Virtues and values can have an untold impact on our lives. Dr. Steven C. Hayes has found a way to bring the cultivation of values as well as mindfulness to the realm of psychotherapy in order to develop psychological flexibility. 

In this installment of C.A.F.E. 229, we are honored to welcome Dr. Hayes, the founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which has gained worldwide recognition, with more than a thousand studies and 150 books on it and its underlying model in dozens of languages, and nearly 8,000 professionals across the world in its professional society.

A must-see event, Dr. Hayes demonstrates a few very useful ACT techniques, modeling a fusion of Buddhist values with behavioral therapy. 

Steven C. Hayes is a Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology in the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Nevada. Author of 47 books and nearly 670 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theory, an account of human higher cognition, and has guided its extension to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a popular evidence-based form of psychotherapy that uses mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based methods. He is also a co-developer of Process-Based Therapy (PBT), a new approach to evidence-based therapies.

Dr. Hayes has written a small number of books for professionals and non-professionals alike. His first, Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life (written with Spencer Smith) was the #1 best selling self-help book in the United States. His latest, A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters, tells the scientific and personal story of psychological flexibility and topped out as among the top 800 best selling books on Amazon. His TEDx Talks (here and here) and YouTube presentations exceed 1 million views.

Dr. Hayes has held various leadership positions across many invaluable organizations including Division 25 of the APA, the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, and the Association for Psychological Science. He is a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science, and is on the Advisory Board of USERN, which represents scientists who are in the top 1% of their field. He is President of the Institute for Better Health, a 45 year old charitable organization dedicated to excellence in clinical training.