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ACT for your mental health

2022-1-HU01-KA153-YOU-0000714812022Mobility of youth workersfinalizedGood practice
Countries: HU|PL|RS|RO|MK|HR|EL|TR · Grant: €21,365
Physical and mental health, well-beingNew learning and teaching methods and approachesQuality and innovation of youth work

Objectives

"ACT for your mental health" was a 6+2-day training course, aiming to provide a method and framework for supporting mental health, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (hereinafter referred to as ACT), primarily for those working in the field of mental health and youth work. Knowledge and use of ACT is less common in Central and Eastern European countries, because there are not many learning opportunities, even though numerous studies prove its effectiveness in the treatment of various psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, chronic diseases or addictions. It enables quick and effective intervention in these areas, because it works with techniques that on can learn easily and then apply in their own lives. In addition to explaining the theoretical background, the training focused on trying out and mastering these techniques through personal experience, using the tools of non-formal education. The main benefit of ACT is to develop psychological flexibility: the ability to be present and flexibly respond to environmental stressors. The method combines elements of mindfulness with various psychological techniques that increase resilience (e.g. cognitive therapy, storytelling, coaching). After the pandemic the need for tools in mental health protection became more pressing than ever, because according to statistics, the number of young people with mental disorders has increased significantly. During the training, the participants learned these tools by trying them out themselves, thereby developing their own coping skills and self-knowledge as well. Collecting and writing down the activities and practices we did during the week, we also prepared an online training material, that the participants could "take with them" and use if they wanted to apply the method in their own work. It contains printable worksheets, exercises, and descriptions of guided meditations, so that in addition to their own experience, they can pass on what they have learned to others, as this was our goal with this training. Most of the participants came from professions where ACT can be applied: many were psychologists, trainers, youth workers, who could go home with a set of tools that can be incorporated into their daily work, thus improve the mental health situation of youth in the participating countries. We also aimed to create a European community of professionals practicing ACT with similar interests. To realize that, we created opportunities for the participants to keep in touch on several online platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp), where the sharing of practices and experiences continued even after the project. During the training we could also learn more about the psychological practices of different countries: we learned, for example, that in several places, in Romania and Greece, there is a particularly high demand for ACT, but training in the method is difficult to obtain. These conversations also contributed to the further assessment of needs and the development of our future projects.

Project partners (8)