A therapist knows that every person is different and that the degree of their difficulties in life varies. This further means that there is no one-size-fits-all type of solution; however, being able to help another individual to overcome such difficulties in order for them to meet their full potential in life is certainly a great way to produce a huge impact to the human race. If you are planning on helping someone to make an important change in his or her life, regardless of whether you are a social worker, a school counselor or perhaps even a psychologist wanting to add to your credentials, you may consider undergoing training in acceptance and commitment therapy, also known as ACT.
ACT is regarded as the third wave behavioral therapy, after mindfulness based cognitive therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. To enable a person to recognize his or her personal values, to act on them, and, in doing so, introduce meaning and energy in life while increasing one's psychological flexibility is the main purpose of this therapy. As opposed to cognitive behavioral therapy, ACT does not teach people how to control their emotions, feelings, or perhaps even to stop any unwanted thoughts but rather let them accept as well as develop a completely new mindful relationship with their experiences so that they will become open to take actions which are in line with their values.
- As you go deeper into ACT, you will discover that it works on 6 core processes. They are:
- Cognitive defusion - realizing emotions and thoughts for what they really are
- Values - discovering what is most important to the individual
- Acceptance - practicing non-judgmental awareness of experiences in order to move forward
- Self-as-context - becoming mindful and locking into the transcendent sense of self
- Contact with the present time - becoming aware about the here and now with openness
- Committed action - coming up with goals based on one's values and implementing them in a responsible manner
ACT is actually an empirically supported therapy. Among the problems wherein ACT has been implemented as treatment include smoking cessation, negative body image, psychosis, eating disorders, and workplace stress. Apart from that, it was also used as a kind of coaching model. Indeed taking up Acceptance and Commitment therapy training can make you capable of helping people who are dealing with various difficulties and bring about changes which will enhance their quality of life.source