Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, often called ACT, is a practical way of working with the thoughts, feelings, memories, urges, and body sensations that show up in a human life. It does not ask you to like painful experiences, approve of what happened, or give up on change. Instead, it explores whether you can make room for an inner experience while choosing what you want to do next.

The central idea is psychological flexibility. In everyday terms, this means being able to notice what is happening inside you, stay connected to the present, and respond in a way that fits your values rather than being pushed around by every thought or feeling. A difficult thought can be present without becoming an instruction. Anxiety can be present while you take one careful step. Sadness can be present while you stay connected to someone important. The goal is not to force a calm mood before living your life.

ACT also changes the way people relate to thoughts. A thought such as I will fail, I should be over this, or nothing will change can feel like a fact when it repeats often. In ACT, you may practice noticing that your mind is producing a thought, rather than treating the thought as a command or a complete description of reality. This is sometimes called cognitive defusion, but the plain-language skill is creating enough space to observe a thought without automatically obeying it or arguing with it for hours.

Values are another important part of the approach. Values are chosen qualities of living, such as honesty, steadiness, courage, creativity, care, service, or connection. They are not a checklist that proves you are doing life correctly, and they are different from goals. A goal can be completed; a value can guide repeated choices. We may explore what you want your relationships, work, health, or self-respect to stand for, then translate that direction into a small, workable action.

Andrew integrates these ideas into individualized counseling rather than delivering a one-size-fits-all script or claiming a comprehensive ACT program for every client.

First, Andrew will learn what brings you to counseling and what you hope could be different. You can talk about the situation, your day-to-day experience, relationships, work, sleep, responsibilities, and the strategies you have already tried. He may ask about safety and other supports because those details help shape responsible care. You do not need to arrive with polished goals or know whether ACT is the right modality before the first conversation.

Next, you may map the cycle that keeps a concern going. For example, a painful thought may lead to an urge to avoid a conversation, a task, a memory, or a feeling. Avoidance can bring short-term relief while making life smaller over time. The point is not to criticize a coping strategy that once helped you get through something. The point is to understand its cost and consider whether another response would better serve you now. This discussion is exploratory, not a diagnosis.

A session may include a brief present-moment exercise. You might notice your breathing, the contact of your feet with the floor, sounds in the room, or the changing quality of a feeling. These practices are not tests of whether you can empty your mind. They are opportunities to practice returning attention and observing experience with a little more steadiness. If an exercise feels unhelpful, too intense, or culturally mismatched, you can say so and work with Andrew to adjust it.

You may then practice looking at a thought from a new angle. Rather than debating every detail, you could name it as a familiar story, write it down, say the words slowly, or notice what happens when you hold it lightly. This does not mean pretending the thought is false. It means separating the presence of a thought from the decision to act on it. The same process can apply to self-criticism, predictions, rules, and old conclusions about what you can or cannot do.

Values work follows your priorities, not someone else's definition of a good life. Andrew may ask what kind of partner, parent, friend, worker, veteran, neighbor, or person you want to be, even when circumstances are difficult. You can consider where your current actions feel aligned and where fear, exhaustion, grief, or habit has pulled you away. Values are approached with curiosity and compassion; they are not another standard for judging yourself.

Finally, you may choose a committed action: a specific, realistic step connected to a value. It might involve sending a message, setting a boundary, returning to a meaningful activity, asking for support, taking a pause before reacting, or making room for a feeling while completing an important task. The step should be workable, not heroic. At a later session, you can review what happened, what you noticed, what got in the way, and what adjustment makes sense. Between-session practice may be offered, but it is discussed collaboratively and adapted to your capacity.

There is no honest universal number of ACT sessions. Some people use a focused course over several weeks; others continue for a few months or longer while working through layered concerns, changing circumstances, or new goals. The VA describes its structured ACT-D treatment for depression as typically involving 10 to 16 individual sessions, while also noting that treatment can be tailored. That range is a reference point for one program, not a prediction for your counseling or a promise of a particular result.

Early sessions usually clarify priorities and help both of you decide whether the approach feels useful. You and Andrew can discuss a practical rhythm, often starting with regular sessions and revisiting that plan as circumstances change. Progress is not measured only by whether difficult thoughts disappear. You might look at whether you can notice thoughts sooner, recover from a hard moment with more choice, spend less time avoiding what matters, communicate more clearly, or take actions that reflect your values. Your own definition of useful change belongs in that review.

Reviewing progress also means being candid when something is not working. Andrew may ask what you are noticing between sessions, whether exercises fit your context, and what barriers are present. You can request a slower pace, a clearer structure, a different exercise, or a conversation about another treatment direction. A pause or ending can be discussed when goals have been met for now, when another form of care is more appropriate, or when you decide the fit is not right. Counseling is collaborative, and continuing is not presented as an obligation.

Counseling happens by telehealth when you are physically located in Colorado or Minnesota. The format can be part of the review because privacy, internet access, travel, work schedules, and comfort affect what is workable. Andrew will not guarantee an outcome or suggest that effort alone determines progress. The purpose of setting expectations is to support informed choices and a pace that respects your life.