TODD SCHMENK, MS, MEd

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has grown significantly in recent years, becoming a vital approach in clinical psychology. One figure who has notably influenced this growth is Todd Schmenk. His work has helped clinicians and organizations deepen their understanding of ACT and functional contextualism. In this post, I will explore Todd Schmenk’s impact on ACT, highlighting practical insights and actionable recommendations for those looking to integrate these principles

A Functional Contextual and RFT Primer for Practitioners By Todd Schmenk, M.S., M.Ed., LMHC Why This Distinction Matters Before We Define Anything If you have ever watched a client spiral from a single worried thought into a cascade of dread within seconds, you have watched relational framing in action. If you have ever noticed that a word — "failure," "obligation," "unlovable" — carries far more behavioral weight than its dictionary definition would suggest, you have witness

A Process-Based, Contextual Framework for Understanding Change Traditional approaches to measuring patient improvement often rely on nomothetic outcomes such as symptom checklists, diagnostic categories, or standardized benchmarks. While useful for certain purposes, these approaches frequently miss the lived, functional, and contextual nature of change as it unfolds within individual clients. This article outlines an idiographic approach to understanding patient improvement g

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has gained significant traction in clinical settings for its practical approach to psychological flexibility. But beyond individual therapy, ACT offers profound benefits when integrated into organizational training programs. As someone deeply involved in helping clinicians and organizations master ACT and functional contextualism, I want to share how ACT training can transform your organization’s culture, improve team dynamics, and enha

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the most frequently misunderstood approaches I’ve come across—by students, newer clinicians, and sometimes even those actively practicing within the model.

What a Webinar on OCD Diagnosis Gets Right, What It Misses, and Why the Underlying Processes Matter More

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a powerful approach that many clinicians and therapists are eager to master. One essential step in this journey is securing quality supervision. Supervision helps deepen your understanding of ACT principles and ensures you apply them effectively with your clients. Today, booking ACT supervision online has become a convenient and efficient way to access expert guidance. In this post, I will walk you through practical steps and tips to

There is a subtle shift that often takes place in clinical work, one that can feel natural and even compassionate, yet moves us away from the core aim of Functional Contextualism. It is the drift from analyzing function in the present moment toward explaining behavior through external factors. Instead of tracking what a behavior or belief is doing for the client here and now, the clinician begins constructing explanations about why the behavior exists and what is true about t

These Prime Directives are not clinical rules or treatment protocols. They are values-based operating instructions designed to support functional decision making across therapy, supervision, consultation, and professional life. 

Functional contextualism is a philosophical framework, not a therapy model. It is the lens through which contextual behavioral science, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by extension, understands behavior, language, and change. 

If you’ve practiced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), you’re likely familiar with the six core processes of psychological flexibility

As a clinician, I used to get stuck trying to make sense of everything a client brought into the room—the stories, the thoughts, the memories, the symptoms. It's how I was trained after all, and most likely, it was n your training too.

The following three principles are the essential bare bones strategies for the therapist wishing to help clients improve their psychological flexibility: Help the client discern the relationship between what they do and the problematic consequences they experience. Help the client discern their own thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations by establishing an observational distance from them as they emerge. Help the client use this skill to clarify what is important in their

The following three principles are the essential bare bones strategies for the therapist wishing to help clients improve their psychological flexibility: Help the client discern the relationship between what they do and the problematic consequences they experience. Help the client discern their own thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations by establishing an observational distance from them as they emerge. Help the client use this skill to clarify what is important in their

In today's fast-paced and highly connected world, we are constantly bombarded with information, notifications, and distractions. With...

Developing and understanding, both verbally and experientially, the flexible use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

When it comes to all the labels out there, it seems that after all these years, the inception of the first version of the DSM-V that the approach is not giving us the types of results that we had been hoping for. This makes sense when you think about the birth of psychological approaches coming from within the medical system.

Overview of the Providence area ACT Consultation Group