Aisling Curtin

Feeling stressed? Lonely? Overwhelmed? Stuck? Irish psychologist Aisling Curtin will conduct a “get-unstuck” workshop at the University of Houston-Victoria from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

This free event, which will take place in the Alcorn Auditorium of UHV University West, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St., is open to the public.

“The get unstuck workshop is for anyone who has struggled with unwanted thoughts or emotions, which in my experience is pretty much everyone at some point,” said Curtin, who is based in Dublin, Ireland. “This workshop will teach people a few skills to help them ‘get out of their mind and into their life.’”

Curtin works for St. Patrick’s University Hospital, the largest private mental health care provider in Ireland. She’s also the director of ACT Now Ireland, an organization committed to making Acceptance and Commitment Therapy more accessible to both clinicians and the general public. ACT is a mindfulness-based and values-focused behavioral therapeutic approach.

“Most of us spend our lives in the past or in the future. ACT teaches practical ways to be in the present moment and skills to deal with your thoughts and emotions more effectively,” Curtin said. “ACT also emphasizes connecting with what really matters to you. Often we’re so busy in our heads that we are totally disconnected from what it is that truly matters to us.”