Member Spotlight - Angelika von Sanden

Interviewed by Michael Swadling - Chapter board member

Angelika is a counsellor and clinical supervisor. She's also the author of Sit, Stay, Grow: How Dogs Can Help You Worry Less and Walk Into a Better Future, published this year.

She's joined us to share about her own journey with ACT and CBS, and how they've influenced her writing.

Could you share a little bit about your journey into counselling and what first drew you to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and contextual behavioural science?

When I was about 6 years old, I planned to marry a missionary and move to Papua New Guinea. The idea was created by a visit to a missionary museum in the Black Forrest area in Germany, where I grew up. The direction was clear: helping others and exploring the world, but the execution changed significantly!

During my gap year I worked in a boys home for socially disadvantaged children, some of them orphans in Amman, Jordan. It made me consider the impact of environment, history and experiences on the individual and how support must be tailored according to context, culture and circumstances.

Studying social work in Germany, which includes one therapeutic model in depth, I chose systemic family therapy. Based on my personal experience as a stranger in a middle eastern country, I started to work with refugees and asylum seekers, founding a support network in my hometown. Like many people do, I ended up thinking and working contextually before having the words and theoretical knowledge.

Fast-forwarding somewhat: having moved to Australia, I studied a Masters in Counselling with the goal of private practice - and attended an ACT workshop! I found the theoretical base and research for what I experienced as helpful. I found answers to my questions, missing links between different models, a strength and research based approach with a soul.

How has your own background and life experience shaped the way you integrate compassion, mindfulness and creativity into your work?

Creativity has always been a part of me. When I was 7 or 8 years old, I started to write my first book, titled ‘Friendship’. On the third page I gave up, as I couldn’t get it “right”. Growing up in Germany, I spent nearly four decades immersed in a culture - and a family dynamic - where mistakes are highlighted and relentlessly striving for perfection is part of our family crest. I internalised this, viewing the world through a binary lens: right or wrong, black or white. I judged others, as I judged myself, often harshly.

Experiencing a supportive family when visiting friends - and especially the kindness of strangers when stuck in Peru for more than half a year, during the adoption of our older daughter - cracked something open in me. Compassion with myself grew - not as a concept, but as a lived experience.

Later, living in Australia, I encountered a different cultural rhythm, one which has room for mistakes. I continued to deliberately create a caring space for my own flawed self. While I think I did a good job as a social worker before, now I started to become a therapist working from a space of deep connection, without judgment, through shared humanity. This reminded me a few years ago of the effortless, accepting way we bond with our dogs: present, unfiltered and kind.

Mindfulness, however, was not love at first sight! I initially dismissed it with skepticism and a touch of sarcasm, seeing it as an euphemism for laziness or self-indulgences. The turning point: Russ Harris in one of his first workshops in Melbourne said: ‘You need to try and practice to experience the benefits!’ What a simple and profound insight - one I am sharing constantly with clients, along with the reminder that simple doesn’t mean easy! I share my struggle honestly and still have a soft spot for the reluctant.

Dogs clearly play a central role in your book - what have they taught you about living with more presence and flexibility?

Watching dogs play, sniff, sleep or chase a ball is my kind of mindfulness practice. They do one thing at a time, engaging fully, as if it is the most important thing in the world. Which it is for them, and in this moment. Their presence is complete.

For many survivors of trauma I have worked with, it is easier to notice something outside their own body and mind than within themselves. That is true for me too. While observing other humans may activate comparison or self-judgement, dogs offer a gentler mirror. That’s why my book doesn’t feature human characters.

Instead, I chose to explore the emotional landscape through the lens of our interactions with dogs. In doing so, I witnessed profound qualities and strengths in clients. I observed the love, kindness, generosity and ability to take perspective in daily interactions with their four legged companions.

Nobody expects a dachshund to leap over fences and nor do we say “You could, if only you tried harder.” We work with their uniqueness, talents and limitations. We considering their needs and how the environment impacts them. We don’t expect a frightened puppy to learn a new trick overnight.

The book reflects on what becomes possible when we extend that same compassion and psychological flexibility to ourselves. If we approached our own healing and growth with the same patience and attunement we offer our dogs, we might discover a gentler, more sustainable way of being.

Each chapter includes a “Taking a thought for a walk” activity. Could you tell us how you

developed these exercises, and how readers might use them in their daily life?

Adapting therapeutic practices to fit the realities of clients’ lives is something I care deeply about. When developing the “Take a thought for a walk” activities, I had busy dog lovers in mind, who go for a walk at least once a day, care about their puppy’s wellbeing and are open to consider to try something new and maybe slightly challenging. Rather then asking someone to carve out 20 minutes of stillness or solitude (which can be valuable, but inaccessible for many), I always offer something that could be woven into what clients are already doing.

I believe in puppy steps, small manageable actions that move us gently in a valued direction. The chapters and prompts are grounded in the six core processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and they are designed to be simple, doable, and non-intimidating. Like my first attempt at a mindfulness exercise, they are invitations: to consider, to try, and to notice.

Importantly, I have made space for ambivalence. Readers are welcome to be skeptical, indecisive, or not yet ready. For survivors of trauma, the freedom to choose - once violently taken from them -is essential for healing. These exercises are not prescriptions, but offerings.

Many clients have shared that focusing on one thought per walk felt manageable and meaningful. They began to hold thoughts lightly, be more present, to align an action with their values and noticed how that can reduce worry, deepen life’s richness, and offer a more compassionate way to relate to pain.

