Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Make room for hard feelings, act on your values
What ACT is
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What ACT asks you to notice
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy starts from an uncomfortable observation: the harder you work to get rid of an unwanted thought or feeling, the more room it tends to take up. Fighting anxiety is still a full-time relationship with anxiety.
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Why the goal changes here
Instead of waiting for the feeling to go before your life starts, you build the flexibility to do what matters while it is still present. Mindfulness helps you notice a thought as a thought rather than as an instruction.
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How we use ACT here
ACT was developed in the 1980s and belongs to the same family as CBT. Research supports it for anxiety, depression, chronic pain and stress, and it sits well beside trauma work, where some feelings have to be carried differently rather than reasoned away.
What ACT can help with
- Anxiety, worry and avoidance
- Depression and low motivation
- Intrusive thoughts and the discomfort of uncertainty
- Chronic pain and health worries
- Perfectionism and self-criticism
- The gap between what you want and what you do
How we work
What to expect in an ACT session
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Looking at what you tried
Your therapist will ask what you have already done about the feeling, and what those strategies have cost you. For most people that is the first time anyone has added the cost up with them.
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Exercises, values and small steps
You will practice short mindfulness exercises, put a little distance between yourself and an unhelpful thought, and name the values you want your choices to point toward. From there the work is about committed action.
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Practice, and where we meet
There is usually something to try between sessions, because the change happens in your week rather than in the room. Sessions are available in person in West Valley City or online anywhere in Utah.
Specialties ACT supports
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Complex Trauma
Heal from your past.
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PTSD
Help painful memories lose their grip.
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Anxiety
Find relief from constant worry and build tools for steadier days.
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OCD
Break the cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
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Depression
Rediscover your energy, purpose, and sense of self.
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Personalized care
Values first, feelings welcome
Every treatment plan is personalized. Sessions are available in person in West Valley City or online anywhere in Utah, and we accept insurance and cash pay.
Juniper Healing is not a crisis resource. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988 any time.