Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT Therapy Benefits for Mental Health Support

September 29, 2025

Authored by: Louise Hartnett, B.A.

Edited by: Emma Loker, B.S

When experiencing symptoms of a mental health issue, the temptation to fight against or withdraw from what’s happening can take over. But what if resisting our experiences actually fuels the symptoms of a mental health condition? This is where acceptance and commitment therapy may help.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) developed in the 1980s by Steven Hayes. Central to ACT’s approach is accepting negativity, practicing mindful presence, and living in accordance with one’s own values.¹

Many like this type of therapy because it’s action-oriented and shares many parallels with Buddhist teachings.² Plus, ACT sessions typically don’t delve into the past like other therapies might – which may be preferred by some.

Additionally, ACT can be an effective treatment for a range of mental health concerns, including stress management, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).¹ However, this unique therapy differs from other options in many ways. A mental health professional can help you understand if it’s a good fit for your needs. This page also works as a useful guide to ACT, as it explores:

The key concepts in the acceptance and commitment approach
ACT techniques, benefits, and challenges
How ACT can be used to treat different mental health concerns
Alternative therapy options to ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Its Key Concepts

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) was created by Steven Hayes, a psychologist and professor at the University of Nevada. It was born from his struggles with panic attacks and how he realized that his symptoms eased when he stopped running from himself and his experiences.¹ With the aim of increasing psychological flexibility, ACT consists of the following six principles:

1. We Should Recognize That Negative Experiences Don’t Need to Be Fixed or Changed

At the core of acceptance and commitment therapy is acceptance. Hayes’ belief is that negative experiences like anxiety, sadness, and grief are part of the human experience. Therefore, although life can be devastating, uncomfortable, and painful, the ACT approach is that we must accept the whole spectrum of what it is to be human.¹

This approach means resisting the urge to manage, fix, or change our negative thoughts and feelings. In fact, ACT suggests that if we try to resist or suppress our upset, it will simply come back stronger and create more distress. It also teaches that negative emotions are appropriate responses to the situations life throws at us.¹

2. We Must Develop the Ability to Distance Ourselves from Thoughts

The ACT approach calls the ability to distance ourselves from thoughts “cognitive defusion.” In simple terms, it means observing thoughts without automatically believing them.¹ This may sound reminiscent of other therapies that use mindfulness.

These first two key concepts connect to ACT’s main foundational basis: distress is caused by avoidance of negativity and “cognitive fusion.” Cognitive fusion is when we perceive our thoughts as literal truths instead of transient events. In other words, when thoughts like I’m a failure are automatically believed, we may avoid the discomfort that arises.³

Cognitive defusion invites us to allow those thoughts to exist without identifying with them. By reducing the amount we identify with them, we increase our psychological flexibility and the ability to choose how we respond to distressing thoughts and events.³

3. We Should Recognize the Value of Being Present

Another mindful aspect of the ACT approach is the importance of presence. Presence facilitates the other key concepts, such as being distanced from our thoughts and accepting the full spectrum of the human experience.¹ Being present can also alleviate anxiety because it reduces rumination.³

4. We Need to Understand That We’re Not Our Thoughts, Emotions, or Experiences

Like many types of therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy has a distinct view of personality and what the human “Self” is. Similar to humanistic approaches, ACT believes we have a core Self that is distinct from any thoughts, feelings, or experiences we may have.¹

If someone were to believe and identify with the thought, I am worthless, this is known in ACT as “self-in-content.” This is because the person’s identity is tied up in the content of their thoughts.⁴ Self-in-content is not conducive to positive well-being, so ACT encourages another approach.

ACT suggests our true Self is the “self-in-context.” Self-in-context is transcendent of any thought content. For example, someone may acknowledge they are experiencing thoughts of worthlessness but know this is not true and does not feel threatened by such thoughts.⁴ Cultivating this stance, despite fluctuations in our inner world, is crucial for increasing psychological well-being.³

5. We Must Live in Accordance With Personal Values

When ACT teaches people not to automatically react to thoughts and feelings as though they were facts, this can leave a gap: How should people behave? For this reason, the approach places great importance on our personal values and principles.¹ For example, we may highly value living compassionately or autonomously.

Therefore, instead of taking actions that other people expect or behaving in ways guided by our distress, ACT empowers people to get in touch with their inner compass.¹ By doing so, we can be guided by something bigger and more long-lasting than thoughts or emotions.

6. We Should Commit to Action

The final key concept within acceptance and commitment therapy is “committed action.” This means taking concrete steps towards positive change. It may be achieved through goal-setting, skill development, or exposing ourselves to the things we’re afraid of.¹

What to Expect With ACT

If you embark on acceptance and commitment therapy, you can expect a few things. For example, your therapist will likely guide you through mindfulness techniques, teach you about acceptance, and support you through changing your attitude and approach to difficult emotions.¹

>It’s worth noting that the process may be difficult, but it can also be deeply rewarding. Next, we explore ACT techniques, benefits, and challenges in more depth.

