Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Most of us, at some point, find ourselves caught in a struggle with our own thoughts and feelings. We try to push away anxiety, talk ourselves out of sadness, or wait for the difficult feelings to pass before we can really start living. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – usually shortened to ACT (and said as the word "act") – offers a different way.

What is ACT?

ACT is a form of therapy that helps you build a new relationship with your inner experience. Rather than focusing on getting rid of difficult thoughts and feelings, it gently teaches you how to make room for them, so they take up less space and have less hold over you.

At the same time, ACT helps you reconnect with what genuinely matters to you – your values – and take steps, however small, towards a life that feels meaningful. The name itself captures this: accepting what is, while committing to action that moves you forward.

How does it work?

In our sessions, you can expect a mix of conversation, reflection, and practical exercises. We might explore the thoughts and feelings that tend to get in your way, and look at how you've been trying to manage them so far. Often, the strategies we use to cope – avoidance, distraction, overthinking – end up keeping us stuck.

ACT introduces gentle, experiential ways of relating to your inner world differently. This might include mindfulness practices to help you notice thoughts without being swept away by them, or exercises that help you see a thought as just a thought, rather than an absolute truth.

Alongside this, we'll spend time exploring what really matters to you – the kind of person you want to be, the relationships you want to nurture, the things you want your life to stand for. From there, we'll think about small, doable steps you can take in that direction, even when difficult feelings are present.

Is ACT right for me?

ACT can be helpful if you:

• Feel stuck in cycles of anxiety, low mood, or self-criticism
• Have been trying to "fix" how you feel and find it isn't working
• Struggle with overthinking or being caught up in your own head
• Feel disconnected from what matters to you, or unsure what that even is
• Want to live more fully, even alongside the difficult stuff

It's been found to support people experiencing a wide range of difficulties – including anxiety, depression, chronic stress, grief, low self-worth, and the lingering effects of difficult life experiences.

What ACT isn't

ACT isn't about forcing yourself to accept things you don't want, or pretending painful feelings don't matter. It isn't about positive thinking, and it won't ask you to silence your inner critic or talk yourself into feeling better. Acceptance here means something softer – being willing to let a feeling be present, without needing to fight it, so that you have more energy for the life you want to live.