THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
WHAT IT IS
What Is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, often called ACT, is an evidence-based counselling approach developed by Steven C. Hayes, Kelly Wilson, and Kirk Strosahl, and is commonly described as a third-wave Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)approach. ACT uses mindfulness, acceptance strategies, and values-based action to help people build psychological flexibility, so they can navigate difficult thoughts, emotions, stress, and life challenges while staying connected to what matters most.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Why Control Strategies Often Backfire
Most people try to feel better by controlling their inner world — pushing away anxious thoughts, suppressing uncomfortable feelings, or avoiding difficult situations. ACT asks a different question: what if the struggle itself is the problem?
The Control Approach
Fight against unwanted thoughts and feelings
Avoid situations that trigger discomfort
Wait until you feel better before living
Define wellbeing as the absence of pain
Measure success by reduced symptoms
The ACT Approach
Accept thoughts and feelings without struggle
Move toward what matters, even with discomfort
Live fully now, not "once things improve"
Define wellbeing as living by your values
THE FRAMEWORK
The Six Core Processes of ACT
ACT works through six interconnected psychological processes, all oriented toward a single goal: psychological flexibility, the ability to be fully present, open to experience, and engaged in values-driven action.
01
Acceptance
Acceptance means making room for difficult thoughts and feelings, while choosing how you want to respond.
02
Cognitive Defusion
Cognitive defusion means noticing thoughts as thoughts, not facts, so they have less control over your actions.
03
Present-Moment Awareness
Present-moment awareness means gently focusing on what is happening now, rather than getting pulled into the past or future.
04
Self-as-Context
Self-as-context means connecting with the part of you that can observe your thoughts, feelings, and stories without being defined by them.
05
Values
Values means clarifying what truly matters to you, so your choices can move you toward the life you want to build.
06
Committed Action
Committed action means taking realistic, values-guided steps toward what matters, even when discomfort, obstacles, or self-doubt are present.
WHO IT HELPS
Areas ACT Can Support
ACT has a growing evidence base and may be especially helpful when the goal is not only to reduce distress, but to change how you relate to difficult thoughts, emotions, avoidance, and the life you want to build.
Health Anxiety
Eating Disorders
Chronic Pain
Burnout
Perfectionism
Low Self Esteem
PTSD
FAQs
How is ACT different from CBT?
1
While CBT helps you examine and shift unhelpful thoughts, ACT helps you relate to thoughts differently so they do not control your actions; both are evidence-based, and the best fit depends on your needs.
Is ACT a form of mindfulness therapy?
2
ACT includes mindfulness as one of its core processes, but it also emphasizes values, committed action, and psychological flexibility, making it distinct from mindfulness-based cognitive therapy while sharing some common ground.
Does ACT mean accepting everything and not trying to change?
3
Not at all. ACT is committed to change, but it distinguishes between things that are within your control (your behaviour, your choices) and things that are not (the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings). You accept the latter in order to act more freely on the former.
What if I'm not sure what my values are?
4
That is completely normal, and ACT can help you clarify your values through guided reflection and exercises that support you in identifying what matters most to you.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP