ACT or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is part of a so called ‘third wave’ of cognitive behavioural therapies which place emphasis on combining acceptance, mindfulness and compassion with other behavioural interventions. This combination can increase your psychological flexibility and build your resilience. Developed by Steven Haynes, ACT put simply encourages the mindful acknowledgement of difficult feelings and what life bring us, ( the acceptance) and helps you work towards a value driven goals, (the commitment). ACT invites you to open up to these unpleasant feelings, learn not to over-act or avoid them, instead accept them. It doesn’t mean resigning yourself to a life of pain and unhappiness, it means acknowledging certain things are outside our control. We have a lot less control over our thoughts and feelings than we think but we can take control for how we live our lives day by day. By understanding our emotions and values, we can use them as a guide to make meaningful life decisions based on what matters the most to you or what you want your life to stand for.
One of the keys aims of ACT is to help with psychological flexibility, it does not mean we will never down or stressed again however when challenges arise in the future we can adapt and apply the skills we have learnt. ACT has been proven to be one of the most effective ways of helping people become ‘unstuck’ from themselves and their thoughts and feelings. It is a particularly useful therapy for anxiety, depression and addictions and elements can be very effective in treating teenagers and young people.
I offer a free 20 minute consultation, if you have any questions or are still unsure how I can help please feel free to contact me via phone or email.
