Registration for our January-February Skills Groups is now closed. 

We offer Skills Groups every quarter. We open applications for each group approximately 4 weeks in advance of the start dates. When the application window opens, you can find a live link on this page as well as on our Event Calendar, which you can access by clicking HERE. When you click the live link, you will be directed to an application form to complete. Once your form is submitted, a staff member will follow up with you. If there is not a link, we are not currently accepting applications.

Skills Groups are skill development workshops that are facilitated by two Sinneave staff members (one is an autistic self-advocate). In each 90-minute workshop, participants learn a variety of strategies that are foundational to success in various aspects of daily life. They are then given opportunities to practice the strategies with the support of the facilitators and other group members.

The next Acceptance & Commitment Training group runs for eight consecutive weeks, beginning Tuesday, January 16 through March 5, 2024. 

Do you ever act on “autopilot,” lost in your thoughts and not noticing the world around you?

Do you ever feel like your difficult thoughts and feelings (such as sadness or anxiety) are in control of you, and getting in your way?

Do you find that the things that matter to you in your life don’t get done as much as you’d like?

Do you struggle with motivation?

The skills we teach in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) can help.

ACT is an evidence-based approach that increases:

• your capacity to be present in the moment,
• your ability to accept and work with difficult thoughts and feelings, and
• helps you prioritize what matters to you.

ACT teaches you how to manage unwanted experiences. When our thoughts and emotions are all over the place, ACT teaches us to anchor so that we can weather the storm. It can help you lead a richer and more fulfilling life.

ACT teaches six core skills to help you:

• Contact With the Present Moment: this focuses on being present and aware of your current internal and external world; it encourages being flexible in how you pay attention
• Acceptance and Willingness: this is making room for unwanted or unpleasant feelings, or thoughts without trying to change them
• Unhooking (defusion): this involves stepping back from and observing your thoughts and feelings without being caught up in them; that is, noticing your thoughts and feelings and deciding if you should pay attention to them, or just let them be
• The Observing Self: This involves becoming more aware of and in contact with a part of you that is always there; the observing self is an observer of thoughts, feelings, and memories
• Values: knowing your values helps to clarify what matters to you, like the person you want to be and the things you want to do
• Committed Action: Life is in the doing; this involves committing to yourself to ACT in the direction of your value-driven goals

ACT is an attention-training program where you will learn to strengthen your attention “muscles” and flexibly direct your attention where you want it to go.

Research has proven ACT can be effective with a diverse range of people (including autistic people, teachers, caregivers and support workers) and with a variety of conditions (including ADHD, trauma, substance abuse and psychosis).

You will have the opportunity to learn and share in a safe and supportive environment.

Please note: Skills Groups are closed groups with a limited number of participants to allow for the greatest participation. They are filled by application only. These are not drop-in sessions.

To learn more about Skills Groups, visit our website, by clicking HERE