Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Rather than trying to eliminate painful emotions or “fix” your thoughts, ACT helps you create space for them while building a more meaningful and fulfilling life in alignment with your values.
What is ACT?
ACT (pronounced as the word “act”) stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It is a contemporary evidence-based therapy that helps people in managing distress by changing the way they relate to difficult thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Rather than trying to eliminate distress or “think positively,” ACT supports individuals in learning how to live more meaningfully – guided by their values, even in the presence of discomfort.
Our clinical psychologists use ACT to support clients in managing anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, chronic pain, and other mental health concerns. ACT is a practical and compassionate therapy that can help you stop struggling with your internal experiences and start living a fuller life.
ACT focuses on six key areas:
Instead of focusing on symptom reduction alone, ACT helps people build a richer and more meaningful life guided by what’s most important to them.
When is ACT Useful?
ACT is backed by decades of research and has been shown to improve mental health, wellbeing, and life satisfaction across many issues. In Australia, ACT is recommended as an evidence-based treatment by the Australian Psychological Society and is increasingly used in clinical and workplace settings. ACT can be beneficial for a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including:
- Anxiety (including generalised anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks)
- Depression and low self worth
- Obsessive-compulsive tendencies
- Stress and burnout
- Trauma and post-traumatic stress
- Chronic pain or long-term health conditions
- Perfectionism and people-pleasing
- Relationship and family difficulties
- Workplace stress and career changes
- Grief, loss, and major life transitions
If you’ve been caught in a cycle of overthinking, avoidance, or self-criticism, ACT can offer a new way forward – one that’s grounded in compassion and aligned with what you care about most. You don’t need to have any experience with mindfulness to benefit from ACT. Your psychologist will guide you step by step and tailor the approach to suit your goals and pace.
What to Expect in ACT Sessions?
In your ACT sessions, your clinical psychologist will work with you to:
- Explore the ways you may be struggling with difficult thoughts and feelings
- Introduce mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies to reduce the impact of those struggles
- Clarify your personal values – the things that really matter to you
- Set goals and take committed action towards those values
ACT is an active, experiential therapy. Your sessions may involve practical exercises, mindfulness practices, and discussions that invite new perspectives on your internal experiences. Over time, ACT can help you respond to life’s challenges more flexibly and compassionately.
Start ACT Therapy in Sydney
Our team of warm and experienced clinical psychologists in Sydney use ACT to help adults and adolescents. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, low mood, or life transitions, we’ll work with you to better understand what’s getting in the way of the life you want – and support you to make meaningful change.
Contact us to find the right psychologist for your needs and take the first step towards a more values-driven life.
