Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help
The goal of ACT is to help you create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. “ACT” is a good abbreviation, because this therapy is about taking effective action guided by our deepest values and in which we are fully present and engaged. It is only through mindful action that we can create a meaningful life. Of course, as we attempt to create such a life, we will encounter all sorts of barriers, in the form of unpleasant and unwanted "private experiences" (thoughts, images, feelings, sensations, urges, and memories.) ACT teaches mindfulness skills as an effective way to handle these private experiences.
Webinar: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and How to Increase Your Psychological Flexibility
Hosted by Adam Davis, LPC
What to expect
In general, clients come to therapy with an agenda of emotional control. They want to get rid of their depression, anxiety, urges to drink, traumatic memories, low self-esteem, fear of rejection, anger, grief and so on. In ACT, there is no attempt to try to reduce, change, avoid, suppress or control these private experiences. Instead, clients learn to reduce the impact and influence of unwanted thoughts and feelings through the effective use of mindfulness. Clients learn to stop fighting with their private experiences—to open up to them, make room for them, and allow them to come and go without a struggle. The time, energy, and money that they wasted previously on trying to control how they feel is then invested in taking effective action (guided by their values) to change their life for the better.
The ACT interventions focus around two main processes:
Developing acceptance of unwanted private experiences which are out of personal control.
Commitment and action toward living a valued life.
WHAT MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS CAN ACT THERAPY TREAT?
Currently, ACT has been identified by the American Psychological Association as an empirically supported treatment for depression, mixed anxiety disorders, psychosis, chronic pain, and obsessive–compulsive disorder. It has also been endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs as an evidence-based therapy for mood disorders. This evidence based treatment takes the approach of focusing on the internal struggles a person has help them be more mindful and hopefully help the the person to stay focused on the present moment and accept thoughts and feelings without judgment.
Goals of Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT’s goals including helping the client to create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting that pain inevitably goes with it as well as to help client take effective action guided by their deepest values.
There are 6 core Processes including:
Acceptance- Acceptance involves the active and aware embrace of those private events occasioned by one’s history without unnecessary attempts to change their frequency or form, especially when doing so would cause psychological harm.
Cognitive Defusion- Attempts to alter the undesirable functions of thoughts and other private events, rather than trying to alter their form, frequency or situational sensitivity
Being Present- Ongoing non-judgmental contact with psychological and environmental events as they occur. The goal is to have clients experience the world more directly so that their behavior is more flexible and thus their actions more consistent with the values that they hold.
Self as Context- One can be aware of one’s own flow of experiences without attachment to them or an investment in which particular experiences occur: thus defusion and acceptance is fostered.
Values- Chosen qualities of purposive action that can never be obtained as an object but can be instantiated moment by moment.
Committed Action- Commitment and behavior change processes involve contact with the present moment, self as context, values, and committed action
Begin ACT Therapy in Broomfield, CO & Denver, CO
You can start overcoming mental health issues today. Our caring therapists have the training and experience to provide this treatment. We would be happy to support you. To start ACT therapy, please follow the simple steps below:
Meet with a caring therapist for a free consultation
Start working to healing emotional difficulties