Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What does using ACT look like in session?

It can look like all sorts of things! Many ACT practitioners (myself included!) get trapped in the cycle of talking about ACT rather than doing ACT. I make it a point to be mindful of this and ensure that we are practicing tools in our appointments so you can experience a noticeable shift in yourself in real time. Sometimes it involves leaning into and even embracing discomfort in the safety of the therapy room. It can include us doing things together to purposefully bring about discomfort and use skills during the session. It can also involve psychoeducation about ACT, developing an action plan for you to practice outside of therapy, and working together as a team to name thoughts and feelings as they arise. Metaphors are a big piece of ACT and can help better one’s understanding of both the cognitive concepts and shift into the experiential piece.

More About ACT

What is ACT?

ACT (pronounced as one word) stands for acceptance and commitment therapy. This type of therapy approach focuses on supporting people to live a life filled with meaning and fulfillment, even if discomfort is a part of that. Pain in all forms (mental, physical and emotional) is a part of life for all humans, however when we refuse to accept these painful moments and experiences, we risk staying stymied, stagnant, or stuck where we are. Alternatively, when we increase our willingness to tolerate discomfort, we open ourselves up to the possibility of moving towards what matters most in our lives. Ultimately, I strive to help clients shift from more rigid thinking, rules, and views (which can cause us suffering on top of the pain we already have!) to a more psychologically flexible state of being. When we can begin to accept that pain is a part of life, we can make room for meaningful life change.

Why use ACT?

A quote I love is from the first page of Learning ACT  by Jason b. Luoma, PhD, Seven C. Hayes, PhD, and Robyn D. Walser, PhD. The first line in their book says “It is impossible to construct a human life untouched by suffering.” I strive to support clients with the areas they struggle in by helping them connect to their values and increase their willingness to tolerate discomfort so that they can move towards a more meaningful and fulfilling life. I have had over ten years of training and practice in using ACT. I have had the privilege of working with many different people in many different settings and with many different issues. ACT is transdiagnostic meaning that it can be used for a variety of health concerns. Because of this, I attempt to bring it into every session with every client. I have done trainings that focus on using it with anxiety, grief, and substance use. I really enjoy helping patients navigate discomfort and learn how to notice thoughts and urges, and to recognize that these are different than the behaviors they can choose to engage in. I utilize my training and knowledge in my work in in my private practice; helping clients pay attention to their thoughts and emotions while recognizing that these are a part of their experience and not who they are as a person. This approach often allows for meaningful change to happen in a client’s life.

What are some of the fundamentals of ACT?

ACT is informed by Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and explores how language functions to keep human beings stuck in painful psychological material, and how this leads to increased suffering and misery (Luoma, Hayes, & Walser, 2007). ACT looks at how we often take our problem-solving skills for external struggles and try to apply them the same way for our internal struggles. This often creates a problem when our internal obstacles cannot disappear from trying to think our way out of them, wish that we didn’t feel the way we did, or try with all our might to not have a certain thought or emotion. A person may also try to intellectualize their experience in an effort to not feel discomfort and thus never tap into their body and what is actually showing up.