Author Archives: Rob Archer

Understanding the Real You

Posted on June 1, 2013

As a psychologist, many clients want me to help them understand themselves better. Who am I? Who is the ‘real’ me? How do I become more like the real me? And because I am all seeing and knowing, I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Organisations and careers, Psychological Flexibility | 5 Comments

(How to) Stay on The F*****G Bus

Posted on March 17, 2013

I recently came across Helsinki bus theory, an interesting metaphor by the photographer Arno Minkinnen which is usually applied to creativity.  Being a big fan of bus metaphors, I started using it with my coaching clients and it resonates, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Decision making | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Dangers of Language

Posted on March 5, 2013

“So, how do you feel?” “I feel like I’m grinding through life, sort of like I’m pushing a heavy boulder uphill.  Every day I’m grinding forward, but it feels relentless.” “So how does this feeling of ‘grinding’ actually show up … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Mindfulness | 8 Comments

The Different Motivational Properties of Values and Goals

Posted on January 21, 2013

When committing to a new course of action it’s useful to distinguish between values and goals because they have different motivational properties. Goals can be achieved.  This is why they motivate – we enjoy the feeling of purpose and progress … Continue reading →

Posted in Behaviour change, Decision making, Meaning, Values | 6 Comments

Happy Christmas! (?)

Posted on December 24, 2012

Christmas is a time which for me has always been associated with pressure, comparisons and evaluations.   There was always a sense that other people, somewhere ‘out there’ were doing Christmas properly and that somehow I was not meeting that standard.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Behaviour change, Uncategorized, Values | 2 Comments

Tackling Our Culture of Cruelty

Posted on December 6, 2012

A recent Panorama investigation found systematic abuse of elderly residents going on in a UK care home.  Some of the most vulnerable people in our society were being ritually abused by their so-called carers: On the top floor of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Psychological Flexibility, Stress and resilience, Values, Work | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Find Your Passion At Work! (Just Don’t Expect to Feel Passionate About It When You Do)

Posted on December 1, 2012

One of the reasons I left consultancy is because I felt that the work was meaningless.  In meetings I would try not to fall asleep as people droned on about project dependencies and stakeholder management and at the weekend all … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Careers, Meaning, Values, Work | 5 Comments

Psychological Flexibility in Difficult Conversations

Posted on November 18, 2012

It struck me that psychological flexibility is very powerful in relationships, and particularly in having difficult conversations.  However, this is something I rarely talk about on this blog (Rachel maybe more so).  So I thought sharing a personal example of … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Values | 1 Comment

Why Happiness Makes Me Grumpy (aka: The Limitations of Aiming for a Happy Workplace)

Posted on November 8, 2012

Most serious positive psychology researchers would agree with the idea that happiness should not be an objective.   But in my experience the message gets lost in translation, certainly among the many life coaches and pop psychologists who advocate the implementation … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Psychological Flexibility | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Why Psychological Flexibility Will be a Key Leadership Skill of the Future

Posted on October 19, 2012

Last year in the UK, a Panorama investigation uncovered systematic abuse of elderly care home residents who were ­being routinely pushed about, belittled and ­humiliated by their so-called carers. Worse, when whistleblowers drew attention to the abuse it was they … Continue reading →

Posted in Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), Behaviour change, Psychological Flexibility, Relationships / communication, Values, Work | Tagged | 2 Comments