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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and is pronounced as a word (not as the letters ‘A-C-T’). ACT is a behavioral therapy within what we call the third wave of contextual behavioral therapies.
In ACT, the focus is on living a life aligned with one’s values. It’s about doing more of what makes your heart sing and being the person you want to be for yourself and others.
As practitioners, our goal is to help our clients move toward the life they want to live. Together, we look at the barriers the client experiences in life. These might include anxiety, depression, fear, worry, painful memories, physical pain, grief, crises, or self-critical thoughts.
We also explore what the client does to cope with the pain in life, and we assess which of these strategies are workable in the long run. By helping clients identify and change ineffective coping strategies, we guide them toward living a life in alignment with their deepest values and doing more of what truly works.
As an ACT practitioner, the goal is not to help your client turn down their symptoms. Instead, it’s about turning up life by helping the client increase their psychological flexibility – the ability to stay present in the moment, open up to internal experiences, and engage in actions that align with their values.
In ACT, psychological flexibility is considered the key to living a rich and meaningful life, regardless of the challenges one may face. When we focus on eliminating symptoms and erasing the pain in life, we often end up using all our energy on just that. But life is not just meant to be survived – it’s meant to be lived! Rather than using the client’s resources to fight what is difficult, the focus shifts to handling emotions and thoughts in a more constructive way, allowing for a more authentic and engaged life.
This means that even though anxiety, grief, pain, or worries may still be present, they no longer prevent the client from living a life that is meaningful and important. Clients learn to accept their experiences, step out of their worries, offer themselves kindness, and take value-based actions that guide them toward the life they want to live.
In ACT, symptoms are not seen as something that necessarily needs to be removed but rather as part of the human experience, which can be managed and integrated in a way that doesn’t block living a fully engaged life. This shift in focus – from symptom reduction to psychological flexibility – can be incredibly transformative for both the client and you as the practitioner.
Thanks for asking!
To strengthen a client’s psychological flexibility, ACT focuses on six core processes.
These can be thought of as “psychological muscles” that we all possess and can train to become stronger and more flexible through consistent practice.
The 6 core processes we work with in ACT:
Here, we help the client make room for what is. We teach them to embrace their inner psychological world instead of trying to change, control, or avoid it. The point is, if we’re not preoccupied with trying to fix what we feel, we can focus our energy on what truly makes life valuable. We let go of the struggle with things we cannot control and shift our attention to the life we want to live.
In this process, we help the client step back from their thoughts and look at their thoughts rather than from their thoughts. The client learns that thoughts are just thoughts – not necessarily truths or rules that must be followed. I often catch myself saying, “We don’t need to believe everything we think.”
Here, we help the client direct their attention to the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It’s in the present that we can notice whether what we’re doing is actually working for us. By staying present, we can learn to observe our inner psychological world in a non-judgmental way. This is where we learn to respond rather than react. By focusing on the now, we can act in ways that bring us closer to the life we want to live.
Oh, try saying “flexible perspective taking” quickly ten times in a row!
Although the term may sound a little nerdy, this process is crucial for treating ourselves kindly.
Here, we teach the client to see themselves as a kind of arena where all thoughts and emotions play out. We are not our thoughts and emotions; we have our thoughts and emotions. We hold them without being defined by them.
This is also where we help the client view themselves and their struggles from a compassionate perspective.
If someone the client cares about were in the exact same situation, what would they wish for them? We then practice offering ourselves the same kindness, understanding, forgiveness, and care that we so willingly give to others.
Many of those you talk with are likely moving away from something. Discomfort, pain, sadness, worry, troublesome thoughts, and difficult memories are all experiences we humans try to avoid.
In the ACT model, we actively work toward what is important to the client. We guide them in exploring and defining their life values. This helps establish a clear direction in life, so one lives more in alignment with what nourishes, energizes, and brings meaning.
Instead of moving away from what is difficult, we help the client move toward what is valuable, important, vital and meaningful.
If we want something different, we have to do something different.
Your conversations will have limited impact if the client doesn’t act differently in their everyday life between sessions.
When working with committed action in ACT, we help the client take small – and large – steps toward the life they want to live, even when life is challenging.
Now it’s your turn to practice.
By integrating these processes into your practice, you can guide your clients to navigate life – with all that it entails – in a more flexible and engaged way.
As mentioned, ACT isn’t about eliminating suffering and pain, but about finding a way to live fully, even when life is difficult. This requires courage and dedication, both from you as the practitioner and from your clients.
Remember, ACT is a dynamic and flexible form of therapy, and there are many different techniques and exercises you can use to tailor the treatment to each client’s individual needs.
So stay curious, experiment, and find the methods that work best for you and your clients.
Know that I’m cheering for you every step of the way! And I’m here, ready to help you master ACT and transformative conversations – like a pro!
Ready to elevate your skills and become a chief change-maker for those you serve? Then I’m your wingwoman! You have what it takes, and I look forward to helping you shine. Let’s grow!
Ready to elevate your skills and become a chief change-maker for those you serve? Then I’m your wingwoman! You have what it takes, and I look forward to helping you shine. Let’s grow!
Transform your practice with tips & tricks about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for compassionate practitioners aiming for impactful change.
© Rikke Kjelgaard