At the end of each chapter, I have included a second box introducing the inner Schweinehund (a dog-like pig from a German idiom that represents inner resistance or inertia). These challenges are for readers who feel ready to stretch a little further, even if it feels uncomfortable. Overcoming the Schweinehund is not about pushing harder, but about choosing to embrace discomfort in service of something that matters.

In short, “Taking a Thought for a Walk” is a gentle, flexible practice that meets readers where they are. Whether with a dog or alone, one thought carried through multiple walks can open the door to meaningful change.

What has been the most surprising or moving feedback you’ve received from readers of the book so far?

I would like to start with two massive surprises from within the ACBS community: It is very special for me, that Russ Harris volunteered to write the foreword and I am incredibly grateful for his contribution, especially considering the one-sided emotional connection, as it was him who introduced me to ACT in perhaps 2006. That Steve Hayes wrote in his endorsement: "It's fun and meaningful - what’s not to like about it? Highly recommended." about a book in simple English and illustrated like a coffee table book, surprised and delighted me immensely too.

Surprising and moving is feedback from several readers who found their teens and preteens interested in the book and who used the opportunity to have conversations about the ACT processes, without any psychological jargon, by talking about dogs, their adventures, experiences and misbehavior - sometimes while walking their dog!

Most moving are emails from fellow therapists describing how my book helped one of their clients, when gifted or used in sessions. For example as with a client with intellectual challenges, which make it difficult to understand the concept of therapy and who finds it impossible to bring own experiences to sessions. Reading a chapter together can open conversations and introduce ACT in a way otherwise not possible.

When writing I had survivors of trauma in mind, who trust their dogs more than humans. That it is helpful for so many other readers (even cat-lovers!) does move me deeply.

What do you value most about being part of the ACBS community?

I have been a member of ACBS for around 15 years, I think. But membership means to me only, that I financially support the work others do and have access to resources. What truly matters to me is the sense of belonging to a global ACBS community of those members - whose values and actions resonate with my own.

Across continents I feel close to those who support others regardless of different backgrounds, experiences, professions and academic or non academic contributions to make the world a better place. I value to feel part of a bigger movement to live our convictions in the context of all challenges we face in today’s world, like one sided aggression, injustice, unfairness and the tension created by our own backgrounds, biases and blindspots. Within ACBS I have found like-minded people from all over the world and formed meaningful relationships, with those willing to reflect, stretch and grow.

I treasure relationships emerging from meeting face to face, be it ACT in the Pub events, the ANZ ACBS conference or world conferences. I experience community not in big gatherings, but with those who truly live the message of compassion, fairness and equality.

In January I caught up with a psychologist from London, whom I met at world conference in Sevilla - in a little bar in Chiang Mai, Thailand. And our conversation continued as if there haven’t been a few years since we spoke last! How beautiful is this?

Are there projects or directions you’re currently excited about - either in writing, clinical work, or community involvement?

What excites me most right now is the growing recognition - especially among fellow therapists - that context matters. Compared to twenty years ago, I see a deeper appreciation for the environments people live in, and how these shape their capacity to heal and grow. As a social worker by training, this shift feels validating. I have always believed in asking, metaphorically, “Have you eaten today?” before offering therapy. Attending to basic needs and lived realities is not separate from clinical work—it’s foundational to it.

I’m not someone who makes long-term plans, and I don’t have another book lined up. The one I wrote came about because a client asked me to. That kind of organic emergence feels more aligned with how I work and live. Lately, I have been reflecting on whether it’s possible to write a simple, yet meaningful book about the complex topic of decision-making.

Another idea that sparked my curiosity and would be fun, is a brochure with fifteen thoughtful questions one could bring to a first date. The aim would be to explore whether there is meaningful common ground, if sparks of mutual attraction are flying. I applied this idea to our first date, where we actually decided to get married, 40 years ago. I'm curious, if this would work for others too.

My exploratory spirit continues to pull me in many directions, but my central focus remains currently on providing high-quality clinical supervision. I believe that supporting the growth of other practitioners is one of the most powerful ways to live the spirit of CBS. It’s not just about what we do individually, but how we contribute to the collective.

And always, I carry with me the lessons I learned from the kindness of strangers, in Jordan, in Peru, in Australia, and in my travels world-wide. Supporting SISTERWORKS in Melbourne is part of that legacy. It’s a way to give back, and to honor the generosity that shaped me.

Amigo

And finally, a fun one: if your dog Amigo had been invited to give a keynote at the ACBS World Conference, what would the title of his talk be?

“Lick the yoghurt tub like it is your last meal on Earth, and treat play like it’s your most important job.”

Anything else you wanted to add?

Just that I'm happy to talk about my book with anyone who wants to say hello during the conference! I went to an event recently and someone said that they weren’t sure if I like to be approached or not - so I thought I'd put it out here directly to avoid anyone thinking they'd be imposing.

You can find Angelika's website at https://www.angelikaclinicalsupervision.com.au/. If you'd like to read about how to use the book in your own clinical work, Angelika has written about that here.

If you're interested in getting a copy of Sit, Stay, Grow, you can find a list of retailers at

https://lnk.to/sitstaygrow

If you'd like to follow the Instagram page for the book (with plenty of dog photos), you can find it at https://www.instagram.com/sitstaygrowbook/

And just in case you know anyone who find dogs pretty scary, I recently found out that chapter member Anthony Berrick runs a clinic called The Cynophobia Clinic in Sydney, focused on working with humans wanting to overcome phobias and fears about dogs.