Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) can be used to treat various presenting problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, substance misuse, trauma, psychosis, OCD, chronic pain and anorexia.
What is ACT?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was derived from the well-known Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). With ACT, you can work on cultivating a fulfilled and meaningful life, while accepting that pain is an inevitable part of life that can affect many us.
Some of the important aspects of ACT are:
- Accepting what is beyond your personal control and living in the present moment
- Choosing a valued direction that is meaningful to you
- Taking a committed action to reach your goal
How does it work?
You will explore with your psychologist different aspects of your life (relationships, career, leisure etc) to help you to clarify what is profoundly important and meaningful to you in line with your values. This knowledge can guide, inspire, and motivate you to change your life for the better.
Developing mindfulness skills and strategies will help you deal with your difficult thoughts and feelings. You would be encouraged to do some tasks between the sessions so that you can practice the skills that can help you cope.
The aim will be to do what works towards taking effective action to create a rich and meaningful life.
Is it effective?
ACT has become a reputable evidence-based psychological therapy for certain problems. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines (recognized for producing high-quality clinical-guidelines) also recommend this therapy based on a large evidence-base.
MakingWays – the ACT approach
At MakingWays, we have highly trained psychologists who work with you to stay focused on developing resilience so that you can live the life that you want rather than be constrained by the impact of negative thoughts and feelings.