This Open Education Resource is an adaptation of 6 ACT* Conversations by Julian McNally for the RMIT University Counselling Service, © 2006 RMIT University.

The original Six Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) Conversations were written and recorded by Counselling Psychologist Julian McNally, as part of the RMIT Student Counselling Service (now Counselling & Psychological Services). As part of RMIT Mental Wellbeing Initiatives (now Wellbeing & Psychosocial Safety) and RMIT Counselling & Psychological Services, Clinical Psychologist Michael Swadling has transcribed, revised, reworked, and updated content.

Six ACT Conversations was originally created as an audio resource for RMIT University students in 2006. Our intention in creating this Open Education Resource version is to provide new opportunities to access these resources, as well as the option of accessing the content as text or audio.

If you choose to access the audio content, you might occasionally find dated references due to the time since initial recording. Where possible, we have updated the text version of the content – so if something is unclear in the audio, the text might provide additional clarity.

Disclaimer

Six ACT Conversations is intended solely as a skill-building educational program, not as a substitute for routine or urgent psychological or psychiatric care, treatment or consultation. RMIT students with psychological or personal difficulties are urged to seek a consultation with RMIT University Counselling and Psychological Services, from their own medical practitioner, or from appropriate health care professionals – and those who aren’t RMIT students are recommended to seek appropriate care from a medical practitioner or other health care professional.

Suggestions and exercises in this program should not be construed as professional opinions aimed at establishing a diagnosis or course of treatment. Diagnosis and treatment are complex and require comprehensive face-to-face assessment, often over long periods of time. Individuals under active treatment should not construe information contained in this program as replacing or superseding recommendations of their counsellors or mental health professionals. Rather, information in this program may serve as a point of discussion between clients and their individual clinicians. Similarly, clinicians should recognise that suggestions made in this program, without benefit of direct assessment, are not intended as a replacement for direct consultative recommendations.

RMIT Counselling & Psychological Services, RMIT Mental Wellbeing Initiatives, and RMIT Library staff have compiled and converted this resource in good faith, exercising all due care and attention.

No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific needs and context.

Attributions

This textbook includes material adapted from third party works under Creative Commons licences. In the case of multiple downstream adaptations, links to original works are included within the attribution statement where possible.

Suggested citation

Julian McNally and Michael Swadling. (2024). Six acceptance and commitment training conversations: Psychological flexibility skills for study and life. RMIT Open Press.

Suggested attribution

“Six acceptance and commitment training conversations: Psychological flexibility skills for study and life” by Julian McNally and Michael Swadling is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Editors

Michael Swadling, Ian Kolk, Sophie Langley and Mark Parsons.

Reviewers

Huong Phan, Melissa Ty and Ruth de Jager.

Copyright

This book is provided under a Attribution-NonCommercial No-Derivatives 4.0 International licence except where otherwise noted and the RMIT University Logo and cover design.

We have made all reasonable efforts to:
• clearly label material where the copyright is owned by a third party
• ensure that the copyright owner has consented to this material being presented in this textbook.

External links

This textbook includes links to third-party websites that contain copyright protected material, your access to the sites will be covered by terms between you and the other operator/owner of the site. We are not responsible for any of the content, including links found on the site, please read the websites’ terms of use and abide by the terms of use stated.

Published by

RMIT University Library via RMIT Open Press.

Cover design

Artwork created using AI in Adobe Firefly using the prompt “a university student, illustration; their head/face is divided into 6 sections, each in a different style of art. each sections has a different colour palette. the sections represent 6 different aspects of wellbeing”
Design: Ian Kolk