ACT in the Pub (Melbourne): What the Function? Behaviour in Context when Working with Neurodivergent Adults

Join us for the second Melbourne ACT in the Pub event for 2023. This month's presentation will be by Jennifer Kemp titled What the Function? Understanding Behaviour in Context when Working with Neurodivergent Adults. 

Tickets include a drink on us at arrival!

The rapid increase in diagnoses of Autism and ADHD in recent years has led to the realisation that large numbers of diagnosed and undiagnosed autistic adolescents and adults are presenting in therapy experiencing significant mental health problems. Many have accumulated several misdiagnoses before their neurodivergence is identified. This fundamental shift has created new challenges for mental health professionals who must learn how to adapt their existing skills to work in an effective and affirming way.

Functional analysis is a process that underpins Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) yet this skill is rarely taught in ACT training. Ongoing functional assessment can guide the individual towards values-led behaviour while improving the therapist’s ability to distinguish between valid neurodivergent differences and behaviours that contribute to mental health problems. Opening with a concise definition of the fundamentals of functional analysis in clinical practice, this one-hour presentation will provide a guide to identifying the different functions of ‘clinical’ behaviours and how to offer treatment in a contextually sensitive and neurodiversity-affirming way. Participants will consider how the information processing differences of the neurodivergent individual and high likelihood of neurodivergent burnout define the priorities for treatment. Participants will be offered practical examples of how to use functional analysis to navigate a pathway to improved mental health and build the skills in self-compassion that can improve neurodivergent clients’ wellbeing in the long-term.

After the talk, attendees are welcome to stay on at the venue and eat dinner together, to discuss the talk, catch up and make new connections or refresh old ones.

Our ACT in the Pub talks are a great opportunity to network with members of your local ACBS chapter and the ACT community, as well as learning new perspectives and approaches to utilising and thinking about ACT. Newcomers to the event, community, and to ACT are welcome!

About the presenter

Jennifer Kemp (BSc(Psych)Hons, MPsych(Clinical), GradDipApplSc(Psychology of Coaching), MAPS, FCCLP) is a privately practicing Clinical Psychologist based in Adelaide who works with older adolescents and adults experiencing perfectionism, eating and body image problems, burnout, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and chronic illness. Most of her clients are neurodivergent. Using a neurodiversity-affirming approach, Jennifer weaves together acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), behavioural and compassion-focused approaches to help her clients improve their mental health, develop self-compassion skills and move towards self-acceptance and pride in identity.