Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

When Is ACT Used?

After an assessment from a mental health therapist, your provider will determine the best combination of psychotherapy for your needs. ACT may be helpful to those who are navigating complications such as:

• Substance use disorders (SUD)
• Social anxiety disorder
• Eating disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorders
• Intense stress
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Depressive disorders

ACT can be helpful if you are dealing with these symptoms in response to an acute situation, such as a death or the diagnosis of a health condition. For many people, it is particularly beneficial in helping them to deal with long-term or chronic conditions.

Most people who benefit from ACT will use it along with other forms of psychotherapy. Your mental health practitioner may recommend it if cognitive behavioral therapy or other forms did not work for you. It is common to use ACT alongside medication management as well.

What to Expect During ACT

Your therapist will create a treatment plan with you after a full assessment that pinpoints the specific concerns you have. In ACT, your therapist will need to better understand your goals as well as who you are, such as what parts of your past brought you to this point. Your therapist will lead with information, always being fully transparent about what they will talk about and what the goals are for you.

In ACT, the focus is on learning more about yourself as well as the values that define who you are. Every person’s care, then, may be a bit different. However, many times, therapists will use a combination of techniques and exercises to help you. This may include:

• Defining your values clearly. What matters to you? Why?
• Set specific, actionable, personalized goals for yourself.
• Be more mindful of what you are thinking and your response to situations around you.
• Explore your thoughts. Understand why you are having those thoughts.
• Explore your feelings, and the connection those feelings have to your life and behaviors.
• Adjust your behavior based on recognized feelings and thoughts.

Every session will focus on various specific steps important to your situation. With mental health treatment being such a personalized process, make sure you ask your therapist why they recommend this care for you.

The Six Processes of ACT

There are six core processes that are incorporated in every exercise your therapist encourages you to complete. Each one will help to create new ways of thinking. This process includes the following six elements:

1. Acceptance: You will learn to accept that you have a range of thoughts and emotions. Those can be positive or negative, as well as somewhere in between.
2. Cognitive defusion: This component challenges you to detach yourself from the negative beliefs and thoughts you have. Instead of feeling that thought, see it as something that “happened” and move beyond it.
3. Be present: Being mindful is very important for this therapy. It means focusing on what is happening now and avoiding all of the “what ifs” that could come.
4. Self-as-context: In this principle, you see yourself as a whole person with a unique identity all to yourself. You are not your experiences or your thoughts.
5. Values: You have clear and defined values, those standards that you believe you should follow and that drive you.
6. Committed action: You take steps to meet your goals that are meaningful and allow you to reach towards your values.

There’s ample flexibility in this treatment process. Your therapists will help you throughout the entire process, and you can feel good knowing that these processes can transform your outlook.

What Are the Benefits of ACT?

Utilizing ACT often offers some core benefits to those who are facing intense mental health disorders or SUD. They include:

• Improved mental clarity.
• Reduced symptoms of mental illness, including less stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Improved quality of life.
• More willingness to set and work towards achieving your goals.
• Better functioning throughout your life and each day

ACT Therapy FAQs

Are there risks to using ACT?

Using this form of mental health therapy can leave you feeling vulnerable. Some people may feel uncomfortable for a period of time. However, you’ll have support addressing these emotions and learning to move beyond them. This can make you vulnerable to self-harm or suicide in some situations. If you are at risk, contact 988 for immediate help.

Is ACT a type of mental hospital alternative?

ACT is a type of mental health treatment. It does not replace the need for in-person care for many people. It can be used in a residential treatment center as well as through outpatient care. Let your team know if you are interested in exploring this type of care.

Who is a good candidate for acceptance and commitment therapy?

To be a good fit for this type of care, you have to be willing to embrace it and work towards it. It is often best for those who are willing to utilize abstract thinking, or understand that things or ideas are not experiences or objects. You also have to be willing to embrace change through this type of therapy. That can be hard to do, especially if your beliefs and negative thoughts stem from a long history.