Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Building a Meaningful Life Alongside Difficulty

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - pronounced “act,” not as initials - offers a different approach to psychological difficulties. Rather than trying to eliminate unwanted thoughts and feelings, ACT helps you change your relationship with them, making space for a fuller life even when challenges remain.

The ACT Approach

Traditional approaches often focus on reducing symptoms - less anxiety, less sadness, fewer negative thoughts. ACT takes a different stance: what if the struggle against these experiences is itself part of the problem?

ACT is built around six core processes:

Acceptance: Making room for uncomfortable feelings rather than fighting or avoiding them. This isn’t resignation - it’s recognising that some difficult experiences are part of being human.

Cognitive defusion: Learning to step back from thoughts, seeing them as mental events rather than facts that must be believed and acted upon. Thoughts can come and go without controlling you.

Present moment awareness: Coming into contact with the here and now rather than being lost in the past or future. This is where life actually happens.

Self-as-context: Connecting with a sense of self that’s bigger than your thoughts, feelings, and experiences - the observer who notices what’s happening.

Values clarification: Getting clear on what truly matters to you. What do you want your life to stand for? What kind of person do you want to be?

Committed action: Taking steps toward your values even when it’s difficult. Building patterns of meaningful behaviour regardless of what your mind or feelings say.

What ACT Can Help With

ACT has growing evidence for a wide range of difficulties:

• Anxiety and worry
• Depression and low mood
• Chronic pain and health conditions
• Stress and burnout
• Life transitions and adjustment
• Grief and loss
• Relationship difficulties
• Work-related challenges
• General struggles with meaning and direction

It’s particularly helpful when:

• You feel “stuck” in cycles of avoidance
• Life has become narrow as you try to manage difficult feelings
• You’ve lost touch with what matters to you
• Previous attempts at “fixing” your problems haven’t led to lasting change

What to Expect in ACT

ACT is experiential - you won’t just talk about concepts, you’ll practice them. Sessions often include:

• Mindfulness exercises to develop present-moment awareness
• Experiential exercises that shift your relationship with thoughts and feelings
• Values exploration to clarify what matters most
• Behavioural planning to move toward a richer life
• Metaphors and stories that illuminate ACT principles

There’s often homework between sessions - practicing mindfulness, taking values-based actions, or noticing patterns.

The Paradox of ACT

ACT involves a paradox: by accepting difficult experiences instead of fighting them, they often become more manageable. By focusing on values rather than symptom reduction, symptoms frequently improve. But the measure of success isn’t just how you feel - it’s whether you’re living a life that matters to you.

Get in touch to explore whether ACT could help you.