Skip to main content

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the ‘third wave’ cognitive and behavioral therapies. It incorporates acceptance and mindfulness strategies alongside change strategies, in recognition that change is not always possible or desirable. ACT is theoretically derived from relational frame theory (RFT) which is a behavior analytic account of the functional properties of human language. The ACT approach proposes that suffering and dysfunction arise from attempts to control or eliminate unwanted experiences. Attempts to control or avoid can lead to the paradoxical effect of greater suffering and a perception of loss of control of the focus for elimination. The aim of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility, which is defined as “contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being, and based on what the situation affords, changing or persisting in behavior in the service of chosen values” (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, & Lillis, 2006). Read more
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
14 of 14 resources

Search

Language

Resource type

Problem

Therapy tool

14 of 14 resources
Order by
A Guide To Emotions (Psychology Tools For Living Well)

A Guide To Emotions (Psychology Tools For Living Well)

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help your clients to live happier and more fulfilling lives. Psychology Tools for Living Well is a self-help course ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/a-guide-to-emotions-psychology-tools-for-living-well

Books & Chapters

Being With Difficulty (Audio)

Being With Difficulty (Audio)

Being With Difficulty is a mindfulness exercise which gently brings present-moment awareness to bear upon thoughts and feelings that are more difficul ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/being-with-difficulty-audio

Audio

Body Scan (Audio)

Body Scan (Audio)

The Body Scan is a mindfulness exercise encouraging present-moment awareness, with the sensations of the body being used as an anchor for mindful atte ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/body-scan-audio

Audio

Developing Psychological Flexibility

Developing Psychological Flexibility

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) proposes that suffering is associated with psychological inflexibility. ACT suggests that to increase psycholo ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/developing-psychological-flexibility

Information handouts

How Does Emotion Affect Your Life?

How Does Emotion Affect Your Life?

Emotions are an essential part of being human. Everyone experiences a wide variety of emotions in response to changes in their thoughts, biology, and ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/how-does-emotion-affect-your-life

Exercises

Mindful Attention (Audio)

Mindful Attention (Audio)

The Mindful Attention exercise is an audio track from the Psychology Tools For Overcoming PTSD Audio Collection. This audio track was originally recor ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mindful-attention-audio

Audio

Mindfulness In Everyday Life (Audio)

Mindfulness In Everyday Life (Audio)

Mindfulness In Everyday Life is a short mindfulness exercise which guides clients how to bring present-moment awareness into everyday life. This audio ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mindfulness-in-everyday-life-audio

Audio

Mindfulness Of Breath (Long Version) (Audio)

Mindfulness Of Breath (Long Version) (Audio)

Mindfulness Of Breath (Long version) is a mindfulness exercise encouraging present-moment awareness, using the breath as an anchor for the attention. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mindfulness-of-breath-long-version-audio

Audio

Mindfulness Of Breath (Short Version) (Audio)

Mindfulness Of Breath (Short Version) (Audio)

Mindfulness Of Breath (Short version) is a mindfulness exercise encouraging present-moment awareness, using the breath as an anchor for the attention. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mindfulness-of-breath-short-version-audio

Audio

Mindfulness Of Sounds And Thoughts (Audio)

Mindfulness Of Sounds And Thoughts (Audio)

Mindfulness Of Sounds And Thoughts is a mindfulness practice exercise that encourages relating to thoughts as ‘just thoughts’ that come and go in ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/mindfulness-of-sounds-and-thoughts-audio

Audio

Raisin Exercise (Audio)

Raisin Exercise (Audio)

The Raisin Exercise is a short mindfulness exercise encouraging present-moment awareness of the senses, connecting with taste, touch and smell while y ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/raisin-exercise-audio

Audio

Thinking Versus Sensing (Audio)

Thinking Versus Sensing (Audio)

Thinking Versus Sensing is a short mindfulness exercise to demonstrate the difference between thinking about our experience and sensing it directly. E ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thinking-versus-sensing-audio

Audio

Values

Values

Meaningful activity is value-driven. This ACT-informed worksheet explores the key domains of values and encourages clients to reflect upon what is imp ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/values

Exercises

What Is Mindfulness?

