Group Therapy

ACT for Wellbeing

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioural therapy that focuses on psychological flexibility and valued, strengths-based engagement in life - both key factors in well-being and performance. It emphasises that psychological suffering and a lack of growth stem from psychological inflexibility, which encompasses emotional, cognitive, and attentional inflexibility, perspective taking failures, lack of chosen values, and an inability to engage in values-based actions. ACT helps clients overcome obstacles to living well by identifying and changing their relationship to thoughts, feelings, sensations, and urges rather than trying to eliminate or avoid them. It then encourages clients to commit to actions that enhance their lives.

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ACT promotes psychological acceptance, mindfulness processes, and values-based living to help individuals experience life more fully, with vitality and commitment. It teaches the acceptance skill of bringing an open and willing attitude towards all internal experiences, without resigning to circumstances or giving in to pain. By opening up to internal experiences instead of avoiding or controlling them, long-term suffering can be reduced, and internal resources freed up to be directed to other life fulfilling areas.

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The ultimate goal of ACT is to foster psychological flexibility, which involves being psychologically present and directing behaviour toward meaningful life values. This is achieved through six core processes:

1. Contact with the present moment: Being fully engaged and present in the here and now experience, avoiding being consumed by thoughts or attempting to control feelings.

2. Acceptance: Making room for unpleasant feelings, sensations, urges, and thoughts -  embracing and acknowledging the full range of human experiences without denial or avoidance.

3. Cognitive Defusion: Stepping back from thoughts, observing them as bits of language without getting caught up in them. Making space to evaluate and respond rather than react to them.

4. Perspective taking/observing self: Establishing contact with oneself as an observer, creating a healthy distance from fused thinking and gaining a sense of space to experience what is. This is about expanding the notion of self beyond thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

5. Values: Clarifying what is most important and determining the kind of person one wants to be and the actions they want to take in life, rather than being driven by blanket avoidance or external expectations. Values provide motivation, guidance, meaning, and abundance.

6. Committed action: Engaging in deliberate behaviours that align with personal values. This may involve goal setting, exposure to challenging experiences, and skill development.

ACT encourages individuals to move towards a meaningful life, even if it means allowing room for uncomfortable or unpleasant sensations, emotions, thoughts, and urges. It is not about willpower but rather mindful intention combined with inspired and deliberate action.

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Through group therapy sessions, ACT helps individuals develop psychological flexibility, experience life more fully, and achieve overall well-being. Join our sessions to learn practical skills and transform your relationship with your thoughts, emotions and sense of Self.