Counselling for children, adolescents and young adults.
Supervision for psychologists and provisional psychologists.
Cognitive, educational and attention assessments.
Training in ACT for mental health professionals, teachers and parents.
Counselling for children, adolescents and young adults.
Supervision for psychologists and provisional psychologists.
Cognitive, educational and attention assessments.
Training in ACT for mental health professionals, teachers and parents.
A fun and engaging “coping toolkit” to help kids ages 8 to 12 face life’s challenges, manage emotions, and thrive!
The ACT Workbook for Kids is the first acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) workbook for children. It offers fun activities grounded in evidence-based ACT to help kids deal with worry, sadness, and anger. The exercises are based on the processes of the ACT Kidflex—a simplified version of the ACT Hexaflex developed by Tamar Black —and help kids work through the difficult thoughts and feelings that can arise from anxiety, depression, and stress. The workbook also includes tons of kid-friendly worksheets, crossword and word search puzzles, body-based practices, and arts and crafts that kids can do by themselves or with a parent, counsellor, or clinician.
Most importantly, the skills in this workbook will help kids balance their emotions at home, at school, and in other social situations—such as going to parties, being with friends, and extracurricular activities. No matter what the situation, children can use these quick and simple strategies whenever they feel worried, sad, angry, stressed, or are struggling with self-esteem.
“An awesome book specifically tailored for children ages eight to twelve. Through relatable stories, this workbook offers simple, practical activities that will help kids navigate their worry, sadness, anger, and other intense emotions. Whether used independently or alongside a parent or therapist, the exercises are a transformative tool to empower kids to deal with their thoughts and feelings with greater awareness, effectiveness, and self-kindness. Bravo to Tamar for providing a gift that promises to contribute throughout the course of the developmental period and beyond.”
Steven C. Hayes, PhD, co-originator of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
“The ACT Workbook for Kids is the fun, engaging, and helpful workbook I’ve been waiting for in my practice and in my own family!”
Christopher Willard, PsyD, Faculty at Harvard Medical School, author of 22 mindfulness books including Growing Up Mindful.
“Just what clinicians who work with children need: a beautifully designed, practical, easy, and delightful romp through kid-sized ACT skills. I suspect that the activities in this workbook will be so much fun that kids will barely notice they are learning substantial skills to help them navigate life’s storms and challenges mindfully—with openness to learn from their emotions, and trust in their ability to do hard things that they care about.”
Lisa W. Coyne, PhD, faculty at Harvard Medical School, and coauthor of Stuff That’s Loud and Stop Avoiding Stuff
“This delightful workbook is filled with activities that support counseling sessions with kids. The reader will find fun, engaging, and easy-to-use experiences. Kids can practice expressing their feelings and thoughts while learning to be aware of ineffective and effective responses. If you’re a busy professional, you’ll find the worksheets perfect to integrate into your work.”
Louise Hayes, PhD, clinical psychologist; founder of DNA-V; and author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens, Your Life Your Way, and The Thriving Adolescent
“What a lovely book! The ACT Workbook for Kids is not only beautifully constructed and illustrated, but also an inviting and approachable learning experience for kids. It is a wonderful journey from front to back where children can discover and open up to their emotions, and work on what is important to them. A wonderful dash of learning self-compassion is also part of this must-have book for kids!”
Robyn D. Walser, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist; author of The Heart of ACT; and coauthor of several books, including Learning ACT and The ACT Workbook for Anger
“The ACT Workbook for Kids is an amazing book that is fun and engaging. It is a must-have book for children and therapists.”
Ben Sedley, clinical psychologist, and author of Stuff That Sucks
“There’s no getting around it—working with strong feelings and thoughts is hard! In this wonderful book, Tamar Black translates the core processes of ACT into a delightful buffet of activities that are deep, helpful, and—dare I say it—fun. This isn’t a book you read, it’s a book you do. And it’s a book that will benefit all children who encounter it. Highly recommended!”
Russell Kolts, PhD, author of CFT Made Simple, An Open-Hearted Life, and Experiencing Compassion-Focused Therapy from the Inside Out
“This book is an absolute gem. It has made me realize just how much I needed it when I was a child. Heartwarming, easy to read, and incredibly helpful—it caters to kids, therapists, teachers, parent figures, and anyone seeking to connect with their inner child. Get ready to embark on a transformative journey with the assurance that you are in exceptionally capable hands.”
Rikke Kjelgaard, psychologist, author, and ACT trainer
“A helpful tool for youth ages eight to twelve, and their parents. The workbook uses story examples to show kids how to address difficult thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Readers are guided through mindfulness, support building, self-compassion, and values identification as they discover they are more than their experience. This is a must-have book for prevention and intervention!”
Amy R. Murrell, PhD, coauthor of The Joy of Parenting; To Be With Me; and The Becca Epps Series on Bending Your Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors
“This book is an absolute treasure chest, full of fun and engaging exercises to help kids learn from and understand even the most challenging experiences. Like an interactive game, this book is creative, powerful, and fun.”
Janina Scarlet, PhD, award-winning author of Superhero Therapy
“An invaluable workbook that offers engaging activities and relatable scenarios to help children better understand and manage their emotions. This essential resource for parents, educators, and therapists provides gentle and creative guidance, encouraging kids to become more resilient and self-aware. A highly recommended tool for children ages eight to twelve, and their caregivers.”
Mavis Tsai, PhD, cocreator of functional analytic psychotherapy; and founder of the Awareness, Courage & Love Global Project
ACT FOR TREATING CHILDREN is the first book that teaches therapists how to use ACT in individual therapy with children 5-12 years.
