This blog gives interested readers insight into ACT, a specific approach to therapy, and what to expect from clinicians who utilize it.
As some of you know, the list of therapeutic modalities appears to be endless, and it can feel overwhelming to discern what might be helpful for you when viewing different therapist’s information and profiles. Should I focus on CBT? What is motivational interviewing? Is ACT a theater term? All of these are completely valid questions, and you are not alone in thinking them! For clients, it can be useful to have a basic understanding of certain approaches to see what you instinctively gravitate towards, and what feels like it won’t be a great fit off the bat.
Background on ACT
ACT - otherwise known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - is a branch off of the greater Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tree, but it has its own unique differences. ACT was founded in the 1980s by Steven Hayes after his personal experiences with panic attacks and avoidance of hard emotions. He was determined to find a way to accept his distress as a part of the human condition and learn to continue living a meaningful life in spite of his struggles. Steven expressed discontent with the notion that feelings and emotions are supposed to be ‘fixed’, as if we are problems to solve rather than humans to understand. This underscores ACT’s main premise: pain and challenging inner emotions/thoughts/sensations don’t have to prevent us from moving forward in life and finding meaning; instead, they can be used as guides to understand our needs and experience life more fully. If we can find a way to accept our feelings as understandable responses to difficult situations, we become more cognitively flexible - and this can lead us to make decisions and react in accordance with our values and long-term goals. Additionally, understanding our feelings (and hopefully, accepting them) rather than trying to change them is a core theme in ACT as well.
Core tenets of ACT
One of the main goals in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is to improve our psychological flexibility. This means we are able to be more open and reflective of our thoughts/feelings/behaviors, and adapt them to better fit in with our identified personal values and goals. Below are the core processes that assist with this concept:
Acceptance→ first and foremost, to enhance our psychological flexibility, it’s important we work on simply accepting the presence of our thoughts - whether they are positive, negative, or neutral - rather than avoiding, denying, or changing them immediately.
Cognitive Defusion→ after accepting the simple presence of our thoughts, we can then try and defuse from them. In order to defuse from our harmful thoughts or beliefs, we can try to detach or distance ourselves from them in order to minimize their impact or power. To do this, we can observe our thoughts without judging them or attaching meaning to them; this helps to view thoughts as simple passing events rather than a complete truth.
Being Present→ psychological flexibility also requires us to be mindful of our current reality and what we are experiencing in the here and now in order to remain present. The focus here is on how we feel in the moment - not how we anticipate to feel in the future, and not how we felt in the past, which assists us in seeing situations more clearly. Mindfulness meditation skills can be learned to enhance being present.
Self As Context→ this concept is touching on the idea that who we are as individuals is different from our thoughts, emotions, or experiences. We are whole people with unique identities, and we are not solely defined by our inner experience. Now, this doesn’t mean we are absolved of accountability for how we handle our thoughts, emotions, and experiences - it just reminds us that those things don’t define us!
Values→ psychological flexibility can be encouraged by identifying core values and principles that feel relevant and personal to us, and guide how we move through the world. Our values are not chosen or driven by the influence of others; instead, our values align with our own desires/needs and are not present just to adhere to others expectations. Knowing our values assists us in being more open and flexible.
Committed Action→ Lastly, committed actions are the concrete, actionable steps that we can take that align with our values to promote positive change and growth. This can include making specific and measurable goals, exposing ourselves to difficult emotions or experiences in order to decrease our avoidance, or learning coping skills that stay in line with our identified values.
A few things to consider
Therapist Experience:
While there are trainings and workshops that give therapists more insight on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, there is not one credentialing body that denotes a provider as an ACT therapist specifically. With that being said, if ACT sounds like something you can connect with, ask a prospective therapist if they have knowledge or experience utilizing this approach if it doesn’t specify it on their website.
Benefits:
Engaging in ACT techniques can help us manage symptoms such as anxiety, depression, substance use, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, eating disorders, and more, but it is important to remember that you will get out what you put in. Therapy is like a sport - we might learn a lot, but we always need to put in practice, work, and effort to see results. Reflecting on insights gained in therapy and practicing identified skills outside of session will allow you to see the most positive change. Some benefits to expect when working with ACT techniques include increased self-compassion and self-awareness because we are spending more time accepting our inner feelings rather than judging or shaming them. Additionally, by identifying values that are important to us in conjunction with mindfulness, we tend to make less impulsive decisions that are relieving in the short term and opt for choices that help us meet our longer term goals. If this basic outline of ACT principles sound appealing to you, or if you’d simply like to talk to a therapist who uses this approach to gain more clarity on if it could be helpful, feel free to reach out to schedule a consultation or initial appointment. We are ready to meet you where you are!
Sources
“Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).” Cleveland Clinic, 24 Jan. 2025, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy-act-therapy.
“Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 21 Mar. 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy.
Glasofer, Deborah R. “What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Act)?” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 16 Jan. 2024, www.verywellmind.com/acceptance-commitment-therapy-gad-1393175.
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