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Learn more about ACT: Acceptance and commitment therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of talking therapy that helps you change your relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to eliminate them. It combines mindfulness skills with values-based action, on the premise that struggling against unwanted inner experiences often causes more distress than the experiences themselves. Developed by psychologist Steven Hayes, ACT sits within the cognitive behavioural family but shifts the goal from reducing symptoms to building a fuller, more workable life alongside them.
The name captures the two halves of the work: accepting what is outside your control, and committing to action guided by what matters to you.
ACT is structured around a set of skills your therapist introduces gradually across sessions. The aim is psychological flexibility: the capacity to stay present and act on your values even when uncomfortable thoughts and feelings are present.
In practice, sessions tend to move through a few connected areas:
- Acceptance and mindfulness. You learn to notice thoughts and sensations as they arise without automatically reacting to them or trying to push them away. Rather than arguing with an anxious thought, you practise letting it be there while you carry on.
- Defusion. You learn to see thoughts as mental events rather than literal truths, which loosens their grip. A thought like "I'm going to fail" becomes something you observe, not an instruction you obey.
- Values and committed action. You clarify what genuinely matters to you, then set concrete goals that move you in that direction, however small the first steps are.
ACT is used across a broad range of clinical and life difficulties, particularly where avoidance of painful thoughts or feelings has become part of the problem. It works well when the goal is living differently alongside distress, not waiting for distress to disappear first.
- Anxiety: ACT helps you respond to anxious thoughts and physical sensations without letting them dictate your choices. You can expect work on staying present and taking valued action rather than organising life around avoidance. If it fits, you can also try our anxiety self-test, which is a starting point for reflection and not a diagnosis.
- Burnout: The approach clarifies what matters to you and where your energy is being spent against your values. Expect practical work on boundaries and sustainable action, rather than pushing harder through exhaustion.
- Cancer support: ACT offers psychological support for living with the uncertainty, fear, and disruption of a cancer diagnosis. It works alongside medical care, not as a treatment for the illness itself, and focuses on staying connected to what matters through treatment.
- Body dysmorphic disorder: ACT helps you relate differently to intrusive thoughts about appearance and reduce the rituals and avoidance that maintain them. Expect a focus on defusion and values-led action rather than reassurance.
It's Complicated is a therapist-founded mental health platform connecting clients with verified practitioners across Europe and globally, in over 60 languages. We work with over 2,500 vetted therapists, with in-person availability in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and other major cities, alongside online sessions worldwide. It's Complicated is free to use, and you pay your chosen therapist directly at rates they set.
Knowing ACT might suit you is different from knowing which ACT therapist to pick. Our matching service is built to remove that friction. You complete a short survey, our psychologists combine data-driven insights with human judgement to identify the right therapists for your situation, and you choose from a shortlist of strong candidates. You can also browse our directory directly if you'd prefer to choose yourself.
Get matched with a therapist who uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or browse the directory.
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