Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, abbreviated ACT, is a form of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy that aims to increase psychological flexibility, the capacity to remain in contact with the present moment and to act in accordance with one's values even in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings. Rather th…
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, abbreviated ACT, is a form of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy that aims to increase psychological flexibility, the capacity to remain in contact with the present moment and to act in accordance with one's values even in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings. Rather than seeking to eliminate or dispute distressing internal experiences, ACT cultivates acceptance of them while redirecting effort toward meaningful, value-guided action. Its model rests on six interrelated processes: acceptance, cognitive defusion, contact with the present moment, self-as-context, values clarification, and committed action, frequently combined with mindfulness techniques. ACT is applied across a broad range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and behavioural problems, and is used with adolescents to shift high-risk behaviours, such as susceptibility to addiction in online environments, toward adaptive problem-solving strategies. It sits within the wider family of contextual and acceptance-based therapies that share an emphasis on presence, flexibility, and meaning-making, and is often considered alongside other structured approaches in the treatment of trauma, mood, and stress-related presentations. Significance lies in its transdiagnostic applicability and its focus on workability rather than symptom reduction alone. Principal sub-areas include the psychological-flexibility model, mindfulness and defusion methods, values-based behaviour change, and the adaptation of ACT to specific populations and presenting concerns.
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