Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Founder
✤ Person most widely associated with the development of ACT in late 1980's
✤ Developed Relational Frame Theory (RFT), a psychological theory of human language and cognition
✤ Forms the theoretical basis for ACT
✤ Open about his own struggles with panic disorder, using his experiences in his work
✤ Like Linehan, Hayes was instrumental in bringing mindfulness practices into mainstream psychology
✤ Key difference from traditional CBT is focusing on accepting rather than changing thoughts
Steven Hayes
Key Concepts
Experiential Avoidance
✤ Avoidance of distressing thoughts, emotions, interactions, and events
✤ Goal is to instead observe and process distressing thoughts and experiences without attempting to control or change these inner experiences
ACT assumes that the psychological processes of a “normal human mind” are often destructive, and create psychological suffering for us all, sooner or later.
Relational Frame Theory
✤ Behavioral theory of human language and cognitions that helps people recognize how they become entangled in thoughts and words and use those entangles in internal struggles against themselves
✤ Goal is to engage in defusion – stepping back and separating thoughts and language
Goals of Counseling
✤ To develop psychological flexibility
✤ Accept & embrace thoughts & feelings
✤ Choose a direction in life that reflects who the client truly is
✤ Take steps toward action
Role of Counselor
✤ Collaborative ✤ Bi-Directional
✤ Accepting ✤ Nonjudgemental
✤ Strength-Based ✤ Educational
✤ Trust ✤ Experiential
Therapeutic Process
1. Acceptance: Embracing thoughts and feelings without trying to change or avoid them.
2. Cognitive Defusion: Learning to perceive thoughts, images, and memories as just mental events rather than literal truths.
3. Being Present: Focusing on the here and now instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
4. Self as Context: Developing an awareness of oneself as an observer of experiences rather than being defined by them.
5. Values: Identifying what truly matters to the individual and using these principles to guide actions.
6. Committed Action: Taking effective steps towards living a life aligned with one's values.
Hexaflex Model
Used to assess & guide the therapeutic process
Therapeutic Techniques
ACT interventions focus around two main processes:
1. Developing acceptance of unwanted private experiences which are out of personal control.
2. Commitment and action toward living a valued life.
✤ Cognitive Defusion: learning to perceive thoughts, images, memories and other cognitions as what they are—nothing more than bits of language, words and pictures—as opposed to what they can appear to be—threatening events, rules that must be obeyed, objective truths and facts.
✤ Acceptance: opening up and making room to experience the unpleasant thoughts, emotions, sensations, and events of the human experience; taught to feel what client is experiencing, as a feeling, fully and without defense.
✤ Being Present: focusing on the ‘here & now’ of what is happening - bringing your full awareness to the present moment; not thinking or worrying about what has happened in the past or what may happen in the future.
✤ Self as Context: experiencing directly that you are not your thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc. - considered “the observing self”
✤ Values: clarifying what is most important, significant, and meaningful to you; identifying what you want your life to be about and what you stand for.
✤ Values exploration and clarification exercises
✤ Committed Action: taking effective action and behaving in ways that are guided by your values.
✤ Goal-setting and behavioral activation are common techniques
✤ The Leaves on a Stream: Imagining thoughts as leaves floating down a stream, symbolizing detachment from thoughts.
✤ The Chessboard Metaphor: Seeing thoughts as chess pieces on a board, with the individual choosing how to respond strategically.
Applications of ACT
LIMITATIONS
Multicultural Groups
✤ ACT teaches acceptance of all emotional experiences without judgment, allowing individuals to explore culturally conditioned reactions to emotions and choose their responses consciously
✤ ACT aligns well with Indigenous and spiritual worldviews, which often emphasize interconnectedness, present-moment awareness, and acceptance
✤ ACT's universality allows it to address the psychological impact of overlapping marginalized identities
✤ Explore how culture influences personal values
✤ Help clients navigate potential conflicts between individual and cultural values
✤ Modify therapy language, concepts, & metaphors to be culturally relevant
✤ Be aware that concepts of mindfulness may differ across cultures