Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — known as ACT — is one of the most well-researched approaches in modern psychotherapy. It does not try to eliminate difficult thoughts or feelings. Instead, it helps you change your relationship with them, so that what you think and feel no longer has to determine what you do.
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy developed by psychologist Steven Hayes in the 1980s. It belongs to the third wave of cognitive behavioural approaches — moving beyond traditional CBT to address not just thought patterns, but the deeper relationship a person has with their inner experience.
At its core, ACT rests on a simple but powerful idea: the problem is rarely the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings — it is the struggle against them. When we fight our anxiety, argue with our inner critic, or spend our energy trying not to feel what we feel, we become more entangled with it, not less. ACT offers a way out of that struggle without requiring the thoughts or feelings to disappear first.
Rather than asking "how do I get rid of this?", ACT asks: "what kind of life do I want to be living — and what is getting in the way of that?" The answer, more often than not, is not the emotions themselves. It is the avoidance of them.
The Six Core Processes of ACT
ACT works through six interconnected psychological processes, all oriented toward building what researchers call psychological flexibility — the capacity to be present with your experience, hold your thoughts lightly, and take action aligned with what genuinely matters to you.
Acceptance
Allowing difficult thoughts, emotions, and sensations to exist without fighting them. Acceptance is not resignation — it is the active choice to stop spending energy on a battle that cannot be won.
Cognitive Defusion
Learning to observe your thoughts rather than being consumed by them. A thought like "I am not good enough" becomes something you notice, not something you live inside.
Present-Moment Awareness
Cultivating the ability to be genuinely here — not caught in rumination about the past or worry about the future. Grounded in mindfulness practice.
Self-as-Context
Developing a stable sense of self that is not defined by your thoughts, feelings, or history. You are the person who has these experiences — not the experiences themselves.
Values Clarification
Identifying what truly matters to you — not what you feel you should value, but what gives your life genuine meaning and direction going forward.
Committed Action
Taking purposeful steps in the direction of your values — even in the presence of difficult feelings. Not waiting until you feel ready, but learning to move forward while carrying the discomfort.
You do not need to get rid of your anxiety to build a meaningful life. You need to stop letting the effort to get rid of it run the show.
The ACT Philosophy — Newmarket Therapy CentreHow ACT Works in Practice
ACT sessions at Newmarket Therapy Centre are collaborative, experiential, and personalised. Your therapist draws on ACT principles in a way that fits your particular situation — weaving in exercises, metaphors, and mindfulness practices that match how you think and what you are working through.
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01
Understanding what is keeping you stuck
Your therapist will explore the patterns of avoidance that are limiting your life — not to judge them, but to understand them. Most of these patterns made sense at one point. ACT works with that history with genuine compassion.
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02
Learning to hold your inner experience differently
Through defusion exercises, mindfulness practices, and acceptance work, you develop a new relationship with the thoughts and feelings that have been driving your behaviour. They do not have to disappear for your life to change.
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03
Getting clear on what actually matters to you
Values work is often one of the most meaningful parts of ACT. Many people have spent so long managing symptoms that they have lost touch with what they actually want from their lives. Clarifying this brings direction that coping strategies alone cannot provide.
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04
Taking action — even when it is uncomfortable
The final stage is not about waiting until you feel ready. It is about making small, consistent moves in the direction of the life you want — with your therapist supporting you in building the tolerance and skill to do that sustainably.
The Benefits of ACT
ACT has been studied extensively across a wide range of clinical populations. The research consistently shows that building psychological flexibility produces durable, meaningful change in people's lives — not just symptom reduction, but a genuinely different quality of living.
- Reduced anxiety and worry without requiring the anxiety to disappear first
- Greater emotional resilience and distress tolerance
- Improved ability to be present rather than stuck in rumination
- Reduced struggle with intrusive or self-critical thoughts
- Clearer sense of personal values and life direction
- More consistent, values-aligned behaviour and decision-making
- Reduced avoidance — social, professional, and intimate
- Improved quality of life in the presence of chronic pain or illness
- Stronger sense of self not contingent on mood or circumstances
- Greater ability to move through difficult emotions rather than around them
What ACT Is Used For
ACT is one of the most versatile approaches in psychotherapy — effective across a broad range of presentations and often used alongside CBT, EFT, and DBT to create treatment that fits your specific needs.
ACT at Newmarket Therapy Centre
Our therapists at Newmarket Therapy Centre and Aurora Village Therapy & Wellness Centre are trained in ACT and use it as part of a broader, integrative approach to care. ACT is rarely applied in isolation — your therapist will draw on it in combination with other evidence-based methods as your particular situation calls for.
ACT is available for individuals, couples, and adolescents, and can be delivered in person at our Queen Street Newmarket, Leslie Street Newmarket, or Aurora (Yonge Street) locations — or online for clients anywhere in Ontario.
If you are not sure whether ACT is the right fit for you, that is exactly the kind of question our intake process is designed to answer. Our Client Care Manager Susan will take the time to understand what you are working through and match you with the right therapist for your specific situation.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Our intake team is here to answer your questions and match you with the right therapist. No commitment required — just a conversation.
Call us: (289) 500-8039 · Aurora: (289) 272-0200