Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, also known as ACT is an empirically-based form of therapy that utilizes mindfulness and acceptance paired with a commitment to your personal. This type of therapy has been shown to motivate behavioral change, increase psychological flexibility and help you learn to be present and live your life fully.
The main goal of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is to create a rich, meaningful life while being able to accept that life inevitably brings some pain and suffering. Through ACT, we are able to learn psychological skills to handle thoughts and feelings that are painful more effectively. If we deal with painful emotions in a healthy way, they have less impact and influence, don’t lead to self-sabotage, and don’t sweep us away in our emotions.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is useful for a wide variety of challenges including:
- Adjusting to life changes
- Coping with stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Substance Use
- Parenting
- Romantic Relationships
- Combating Abuse
- Procrastination
- Coping with Illnesses
Many behavioral and emotional concerns work well with ACT. If any of the challenges above resonate with you, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy could be a good fit.
Some Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques include:
- Creating space for emotions
- Gaining space from unhelpful thoughts
- Being present
- Values clarification
- Engaging in values-based goals