Fifth Annual Southern Maine ACT (SMACT) Fall Retreat

Sept 28-30, 2018
Cushing Island, Portland, Maine
8 CEs (will be submitted to relevant boards and pending approval)

Schedule (pending) | Example: Sample schedule from 2017

Register here!

Members of the Southern Maine ACT community (SMACT, i.e., current or recent past participants in the ACT Peer Consultation Group or ACT Study Groups) are invited to join an experiential ACT weekend on Cushing Island sponsored and facilitated by our membership. The weekend has multiple purposes: Learn about ACT and have a first-person experience of ACT, share our collective wisdom, gain experience leading a discussion or workshop, connect with one another and build our community, and engage in self-care. We will do this on two levels – as clinicians and as participants – so you are invited to take both an intellectual and personal perspectives. There will be a variety of topics, and all will weave into the development of 6 major processes of psychological flexibility.

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Save the Date!  SMACT Fall Retreat will be the weekend of September 28-30, 2018. Please note that this is a change from the original plan.

July 2, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice and Case Review. Susan will bring a case to discuss.

July 16, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Group will meet on the THIRD Monday this month due to conflict with the ACBS Conference in Montreal. Agenda: Practice!  Case presenter: TBD

July 20, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: TBD. We do not have access to the usual office space @ 272 Congress for our monthly ACT Peer Consult Group meeting. We will meet @ the Mercy Pain Center, 144 State St. Directions: You can park in the attended lot on Spring St. Go down State St mostly past the hospital, turn RIGHT onto Spring St. Go 1/2 block and turn left into the lot. Tell the attendant you are participating in a meeting in the Pain Center. Enter through the ER entrance on Spring St. Follow the hallways as they snake back to the State St side of the building. OR enter the main doors on State St and the Pain Center will be the hallway to the right. (The Pain Center is next to the Security office.)

Aug 1, 6pm+. EvoS Book Club
Group usually meets on the 4th Wednesday. However, due to various vacation schedule conflicts, we have combined the July and August meetings to an alternate date. Agenda: We will read the first section of Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett.

Aug 6, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Cancelled due to expected schedule conflicts by numerous members (I will refund a group payment sometime over the next 30 days). We couldn’t find an alternate date that worked for enough people to justify the meeting. We will resume on the SECOND Monday of September (due to Labor Day): Sept 10 with topic of Present Moment Awareness by Curt; Lisa will serve as backup. We will resume meeting on first Mondays in October : Oct 1.

Aug 17, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: Chris Gray will present a case. Location: MMP-Family Practice @ 272 Congress St. (please contact us if you will be attending for a first time).

Aug 27, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Check back to confirm this meeting. Agenda: TBD

Save the Date!  SMACT Fall Retreat will be the weekend of September 28-30, 2018. Please note that this is a change from the original plan.

May 7, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice and Case Review. Susan will bring a case to discuss.

May 18, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: Reviewing clinical case from an ACT perspective. Cases presentations: TBD

May 21, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Group will meet on the THIRD Monday this month due to the Memorial Day holiday.
We will welcome 1-2 new members this month. Be sure to show up to welcome them. Agenda: Practice!  Case presenter: TBD

May 23, 6pm+. EvoS Book Club
Agenda…
Multimedia: Group agreed to watch or listen (available on any podcast app; Joe Rogan Experience, episode #1081 from 2/20/18) to a long conversation between Joe Rogan (podcast host) and Brett Weinstein and Heather Heying. They cover a range of social-cultural and political topics but the bulk of their discussion is focused on evolutionary psychology and it is fascinating.  Give it a view or listen (given the length of this, I’d recommend listening via podcast app so you can start and stop over chores and commutes!) and come to next group prepared to discuss.
Next Book: We are taking a detour from strictly EvoS books and reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s Natural Causes (link). It’s a short book and quick read so we committed to reading the first 1/2 (more or less).

Save the Date!  SMACT Fall Retreat will be the weekend of September 7-9, 2018

April 2, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice and Case Review. Teresa will bring a case to discuss.

April 20, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: Reviewing clinical case from an ACT perspective. Cases to be presented by Vanessa and Steve

April 23, 2017, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice!  TBD.  This group marks its 3 year anniversary in April!

April 25, 6pm+. EvoS Book Club
We are currently struggling to finish Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. In April, we will talk about it. Or maybe we won’t. Who is to say? If you have ideas for books, documentaries, some other focus for the group, please bring them!

March 5, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice and Case Review. Curt will bring a case, Joel will provide a back-up case.

March 16, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: Promoting resilience and averting burnout: The ACT of clinician self-care.

March 21, 6pm+. EvoS Book Club
We are currently reading Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. For March, please read chapters 11-end.  Participants who missed last month will endure a humiliating “walk of shame” ritual.*

March 26, 2017, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice!  TBD.  This group marks its 3 year anniversary in April!

*Just kidding. I occasionally wonder if anyone actually reads these.

Feb 5, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice and Case Review. Joni reviewed and sought consultation on a difficult and interesting case. For March, Curt will bring a case, Joel will provide a back-up case.

Feb 16, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: TBD. Bring a case or topic to discuss.

Feb 21, 6pm+. EvoS Book Club
We are currently reading Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. For February, please read chapters 5-10.  Food: Pizza by Monique, Salad by Julie, Dessert by Joel, and Beverage by Steve.

Feb 26, 2017, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice!  Sarah will bring a case or audio for practice. Please plan to bring a backup case to share. Reminder for presenters to consider a format/structure and roles you would others to fill.

Jan 8, 8-9:30 am. First Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice!  Lisa will bring audio or a case or for practice. Curt will bring a backup. Reminder for presenters to consider a format/structure and roles you would others to fill.

Jan 19, 8-9:30 am. ACT Peer Consultation Group
Agenda: We will revisit Steve’s case (chronic pain, addiction?, new meds) focusing on how to conceptualize the case from and ACT perspective and how to generate options for intervention.  Preview: January 2018: Couples tx and Jon’s case?

Jan 22, 8-9:30 am. Fourth Mondays ACT Study Group
Agenda: Practice!  Colin will bring a case or audio for practice. Please plan to bring a backup case to share. Reminder for presenters to consider a format/structure and roles you would others to fill.

Jan 24, 2017, 6pm+.  EvoS Book Club
Please buy Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright and read chapters 1-4.