Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third wave CBT approach. It aims to change your relationship with your internal experiences rather than get rid of them. It takes the premise that battling with your experiences – ie trying to avoid them or getting caught up in them, leads to further distress, and pulls you away from what really matters to you. 

ACT aims to teach you skills to disentangle from your tricky thoughts and feelings, to then enable you to act in line with your values and invite a more meaningful life.  Mindfulness and Value Driven Actions are key to this therapy model.  ACT is a behavioural model of therapy; in that it is about DOING something different. 

As with other CBT informed models, completing tasks in between sessions, and beyond therapy ending are necessary for therapeutic change​ and maintenance.  ACT can be helpful for people experience intrusive thoughts, people who are feeling overwhelmed by their experiences, people who feel like there are just existing not living their lives, or for people who feel they have lost their direction in life.  ACT has a strong evidence base in a variety of physical health conditions and a growing evidence base in depression, anxiety-based presentations and psychosis.   

Contact us in confidence to find out more.