Abstract
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of behavioral therapy that incorporates elements of mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Techniques of ACT have been found to help build students’ social-emotional skills and improve their resilience and coping skills. The purpose of this project is to provide counselors and school psychologists with a group curriculum that utilizes ACT techniques, intended to foster social-emotional skills in school aged students. Within each session of the curriculum, participating students are expected to learn one of the six core processes of ACT: Acceptance, Cognitive Defusion, Present Moment, Self as Context, Values, and Committed Action. These six core processes are projected to help the participants become more psychologically healthy by helping them learn positive coping strategies, as well as skills needed to regulate their behavior and emotions. The group curriculum is differentiated for different grade levels (grades 3-6 and grades 7-12), so the material is accessible for a wide variety of developmental levels. Materials provided to support the curriculum include sample scripts, discussion points, and activities related to each session. The curriculum was designed so that it can be implemented by any school psychologist or school counselor.