KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND SUPPORT
For ACT Practitioners who want to build their expertise and help more people.
The ONLY online ACT training community with year-round access to an ACBS Peer-reviewed ACT Trainer
Learning sticks when it’s shared.
Communities of Practice are linked with higher engagement and collaboration, while self-directed learning requires high personal initiative, so outcomes vary.
That’s why the ACT Learning Centre is built as a community first: structured to help you focus, live meetings to support your progress, and feedback that helps skills take shape.
Take Your Next Step
The Openforwards ACT Learning Centre is your hub for building confidence with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It’s not about memorising lots of techniques or reading every book. We focus on learning one skill at a time and putting it into practice.
With structured resources, guided practices, and a community of support, you can build your ACT skills steadily and sustainably.
Meet the Founder
Jim Lucas
ACBS Peer-reviewed ACT Trainer, Consultant, Supervisor, Author and Therapist since 2003.
Jim has mentored and taught many therapists to effectively integrate ACT into their practice (after thinking he’ll never be as good as his teachers).
“Moving from theory to practice can be highly challenging, mainly when working with clients with unique complexities. I recognise the uncertainty from the early years of practising a new model.
After many hours of therapy practice, working closely with ACT experts, and applying it personally, I have come to know ACT intimately. I truly appreciate the opportunity to share my insights and show therapists how to help clients build psychological flexibility.”
Jim has already helped many ACT practitioners
Read about their experiences of working with Jim in the ACT Learning Centre training community.
I highly recommend Jim and OpenForwards! I have participated in multiple of his groups over the past two years, where I was fortunate to take part in experiential group exercises led by Jim. I learned tremendously from the sessions and now have a much stronger foundation in my ACT practice. Jim has a unique talent for clarifying and simplifying the core principles, making complex ideas much more accessible. His approach was key to my growth, positively affecting both my life and my clients’ lives. He is also a person of incredible patience, sensitivity, and gentleness. All of these qualities enriched my experience in his groups.
After my initial ACT training I wasn’t confident enough or practised enough to take my new skills into the therapy room. I joined this group half-heartedly, not fully committed and not expecting much. Over time, I have come to really look forward to…the sessions. My skill set has definitely improved and I have introduced ACT successfully into my practice. I’ve so much more to learn and am excited at the prospect. Jim is very generous in sharing his knowledge and the group has become a very safe and supportive space in which to learn.
I wanted to join the Openforwards group with Jim as I was transitioning work roles and I was looking for a community to support me…and further my ACT skills. I had done a lot of ACT training and bought a lot of books and wanted to link the learnings with my practice. As the saying goes, practice makes permanent. I am so glad I joined the group as it is a supportive, encouraging space I look forward to each week where Jim skillfully and clearly guides us toward becoming more effective ACT practitioners. I highly recommend this group.
Jim’s weekly sessions have been very helpful at “taking me where I am at” and are a haven to go to whenever I’m stuck with a particular clinical challenge. His website is also a wealth of ACT resources. I’ve benefitted from the support and camradery of (the group) as we work on building our skills together. I would highly recommend Openforwards to those that are seeking to build their ACT skills as its an investment in yourself and your clients.
As someone who learned ACT from books and online trainings, I was looking for a way to transform my book knowledge into clinical practice. The ACT practitioner group totally serves this purpose. The weekly meetings have improved my clinical skills exponentially in a short amount of time. The community provides the opportunity to learn first from Jim’s wealth of practical knowledge and insight. I am so happy that I found this group.
Before joining the community I was feeling a bit isolated as I work in private practice online from home. I had no colleagues to learn from and did not have any professional support. This is what motivated me to join the community and I’m very glad I did. I love the weekly meetings that give an opportunity to practice my ACT skills and learn from other colleagues. I would definitely recommend this community to any mental health practitioner looking to build their ACT skills in a friendly and supportive environment.
Delivered Training For
Trusted by hundreds of ACT practitioners across the UK and beyond.
Ready to build your ACT Expertise together?
Here are the first three steps:
Bridge the Gap
In the ACT Learning Centre, we will help you embrace uncertainty and build more confidence in your practice. To do that, it’s necessary to learn how to apply the principles and practices of ACT with precision, reach and depth. However, bridging the gap between foundational knowledge and complex, real-world settings is often challenging. The developmental path can leave you feeling confused, doubtful and frustrated.
Embracing a new approach can create a profound dilemma:
Do I trust the safety of my old familiar methods, even if it limits growth and flexibility?
Or, do I step into the unknown, recognising the forward-path is uncertain, and success may not come in a linear or predictable way?
The Doubt Whisperer thrives on your desire for certainty and straightforward answers. On the one hand, you want structured protocols, symptom-based outcomes and logical interventions. On the other hand, you know that human experience is fluid and often messy.
“Without certainty, how can you be sure you’re helping? What if you fail?” you hear from the shadows. What do you do?
To build your expertise, Jim helps you apply ACT principles to yourself. He’ll help you cultivate openness, willingness and the capacity to sit with your doubts while moving forward.
Here is how you can do it:
Step 1: Become a member of the ACT Learning Centre
Step 2: Plan your path forward in a 1:1 Consultation with Jim
Step 3: Start increasing your impact with clients
Are you ready to work together?
Learn to put the doubt whisperer aside and build your ACT expertise. Develop your style and confidence in working with complexity.
The NINE-STEP Programme that BUILDS YOUR CONFIDENCE, CONSISTENCY AND SKILL IN REAL CLINICAL SESSIONS.
Advanced ACT Training
A Six-Month Advanced ACT Training Programme for advanced beginners and beyond who want move beyond introductory ACT and use it more skilfully. Includes video-based curriculum, weekly group coaching sessions and unlimited 1:1 meetings with Jim.
ACT Supervision & Consultation
Work 1:1 with Jim to sharpen functional analyses, build your experiential confidence, and develop an ACT style that feels like you.
ACT Training Days
Practical ACT training for NHS and healthcare teams delivering psychological interventions.
Whether your team works in pain services, physical health, talking therapies, mental health, or long-term conditions, training can be tailored to your service, your population, and your team’s level of experience.
the act therapist’s guide
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