based out of the Austin Outpatient Clinic, Central Texas VA Healthcare Center.

Dr. Tress completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania with Aaron Beck, MD. During her fellowship she contributed to research projects under Dr. Greg Brown related to the utilization of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in suicide prevention with Veterans at risk for homelessness and under Dr. Paul Grant exploring CBT interventions with persons experiencing negative symptoms of schizophrenia. In her role as Director of Clinical and Educational Services in a large community mental health (CMH) hospital in Philadelphia, she oversaw budgetary allocation, regulatory compliance, and administrative and clinical supervision of a team of 30 clinicians. During her tenure, she also collaborated on a project for the dissemination and implementation of CBT to CMH providers in partnership with Dr. Torrey Creed at Penn. Dr. Tress was clinically trained on the use of Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD in research and clinical settings during a year of training at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at the University of
Pennsylvania. As part of her research training at the CTSA, she served as a blind assessor and conducted fidelity ratings on two research studies. During her graduate training, Dr. Tress served as Research Coordinator on a study at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia exploring quality of life in individuals diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. Currently, Dr. Tress serves as a National Trainer for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.