Choice Point vs The ACT Matrix (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Exercises)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 เม.ย. 2019
  • ACT exercises have become synonymous with ACT as a therapy itself, whether that be helpful or a hinderance in the long-term is yet to be seen. Two of the most popular techniques associated with ACT, and subsequently simplify its practice are Choice Point and The ACT Matrix. Ann Bailey, Joseph Ciarrochi, and Russ Harris, creators of the Choice Point diagram cite The Matrix as a major influencer but also wanted to create a tool that represented a different way of analyzing behaviour, a model that discusses ‘Toward’ and ‘Away’ moves but focuses on movement toward and away from values. Whereas The ACT Matrix, created by Kevin Polk, Jarold Hambright, and Mark Webster, explores ‘Toward’ values and ‘Away’ from aversive private experiences of pain but also explicitly focuses on the difference between the physical, observable world (five senses experiencing) and the private, internal world (mental experiencing).
    Each exercise has a different aim as I demonstrate in the video. Bottom line: both diagrams are a tool and each are helpful as such. I use both. I find The Matrix more useful to describe nuance and varied details whereas the Choice Point needs little to no introduction or explanation in advance.
    To go full-ACT on you; perhaps I could use a metaphor. Choice Point is like a hammer, it’s useful frequently and doesn’t require much prep to be used properly. The Matrix is more like a drill that is more versatile and precise but also requires changing bits and more precise measurement and preparation. :)
    Read more about Choice Point: www.actmindfully.com.au/upima...
    Learn more about The ACT Matrix: • Kevin Polk - ACT Matri...
    Examples of how I work with the ACT Matrix in our Life Map adaptation in this free self-help ebook:
    eepurl.com/c9X9jn
    Take a look at my online courses, they're low cost and mean a lot every time I make a sale:
    thezensocialworker.thinkific.com/
    All things TZSW:
    thezensocialworker
    / zensocialworker
    / zensocialworker
    www.thezensocialworker.ca
    *Disclaimer
    1. Conflict of interest: I am an author, I will link to my own books and paid resources as well as use affiliate links. I promise to tell you in videos when I'm being paid (if ever) to advertise during a video.
    2. Self help: This channel provides accurate and authoritative information, it is not a substitute for psychotherapy and does not count as a social work service. If you are in need of help, seek out professional services from a licensed healthcare professional.
    3. Community: Although this work is my own, I am inspired and supported by a group of clinicians and researchers under the banner of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.

ความคิดเห็น • 56

  • @KevinPolk
    @KevinPolk 5 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Regarding the Matrix: The original drawing of the vertical and horizontal lines (at that point the diagram was not named) was a visualization of "the function of action in context." In other words, it's a way of showing someone the Functional Contextual point of view, without having to explain the Functional Contextual point of view. The vertical line represents context (from sensory to mental). The horizontal line represents the functions of human actions roughly divided into positive and negative reinforcement.
    The current way I show people the two lines is to ask four questions, one for each quadrant formed by the two lines. In the lower right, "Who's important to you?" In the lower left, "What yucky stuff can show up inside of you?" In the upper left, "What do you do to reduce the yucky stuff?" In the upper right, "What can you do for who's important to you?
    Thus, these four questions draw people into stepping back and viewing life from this (functional contextual) point of view. A side benefit of this "four questions" approach is that you can leave the sensory/mental and away/toward labels off of the diagram. You can also leave them. Whatever works for engaging people in this point of view.
    This narrative (four questions) approach naturally leads us to evaluate the workability of actions in the service of yucky stuff and who's important in both the immediate and long-term context of our lives.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You are AMAZING Kevin. Thanks for commenting. I don’t know if you saw: I linked to our ACT Matrix interview we did all those years ago. Your work has been an incredible inspiration in my life and you’ve been supportive the whole way. Folks, if you haven’t looked into the ACT Matrix Academy yet, trust - CHECK IT OUT! Kevin’s trainings will make you a nerd ninja, just like me.

