Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) | 3 dagen | ICM opleidingen (2024)

FAQs

What are the 4 A's of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy? ›

In ACT, we think of acceptance in terms of the “four A's”: Acknowledge, Allow, Accommodate & Appreciate. Here we explore each of these steps involved in the process of acceptance.

ACT is present-focused, which is not suitable for addressing past traumas. While ACT does acknowledge how past experiences can influence present mental health, the approach focuses more on what clients can do in the present. For people with deeply rooted trauma, ACT may not be comprehensive enough to meet their needs.

ACT is considered to be a shorter-term therapy, usually in the range of 8 to 16 sessions. It is an active and collaborative therapy between the client and the psychologist.

According to the psychological flexibility model, which underpins ACT, psychological flexibility consists of six primary components: defusion, acceptance, self as context, contact with the present moment, values, and committed action.

The ACT therapist would teach the patient new ways of being with anxiety, such as simply noticing it for what it is (a cluster of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations), opening up to experiencing anxiety as it is (as an ongoing stream of shifting thoughts, feelings and sensations), letting go of efforts to ...

In his book “Developing Mental Training,” psychologist Peter Clough, describes four important traits of mental toughness, which he calls the four C's: confidence, challenge, control and commitment.

In terms of the actual ACT advantage, extrapolated from the statistics provided in the paper, approximately 61% of the ACT group were above the average outcomes for comparison groups after treatment delivery and 67% at the follow-up.

A meta-analysis on the differences between ACT and CBT was conducted. CBT outperforms ACT on anxiety. ACT exceeds CBT on mindfulness in the short term.

Fusion is the overarching problem in ACT. Experiential avoidance is normal, and only reaches problematic levels when there is fusion with the emotional control agenda.

ACT focuses on a shift from the content of experience to the context of experience. Hayes (2005) describes six core processes of ACT: acceptance, cognitive defusion, being present, self as context, valuing, and committed action.

How many sessions are typical for acceptance and commitment therapy? ›

In clinical trials, 12 – 16 sessions of ACT has been shown to be effective for treating anxiety, depression, and chronic pain as well as enhancing quality of life. Acceptance means allowing ourselves to experience emotions as an alternative to avoidance.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. It may seem confusing at first, but ACT paired with mindfulness-based therapy offers clinically effective treatment.

ACT therapy also helps people cultivate greater self-awareness and self-compassion. "One of the primary benefits of ACT is that it helps individuals build a different relationship with their internal experiences. This means learning to relate to oneself and one's inner narrator with kindness and gentleness," Lev says.

The ACT interventions focus around two main processes: Developing acceptance of unwanted private experiences which are out of personal control. Commitment and action toward living a valued life.

Pillar one: Open (ACT processes: willingness and defusion) Pillar two: Centered (ACT processes: contacting the present, self as context) Pillar three: Engaged (ACT processes: values and committed action)

The 4 A's: Awareness. Acceptance. Action. Adherence.

Taking some time out to understand the four Rs of counselling: reflecting, reviewing, revitalising and revisiting, can help you identify positive life changes, bring focus and clarity to your decision-making, enable you to achieve your goals, and uncover areas in your life that may benefit from further exploration.

So, Awareness, Acceptance and Action call for a change in perspective, a change in attitude and a change in behavior.

It found that there were four different patterns of commitment: dramatic, partner-focused, socially involved, and conflict-ridden.