Steps from the Red Line
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Cambridge
If you have been struggling with some mental health challenges and negative emotions, you likely want to find a science-backed treatment option that helps you work through your difficult emotions in everyday life. At Cambridge Mental Health, that is exactly what we offer.
As part of our outpatient treatment programs in Cambridge, we provide acceptance and commitment therapy, a type of therapy that helps you understand your thoughts and feelings on a deeper level. With tailored, compassionate, professional care from our team, you can reach a place of better emotional regulation and enjoy a more meaningful life.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that rather than trying to change the patient’s thoughts, instead aims to help the patient accept them. It’s not about changing the facts of the thoughts – it’s about altering the patient’s perspective on them.
The program follows six core processes known as the Hexaflex Model.
- Cognitive Defusion: This part is about helping the patient recognize the thoughts that they have, perhaps as words or images – or just simple concepts.
- Acceptance: When the patient has unpleasant thoughts, the therapy then focuses on letting the patient accept them rather than trying to push them away. This can pave the way for a deeper understanding of the self.
- Contact with the Present Moment: This part of the therapy shows the patient how to connect with the real world – for example, the smell of the room, what’s outside the window, and what they can hear. It’s about being physically and mentally present in the moment instead of focusing on any negative thought patterns.
- Self-As-Context: Self-as-context is all about helping the patient see themselves as a more well-rounded being. It shows them that they are not only their current thoughts or feelings, but instead a complex person with many experiences.
- Values: This part of the therapy helps the patient identify and understand their core values, which make up who they are.
- Committed Action: Committed action is all about reaching goals. After identifying values, goals can be made that are in alignment with those.
All of these, used in conjunction with one another, help with personal growth, teaching the patient coping strategies and leading to a more fulfilling life.
How Does Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Work?
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) involves five key stages.
Build Rapport With Your Therapist
Strong relationships with your therapist are essential for ACT. Not only does it help our understanding of you and your needs and builds feelings of trust in our clients, which is essential for the process to work.
Gain a Deeper Awareness of Your Feelings
Once that rapport is established, your therapist will help you understand your feelings. Understanding your feelings can involve working backward to the source of your anxiety, trauma, or depression.
Establish Your Core Values
We encourage you to establish your core values during treatment. These values are important to you, but you don’t necessarily need to embody them just yet. The goal is to visualize who you want to be and then, through counseling, help you become that person.
Action-Based Strategies
Once you have your goals in mind, your therapist will help you develop strategies to change your beliefs, help you cope with external stressors, and build the skills necessary to become your ideal person.
Commitment
It takes time to incorporate those skills into your everyday life. There will be discomfort, your behavior may backtrack, and you may encounter new issues you’ll have to cope with. For example, you may succeed with ACT during your university years but then struggle again once you enter the workforce.
What Mental Health Symptoms Can ACT Help With?
Acceptance and commitment therapy can help those who experience shame, anger, or frustration at their behaviors or mental health. These clients tend to come to us with very negative beliefs about themselves, so we work to help you accept your challenges and distance yourself from your illness.
Having ADHD and struggling in school or at work, for example, does not mean that you are not intelligent. It just means you need extra resources and strategies to help you succeed with your individual goals. ACT can help you accept your ADHD so you can then focus on what works instead of beating yourself up about what doesn’t.
What Can ACT Treat?
Acceptance and commitment therapy is extremely versatile and can be used for a range of problems, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Substance Use Disorder
- Psychosis
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Mood Disorders
- Stress
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Chronic Pain
As you can see, it’s not only used for mental health disorders – it’s all about navigating difficult emotions. That’s why it can also be used for chronic pain. If you have other emotional difficulties from something not listed above, ACT therapy can likely still treat you.
The Benefits of Our ACT Treatment
If you want to improve your well-being by accepting difficult emotions, whether they are due to mental health issues or chronic pain, then our care can help. Here are some of the greatest benefits of this mental health treatment.
Better Emotional Regulation
ACT is all about boosting self-awareness and gaining more authority over your thoughts – of course, in an accepting way rather than in a way that tries to change them. This results in better emotional regulation, as you will find you respond better to negativity.
Flexibility
It is not always easy to find the time for mental health help – even if it is incredibly important. We at Cambridge Mental Health offer outpatient programs that include acceptance and commitment therapy to ensure you can attend the therapy sessions without uprooting your entire life. It is a great alternative to inpatient residential treatment programs.
Breaking Cycles
ACT is great for breaking unpleasant thought pattern cycles. It steers away from avoidance, instead giving you the chance to face your negative thoughts and emotions head-on.
A Tailored Plan
At Cambridge Mental Health, we give you a highly personalized treatment plan tailored to you to help you deal with your negative emotions and mental health challenges. Even your acceptance and commitment therapy sessions will be unique, as it’s all about your own experiences. We will take into account things like past treatments and mental health conditions.
More Compassion for Yourself
Acceptance and commitment therapy is all about developing self-compassion. You’ll learn to understand yourself as a whole and complex person. This isn’t just about helping you process in the short term – it’s about boosting your overall well-being in a way that supports lasting recovery.
A Great Support System
At Cambridge Mental Health, we create a supportive, comfortable environment where everyone lifts one another up. Our outpatient program offers this type of therapy alongside other evidence-based and holistic treatments, and you will always be in the safest, most experienced hands.
Is ACT Treatment Right for You?
You might be wondering, is acceptance and commitment theory right for you? This psychotherapy can help a great deal of people, as it’s an extremely versatile kind of therapy that can be used to treat mental health disorders, chronic pain, addiction, grief, and more. It’s especially helpful if you:
Have Chronic Issues: ACT can help break cycles. If you are stuck in a cycle of negative thought patterns, it’s definitely a good fit.
You Are Suffering Psychologically: If you are suffering psychologically, particularly when it comes to negative thoughts, ACT can help you get through that, leading to a more fulfilling life.
You Need a Flexible Schedule: If you want to learn better coping strategies from acceptance and commitment therapy but still have other responsibilities (like work or school), then our plan works well. We provide flexible acceptance and commitment therapy schedules, and you do not have to stay at our facility overnight.
If you are still unsure whether acceptance and commitment therapy will meet your emotional and behavioral needs, feel free to get in touch to find out more about the ACT treatment covered here in Cambridge.
Seek Our ACT Services Today
Are you ready to face your negative emotions head-on? If so, acceptance and commitment therapy is a great next step to improving your mental well-being. With our flexible, patient-focused treatment plan, you can learn better coping strategies and find acceptance in yourself.
If you are ready to begin a new chapter in life – one with improved mental well-being – get in touch today to begin the ACT admission process.