The Center for Neuropsychology and counseling Logo

The Center for Neuropsychology and Counseling

Facebook Instagram
215-491-1119
Select a Category

Going For It! Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Techniques to Find Direction

by Connor Pailas July 17, 2026

Part Two

As discussed back in Part One of this post, this is where we will Go For It!

Imagine your life is like a car moving along a road. The roads in question are your values. We all have our preferences for the kind of scenery we want to see as we are driving. Some views are not for us, while others are just perfect. In order to follow the roads we want to (our values), we need to have the correct directions and a key to start the engine. These next steps will help you to program in your directions and turn the key.

First we must choose a road to follow. Use your values! Which of your values do you not feel you are living by currently? Which values do you wish were more present in your day-to-day life? Name these values and keep them in mind.

Next we need to set our directions. Set SMART goals that help us to live by our values. 

S – Specific actions you will take. Be as specific as possible

M – Meaningful. Actions should be guided by your values

A – Adaptive. This goal should help improve your fulfilment and quality of life

R – Realistic. This goal should be actually achievable given the context of your situation (resources, health, ability, etc…)

T – Time-framed. Set a specific time frame to help you follow through with your goal. Name a specific date and time or range when you will commit to these actions. Make sure this time is available and accurate.

Now that you have set your SMART goals, you have your directions. You know where you want to go and how to get there. All you need now is the KEY! And the key is doing it. Really try your best to go for it and follow through on your plans. Take small steps and plan for things that might get in the way of engaging in these goals. There is no shame in starting small and gaining momentum. You know yourself best; see if you can think of what might stop you from engaging in these actions. What can you do to prevent these barriers and follow through? Take note of your victories and successes (no matter how small). Once you finish one goal, set another! Try other values and domains of your life that are important to you. See how far you can take it. You are behind the wheel! The engine is on, the directions are telling you where to go, and the view is beautiful outside!

Final notes and remarks:

This is not a cure-all. While finding our values and trying to live by them can give us direction, our problems are complex and require complex solutions. It is helpful to work with someone to help you navigate this journey. I recommend seeking out a counselor, therapist, or psychiatrist to help explore your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and the things that are keeping you stuck. There’s a lot more to healing than just finding direction and going for it. 

Although I use and appreciate the terms and techniques mentioned in this blog post, they are not my ideas. This blog post represents a short summary of works from other brilliant psychologists like Steven Hayes and Russ Harris. I highly recommend looking into their work on your own time to gain a further sense of these concepts and more!

Last, but certainly not least… Be kind to yourself. This is really hard work and I do not want to let that acknowledgement go unnoticed. Committing to healing, in whatever form that may be, is a massive step and even just reading this and wanting to make a change is an important accomplishment. There will be ups and downs throughout this journey, but regardless of how you may be feeling, I ask that you try to be kind to yourself for what you have been through and where you are going. 

References

Harris, R. (2019). ACT made simple: An easy-to-read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy (2nd ed.). New Harbinger Publications.

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York: Guilford Press.

Think2Perform. (2025). Values Cards Exercise. Think2perform. https://www.think2perform.com/values/

Read Post

Finding Direction: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Techniques to Find Direction

by Connor Pailas July 7, 2026

Many people come to therapy looking for direction. Whether it’s wanting to navigate an issue, finding identity, processing pain, or just wanting to feel better, we all want to find answers for the things that are troubling us. The difficult part is that there is no set path to follow, no manual that gives us step-by-step directions, no easy fix or cure-all. Every person is unique which means that our problems are also unique. To this point, our problems require individual approaches. What works for your partner, friend, or colleague might not work for you (and vice versa). 

While this may be true, it doesn’t make the struggles in our lives any less real. So what do we do with this? 

Finding Direction

Oftentimes, when we are struggling, we become lost. We are overwhelmed by the pain, confusion, or difficulty of our current situation and come to lose sight of how we want to live our lives. This is where our values become incredibly important… They give our life meaning, helping us to live a more gratifying and fulfilling life, even through the worst storms.

Now…you might have heard about values before in school or work and are wondering “how can values help me figure out my problem?” In Hayes’ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (also known as ACT) values are not just morals or goals, they are leading principles that guide and motivate us as we move through life. They are statements about what we stand for, what we want to be doing in life, and how we want to behave. The idea is to make conscious choices to live BY our values as much as we can! Put more simply… “is this behavior aligned with my values or not?”

