What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a psychotherapy developed in the 1980s by Steven Hayes, a psychologist. Compared to other types of therapy, ACT is more action-oriented and has roots in traditional behavior therapy. It treats mental conditions such as chronic pain/stress, psychosis, OCD, depression, anxiety, and substance use/eating disorders.
To treat these conditions, ACT aims to teach the client to accept that feelings are appropriate responses to situations, experiences, thoughts, etc., instead of avoiding, denying, or struggling with their feelings. To do that, the referring physician conducting the ACT sessions will provide them with the information and tools they need to care for their well-being.
Among these tools and pieces of information are the essential core processes:
- Acceptance: The client must be able to allow and accept any opposing thoughts or feelings and allow them to happen without denying or wanting to change them.
- Cognitive Defusion: The client must be able to change their adverse and self-harming reactions to thoughts/feelings into ones that are more positive and beneficial to their well-being.
- Mindfulness/Being Present: The client must be able to be present and observe any event/thoughts they have at the moment without judging or wanting to change them.
- Self as Context: The client must accept that they are not simply a sum of their emotions, thoughts, and experiences. Furthermore, they are not defined by what happens to them.
- Values: The client must determine the values that motivate them to live a certain way.
- Committed Action: Following the determination of values, the client must be able to take the steps needed to change their life for the better amidst difficult situations, thoughts, and experiences. They may use the tools provided by the referring physician to do so.
ACT or Accepting and Commitment Therapy sessions and exercises can only be conducted by mental health professionals with ACT training, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and licensed and experienced therapists.