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness meditation is a traditional Buddhist practice. It is now commonly taught as a practice helpful in the management of a variety of mental he ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-mindfulness

Information handouts

Links to external resources

Psychology Tools makes every effort to check external links and review their content. However, we are not responsible for the quality or content of external links and cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.

Assessment

  • Valued Living Questionnaire (Version 2) | Wilson, Groom | 2002
    Archived Link

Case Conceptualization / Case Formulation

Guides

Information Handouts

Information (Professional)

Presentations

Self-Help Programmes

Exercises, Worksheets & Workbooks

Treatment Guide

Video

  • Animation: Demons on the Boat metaphor – which outlines how an alternative, more accepting stance towards difficult thoughts, emotions or sensations can facilitate action towards values YouTube
    Primary Link
  • The Unwelcome Party Guest – An Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Metaphor | Joe Oliver
    Primary Link
  • The Three Main Parts Of Your Brain | Russ Harris
    Primary Link
  • The Limbic Brain And Its Role In Trauma | Russ Harris
    Primary Link
  • The 3 Happiness Myths | Russ Harris
    Primary Link
  • The Stageshow Metaphor | Russ Harris
    Primary Link
  • The Values-Focused vs The Goals-Focused Life | Russ Harris
    Primary Link
  • The Struggle Switch | Russ Harris
    Primary Link
  • Learning ACT: An Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Skills Training Manual | Luoma, Hayes, Walser | 2007
    • Part 1: Introduction
      Primary Link
    • Part 2: Developing Acceptance/Willingness
      Primary Link
    • Part 3: Undermining Cognitive Fusion
      Primary Link
    • Part 4: Getting In Contact With The Present Moment
      Primary Link
    • Part 5: Distinguishing Conceptualized Self From Self-As-Context
      Primary Link
    • Part 6: Defining Valued Directions
      Primary Link
    • Part 7: Building Patterns Of Committed Action
      Primary Link
    • Part 8: The ACT Therapeutic Stance
      Primary Link
    • Part 9: Bringing It All Together
      Primary Link

Worksheets

  • Worksheets from the Happiness Trap including Values, Defusion, and Experiential Avoidance exercises | Russ Harris | 2008
    Primary Link Archived Link

Recommended Reading

  • Cullen, C. (2008). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A third-wave behaviour therapy. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36(6), 667
    Primary Link
  • Harris, R. (2006). Embracing your demons: An overview of acceptance and commitment therapy. Psychotherapy in Australia, 12(4), 2-8
    Primary Link
  • Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., & Levin, M. E. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy as a unified model of behavior change. The Counseling Psychologist, 40(7), 976-1002
    Primary Link
  • Larmar, S., Wiatrowski, S., & Lewis-Driver, S. (2014). Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: An Overview of Techniques and Applications. Journal of Service Science and Management, 7(3), 216
    Primary Link

What Is Acceptance And Commitment Therapy?

ACT Processes

Luoma, Hayes, and Walser (2007) describe some of the assumptions made by the ACT approach:

  • Acceptance is the active and aware embrace of private events that are occasioned by our history, without unnecessary attempts to change their frequency or form, especially when doing so would cause psychological harm.
  • Defusion is theprocess of creating non-literal contexts in which language can be seen as an active, ongoing, and relational process that is historical in nature and present in the current context.
  • Self-as-context is a continuous and secure ‘I’ from which events are experienced, but which is also distinct from those events.
  • Contact with the present moment is an ongoing, nonjudgmental contact with psychological and environmental events as they occur.
  • Values are verbally constructed, global, desired, and chosen life directions.Values are what truly matter to us and are distinct from goals in that they cannot be ‘achieved’ butrather ‘moved toward or away from.’
  • Committed action is the step-by-step process of acting to create a whole life, one of integrity, which is true to one’s deepest wishes and longings.

References

  • Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25.
  • Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., & Walser, R. D. (2007). Learning ACT: An acceptance & commitment therapy skills-training manual for therapists. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

> Therapies > Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (ACT)
© 2023 Psychology Tools. All rights reserved