Values are:

  • Ongoing – How we want to act on an ongoing basis (how we move through daily life)
  • Global Qualities –  How we want to engage in these ongoing actions: thoughtfully? respectfully? skillfully?
  • Desired – Is this value something I actually want or is it something that I feel like I should want? (values should be truly yours regardless of societal expectations)

Important note: values can be tricky to name because we often confuse them with goals. 

  • Goals are concrete, future-oriented outcomes like: getting a job, finding a partner, or completing school. Values are on-going and represent the principles behind our goals like: to be responsible and collaborative, to be loving and connected, to be knowledgeable and ambitious
  • Values are not the end to a means, but a means to an end… They are embracing the journey, not the destination!

Now that you know what values are and are not, try to think of your own values. Here’s a helpful exercise that lists some example values (there are more that aren’t mentioned here) and helps you to pick what is important to you.

(https://www.think2perform.com/values/)

image

While these exercises are helpful and can provide you with a good starting point, there are many values that aren’t listed and may feel more aligned with you. Spend some time thinking about your values, answering presently and truthfully… really trying to know yourself more!

…

Ok so now you know your values! These are the key to helping foster meaning and fulfillment in our lives. The next question is: “Now that I know what’s important to me, what do I do with this information?” 

Stay tuned for Part Two of this post where we Go For It!

Read Post

Integrating Clinical And Classroom Data To Build A Seamless Support System: A Three-Part Series

by Brittnie Blanchard, PsyD May 18, 2026

PART 3 – The Power of Partnership: Building the Bridge Between School Teams and Private Practice

Over the previous posts in this series, we have covered two distinct yet complementary evaluation approaches to ensuring needs of individual students are identified and met. But how do schools and private practitioners bridge the gap and make use of their equally valuable perspectives and data in the service of their students and clients? Educational specialists and licensed psychologists are especially valuable when their work is coordinated, collaborative, and grounded in the mutual respect of one another’s professional expertise.

What is Care Coordination?

These efforts include shared goals, assessment, and intervention planning – with appropriate consent – that is focused on individual success which supports:

  • The alignment of clinical and educational goals
  • Appropriate accommodations and interventions
  • Prevention of conflicting strategies
  • Ensures consistent reinforcement across environments
  • Identification of those strategies that work (or don’t) across settings
  • Coordinated rather than duplicated efforts across settings

Some Real-Life Examples of Care Coordination

  • A family requested an evaluation from a school and then shares the outcomes with their therapist or seeks a private consultation about the results to support their child outside of school as well.
  • A family talks to their therapist about how to navigate the school system, including school-based evaluations and services, and the family is connected to the appropriate resources at school. 
  • A school or family requests an independent educational evaluation (IEE) to further support a student.
  • Clinicians provide presentations to staff on specific topics like ADHD, developmental disorders, or mental health generally. 
  • Educators and school evaluators inform clinicians about trends in the schools and needs for outside support.

Read Post

Integrating Clinical and Classroom Data to Build a Seamless Support System: A Three-Part Series

by Brittnie Blanchard, PsyD April 15, 2026

PART 2 – A Tale of Two Labels: One Child, Two Different Ways of Being “Identified”

If you read our previous blog entitled School vs. Psychological Evaluation: Which Path Is Right for Your Child?, you saw an overview of major differences between school-based and psychological evaluations and were introduced to the reality that educational classifications and diagnoses are not synonymous. The sections that follow will help to illustrate why that is.

Navigating the gap between a diagnosis and an educational classification is often the most frustrating part of a parent’s journey, yet it is where true advocacy begins. Often, families are confused by the use of Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Specific Learning Disability as educational classifications, given that there are diagnoses with similar labels.  Many school-based evaluations also mistakenly interchange the terms “classification” and “diagnosis,” adding to the confusion. However, educational criteria (based on IDEA) for Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Specific Learning Disability are separate, distinct, and different from diagnostic criteria as you can see below. There are no diagnoses, for example, of Other Health Impairment, Emotional Disturbance, or Orthopedic Impairment. These are all educational classifications.

