Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) at Kind Mind

ACT is a value’s driven psychotherapy approach which focuses on acceptance to deal with negative thoughts, feelings and symptoms instead of trying to change or suppress them. It encourages clients to make changes to their unhelpful patterns of behaviour through acting more in line with their core values and goals. 

ACT’s focus on acceptance, mindfulness, values and flexibility makes it a valuable tool to help treat a range of mental health disorders.  Kind Mind Psychologists are expertly trained and experienced in treating psychological issues using ACT.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

ACT is a mindfulness-based behavioural therapy that has been referred to as a ‘third wave’ behavioural therapy which places emphasis on mindfulness skills. This type of therapy was founded in the late 1980s by Steven C. Hayes and his team of clinical psychologists. It combines mindfulness and acceptance strategies with behaviour change to help people live more meaningful lives.

ACT focuses on ‘Accepting’ thoughts and feelings for what they are ‘just thoughts or feelings’ and instead of changing them, learning to observe them and let them go, opting to remain in the present moment and behave in line with our personal values and goals.  There are six core principles outlined in ACT.

The six Core Principles of ACT

There are six core principles outlined in ACT.

Cognitive Defusion

This principle involves learning to see thoughts as mental events rather than as facts. For example, visualising the words of a thought and letting these float passed on a cloud. Cognitive defusion is the skill of distancing oneself from negative thoughts to reduce their impact on emotions and behaviours. 

Acceptance

ACT places emphasis on accepting thoughts and feelings as they are, without trying to change, control or suppress them. The core principle of Acceptance allows these experiences to come and go without judgment or resistance.

Contact with the Present Moment

Through being present in the moment, clients can develop greater awareness of their inner experiences i.e., thoughts, feelings and physical sensations without feeling overwhelmed. ACT’s core principle of Being Present focuses on teaching Mindfulness techniques to help individuals fully engage with the present moment. 

Observing the Self

This principle in ACT involves learning to see your thoughts about yourself as separate from your actions. This creates space for thoughts and emotions without letting them define who we are or influence our behaviours. 

Values

This principle in ACT helps identify what matters to individuals the most, their core values. The clarification of core values allows individuals to set meaningful goals and take actions that align with those values, even during difficult times in their lives.

Committed Action

This principle in ACT focuses on committing to purposeful action toward personal goals, even when it is challenging or uncomfortable. According to ACT, moving forward in life and living a rich and meaningful life is a key component.

What Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Can Help With

Over the years, the effectiveness of ACT has been widely researched and has gained empirical support in the treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD, addiction, chronic pain, and psychosis. Studies into the long-lasting improvements to the lives of clients treated with ACT have been consistently positive with lower rates of relapse recorded.

 The Benefits of ACT

Improving Psychological Flexibility

Psychological flexibility is the ability to either embrace or set aside thoughts and feelings to allow you to respond thoughtfully to your inner experience. In doing this, you avoid reacting impulsively and in unhelpful ways which often cause further distress. Symptoms of anxiety and depression lessen due to an increase in psychological flexibility. 

Cultivate greater self-awareness and self-compassion

ACT helps people to build a different internal relationship based on kindness and care with themselves and their internal experiences which in turn develops greater self-awareness and self-compassion. 

Efficacy in Treating Various Disorders

ACT has proven to be an effective therapy in the treatment of a wide range of psychological disorders and is comparable to other treatment approaches like CBT for the treatment of anxiety and depression.  Furthermore, evidence is mounting on the effectiveness of incorporating ACT into the treatment of ADHD with a UCLA study revealing that practising mindfulness daily strengthens the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with attention, and impulse control.

What to Expect in an ACT Session

Assessment and Goal Setting

Online ACT therapy sessions offered at Kind Mind Psychology are individually tailored based on a thorough clinical assessment as well as the client’s therapy goals. ACT sessions are reasonably flexible, however they do follow a basic structure. 

For example, after the assessment process (which can take up to 3 sessions), treatment sessions are generally structured as follows: 

1. Review of past sessions and progress achieved. 

2. Address any current problems which may have arisen since the previous session. 

3. Implement strategies that align with the six core principles of ACT to continue progress toward treatment goals. 

4. Set homework tasks to practice new strategies between sessions.

Duration and Frequency of Therapy

Online ACT sessions are approximately 50 mins in length and depending on each individual’s needs, are usually scheduled weekly or fortnightly.

Who Can Benefit from ACT?

ACT can benefit those with mild issues through to those with severe mental health disorders. This is because of the way ACT works on improving psychological flexibility, self-awareness and self-compassion. These skills are simple to implement into our everyday lives thus improving overall emotional resilience.