Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is offered by trained therapists at our Edmonton and St. Albert clinics. ACT is a third wave therapeutic approach that can help us separate our negative thoughts and assumptions about our life concerns through something called defusion. In our lives we sometimes get “hooked” onto our concerns, and allow them to influence our behaviour, our actions, and our beliefs.  We become fused to these thoughts that do not serve us, and in some instances may not even be true. ACT has its roots in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and its main goal is to help clients become more present in the moment, and view thoughts as simply thoughts, giving the client the power to decide how much weight, meaning and control their thoughts have. 

 

ACT incorporates value-based work and metaphors into treatment approaches, as well as aspects of mindfulness. Some key themes involved in ACT include being mindful and present in the moment, working on acceptance, committed action towards coping with life’s struggles, and using self-identified values to do so. Mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion are all of great importance when using this approach.​ According to the creator of ACT, Stephen Hayes (2019) the goal of ACT  is to “maximize human potential for a rich and meaningful life, while effectively handling the pain that inevitably goes with it.” 

 

Some concerns that can be addressed through ACT include anxiety, depression, life transitions, addiction, grief and loss, as well as trauma. You can set yourself up for success by working with a trained psychologist who can help you find the most meaning in your life through ACT and its approaches.