Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT is a unique empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behavior change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. It was developed by Steven Hayes in 1986. ACT emphasizes acceptance as an alternative to our instinct to avoid thinking about negative experiences.  When aiming to be more accepting of ones thoughts and feelings, commitment encourages us to face the problem and issues head-on rather than avoiding them.