Embrace Change: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy That Works for You

Life’s challenges can sometimes leave us feeling stuck and overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions we can’t seem to escape. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a different approach. Rather than battling negative thoughts or avoiding difficult feelings, ACT teaches you to embrace them while staying focused on what truly matters to you.

At Optimum Joy in Chicago, we provide a warm, supportive space to help you explore how ACT can improve your life. Our experienced therapists will guide you in developing the psychological flexibility needed to handle life’s stressors, while also helping you reconnect with your values and long-term goals. You deserve to live a life that feels meaningful, and we’re here to support you on that journey.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a powerful, evidence-based approach that helps people manage life’s challenges by teaching them to accept difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than fight them. The goal isn’t to eliminate discomfort, but to learn how to respond to it in a way that supports your overall well-being and personal values.

How does ACT work? At its core, ACT focuses on six key processes.

• Acceptance: Making space for difficult emotions and circumstances rather than avoiding or suppressing them.
• Mindfulness: Staying present in the moment and observing your experiences without judgment.
• Cognitive Defusion: Learning to step back from unhelpful thoughts, viewing them as separate from yourself.
• Self as Context: Understanding that you are more than your thoughts and feelings, helping you gain perspective.
• Values: Clarifying what truly matters to you and using those values as a guide for your actions.
• Committed Action: Taking meaningful steps in alignment with your values, even when it’s challenging.

By integrating these principles, ACT helps you build greater psychological flexibility, so you can handle life’s ups and downs with resilience and focus on creating a fulfilling life.

Is ACT Effective?

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A 2011 study found that ACT significantly reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), with 80% of participants showing clinically significant improvement compared to 37% in the control group. (Roemer et al., 2011, Behaviour Research and Therapy).
• Chronic Pain Management: A meta-analysis from 2020 reviewed 16 randomized controlled trials and found that ACT led to significant improvements in chronic pain acceptance and overall functioning, with a moderate effect size of 0.44 (Hughes et al., 2020, The Journal of Pain).
• Depression: In a 2015 randomized trial, ACT was shown to be equally effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating depression, with approximately 60% of participants experiencing significant symptom reduction after treatment (A-Tjak et al., 2015, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics).