Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an active approach to psychotherapy that started from traditional behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. With ACT, patients will learn how to stop avoiding built-up emotions and learn to tackle their strong feelings so that they can move forward in life. When a person starts to acknowledge the problems and difficulties they experience, they can begin to make the appropriate changes to their lives to function more effectively and healthily.
When is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Used?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been successfully used to help with treating the following; workplace stress, test anxiety, social anxiety disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and psychosis. ACT has also been beneficial in helping to treat a variety of medical conditions such as chronic pain, substance abuse, and diabetes.
What Can You Expect from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
When working with one of our therapists, one will gain an understanding of how they perceive various issues from problems in relationships to disturbing events that have occurred. Patients will also learn if they should respond to certain situations or if it’s best to just sit tight and let it pass. Our therapists will discuss and evaluate past situations to see what worked, what didn’t and how to deal with future situations in a more suitable way. In this way, unhelpful behavioral patterns wont be repeated. The ultimate goal is to increase one’s well-being by learning new life skills.
How Does Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Work?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy embraces the idea that there are a variety of ways to change thought patterns. Some of these alternative ways of thinking include being mindful of one’s behavior, being attentive to personal values, and following through with certain actions. Acknowledging problem behavior and taking the steps to modify it are the ACT steps that lead to improvement.