Therapy Techniques ACT

Although ACT is a form of CBT, it differs in a crucial way. While you can expect a CBT practitioner to challenge and reframe “maladaptive” thoughts, this won’t happen in ACT sessions. Instead, your therapist will likely guide you to accept thoughts without judgment. That means no thoughts will be labelled as “maladaptive” or even “positive.”³

The following are some ways your therapist may guide you through ACT principles:

Cultivating acceptance: Identifying “unworkable” behaviors that are not moving you towards goals or values. Therapists may also use metaphors to convey the cost of non-acceptance.
Cognitive defusion: ACT therapists may invite you to defuse yourself from your thoughts by singing them aloud, writing them down, thanking your mind for them, or speaking them in a silly voice.
Presence: ACT therapists may ask you about what you’re noticing in the moment periodically in sessions.
Self-in-context: Some therapists may use a metaphor of a chessboard and chess pieces, helping people view themselves as the board that is simply holding the pieces (their thoughts and feelings). When bringing awareness to thoughts, they may also ask, “Who is noticing that thought?” to help you make contact with your “observing self.”
Clarifying values: Therapists may use a range of imaginative activities and homework to help people determine their values. A rule of thumb tends to be that no value or goal can include having an absence of symptoms, such as having no anxiety.
Committed action: For motivating people to take action, therapists will likely encourage someone to break goals down into small, manageable steps.4

In a way, acceptance and commitment therapists could be likened to swimming coaches instead of math teachers. This is because, instead of explaining how ACT works, they try to get people to feel how it works.⁴

ACT Therapy Benefits

There is a great deal of research to support acceptance and commitment therapy’s effectiveness at treating a range of mental health conditions and increasing well-being.³

You may experience some of the following known benefits:^1,3

No longer avoiding and denying deep emotions
Accepting emotions as valuable and normal responses to difficult experiences
Learning to accept hardships and commit to making changes regardless of what’s going on in life
Experiencing an increase in positive moods, which can then buffer against future stress
Having greater self-acceptance, autonomy, and realization of one’s own potential
Increased ability to manage life, relationships, and surroundings
Acting more consistently in line with one’s values
Improved emotional regulation
Reduced intensity and duration of emotions

Bear in mind that you may not experience benefits straight away when you first start ACT therapy. It can be a long road, and benefits may come in waves.

Challenges in ACT

Though there’s a great deal of research in support of ACT’s approach, there isn’t a lot of exploration into how it can be adapted for different cultures.³ For example, some of its key concepts may clash with certain norms that encourage the suppression of negative emotions. Plus, some people may fundamentally disagree with the idea that thoughts are distinct from their true Self.

Further, even if someone is on board with ACT’s key concepts, it can still be challenging. Many may struggle to distance themselves from their thoughts – creating a long process of defusion. However, the process is typically worth sticking with, and speaking to your therapist about any difficulties you’re having with their approach can help them adapt it to your needs.

ACT for Different Mental Health Conditions

Research has found acceptance and commitment therapy to be effective for a broad variety of conditions, like anxiety, depression, OCD, stress, and even chronic pain.³ Furthermore, ACT is effective at treating the hallucinatory symptoms often experienced by people with psychosis. These treatment applications remain true even when the therapy is delivered online and in group settings.⁵

Regardless of the condition it’s used to treat, the core elements of ACT remain the same – it follows the process of acceptance, cognitive defusion, and value clarification. However, the number of sessions you have may vary depending on the severity of your symptoms and how they’re impacting the quality of your life.

How Does ACT Compare to Other Therapy Types?

Although research finds ACT to be very effective, it’s not found to be more effective than any other type of therapy.⁶ This isn’t unusual; most research tends to find little disparity between the efficacy of different forms of counseling and psychotherapy.

The most important factors are whether you have a good relationship with the therapist and whether the approach suits your worldview. For instance, you may not like the underpinning foundations of acceptance and commitment therapy, but really gel with another therapy’s philosophy. It all comes down to your preferences and needs.

If the principles of ACT aren’t for you, you may be interested in exploring another therapy type, such as:

Psychodynamic therapy: A talking therapy that aims to resolve inner conflicts and historic wounds by exploring unconscious material and repeating patterns of behavior
Internal family systems therapy: Based on the idea that we’re made up of many parts, IFS therapy aims to create harmony between these parts and cultivate self-leadership
Art therapy: A creative form of therapy that invites people to express themselves through a wide range of artistic media
Mindfulness-based CBT: A type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that incorporates ideas from mindfulness and relaxation
Somatic therapy: A mind-body therapy for people who may have “stored” tension in their bodies, stemming from unresolved psychological distress
Narrative therapy: A therapy that invites people to retell their life stories, using reframing and deconstructing techniques to create new viewpoints and priorities

If you know you’d like to be in therapy but you’re not sure which type, you might like to explore our self-tests to get clarity on your symptoms. From there, you can decide what kind of therapy is best for you. A professional can also guide you in this process.

Mission Connection: Professional ACT Support for Mental Health Needs

While ACT has a wide range of benefits for different mental health conditions, you may still feel unsure if it’s the right fit for your needs. This is where Mission Connection can help.

Our team is well-versed in treating different mental health conditions using various approaches. We pride ourselves on providing personalized care for each unique person who approaches our service, so ACT will only be included if it’s the right fit for you. We also offer treatment from multiple facilities across the US, offering treatment in person, online, and in group settings.

If you’re interested in improving your well-being and wish to access compassionate and evidence-based mental health therapy, contact us today.

References

Psychology Today. (2022, March 21). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy
Hayes, S. C. (2002). Buddhism and acceptance and commitment therapy. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9(1), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1077-7229(02)80041-4
P, A. S., & S, G. (2025). Acceptance and commitment therapy and psychological well-being: A narrative review. Cureus, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.77705
Webster, M. (2011). Introduction to acceptance and commitment therapy. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 17(4), 309–316. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.107.005256
Beygi, Z., Tighband Jangali, R., Derakhshan, N., Alidadi, M., Javanbakhsh, F., & Mahboobizadeh, M. (2023). An Overview of Reviews on the Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Depression and Anxiety. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 18(2), 248–257. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v18i2.12373
Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. (2009, April 3). Does a new popular form of psychotherapy (acceptance and commitment therapy) work? ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090403080729.htm