Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Brisbane
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a type of therapy that focuses on facing the negative experience, in an effort to accept the situation and come out the other side with a decreased association with the experience. Acceptance and commitment therapy is a powerful type of therapy used by many psychologists and counsellors.
CFHP have a team of psychologists who offer acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) under our services. Our psychologists may choose to practice ACT therapy as part of your sessions – it’s one of the many therapies that is used for anxiety, depression, and trauma.
What Can Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Help With?
Anxiety
ACT is one of the two most common types of therapy (the other being CBT) used to treat anxiety and anxiety disorders. Where CBT focuses on challenging negative thoughts that contribute to anxiety, ACT teaches people how to accept their fears and not get attached to specific outcomes. Both are very powerful in the psychology setting, and ACT may be more suited to those who have anxiety that stems from a distressing situation or fear.
Depression
ACT is also used to treat depression. As the core values of ACT include acceptance, a therapist can use ACT to help people with depression to unstick themselves from their difficult thoughts and feelings, and to become more accepting of themselves and their life. It sounds simple, but this type of therapy can go a long way for people who struggle to see themselves as worthy of living a more satisfied, fulfilling life.
Addiction
The concepts applied in ACT can work well for addiction or substance abuse. Addiction can be born as a way to cope with a negative thought or circumstance, which can work in the short term, but quickly becomes detrimental over time. ACT can break the cycle of addiction by helping to accept that while negative circumstances won’t disappear, they can be managed by taking actions to build up the other parts of our lives, as opposed to simply avoiding them.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
ACT helps individuals with PTSD find a way to accept the distressing thoughts and feelings that affect them, rather than continually trying to avoid them. The approach is to promote greater psychological flexibility, allowing people to be aware of what they are feeling in the present moment, separate it from their past trauma, and realise that their negative emotions do not define their individual selves.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD
ACT can be used to mitigate the debilitating symptoms of OCD. Individuals with OCD experience unwanted and intrusive thoughts that drive their behaviour, causing them to engage in repeated actions based on their felt compulsion. Through ACT, individuals can learn to identify the personal values that hold the most importance for them and use them as a compass to guide their desired behaviour instead of being compelled to follow their pressing thoughts and emotions.
How Effective is ACT in Therapy?
Experiencing psychological distress is not uncommon — the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) for 2020-21 showed that 15% of Australians experienced a high or very high level of psychological distress, with women being more likely to have a higher level of distress than men (19% vs 12%).
The efficacy of ACT as a form of treatment for distress is backed by over 250 randomised controlled trials published in academic journals. The data serves as proof of its ability to help individuals gain more control over life and decision-making in the face of challenges and distressing situations.
What’s The Difference Between CBT and ACT?
ACT and CBT are both types of behavioural therapies that aim to change the behaviours that contribute to the symptoms of different mental conditions. Though ACT is partially derived from some parts of CBT, its approach has a focus on helping people accept and live with their sources of distress. CBT, on the other hand, works by helping individuals change their perspectives on the negative thoughts and feelings that ultimately result in behavioural change.
For example, for those experiencing anxiety, CBT will involve learning techniques to identify the anxious thoughts and feelings and replace them with more realistic ones, changing perspectives on the situation. ACT will work to come face to face with anxious thoughts and feelings, accept them as a part of life, and help you formulate a plan to move forward from it.
What Does ACT Therapy Session Look Like?
Sessions with an ACT psychologist will take place in a one-to-one setting, with the psychologist facilitating the conversations about what is affecting you. Some common parts of ACT therapy sessions include:
- Educating you about the ACT model and how it works
- Listening to your concerns and helping you accept what is causing you distress
- Cognitive defusion exercises to help you detach from negative thoughts and feelings
- Values clarification to identify what is most important to you
- Mindfulness practices such as guided meditation and breathing exercises to keep you focused on the present
- Role-playing or experiential activities to help you practice making decisions according to your values
Our Team of ACT Brisbane Psychologists
Lisa Kunde
Speak with us
Get in touch with CFHP to book an appointment and learn more about our QPS counselling in Brisbane.