Readers do not need to have undergone prior training in ACT, or in working with children before reading this book. The entire book is written in simple, user-friendly and child-friendly language, with definitions of all terminology specific to ACT.
The book introduces the ACT KIDFLEX: a new, simplified version of the ACT Hexaflex. It’s full of diverse, rich, and detailed case studies, including transcripts.
The book includes tips for involving parents/caregivers (where appropriate) and enlisting them as “ACT coaches” in the child’s therapy, and giving them strategies for how they can reinforce what the child has learnt in therapy. Included for download are an ACT case conceptualization template, developed specifically for use with children 5-12 years with detailed guidance on how to use it, worksheets with engaging, color images, and a session-by-session extended case protocol.
“A beautifully written and comprehensive book that addresses every aspect of the use of ACT methods with children. In addition to putting forth a treasure trove of new materials and new ideas. I love how it builds out classic ACT methods in ways that are thoroughly age appropriate and yet recognizable, so that practitioners can follow Tamar’s lead and begin to apply other things they may know about ACT in creative new ways as well. A transformational book that every practitioner who works with children should have at arm’s reach.”
Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Nevada Foundation Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and originator of ACT.
“Tamar Black wrote ACT for Treating Children to be the book she wished was available when she first started using ACT with children. She has created a book that is an absolute must, not just for clinicians new to ACT, but also experienced ACT therapists. This book is highly informative, full of clinical tips and practical advice, and is an interesting read from start to finish. Highly recommended!”
Kirk Strosahl PhD, Co-founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Author, The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Move Through Depression and Live a Vital Life, 2nd Edition.
“In this fascinating and important book Tamar Black guides practitioners through how to help children gain insight into their minds and cultivate competencies that can promote well-being. Especially helpful are its extensive and clear descriptions of experiential work. Even if you are not an ACT therapist the wealth of ideas is clearly written, easily understood and of immense value. Anyone working with children will gain enormously from this book.”
Professor Paul Gilbert, OBE, founder of Compassion Focused Therapy and bestselling author of The Compassionate Mind.
“ACT for Treating Children is a clear, thorough, and deeply pragmatic guide for applying acceptance and commitment therapy with children. The book contains a wealth of clinical experience, getting into the nuances of how to utilize ACT with children in a way that anticipates and answers common questions that clinicians are likely to have! An excellent resource for all therapists who work with children.”
Russell Kolts, Professor of Psychology, Eastern Washington University, and author of CFT Made Simple and The Compassionate Mind Guide.
“What a wonderful book!!! As an experienced supervisor and trainer of ACT, I was deeply impressed by how adeptly Tamar has keyed in to frequent points of confusion and misunderstanding. This book is both a phenomenal introduction to ACT and its therapeutic stance, as well as the book I always wish I had to share with child psychologists in training. The clear guidance on conceptualization and child appropriate questions for assessment are bright spots throughout.”
Matthew D. Skinta, PhD, ABPP, assistant professor of psychology at Roosevelt University and author of Contextual Behavior Therapy for Sexual and Gender Minority Clients.
“This book has great practical application, with easy-to-understand descriptions of developmentally appropriate case conceptualization, technique, and stance. There are wonderful examples, including a helpful section on working with parents. The accompanying worksheets help concretize metaphor and experiential exercises, which is essential for this age group. This protocol-like book will be very useful for individuals new to ACT or new to ACT with youth. I highly recommend it!”
Amy R. Murrell PhD, licensed psychologist, Peer-Reviewed ACT Trainer, ACBS Fellow, author of the Becca Epps series and co-author of The Joy of Parenting.
“This is a wonderfully practical book, from the delightful “Kidflex” to worksheets to important suggestions that will make anyone a better therapist with any client. This book will be a lifesaver for people wading into doing ACT with kids. It is truly an essential guide for anyone wishing to bring ACT to their work with children, and for seasoned ACT clinicians who want to hone their craft.”
Christopher McCurry, PhD, author of Parenting Your Anxious Child with Mindfulness and Acceptance and co-author of The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety.
“A long overdue and much needed book, ACT For Treating Children provides a step-by-step Kidflex model for teaching the heart of acceptance and commitment therapy to children in an approachable, compassionate, and very helpful way. If you work with children, you need this wonderful book.”
Janina Scarlet, PhD, award-winning author of Superhero Therapy.
“In ACT for Treating Children, Dr. Black provides a refreshing adaptation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to the complex work of psychotherapy with kids. Dr. Black brings substantial clinical experience to bear in accessible theoretical adaptations to the psychological flexibility model, immediately actionable technologies, and easy-to-follow guidelines for the therapist’s stance – all with well-contextualized examples. Reading this book will benefit any child therapist interested in doing transformative work with children.”
Emily K. Sandoz, PhD, professor of psychology at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, co-author of The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Bulimia: A Guide to Breaking Free from Bulimia Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
“Written by an expert on ACT, Dr. Black provides an all-inclusive guide on how to implement ACT with children. This book fills a void in the ACT literature. Reading this book greatly expanded my ACT repertoire, and it will do the same for you.”
Michael P. Twohig, PhD, Professor at Utah State University, co-author of ACT in Steps.
“At last, not just a guide to ACT for children, but a comprehensive, straightforward, and fun one at that!”
Christopher Willard, PsyD, Faculty at Harvard Medical School, author of 22 mindfulness books including Growing Up Mindful.