What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

ACT (pronounceds like the word act) has robust scientific evidence that it can help people live happier, more fulfilling lives in a wide variety of contexts. ACT is a form of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) that:

1) emphasizes mindfulness of your internal experiences and your actions

2) uses your deeply-held values as a guiding star for behavioural changes

By learning to notice your Thoughts, Emotions, Physical Sensations, and Behaviours, you can learn to:

1) make peace with your internal experiences

2) make behavioural choices that take you towards your goals and values

We’ll uncover what’s most important to you in life deep down inside - your “values”. When you know what matters most, decision-making and behavioural changes become easier. Your values act like a North Star, or a lighthouse on a rocky coastline, guiding you towards vitality and fulfillment amidst life’s stormy weather (i.e. amidst difficult situations, thoughts, and feelings).

Dolly Parton once said “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” That’s ACT in nutshell!

ACT is all about discovering what’s most important to YOU in life, and finding ways to bring that into your daily actions. We’ll do that together, always with your goals, abilities, and values in mind.

Yes, therapy can be FUN! It can be joyful and exhilarating to discover what matters to us deep down inside, and to develop personalized metaphors and practices that help us live more fully. Even when supporting clients through life’s most painful experiences, sparkles of joy, play, and humour inevitably arise… the whole human experience is welcome.