Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) · An evidence-based approach
You do not have to win the argument with your thoughts to move forward.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, takes a different angle on hard thoughts and feelings. Instead of working to get rid of them first, you learn to carry them differently, so they stop deciding what you do.
What it helps with
What ACT can help with
ACT fits well when the struggle against a feeling has become its own problem.
- Anxiety, worry, and rumination
- Depression and low motivation
- Chronic pain and long-term health conditions
- Feeling stuck or drifting from what matters
- Self-criticism and difficult self-talk
- Life transitions and hard decisions
Room for the feeling, and a direction to walk
Most of us try to fix a painful thought by arguing with it, avoiding it, or waiting for it to pass before we act. That effort is exhausting, and it often makes the thought louder. ACT teaches you to notice a thought as a thought, give the feeling room to exist, and act anyway.
The other half of ACT is direction. You get clear on what you actually value, as a partner, parent, professional, or friend, and then take committed steps toward it. The point is not to feel good first. It is to live well while feeling whatever you feel.
ACT shares mindfulness roots with DBT and pairs naturally with mindfulness-based therapy.
Our approach
How ACT works at LodeStone
A whole-picture, coordinated path, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Notice what you are fighting
You and your clinician look at where the struggle is going, and what avoiding the feeling has quietly cost you.
Make room and unhook
You practice letting difficult thoughts and feelings be present without letting them run the show, using mindfulness and defusion skills.
Move toward what matters
You name your values in concrete terms and take committed action toward them, in steps small enough to actually take.
Many of our clinicians work from ACT. Get answers and we will match you with one whose approach fits you.
We provide this care in person at our Hinsdale and Woodstock offices, and by telehealth across Illinois. We are in-network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice, Aetna, Medicare, and United Behavioral Health, and we verify your benefits before your first visit.