Comparison of IDEA and DSM-5 Criteria

 LABELCRITERIA
IDEAAutismSignificant impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication.Impairment in social interaction.Characteristics evident before age 3.Must cause adverse educational impact.
Intellectual DisabilitySignificantly subaverage intellectual functioning.Concurrent adaptive deficits.Manifested during the developmental period.Must cause adverse educational impact.
Specific Learning DisabilityLack of response to evidence-based intervention OR severe gap between IQ and achievement.Must affect 1 of 8 academic domains – oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, basic reading skills, reading fluency skills, reading comprehension, mathematics calculation, mathematics problem solving. Must cause adverse educational impact.
 
DSM-5Autism Spectrum DisorderDeficits in Social Communication & Interaction (All must be met): social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication, and relationships.Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors (At least 2 must be met): stereotyped/repetitive movements, insistence on sameness, fixated interests, sensory.Significant interference with daily life.
Intellectual Disability (Intellectual Developmental Disorder)Deficits in Intellectual Functions: reasoning, problem-solving, planning, abstract thinking, judgment, and academic learning. IQ about 70. Deficits in Adaptive Functioning: Failure to meet developmental and sociocultural standards for personal independence and social responsibility across 3 domains (Conceptual, Social, Practical).Onset During the Developmental Period: Intellectual and adaptive deficits must have started before age 18 (during childhood).Significant interference with daily life.
Specific Learning DisorderPersistent academic difficulty (6+ months).Skills substantially below age expectations.Early onset (school years).Significant interference with daily life.

While a school may use a term like “Autism” or “Intellectual Disability” or “Specific Learning Disability” to describe a child’s special education eligibility, it is vital to remember that this is not a diagnosis. Having a diagnosis does not automatically qualify a child for special education, nor does an educational classification ensure that criteria will be met for a diagnosis. By understanding that an educational classification and a diagnosis are separate tools, you can ensure your child is not only “eligible” for services within the educational setting but also gain understanding of the cause(s) and mechanisms of a condition(s) to guide treatment for all areas of life.

Read Post

Integrating Clinical and Classroom Data to Build a Seamless Support System: A Three-Part Series

by Brittnie Blanchard, PsyD March 17, 2026

Part 1 – School vs. Psychological Evaluation: Which Path Is Right for Your Child?

Evaluations come in a variety of forms and may be completed by several different providers. While it seems natural to think that all evaluations are the same, that is simply not the case. One major set of differences exists between psychological evaluations and school-based psychoeducational evaluations (i.e., Evaluation Reports, or ERs, and Reevaluation Reports, or RRs). These evaluations differ both in their purpose and in their conclusions.

Psychological evaluations are assessments conducted by a licensed psychologist to evaluate an individual’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning across environments, including home, school, and community. They are generally pursued in the service of gaining a deeper understanding of an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and needs across life domains in order to inform treatment, support, and/or diagnosis. They can help to answer questions like: Does the individual need self-regulation skills, executive functioning coaching, or social skills development? Would the child’s parent benefit from parent coaching? Does the individual’s family need support in caring for this individual? Are there clinical recommendations that would benefit this individual in the school setting and other settings? Is the child or individual in need of community-based services and support (e.g., county assistance, waivers, social security)? Primary conclusions in a private psychological evaluation may include a diagnosis from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders (DSM). Psychological evaluations do not determine special education eligibility, but they can make recommendations for eligibility and suggest interventions to school-based teams.

On the other hand, school-based evaluations are used to determine a child’s (aged 3-21) educational needs and whether that child has a disability and requires specialized instruction under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They are completed by a school psychologist (an “educational specialist” who is certified by the state’s Department of Education, not the same as a licensed psychologist), and/or other school professionals. The outcome of a school-based evaluation emerges in the form of a disability classification(s) identified by IDEA law, not a diagnosis. Using the classification(s) and evaluation outcomes, schools tailor educational programs to support the individualized educational needs of children within their walls. They answer questions like: What does this child need to effectively access the educational environment? What classroom modifications may be helpful? Does the child need related services such as speech-language therapy, occupational therapy for fine motor skills, or assistive technology? What is the child’s learning profile? What is leading to the academic, emotional, social, and/or behavioral problems in the school setting? Although school evaluations do not produce a diagnosis, they may lead school teams to suggest psychological evaluations to the families of their students for further assessment.

The takeaway is clear: school and psychological evaluations are complementary approaches to ensure a child gets what they need. However, to avoid the trap of “evaluation confusion,” families must recognize that these two reports serve different purposes: one is governed by federal law and guidelines and the other by clinical standards.

