Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT (like dialectical behaviour therapy, functional analytic psychotherapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and other acceptance- and mindfulness-based approaches) is commonly grouped under the name “the third wave of cognitive behaviour therapy”. Traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is considered the “Second Wave,” while Pavlovian operant conditioning therapy is considered the original, or “First Wave” of behavioural therapy, which emerged in the 1920s.

ACT has been proven to work well for mood disorders, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, addiction, personality disorders, disease prevention and health promotion.^[1]

• Kanter, J. W., Baruch, D. E., & Gaynor, S. T. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy and behavioral activation for the treatment of depression: Description and comparison. The Behavior Analyst, 29(2), 161-185.
• A-tjak, J. G., Davis, M. L., Morina, N., Powers, M. B., Smits, J. A., & Emmelkamp, P. M. (2015). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinically relevant mental and physical health problems. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(1), 30-36.