Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychotherapy that claims that experiential avoidance is a centrally important feature of many forms of psychopathology. A branch of cognitive-behavioral therapy, ACT is an empirically-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies together with commitment and behavior change strategies to increase psychological flexibility.

ACT views humans beings as unique to the degree that people will substitute perceptions and cognitions for having direct experiences, and will work to avoid private events or experiences that they have judged or evaluated to be negative even though it may come at great cost to their lives to do so. This means avoidance or closing off to new experiences based on thoughts of what might take place, or in an attempt to avoid repeating painful experiences.

ACT differs from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in that rather than trying to teach people to better control their thoughts, feelings, sensations, memories and other private events, ACT teaches them to "just notice", accept, and embrace their private events, especially previously unwanted ones. ACT helps the individual get in contact with a transcendent sense of self known as "self-as context” – the aspect of the self that is always there observing and experiencing and yet distinct from one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations and memories. ACT aims to help the individual clarify their personal values and to take action on them, bringing more vitality and meaning to their life in the process and increasing their psychological flexibility.

For more information or to set up a consultation, contact our office.