  • @ChrisDowdeswell
    @ChrisDowdeswell 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    You have a real gift, or perhaps I should say combination of gifts. Empathy, understanding, articulation, creativity. And great to have a high quality resource out there that compares and contrasts these two great tools with sensitivity to the philosophical underpinnings. Thank you for putting yourself out there in this way to share your gifts! I hope the best for you during this challenging time.

  • @brendabomgardner4343
    @brendabomgardner4343 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Timothy, I appreciate the explanation between Choice Point and the Matrix. I love the Matrix for my clients because they get the mixing of functions of one behavior with two ways of moving in the world. Thumbs up!

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right on Brenda!! You’re so generous to share that example from your practice. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
      Also, I get the same feedback from my clients and I think it’s really cool because it allows for flexible, non-pathologizing conversations about how their behaviour is working. 👍🏼

  • @allisonsmith1290
    @allisonsmith1290 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love this! I am a BCBA and looking into act more and I’m so intrigued! Hope I can get certified and apply it with my clients

  • @slickerdrips1984
    @slickerdrips1984 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love listening to you explain these things, it brings so much value to mental health online, why did you stop making videos?

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Thanks so much for saying so! I’m living my values: I spend most of my time with my family. I’ll be back to TH-cam, especially once my kids are older, don’t think I’m cool and don’t want to hang out with me anymore. I’m the meantime, my littlest just held my hand yesterday and told me I’m his best friend. 🥺

  • @jedblore7742
    @jedblore7742 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Really interesting comparison. I like your life map adaptation, and the choice point, and I especially like the focus on not wedding myself to one or the other (in other words, being flexible!) and bringing the focus back to the underlying philosophy. Super helpful as an early-career clinician.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right on!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write - your feedback is very meaningful to me. :)
      I’m really glad the message about philosophy shines through, I’m sometimes get down on myself thinking I’m being too over the top with the nerd talk but I know it’s transformed my practice. It means a lot to me to know it’s doing the same for you. 👍🏼

  • @be2cre8
    @be2cre8 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you for saying this. I have found the Matrix as such a great visual tool for clients and groups. I am forever grateful for its creation. I have adapted the Matrix with a lightness ever since it came out stating how ALL of our experiences are informative and important for our making a life worth living. All quadrants are important. It's how we "hold" to them. It's awareness and flexibility and breath space. I believe incorporating CFT also allows for this whole flexible picture--as a therapist. As a mere human, I am finding that people who live rigidly in the "Towards" can come across as, what I like to say, Aggressive Positivity, which can come across as, in DBT language, invalidating to self and to others. ----Really enjoy your videos.

  • @TristineBarry
    @TristineBarry 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you!! I am learning about ACT and love it!

  • @JoeOliverContextualConsulting
    @JoeOliverContextualConsulting ปีที่แล้ว

    This is a really cool video. Super helpful technical description of the differences

  • @Superpsychandie
    @Superpsychandie 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you so much for making this video in response to my question! It was really helpful and a good reminder to be aware of not using techniques rigidly .
    I am so excited for your online course with the videos of you in sessions with clients!

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thank you!!! You’re so reinforcing. :)
      I’ve been working over time and have the course online just this afternoon: thezensocialworker.thinkific.com/
      Let me know your thoughts. :)

  • @cabeca95
    @cabeca95 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Great video, Tim! As a novice ACT student, it evoked tons of reflections. Will have to see it a couple more times to get all the content

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks for the feedback!! Let me know if you have any ideas for follow-up videos or any topic you’d like to see covered.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      One year ago, you were a novice. I bet you’re an ACT master now. Don’t hesitate to follow up and share about your journey. 🙏🏼

    • @cabeca95
      @cabeca95 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TimothyGordon Not a master yet, but it's been a beautiful journey. This year i attended for the first time to the ACBS World Con and that was an awesome experience. I could feel the sense of warmness and compassion of this community. I also helped to promote the conference of the ACBS Brazilian Chapter. Thank you very much for the comment, Tim, was very glad to read it :)

  • @oliviadsilva
    @oliviadsilva 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    That's so helpful, thank you.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right on!! I’m glad it helped. Thanks for taking the time to write.