Evaluation Cheat Sheet: Know the Difference

  • The Scope: A psychological evaluation looks at the individual across all environments (home, social, and community), while a school-based evaluation focuses strictly on how a disability impacts educational performance.
  • The Outcome: Psychological evaluations result in a diagnosis (using the ICD and DSM-5). They provide a differing perspective on the root causes and mechanisms of presenting symptoms and identify individual strengths and weaknesses which then inform comprehensive, individualized interventions. They are also beneficial to accessing some service within the community. School evaluations result in an educational classification (under IDEA), which is the “key” to unlocking an IEP and supporting educational performance.
  • The Evaluator: Psychological assessments are conducted by Licensed Psychologists who can provide clinical diagnosis; school assessments are conducted by School Psychologists or educational specialists to determine special education eligibility.
  • The Terminology Trap: Having a diagnosis of “Autism” does not automatically grant the school classification of “Autism” (or vice-versa). To qualify for special education supports, the school must show that the condition creates an adverse impact on learning.

To dive into deeper understanding of disability classifications and diagnoses, look out for our next blog entitled A TALE OF TWO LABELS: ONE CHILD, TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEING “IDENTIFIED.”

Read Post

Supporting Children Through Big Emotions

by The Center in PA February 4, 2026

Emotion regulation isn’t about stopping big feelings; it’s about learning what to do with them. Kids feel emotions just as deeply as adults do, but they don’t quite have the tools to manage those feelings yet in a way that is safe and appropriate. That’s where emotion regulation comes in and where adults play a really important role.

Emotion regulation is the ability to notice, manage, and recover from emotions in a way that appropriately fits the situation. For children, this can look like hearing “no” without having a full-blown meltdown, feeling excited without losing control of their body, and being disappointed while still staying safe with their words and actions. When children struggle with emotional regulation, it often shows up in tantrum-like behaviors, such as hitting, stomping, throwing objects, or screaming. These behaviors aren’t signs of a “bad” child, but instead signs of undeveloped or what Dr. Ross Greene calls “lagging skills.” It’s also important to understand what emotion regulation isn’t. It’s not pretending everything is fine and forcing a smile during uncomfortable moments. And it’s certainly not living in a world where no one ever gets upset. Emotion regulation is about learning how to feel emotions and manage them.

Emotion regulation is a learned skill. We are not born learning how to calm ourselves down, tolerate frustration, or cope with disappointment. For children especially, this is a skill that develops slowly over time and takes lots of practice. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and decision making, and for children, this is still very much underdeveloped, making it difficult to pause before reacting. Before they can self-regulate, they must first co-regulate. Co-regulation is the process in which an adult helps a child regulate their emotions through connection, validation, and modeling. Adults already have more developed emotional and cognitive skills. When we stay grounded and validate a child’s experience through a calm tone, we’re essentially teaching them over time how to do this for themselves. Most parents can relate to the exhaustion and frustration that comes with frequent tantrums. Co-regulation is important because emotions can be contagious and when your child is dysregulated, your nervous system often feels it too.

Simple Strategies to Support Emotion Regulation

1.         Label the Emotion

Naming feelings helps children make sense of what’s happening inside of them. For example, “It looks like you’re feeling really frustrated right now.”  The key here is to validate the emotion without validating the behavior. Labeling helps show your child that you understand what they are feeling while also helping them learn to notice and name their own emotions over time.

2.         Adjust your Tone

This can be incredibly hard when you’re also frustrated, but a calm voice can reduce the intensity of the child’s emotional response. Your tone can often be more regulating than your words!

3.         Use a Grounding Exercise

Grounding techniques help regulate the nervous system and bring the body out of fight or flight. Practicing these techniques before a meltdown occurs makes them more accessible during hard moments. Some tools include:

·  Deep breathing (belly breathing, blowing out the candles)

·  Progressive muscle relaxation

·  Cold stimulation (splashing cold water on the face or using an ice pack)

·  A movement activity (going for a walk, stretching)

Emotion regulation is a skill children develop over time, and they need adults to help them practice in real moments. With calm co-regulation, validation, and consistency, children can build the skills necessary to navigate emotions in a healthy way.

Read Post
Showing Slide 1 of 7

Blog Categories

Tags