ACT for Adolescents: Treating Teens and Adolescents in Individual and Group Therapy - Paperback

Professional ACT Protocol for Adolescent Mental Health Treatment

This clinical guide presents a structured ten-week protocol based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) specifically designed for mental health professionals working with adolescents. Written by clinical psychologist Sheri L. Turrell, PhD, and social worker Mary Bell, MSW, RSW, this resource addresses the unique challenges of establishing therapeutic connection with teenage clients.

Flexible Framework for Individual and Group Settings

The protocol adapts to both individual therapy sessions and group settings, providing clinicians with practical strategies for connecting meaningfully with adolescent clients while addressing clinical issues efficiently. The structured approach helps therapists introduce mindfulness into each session and guide clients toward values-based action.

Addresses Multiple Mental Health Challenges

This treatment manual equips practitioners to help adolescent clients overcome various mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and trauma. The core processes of ACT are explained thoroughly, allowing clinicians to apply the framework across different presenting problems.

What's Included

The book contains step-by-step exercises tailored specifically for adolescent populations, making it immediately applicable in clinical practice. Audio downloads are included to support implementation of the therapeutic activities outlined in the protocol.

About the Authors

Sheri L. Turrell, PhD, is a clinical psychologist living with her family in Toronto, ON, Canada. She is passionate about her clinical work with adolescents, helping them move toward a life that matters. Turrell is primary investigator, working in collaboration with Mary Bell, for studies of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and is developing a mobile ACT app for adolescents. She runs a full-time private practice, and enjoys being a consultant and trainer for graduate students and mental health professionals who are interested in learning ACT. Turrell teaches ACT at the university level, where she also facilitates therapy groups.

Mary Bell, MSW, RSW, is a social worker in Toronto, ON, Canada. Currently affiliated with The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Bell has had a private practice in Toronto and Singapore. Collaborating with Sheri Turrell, she continues to evolve an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) approach to working with adolescents and their families, and is developing an ACT app for adolescents. She loves to share ACT with clients and other practitioners.

Foreword writer Kelly G. Wilson, PhD, is professor of psychology at the University of Mississippi. He is a central figure in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and coauthor of the landmark Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Wilson is among the most sought-after ACT trainers. His popular experiential workshops touch thousands of clinicians and students each year. Find out more at www.onelifellc.com.