There are so many different forms of therapy out there so it’s likely that there’s something right for everyone. The variety that is available allows for a lot of matching for individual needs and circumstances. In this blog post, we’ll discuss Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in depth.
What is ACT?
ACT is a form of therapy that focuses primarily on mindfulness and acceptance of difficult situations and emotions. Much like DBT, ACT asks an individual to not change their negative thoughts or feelings, but to allow them to exist without judgement as part of the human experience. This covers the “acceptance” part of ACT.
For the “commitment” part, ACT asks that individuals define their values and what they want their life to be. A clinician will work with a client to find out what their life should look like, according to their personal values, and then how to work towards that life. By finding someone’s values and “committing” to them, a client is able to work towards positive change in their lives.
The philosophy behind ACT is that individuals tend to avoid situations or experiences that they associate with discomfort, pain, or unpleasantness. This avoidance actually leads to more emotional suffering over time than less. By working through therapy to reduce the desire to avoid these situations, individuals can experience higher levels of satisfaction with life and fewer mental health symptoms.
ACT uses 6 core processes in order to help clients achieve both aspects of the modality. These concepts are: acceptance, cognitive diffusion, being present, self as concept, values clarification, and committed action. By working through these core concepts, clinicians and clients can work to make changes and address a variety of mental health disorders.
Through using acceptance and commitment therapy, clients can increase their emotional regulation, have greater psychological flexibility, and have a higher level of life satisfaction. By learning to accept difficult situations and emotions, it can also help reduce avoidance behaviors that could be contributing to mental health symptoms, as well.
Who is ACT for?
Like many forms of therapy, ACT can really be tailored to work with many different situations and populations. Often, individuals who are looking for treatment in various substance use disorders, eating disorders, depression and anxiety related disorders, or trauma based disorders can find success by using ACT. It has also been used for the treatment of chronic pain, especially in cases where traditional pain management has not been effective or cannot be pursued.
Acceptance and commitment therapy can be either short-term or long-term, like CBT. It depends heavily on what the individual needs and the problems they are trying to solve by going to therapy.
