Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of therapy that teaches you to accept your thoughts and feelings rather than try to control them.

It aims to help you move forward through difficult emotions so you can put your energy into healing instead of dwelling on the negative.

ACT therapy works by focusing on accepting life experiences as they come, without evaluating or trying to change them. It’s a skill developed through mindfulness exercises that encourage you to build a new and more compassionate relationship with difficult experiences. Doing this can free you from obsessive negative thinking so you can have peace of mind and healing.

Structure of an ACT Therapy Session

When you go to an ACT therapy session, you can expect to go through the following stages.

Building rapport. During your first few sessions, you’ll sit with a therapist and talk about some of the challenges or struggles you’re facing. You’ll discuss your mental health and talk about things you’ve tried in the past that may or may not have worked.

Deeper awareness. Your therapist will help you identify areas you may have negative thoughts about or hesitate to discuss with others. They can help you work through painful memories while making peace with the things you cannot change.

Core values. During ACT sessions, you will also be encouraged to explore your core values and identify what’s important to you. How do you want to identify yourself? What do you want your life to look like?

Actions. After you’ve identified your recurring thought patterns and what you’d like to prioritise, your therapist will help you start to make a change. The emphasis of this phase is to accept what you can’t change while focusing on changing things within your control.

Commitment. Once you’ve experienced ACT, your therapist will help you find ways to incorporate it into your everyday life. The purpose is to make a well-thought-out plan so you can continue what you learned in the long run.

What Are the Benefits of ACT?

Aside from its success in treating a wide variety of conditions, ACT comes with the following benefits:

  • It focuses on enriching the lives of people, regardless of symptoms
  • It helps us become more flexible psychologically
  • It acknowledges negative experiences are a part of life
  • Promotes Value-Driven Living
  • Improves Emotional Resilience
  • Enhances Self-Compassion
  • Effective Across a Range of Psychological Issues

ACT Can Help Treat Many Mental and Physical Conditions. These Include:

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Depression
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Psychosis
  • Eating disorders
  • Substance use disorders
  • Workplace stress
  • Chronic pain

Online Psychologists & Therapists Australia | Adelaide Psychology Clinic

We are trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

If you are interested in learning more about ACT or other therapeutic approaches, you can contact us on (08) 7079 9529 or email admin@sehatpsychology.com.au to book an appointment (telehealth or face to face) with our ACT Therapist.

Adelaide Psychologists & Therapists| Online Therapy Australia

There are many types of therapy that could help you on your journey towards better mental and emotional health. ACT is one of the most innovative and, in our experience, most promising. It can be used to treat a variety of conditions — either on its own or in combination with other types of therapy.