"ACT is one form of CBT which is one of the most widely used forms of psychological therapy, which has demonstrated a great deal of success in a wide variety of problems. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is about taking action to make our lives better. The physical symptoms of different conditions will vary, as well as the way you manage them. But the kinds of psychological stress the conditions bring are common to lots of long term health problems such as worry about the future, sadness about what has been lost, frustration at changes, guilt about being a burden, friction with family and friends. You can lose your sense of purpose and wonder "what's the point?" trapped in a war against your own illness every day is just about the battle and it can seem impossible to find achievement and fulfilment in life if the condition cannot be cured. It doesn't have to be like that. Using ACT which emphasises Mindfulness and Acceptance the course will show you how to live better despite your condition. It will teach you to spot the ways of coping that haven't been working for you, to make sure that troubling thoughts and unwanted feelings don’t run your life, how to make sense of the changes in your circumstances, how to make the most of today and work towards a future that includes more of the things that matter to you. If you stop fighting a losing battle, and instead learn how to live well with your condition, then - even with your condition - you'll find yourself not simply existing but really living again.

Ray Owen - taken from Living with the Enemy.

This online course runs for nine weekly sessions. The first week is an orientation session lasting an hour. The rest of the sessions are 2 hours long each with a 10 -15minute break. There will be a maximum of 12 people attending, plus 2 facilitators. This is an interactive course and we encourage contributions to small group discussions or using the chat function. As the course goes on, we hope that you start to feel safe enough within the group to say a bit more, if you wish to.

Orientation: This is a chance to introduce you to the facilitators and group. We'll support you with the technical aspects of doing a group online.

Session 1: Solutions that help with chronic conditions, and life, and solutions that do not help

Session 2 and 3: The six core skills of mental coping (psychological flexibility) and more "solutions" work and skills, values and health goals

Session 4 and 5: Mindfulness, life goals and barriers and overcoming barriers 1: What to do with unhelpful thoughts - defusing and distancing

Session 6: Overcoming barriers 2: Acceptance of what cannot be changed

Session 7: Revision and the six core skills

Session 8: The final session putting it all together into your (little) "Making the Most of Life" plan

People struggling with the emotional impacts of stress, as well as low mood and anxiety as a result of Diabetes, Chronic Pain, Long Covid, a cardiac condition or a respiratory condition.

For those happy to attend a zoom call each week in a room where they are unlikely to be disturbed

You will need a stable internet connection, a computer or laptop and private space where you can be undisturbed. We will provide you with a workbook to accompany the course and facilitate your learning. To get the most out of the course you will need to practice the new skills between sessions.

You will be asked to fill in a short questionnaire about anxiety and low mood before each session. In addition to this, we will also ask if you are able to complete a questionnaire that is designed to look at how your mental health and wellbeing is impacted by the experience of having a physical health condition. 

This enables us to both give you feedback about your progress and evaluate the course. We also welcome any comments or suggestions you might like to share about the course. 

People struggling with the emotional impacts of stress, as well as low mood and anxiety as a result of Diabetes, Long Covid, a cardiac condition or a respiratory condition.

For those happy to attend a zoom call each week in a room where they are unlikely to be disturbed