From the Guidelines
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a common intervention used to treat depression and anxiety, and it is often used in conjunction with other therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) 1.
Common ACT Interventions
- Cognitive-behavioral techniques: used to help patients identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors
- Mindfulness techniques: used to increase patients' awareness and acceptance of their thoughts and emotions
- Values-based action: used to help patients clarify their values and take action towards living a more meaningful life
- Psychological flexibility: used to help patients develop the ability to adapt to challenging situations and emotions
Delivery of ACT Interventions
- Individual therapy: one-on-one sessions with a therapist
- Group therapy: group sessions with a therapist and multiple patients
- Self-help: patients work through ACT exercises and techniques on their own, often with the guidance of a therapist or online resources According to a review of psychological interventions for anxiety in adult primary care patients, ACT was used as the primary intervention in 3 studies, and was often delivered by psychologists or counselors 1. In the treatment of depression, ACT is one of several psychological interventions that can be used, including CBT, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic therapies 1.
From the Research
Common ACT Interventions
- Acceptance and mindfulness processes to create meaningful and engaged lives 2
- Commitment and behavioral change processes to promote psychological flexibility in response to problems in living, psychopathology, and enhancement of general well-being 2
- Defusion, perspective-taking, choice, and values to restore a cooperative, engaged alliance repair in the therapeutic relationship 2
- Increasing psychological flexibility through mindfulness, acceptance, and value-driven behavior change 3
- Cognitive defusion, acceptance, being present, values, committed action, and self as context to establish psychological flexibility 4
- Decreasing experiential avoidance, increasing cognitive defusion, acceptance, and contact with the present moment 4
- Mindfulness, values, and acceptance worked out by means of metaphors and experience-oriented exercises 5
Target Populations and Outcomes
- Clinical and non-clinical samples, including patients with anxiety, depression, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and cancer 3, 4, 6, 5
- Increases in pain tolerance, acceptance, and identifying and engaging in value-driven behavior 3
- Improvements in cognitive flexibility and reductions in psychological distress 3
- Increases in psychological flexibility, and improvements in quality of life and well-being 4, 5
- Reductions in fear of progression, depression, and psychological inflexibility 5