What is ACT and how can it help?

ACT stands for acceptance commitment therapy or acceptance commitment training. ACT is a skills-based training that offers tools for individuals to learn how to respond to their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in a more productive and healthier way. The core belief of ACT is that we are all innately human and we have the ability to make choices. These day to day choices significantly impact the quality of our lives and the direction of our future.

Often times, the advice for how to handle difficult situations and circumstances from the outside world can more often than not encourage us to avoid the problem rather than address through the problem. When we get in the habit of avoiding, it eventually leads us away (or scares away) the people, values, and things that we truly care about.

How ACT assists with this is by building habits that increase psychological flexibility with a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. ACT can also address challenges such as:

• How do I make choices that move me forward?

• How do I respond to uncomfortable thoughts & emotions?

• How do I know what matters to me?

• How do I get to a place where I have the ability to take action towards the things that matter to me?

ACT has been proven to be effective with addressing anxiety, depression, addiction, substance abuse, chronic pain, PTSD, and many more.