  • @valentinamessier3037
    @valentinamessier3037 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I really enjoy your Life Map! I've recently also learned about the Choice Point and find it useful as well. I love that the Life Map has the focus on the Present Moment/ noticing though. Very helpful :). I can totally relate to fusing with thoughts like "Am I doing ACT right?" during session-- and now identifying that mentality is rigid.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you my friend! Let’s do a podcast on imposter syndrome and therapist self-doubt! What do you think?

  • @larryholland4587
    @larryholland4587 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I am not a therapist. I am working to continually incorporate ACT into my life as a practice beyond therapy or working with a counsiler. Thank you, this vid was very helpful and in watching it I could feel what you were talking about.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Right on Larry!! Welcome to the channel and thank you for your positive feedback.
      Any suggestions for future videos are always welcome. 💛

    • @larryholland4587
      @larryholland4587 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@TimothyGordon one idea is how to do ACT as a life practice outside of the therapy process.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      This is a great idea! Consider me on the case. :)

  • @Tonisuperfly
    @Tonisuperfly 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    New subscriber on account of this video. There were many reasons but the choice point which made me hit subscribe was quite trivial: "that person looks way to happy to be freaking out" - commenting on your own drawing, made me laugh!

  • @milenacichosz6850
    @milenacichosz6850 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    awesome thanks

  • @vickybrown3119
    @vickybrown3119 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you so much for this video! It feeds my need for stimulation! I have a question: what if I notice that I have a behavior that goes "toward" a certain value, but at the same time this behavior is also a strategy for me to escape some yucky thoughts?

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      GREAT question. Ask yourself in that situation “is this behaviour a problem?” Just by way of example, behaviours that are escapes from anything painful might not inherently be problematic. That’s why the noticing intervention is so important. It encourages you being sensitive to how your behaviour is working in different contexts.

    • @vickybrown3119
      @vickybrown3119 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@TimothyGordon Namaste🙏

  • @fables4564
    @fables4564 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I find that therapeutic theories are like the foundation of therapy. it helps the therapist give a great understanding of the inner workings of a client and the science behind psychology. However at the end of the day, most client don’t really “look” at theses theories and only benefits the clinician. Therapeutic techniques are more like the decor in the house. As a clinician you should be flexible and easily change based off of your clients needs. Just like people, everyone has their own “decor style” and preference.

  • @MrAftab2009
    @MrAftab2009 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    How would differentiate "defusion with self as context?? Both is a state of observing self from disassociated position..Plz reply

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hi Aftab, great question!
      Defusion involves presence, which yes means disassociating from rules or rigid thoughts, see ourselves as able to notice it, label it, and track its consequences. For example if I have the thought “it’s going to rain today” and I’m fused with that thought, I end up taking it seriously, and might change my course of action for today.
      If on the other hand, I notice the thought “it’s going to rain” and pay attention to my frustration with not liking being wet and therefore planning to wear heavy rain proof boots and a raincoat that will make me feel warm and then I think “hmm, I’m not going on a hike then..” I can label that thought and choose to act differently.
      Self-as-context, seeing who you are as the context of your experience involves something similar but different. It’s a separation from the content of our lives. Content can occur to us as thinking and feeling but also social constructs. For example, I feel an immense amount of guilt that I’m letting my TH-cam followers down by not continuing to make new videos. However, I’m also going through a very difficult time in my life. Therefore, I can acknowledge that being a TH-camr is not who I am, it’s something I do but I can acknowledge that I’m allowed to take care of me rather than be rigid with my definition of myself, and therefore not base my evaluation of me as good, worthy or bad on making TH-cam videos.

    • @MrAftab2009
      @MrAftab2009 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TimothyGordon Can we say it like this,
      Defusion is observing like standing on a one way road and noticing only one side vehicles (pain) while self as context is standing on two way road and observing both side vehicle (pain & values) and making decision to go with vehicle of values..

