Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Sometimes the harder we try to control our thoughts, emotions, anxiety, or past experiences, the more power they seem to have.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy—ACT—takes a different approach.

ACT helps you stop getting caught in the struggle with difficult thoughts and feelings so you can focus your energy on something more important: building a life that reflects who you are and what matters to you.

ACT can be helpful when you feel:

• Stuck in overthinking or self-doubt
• Controlled by anxiety, fear, or difficult emotions
• Caught in avoidance or procrastination
• Disconnected from your values or sense of purpose
• Repeating patterns you want to change
• Hard on yourself or constantly questioning your decisions
• Like you understand your problems but still don't know how to move forward

Acceptance does not mean giving up, approving of what happened, or tolerating things that are unhealthy. Instead, ACT teaches you how to make room for difficult internal experiences without allowing them to dictate your choices.

We work on learning to notice thoughts rather than automatically believing them, make space for emotions rather than constantly fighting them, and choose actions based on your values rather than fear, avoidance, or old patterns.

ACT develops psychological flexibility through six interconnected skills:

Acceptance
Making room for difficult emotions and experiences rather than spending all your energy trying to eliminate them.

Cognitive Defusion
Learning to step back from thoughts and recognize that a thought is not necessarily a fact.

Being Present
Developing greater awareness of what is happening in the present moment rather than becoming consumed by the past or future.

Self-as-Context
Developing a broader sense of self that is larger than your thoughts, emotions, roles, diagnoses, or past experiences.

Values
Clarifying what genuinely matters to you—not what other people expect from you.

Committed Action
Turning those values into practical choices and behaviors that move your life in the direction you want it to go.

ACT fits naturally with my approach to therapy because it is not simply about gaining insight. It is about learning, practicing, and applying new ways of responding.

We may use exercises, mindfulness, values work, behavioral strategies, reflection, and real-life practice to help you build psychological flexibility and take meaningful action.

ACT can also be integrated with other approaches when appropriate, including trauma-informed therapy, CBT, EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic and mind-body techniques.

You may never feel completely free of fear, uncertainty, or difficult emotions.

The goal isn't to create a life where nothing hurts.

The goal is to build the flexibility and confidence to move forward—even when difficult thoughts and feelings come along for the ride.

Where insight meets action.
Where healing moves forward.

If you're ready to stop letting old patterns make your decisions for you, ACT can help you begin moving toward the life you actually want.

Call or text: 218-450-8400
Riverside Counseling
Brainerd Lakes Area • Minnesota Telehealth