Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Our therapists are trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you build a rich, meaningful life by accepting what's out of your control and taking actions that are aligned with your personal values. Instead of fighting against difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT encourages you to tolerate discomfort while still moving toward what matters most to you.
Stop Struggling, Start Living
What to Expect with ACT
We understand that ACT might sound different from other therapies you've heard about. Here's how it works and why it's so transformative.
Reach Out
Begin services by calling or emailing us, or requesting an appointment directly on our website.
Intake Session
We'll begin to discover what matters most to you, what's been holding you back, and how ACT can help you build a life aligned with your values.
Ongoing Sessions
We'll incorporate ACT skills into our sessions, including mindfulness, acceptance, separation from unhelpful thoughts, and encourage you to take action toward your values.
Live with Purpose
After ACT, you'll spend less energy fighting internal experiences and more energy building a meaningful life.
Meet Your ACT Therapists
Our therapists are extensively trained in ACT to help you develop psychological flexibility and live according to your values.
What ACT Can Help With
Our Louisville ACT therapists use this approach to support individuals struggling with avoidance, inflexibility, and unfulfillment.
Mental Health Challenges
- Anxiety and Worry
- Depression
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Low Self-Esteem
Unhelpful Patterns
- Avoidance of Difficult Emotions
- Rumination and Overthinking
- Feeling Controlled by Thoughts
- Life Lacking Meaning or Direction
Personal Growth
- Values Clarification
- Building Meaningful Relationships
- Career and Life Transitions
- Developing Resilience
How ACT Works
At Counseling Unconditionally, we conceptualize ACT as a shift from control to acceptance. Most of us spend endless amounts of energy trying to avoid uncomfortable thoughts and feelings by pushing away anxiety, trying to “think positively” all of the time, and ignoring sadness. Unfortunately, we’ve found that oftentimes the harder that we fight, the more stuck we become.
When we use ACT in sessions, you’ll learn mindfulness to help you stay present with your experiences rather than getting lost in your head. As we practice acceptance together, you’ll make room for difficult feelings instead of struggling against them. We will also teach you cognitive defusion techniques that will help you understand that thoughts are not facts and release the hold that they have on you. Together, we’ll clarify what truly matters to you and take meaningful steps toward a life that aligns with your values. We use creative metaphors, experiential exercises, and mindfulness practices to help these concepts resonate on a deep level.
What You'll Gain
- Freedom from the struggle against unwanted thoughts and feelings
- Clarity about what truly matters to you
- Skills to be present with discomfort while still moving forward
- Acknowledge that thoughts are not facts
- A meaningful life built on your values, not just symptom reduction
- Psychological flexibility to adapt to whatever life brings