What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Should I Try It?

Do you find yourself trying to push away difficult thoughts or feelings but it doesn’t work? What if you could stop this internal struggle? One type of therapy aims to help you do just that. 

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) offers a set of practices to help you live a life more consistent with your values. Mindfulness, compassion, acceptance, and change are all key elements of this treatment.

Through learning this approach, you can create a future more in line with what’s important to you. Being aware of your values will help you make positive changes in your life. Here’s a closer look at what ACT entails and how it might work for you. 

What are the core principles of acceptance and commitment therapy?

Many mental health therapies focus specifically on your symptoms. For example, you might work with a counselor to manage anxiety or reduce depression. ACT works differently. 

With ACT, you learn to accept that difficult experiences are just a normal part of life. For example, you might say to yourself, “It makes sense that I am feeling depressed because I have been through a lot the past year.” 

This change in perspective can allow you to stop fighting your thoughts and emotions. If you stop struggling against hard things, that alone can reduce distress. Then you can start focusing on your goals and values instead of just reacting to how you feel in each moment. 

For example, rather than setting a goal to feel less depressed, you might decide to focus more on your family. When you prioritize what’s important to you — such as spending more time with loved ones — your depression symptoms may naturally decrease. 

To help you do this, ACT focuses on six elements:

1) Staying in the present moment through mindfulness, even during difficult experiences

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2) Recognizing that you don’t have to act on painful feelings and thoughts — or that you can take action toward your goals in spite of how you feel

3) Clarifying your values and goals

4) Committing to take action consistent with these hopes and values

5) Accepting any unwanted emotions that may come along with making changes

6) Recognizing that thoughts are just thoughts, not facts

How does acceptance and commitment therapy work? 

As the acronym “act” implies, this therapy is action-oriented. ACT is generally considered a short-term therapy. It can last anywhere from one session to several weeks. How long you participate will depend on your goals and what your therapist recommends. 

During therapy sessions, you will practice skills such as mindfulness, flexibility, and “cognitive defusion.” This is a fancy way of saying you’ll learn how to step back and observe your thoughts and feelings as opposed to fighting with them. Then you can do things differently based on your overall values and goals. 

Here’s an example that may help explain. Consider you’re having trouble opening a door because of a problem with the lock. By forcing the key in the lock, your frustration takes over, and you still can’t open the door. You also risk breaking the key in the lock and making it worse. 

ACT would help you stay focused on the lock and not your frustration. Then you can get curious and see if you can jiggle the lock and key in just the right way to open the door. Accepting there’s an issue with the lock makes it much easier to take an effective action. You are in control of the process rather than the lock controlling you.

What is acceptance and commitment therapy used to treat?

Hundreds of studies have found ACT to be an effective treatment approach for many conditions. Because of this, mental health professionals may choose ACT to help with: 

• Anxiety disorders

• Depression

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Stress

• Chronic pain

• Fibromyalgia

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Keep in mind ACT doesn’t focus directly on your condition or symptoms. For this reason, ACT isn’t just for treating mental health disorders or chronic illness. Anyone who wants to live a more meaningful life may choose to try this therapy.

How to find ACT resources and therapists near you

There are many ways to find an ACT therapist in your area. For in-person treatment, you may choose to look for providers nearby. Therapists in your state or region may also offer online sessions, allowing you to extend your search a bit further. 

Here are some suggestions to start your search: 

• Contact your insurance company, and ask for a therapist who provides acceptance and commitment therapy.

• Talk to other providers, such as your family physician or psychiatrist, who may be able to assist with a referral.

• Use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator. Once you find a provider, ask about the treatments they offer.

• Search therapy listings such as Psychology Today or Therapy Den, and filter for providers who are trained in ACT.

• Search online for an ACT therapist in your area — many therapists list their services with Google or have websites that will show up in a local search.

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Written by:

Jennie Bedsworth, LCSW

Jennie Bedsworth, MSW, LCSW, is a social worker and therapist with 20 years of experience in journalism, teaching, and mental health. Prior to getting her master's, she wrote for The Furrow and was editor of Missouri Ruralist magazine.

Edited by:

Renée Fabian, MA

Renée Fabian is the senior pet health editor at GoodRx. She’s worked for nearly 10 years as a journalist and editor across a wide range of health and well-being topics.

Reviewed by:

Mona Bapat, PhD, HSPP

Mona Bapat, PhD, HSPP, has 15 years of clinical experience providing therapy. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in Indiana and Illinois with treatment experience in individual, couples, family, and group therapy modalities.

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