So - your interested in ACT. Where to go next...

The provided sources explore the transformation of stimulus function through the combined frameworks of Functional Contextualism and Relational Frame Theory. They explain how human language and cognition allow stimuli to acquire new psychological meanings without requiring direct conditioning for every single experience. Furthermore, the text details how clinical practices like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy utilize these relational networks to help counselors alter harmful psychological functions. By intentionally reshaping relational contexts, therapists can guide clients toward greater psychological flexibility and meaningful, values-driven lives. This is a Gemini Notebook created podcast conversation based on a paper by Todd Schmenk

What happens to ACT when you have fifteen minutes with someone and may never see them again? In this episode of Deeply Functional, Todd Schmenk talks with Kirk Strosahl and Patricia Robinson about the development of Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, better known as FACT. They explore the clinical problems that gave rise to FACT and what working in brief, integrated healthcare settings revealed about ACT itself. The conversation moves beyond the idea that FACT is simply a shortened version of ACT. Kirk and Patti examine what remains essential when almost everything else has to go: real-time functional analysis, identifying the greatest point of leverage, and helping someone take a meaningful step before the encounter ends. They also discuss what experienced ACT clinicians may need to unlearn, whether ACT has become more complicated than it needs to be, and what clinicians must understand before they can improvise with confidence. This is a conversation about FACT, but it is also a deeper look at clinical fluency: how to listen for function, respond to what is happening now, and use ACT without becoming confined by its procedures.

What happens when a client remains physically present while becoming increasingly disconnected from their immediate experience? In this episode of Deeply Functional, Todd Schmenk explores loss of present moment contact and the subtle ways clients leave the room without moving. Rumination, prediction, analysis, and overexplaining may sound thoughtful or productive. Functionally, however, they can help clients avoid direct contact with emotion, sensation, vulnerability, and uncertainty. You’ll explore: How disconnection from the present moment sounds and feels in session Why intellectualizing and storytelling can function as protection How present moment awareness differs from meditation or relaxation A simple clinical invitation that helps clients return to their bodies and immediate experience

Why can a single word, thought, or memory trigger intense emotional or physical distress, even when no direct threat is present? This episode breaks down core principles from Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into accessible, everyday language to explain how human language shapes psychological suffering. Today the focus is on the Transformation of Stimulus Function. Rather than treating painful thoughts as fixed facts, learn how clinicians leverage the power of metaphor to alter our relationship with distress, quiet rigid thought loops, and create room for meaningful action. Key Highlights & Topics Covered How Language Shapes Suffering: Learn why human beings experience emotional distress purely through symbolic language, words, and mental associations—and why fighting or suppressing these thoughts often makes them stronger. Demystifying "Transformation of Stimulus Function": We simplify this foundational behavioral concept for, explaining how the psychological impact or meaning of a stimulus (a thought, memory, or physical feeling) can shift when placed in a new context. Shifting Rigid Self-Narratives: Discover how automatic self-labels like "I am broken" lock us into emotional suffering through cognitive fusion, and how shifting to an observing perspective (self-as-context) restores choice and flexibility. Metaphors in Clinical Practice: See how counselors use vivid relational metaphors—such as carrying a heavy backpack, navigating Chinese handcuffs, or observing passengers on a bus—to transform heavy emotional burdens into manageable, workable experiences

In this episode of Deeply Functional: In Conversation, Todd Schmenk is joined by Siri Ming, Julia Fiebig, and Evelyn Gould to explore the thinking behind Frame by Frame, their approach to helping clinicians understand what is happening functionally in the therapy room. The conversation begins with a familiar problem: ACT is often taught and practiced as a curriculum, protocol, or collection of exercises. The group considers what changes when clinicians move beyond choosing techniques and begin attending more carefully to behavior, context, learning history, and the function of what is unfolding from moment to moment. Together, they discuss how Relational Frame Theory and functional analysis can inform clinical decisions without pulling therapists away from the human interaction in front of them. They explore the value of “zooming in” on the immediate exchange while also “zooming out” to consider developmental, relational, group, and systemic influences on behavior. The discussion also examines psychological flexibility across different stages of life, the development of selfing through language, and the therapist’s own participation in the clinical process. Throughout the episode, Frame by Frame offers a way of slowing the work down enough to see more clearly, conceptualize more coherently, and respond with greater flexibility. This conversation will be especially useful for clinicians, supervisors, and trainers interested in moving beyond procedural ACT toward a more contextual, behaviorally grounded, and responsive approach to clinical practice.