New approaches to treating perfectionism using contextual behavioural science
Tracks
Track 4
| Sunday, May 17, 2020 |
| 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
Presenter(s)
Ms Jennifer Kemp
BSc(Psych)Hons, GradDipApplSc(Psychology of Coaching), MPsych(Clinical)
Precious Minds
New approaches to treating perfectionism using contextual behavioural science
10:30 AM - 2:30 PMAssumed knowledge of attendee
Intermediate (working knowledge of topic area e.g., treated a few cases)
Level of learning
Intermediate
Outline
Perfectionism is a trans-diagnostic process that can exacerbate many common mental health and interpersonal problems including Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, eating disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Egan, Wade & Shafran, 2012) and Hoarding Disorder (Frost, Rosenfield, Steketee & Tolin, 2013). Applying a behavioural rather than personality-based approach to perfectionism opens up pragmatic treatment options that target unhelpful perfectionistic behaviours.
In this practical workshop you will explore how Functional Behaviour Analysis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness and Compassion-Focused Therapy approaches can be applied to treat unhelpful perfectionistic behaviours and support mental and physical health, well-being, and goal attainment.
The facilitator will demonstrate techniques that can help clients explore their perfectionistic self-critic with compassion and orient clients towards helpful, values-led behaviours in the presence of harsh self-criticism. Participants will also have the opportunity to try out strategies they can use with clients.
The workshop will provide a contextual behavioural formulation of perfectionism, then explore strategies that can help clients unhook from unhelpful perfectionistic patterns, build behavioural flexibility, and develop self-compassion, in the service of living their best possible (yet imperfect) life.
In this practical workshop you will explore how Functional Behaviour Analysis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness and Compassion-Focused Therapy approaches can be applied to treat unhelpful perfectionistic behaviours and support mental and physical health, well-being, and goal attainment.
The facilitator will demonstrate techniques that can help clients explore their perfectionistic self-critic with compassion and orient clients towards helpful, values-led behaviours in the presence of harsh self-criticism. Participants will also have the opportunity to try out strategies they can use with clients.
The workshop will provide a contextual behavioural formulation of perfectionism, then explore strategies that can help clients unhook from unhelpful perfectionistic patterns, build behavioural flexibility, and develop self-compassion, in the service of living their best possible (yet imperfect) life.
Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:
• Describe a functional contextual behavioural formulation for perfectionism and how to recognise key unhelpful perfectionistic behaviours in clients
• Apply ACT and compassion-focused therapeutic strategies to help clients’ transform unhelpful perfectionistic behaviour and increase valued living, behavioural flexibility and self-compassion
• Recognise the ‘perfectionistic self-critic’ and how to help clients achieve their objectives in the presence of self-critical thoughts
• Describe a functional contextual behavioural formulation for perfectionism and how to recognise key unhelpful perfectionistic behaviours in clients
• Apply ACT and compassion-focused therapeutic strategies to help clients’ transform unhelpful perfectionistic behaviour and increase valued living, behavioural flexibility and self-compassion
• Recognise the ‘perfectionistic self-critic’ and how to help clients achieve their objectives in the presence of self-critical thoughts
Biography
Jennifer is a Clinical Psychologist who helps people live valued and meaningful lives in the presence of the many challenges life brings. Jennifer uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, behaviour analysis and Compassion-Focused Therapy, seeing clients with OCD, trichotillomania, chronic illness, weight management, depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma and grief. She also provides supervision to clinical registrars.
Jennifer presented workshops on perfectionism at Association for Contextual Behavioural Science (ACBS) World Conferences in Montreal in 2018 and Dublin in 2019, where she was also part of a panel titled ‘Addressing Problematic Perfectionism from a Contextual Behavioural Approach: Forging links between research, practice, and lived experience’.
Locally, Jennifer has presented on perfectionism at the APS Congress (Sydney), APS Health Psychology Conference (Adelaide), ANZ ACBS Conference (Canberra) and delivered a webinar for the APS ACT Interest Group in October 2019. She is also part of a perfectionism research group at the University of Edinburgh.
