Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a cognitive behavioural therapy that aims to help clients recognize helpful and unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. ACT uses psychological flexibility and values-based actions. ACT believes that clients become fused to negative thoughts. Through mindfulness-based exercises, clients openly experience and accept their thoughts and feelings without self-judgment, which helps them create distance from their thoughts, reducing their impact and allowing for more flexible and desired responses to challenging situations.
ACT provides tangible exercises and techniques for clients to practice in their day-to-day life.