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@MrAftab2009 I’m not sure that your metaphor works for what we’re describing but it works for just defusion alone because we can get fused with our values too. Therefore, observing both is helpful. But sometimes getting fused is useful. So it’s up to the observer, watching each lane to decide how they wish to respond
      A good metaphor for self-as-context could be: observing both lanes of traffic and recognizing that if you get ill and are no longer able to stand and watch traffic, that who you are, your worth, your success, your failures do not define you. You are separate from your roles. The you that observed pains and values is the same you that is here, now. You don’t have to define yourself by title, role, etc.

  • @matiassilva923
    @matiassilva923 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have a doubt. When you refer to the "Big T" and the "little T" (with your hands, haha), what are you referring to? when we respond to the small T, is that what you want to discriminate with "Point of Choice (away)"?
    Really Thank you.
    Excuse my question, but I don't speak English well.
    Cheers

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Big T is the truth, objective, factual. Small t is the personal truth, how it’s experienced, subjectively in the moment.

    • @matiassilva923
      @matiassilva923 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@TimothyGordon Oh great!! Thank you very much and excellent video, I loved it !!

  • @dsuguy
    @dsuguy ปีที่แล้ว

    Please do more ACT videos

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  ปีที่แล้ว

      Just posted one and going to continue! Any ideas on what you want to see?

    • @dsuguy
      @dsuguy ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Various ways to get the pt. to defuse. I'm currently learning ACT working my way through the ACT made simple book. Loving it so far. Already using it in an inpatient setting with my patients

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@dsuguy I’ll do a video all about defusion just for you! 👍🏼

  • @antonio.martins
    @antonio.martins 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What did happen to the channel? Why no New videos?

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks for following up Antonio. Lots of painful stuff happening in my world. With some encouragement and support, I’d be happy to prioritize the channel and make new content for you folks. 💛

    • @antonio.martins
      @antonio.martins 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@TimothyGordon Sorry about the painful stuff, I hope everything get better soon for you.

    • @joshthomasph.d.3993
      @joshthomasph.d.3993 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I support you Timothy and I hope that you are ok. Your book The ACT Approach and your TH-cam channel has greatly helped my ACT-based therapy practice. I greatly look forward to new content when you're ready!

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      juan pablo barrenechea Your wisdom touches my heart. Thank you Juan Pablo, thank you, thank you, thank you. One thousand more times, thank you. I feel so blessed to receive this message.

  • @jasond626
    @jasond626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I found this hard to follow to be honest, to technical and waffly. Maybe it's not directed at non act therapists.

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That’s unfortunate Jason. Thanks for giving the video a watch anyway. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer and obviously I’d also be open to making a video on a topic that would work more explicitly for you. 🙏🏼

    • @jasond626
      @jasond626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TimothyGordon my apologies for using the word waffly, that was unfair of me.
      It sounded like you were referring to diagrams /flow charts etc. So I found it hard to visualise that, in screen examples of both may have helped me.
      I've got One more session with a act therapist left after that I'm on my own. Still don't feel properly got to grips with it.. Maybe I need some basic practice level? Thanks for your help

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jasond626 Thank you for such a kind response. Means a lot to me. I make these videos because it took me a long time to get a deeper grasp of ACT; I think I can understand from the perspective of both a client grappling with integrating ACT into my own life as well as the challenges as a therapist making ACT practical for clients.
      I’m wondering if we together could come up with a good idea for a video that would help people with this but also answer some of the questions you have. Could you email me and maybe we could set up a time to do a zoom call and perhaps if you’re interested, we could collaborate on the next video! I think it would be a big help to people following along in their journey. 💛

    • @jasond626
      @jasond626 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TimothyGordon thanks for reply.. The video call would be out of my comfort zone but if still do it.. what's your email address /contact details (I'm based in the UK)..

    • @TimothyGordon
      @TimothyGordon  3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Totally understand. tim@thezensocialworker.ca I’d love to chat.