What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people become more psychologically adaptable. ACT encourages you to be more fully in the present. Accepting your deep emotions, traumas, or negative coping mechanisms is key in this therapeutic approach.

ACT maintains that to adapt and grow, a person must fully accept themselves as they are. Therapists practicing ACT believe that suppressing or ignoring painful emotions or experiences is counter-productive to growth and change.

You must investigate your current patterns of thinking to change. After examining these patterns, you can better understand the way your thinking impacts you. This acceptance of your patterns and habits helps you change your behaviors.

Trying to stop ways of thinking can be detrimental to ACT. Your therapist will help you understand how and why you think a certain way. Your ACT therapist will encourage you to accept yourself within a given moment. This acceptance is ultimately the catalyst for change.

After fostering the acceptance of the present moment, with all its thoughts, beliefs, and experiences, your ACT therapist will encourage you to develop a new, more compassionate relationship with your experience.

Individuals experiencing a wide range of psychological issues can benefit from ACT because it emphasizes their unique relationship with their problems.

Therapists Who Specialize in Using ACT

As the demands of daily life become increasingly complex, many people find themselves struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, relational conflicts, difficulty with managing life-work balance, and unresolved trauma from earlier experiences. In my practice, I aim to help clients clarify their problems, define goals, and to develop insight into emotional and relational challenges....
I help guys show up that way they want in life. Most of my clients have struggles that distract them from living a life of value, purpose, and meaning. These struggles affect their relationship with others and, more importantly, to themselves. My hope is to give my clients the opportunity to connect and strategize about ways to improve their life direction. I also strive to use both professiona...
You deserve a therapist who will listen and respect you as you define and meet your therapeutic goals. Jen values a collaborative therapeutic relationship that puts your needs at the forefront. We go through many transitions throughout life. These can be challenging times for children and adults. Jen is passionate about working with children and adults going through transitional periods,...
Do current events have you frazzled? Ever felt like you were in a relationship with someone who wasn't available? Or are you trying to rediscover yourself after divorce, having a child go off to college, or death of a loved one? I help people with all kinds of situations. Whether you are experiencing problems in a relationship, grief or bereavement, depression, anxiety, or a spiritual crisis,...

Carrie McMullin

Salem

Oregon

*CURRENTLY NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT NEW CLIENTS* I offer a non-judging space to explore your concerns in depth. Maybe you have been keeping your painful experiences and worries to yourself for many years and you want an opportunity to explore them both freely and privately. Or, maybe you need someone other than a friend or a family member to help you examine your thoughts, feelings, and experiences t...

Dr. Haley K Boyle

Denver

Colorado

You can live a more rewarding life. I understand that most feelings, thoughts, and actions, no matter how troublesome or destructive, come from a place of trying to adapt or even just survive your current life situation.  I know that if you are struggling you most likely want better for yourself but may have difficulty making changes. I can help you to better understand patterns of thoughts and...

Kimberly Knox

Fort Worth

Texas

As individuals, we navigate through life with the tools that were handed to us through our family systems. Sometimes that's not enough to keep us on course for what we desire out of life. Relationships can be complicated, depression can be isolating, and anxiety can be crippling. Breaking free from the chains that mental health binds us to can be the most liberating feeling, why not try it out?...
Hope is what carries us forward in life. We need it to feel like there's a purpose for living. I work with individuals who deal with depression, anxiety, trauma, self esteem concerns, relational problems, existential issues, cultural issues, and other mental health issues. I believe that the therapeutic relationship can be the starting place for where hope is restored. Through the therapeutic...

Jennifer Thompson

Denver

Colorado

It is what causes us suffering that allow us to grow and reach new heights. I work with individuals who are aspiring to look at obstacles with a renewed perspective and feel the willingness to step into their own power, and we are all powerful! I work specifically with people struggling with anxiety, depression, spirituality, life transitions and a needed fresh take on life. It is my compassion...

Rachael Goldberg

New York

New York

Life isn’t always balanced, especially in a place like New York and it is completely normal to feel stuck, lost, anxious, or overwhelmed. These feelings often get intensified when facing times of transition, an unexpected loss, relationship challenges, or any other unexpected stressor. Therapy can be a helpful place to regain a sense of control and create forward movement. No two people are ali...

Jim Asbrand

Salt Lake City

Utah

I have always been interested in people’s stories, understanding how they see the world as they do, and how they have overcome challenges. Each of us has a rich, often complicated history that led us to the present moment. As a psychologist, it is an honor and privilege to get to know my patients’ histories, understand what got them here, and help them to be who they want to be in the world....
I believe that everyone has unique tools that can be discovered and strengthened through therapy. Whether you're feeling stuck or need someone to help walk you through your challenges, I am committed to making sure you receive the guidance you need. I provide compassionate and evidence-based treatment that includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Eye Movement Desensitization and...
My name is Iesha Anderson. I was born and raised in Houston, TX and graduated from Prairie View A&M University. I also attended Texas Southern University with a Bachelors in Psychology. Academics were a very important part of my life. I realized at an early age that education was vital to my future success in life and the life of others. I have always had a passion for counseling and helping si...
Mindfulness is a way of life for Heather and it helped her develop her identity as a therapist. Heather now identifies as a contextual behavioral therapist using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) interventions/skills and an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to intervene with her guests. She has one criteria for her guests: Willingness. Guests experience her as someone who teac...

Lisa Lien

Chicago

Illinois

I work from a primarily relational based framework that takes into account various influential factors, some of which include the impact of early development, attachment relationships, components of identity, methods of striving for significance and belonging in the world, and strategies for establishing resilience and coping with distress. I take on a curious and collaborative approach with my...