Acceptance Commitment Therapy Processes References 

One of the core principles of ACT is a person's values. ACT helps a  person to identify these value and develop the skills that they need to live their lives according to these values. According to ACT, this is the best way to live a life in which they feel fulfilled. 

Six Processes of ACT: Values

The process of committed action refers to the goal of helping clients adopt more productive, fulfilling behaviors in their lives as opposed to the ones that they become trapped in. An example of these unproductive behaviors would be staying home from a social event in attempts to avoid their anxieties surrounding going out. A productive, committed action would help them to get out of this pattern and live their lives. Most times, this would involve living life according to a person's values and goals. 

Six Processes of ACT: Committed Action 

According to ACT principles, people can become fused with their thoughts when they allow them to define who they are. Often times, these are thoughts which cause a person distress and ones that they tend to dwell on. Defusion is the act of detaching from such thoughts and not allowing them to have as much power. 

Six Processes of ACT: Defusion

ACT emphasizes that thoughts are neither good nor bad. ACT treatment involves teaching the client to view their thoughts as neutral. Therefore, the aim is not to help clients get rid of these thoughts but instead teach them to be accepting of them. The goal is to get them to a place where they can experience thoughts that previously made them uncomfortable and recognize them as simply being thoughts. Thus, even if they continue to experience these thoughts, they no longer get in the way of them living their lives. 

Six Processes of ACT: Acceptance 

The Self As Context component of ACT involves the client's sense of who they are. Instead of defining themselves by specific thoughts/ideas they have about themselves, ACT helps them to see themselves as complex and multifaceted. 

Six Processes of ACT: Self As Context

As the name suggests,  the ACT component of Connecting with the Present Moment involves  a person centering themselves in the present. Instead of worrying about the future or dwelling on the past, the client is encouraged to simply be . It involves becoming aware of their surroundings, themselves, and their emotions. This often done through mindfulness exercises such as meditation. 

Six Processes of ACT: Connecting with the Present Moment 

It is possible to adapt ACT to fit different cultures. One study examined the effectiveness of an ACT treatment program which incorporated cultural, familial, and religious on Iranian high school girls. These adaptions included explaining concepts through the use of metaphors relevant to their culture as well as Iranian stories and images. The girls who participated in the ACT sessions demonstrated greater symptom reduction over time as well as improvement in emotional regulation and intolerance of uncertainty. 

Culturally Adapted ACT for Adolescents 

- Values 
- Committed Action 
- Defusion 
- Acceptance 
- Self as Context 
- Connecting with the present moment

Xavier University

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) centers on the utilization of acceptance, values, mindfulness and conventional behavior change methods with the goal of reducing psychological inflexibility. 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 

Harris, R. (2019). ACT made simple (2nd edition). New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 


ACT made simple

Populations positively affected by ACT include: 
- College students
- Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Individuals with PTSD after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Psychotic Patients 
- Depressed patients
- Individuals with chronic pain conditions
- Individuals with both Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression
- Physical Therapy Patients

Populations that Benefit from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

The process/way of living through which behaviors and actions are strictly guided by psychological experiences (thoughts, feelings, etc.) rather than ones’ meaningful values or by actions that might be effective. 

Psychological Inflexibility 

Although mindfulness interventions are commonly thought of as a treatment solely for mental and psychological illness, various mindfulness interventions have been used in physical rehabilitation.

Mindfulness in Physical Rehabilitation 

- Improves processes of change amongst tested subjects
- Reduces psychological symptoms such as social anxiety and depression
- improves mood processes amongst individuals with PTSD after Traumatic Brain Injury
- it does not require formal practice
- Lessen the likelihood of re-hospitilization for Chronic Mental illness
- Lessen Believability of positive schizophrenic symptoms
- Can decrease symptom occurrence
- less time consuming compared to practices like MBSR
- a trans-diagnostic treatment method: it can treat more than one disorder at a time


Benefits of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been applied in the following formats to bring about positive effects: 

- Self-help programs (self-guided and clinician assisted)

- group interventions (teach skills together)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Formats of Application 

-Acceptance

-Cognitive Defusion

-Being Present

-Self as Context

-Values

-Committed Action



Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: 6 core processes (psychological flexibility model) 

There are many online services and apps that are available that allow people to practice Mindfulness Interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) from one’s own device. The ease of accessibility, lower cost, and convenience of these services are some of the pros of online MBI practices over face-to-face MBIs. 

Mindfulness Apps and Online Services

Six Processes of Acceptance Commitment Therapy

A study examined the effectiveness of an adolescent ACT prevention program. The program aimed to use ACT methods to prevent teens from developing anxiety, depression, and other psychopathologies rather than using it as a means to treat these symptoms, which is how ACT is typically used. The study used an ACT condition and a control condition, with students in the ACT group participating in the ACT program while the control group participated in normal class activities. Both students and teachers were accepting of the program and found it feasible to implement it into the regular class time schedule. Additionally, students in the ACT condition demonstrated a difference in anxiety/depression scores. 

ACT Prevention Program for Adolescents

Studies have indicated that there are several ways in which ACT can be adapted to suit teenagers' biological, psychological, and social development. Some ways that this can be done is by involving teens' parents and peers, using personalized goal setting, incorporating the teen's interests, and explaining more abstract concepts using more cognitive methods. It is also important to note that evidence has suggested that ACT may be more suitable for some teens more than others, with it tending to be more effective with teens who are able to think more abstractly. 

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