Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What is acceptance and commitment therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or “ACT” for short (pronounced like the verb “to act”), is a process-based therapy in which individuals learn to be more psychologically flexible. Psychological flexibility is almost like a super power. It lets thoughts remain as just thoughts, makes you less reactive to negative emotions, and helps you make choices in life based on what’s truly important to you. 

Working together from an ACT perspective allows us to explore and define your personal values, create and follow through on short and long term goals, and practice living life based on your reality as it is right now, and not as you wish or think it “should” be. 

There are six core processes in ACT: contact with the present moment, defusion, acceptance, values, committed action, and self-as-context. Don’t worry about learning what these mean. We will apply them together as needed and appropriate in your sessions. However, if you are interested in the nitty-gritty of ACT, feel free to ask me questions in session, or look into the works of Russ Harris and Steven Hayes. I often recommend The Happiness Trap to clients, which is a book that explains all of the above in detail and how to apply it on your own or in conjunction with your sessions.