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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based approach that helps individuals change their relationship with difficult thoughts, feelings, urges, and physical sensations.

Many people spend a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to get rid of anxiety, self-doubt, uncomfortable emotions, intrusive thoughts, or other internal experiences. While many therapeutic approaches help people create positive change in their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, ACT pays particular attention to what happens when efforts to control or eliminate certain internal experiences become exhausting, ineffective, or begin to interfere with living the life you want to live. In those situations, the harder we fight some experiences, the more stuck we can become.

ACT takes a different approach. Rather than focusing on eliminating difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT helps you learn how to respond to them differently so they have less influence over your choices and behavior.

Acceptance does not mean liking, approving of, or giving up in the face of difficult circumstances. Instead, it means making room for the thoughts, feelings, and situations that are already part of your experience so that you can focus your energy on responding effectively and moving toward the life you want to build.

ACT also places a strong emphasis on values. Together, we identify what matters most to you and work toward taking meaningful action in those areas, even when uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or urges show up along the way.

The goal is not to feel good all the time; it’s to continue living your life based on your values.

What ACT Can Help With?

ACT can be helpful for a wide range of concerns, including:

  • Anxiety and chronic worry
  • OCD and intrusive thoughts
  • Depression and low mood
  • Perfectionism and self-criticism
  • Stress and burnout
  • Grief and life transitions
  • Uncertainty and fear of the unknown
  • Avoidance patterns that interfere with daily life
  • Feeling disconnected from what matters most to you

Many individuals seek ACT because they feel stuck in an ongoing struggle with their thoughts, emotions, or internal experiences. They may find themselves constantly analyzing, worrying, avoiding, fighting their feelings, or waiting to feel better before fully engaging in life.

Common experiences include:

  • “I keep waiting until I feel less anxious before I do the things I want to do.”
  • “My mind never seems to shut off.”
  • “I know what matters to me, but fear keeps getting in the way.”
  • “I’m exhausted from fighting my thoughts all the time.”
Acceptance and commitment

How ACT Works

Someone struggling with anxiety may think, “What if I fail?” or “What if something goes wrong?” In response, they may avoid opportunities, put off important tasks, seek reassurance, or spend hours worrying in an attempt to feel more certain. While these strategies may provide temporary relief, they often keep people stuck over time.

In ACT, the goal is not necessarily to get rid of the thought. Instead, we work on recognizing the thought for what it is: a mental event that may or may not reflect reality or predict future outcomes. From there, you can learn to make choices based on your values rather than fear, anxiety, self-doubt, or uncertainty.

In therapy, we often focus on:

  • Increasing awareness of thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns
  • Learning mindfulness and present-moment skills
  • Developing a willingness to experience uncomfortable emotions when doing so serves a meaningful purpose
  • Reducing the influence of unhelpful thoughts
  • Identifying personal values and what truly matters to you
  • Taking small, meaningful steps toward the life you want to build

Our Approach and What to Expect in ACT Therapy

We begin with a thorough assessment to understand your symptoms, history, strengths, goals, and the factors that may be contributing to the difficulties you are experiencing. Together, we develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs and circumstances.

ACT is an active and collaborative treatment. Sessions may involve identifying patterns that are keeping you stuck, practicing new ways of responding to thoughts and emotions, discussing real-life situations, and developing practical strategies to use between sessions.

Depending on your needs, treatment may include mindfulness exercises, experiential activities, values exploration, behavioral exercises, journaling, or other strategies designed to help you build awareness, increase psychological flexibility, and take action that aligns with your values.

While ACT may serve as the primary treatment approach, we may also integrate other evidence-based interventions, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), mindfulness-based interventions, DBT-informed skills, trauma-informed approaches, or Internal Family Systems (IFS).

Because lasting change occurs outside the therapy office, you may also practice mindfulness skills, complete exercises related to your values, experiment with new behaviors, or apply concepts discussed in therapy to everyday situations.

Our approach is collaborative, practical, and individualized. Throughout treatment, we regularly evaluate what is working, identify obstacles, and adjust our approach based on your goals, experiences, and progress.

Benefits of ACT

While every individual’s experience is different, many people find that ACT helps them spend less time struggling with thoughts and feelings and more time focusing on what matters to them.

Over time, individuals may:

  • Feel less controlled by anxiety, self-doubt, intrusive thoughts, or difficult emotions
  • Spend less time overthinking, worrying, or trying to achieve certainty
  • Become more willing to face situations they have been avoiding
  • Make decisions based on their values rather than fear
  • Feel more confident handling uncertainty and discomfort
  • Develop a healthier and more compassionate relationship with themselves
  • Increase their ability to stay present and engaged in everyday life
  • Feel more connected to their goals, relationships, and sense of purpose

Real-world changes often include procrastinating less, participating more fully in relationships, speaking up more often, pursuing opportunities they previously avoided, or spending less time caught up in worry, self-criticism, or mental battles with their thoughts.

Is ACT Right for You?

ACT may be a helpful approach if you spend a significant amount of time worrying, overthinking, second-guessing yourself, avoiding uncomfortable situations, or waiting to feel better before taking action.

If you are ready to learn whether ACT may be a helpful approach for you, please contact our office to schedule an appointment.

We look forward to learning more about your needs, answering your questions, and helping you determine the treatment approach that best supports your goals.

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Frequently Asked Questions About ACT

No. Acceptance means acknowledging what is already present rather than spending all of your energy fighting with it. Sometimes it can look like noticing, “Oh, there’s my anxiety again,” without getting pulled into an argument with it or reorganizing your life around it. The goal is not to make discomfort disappear but to continue living your life despite uncomfortable emotions.

Yes, although there is significant overlap between the two approaches and many therapists integrate elements of both. Traditional CBT often focuses on identifying, evaluating, and modifying unhelpful thought patterns. ACT places greater emphasis on changing your relationship with thoughts so they have less influence over your behavior. Many individuals benefit from both approaches. For those who have found it difficult to change thinking patterns, ACT helps you learn how to live with difficult thoughts without letting them dictate your choices and behavior.

Values-based action means choosing behaviors that move you toward the person you want to be and the life you want to live, even when difficult thoughts or emotions are present.

For example, someone who values connection may choose to attend a social event despite anxiety. A parent who values being present with their children may choose to engage in family activities despite stress or self-doubt. The goal is not to wait until you feel comfortable. The goal is to begin living according to your values now.

Yes. ACT is commonly used to help individuals struggling with anxiety, chronic worry, OCD, intrusive thoughts, perfectionism, self-doubt, uncertainty, and other concerns. ACT helps individuals respond differently to these experiences so they spend less time avoiding, overthinking, seeking reassurance, or getting pulled into unhelpful mental struggles.

Usually, yes. Like most evidence-based therapies, ACT tends to be most effective when skills are applied outside of the therapy office.

Depending on your needs, this may include mindfulness exercises, journaling, values-based activities, behavioral experiments, practicing new responses to difficult thoughts and emotions, or applying concepts discussed in therapy to real-life situations. The goal is not to add more work to your life but to help you build skills that can be used in everyday situations.