Horizen Counseling and Wellness Horizen Counseling
and Wellness
Therapy for trauma and anxiety, online across California

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

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ACT helps you stop fighting painful thoughts and feelings so you can put your energy into living by what matters most to you.

What is ACT?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an evidence-based approach that focuses less on getting rid of difficult thoughts and feelings and more on changing your relationship with them. Struggling against anxiety, sadness, or painful memories can take up a lot of space in your life. ACT helps you make room for those experiences without letting them make your decisions.

The goal is psychological flexibility: being able to stay present, open, and grounded, even when life is hard.

How it works

In ACT, we work on a few core skills:

  • Noticing your thoughts without getting pulled under by them
  • Making room for feelings instead of avoiding them
  • Staying present in the moment
  • Seeing yourself as more than your struggles
  • Getting clear on your values: what kind of person, partner, or parent you want to be
  • Taking small, committed steps toward those values

What ACT can help with

  • Anxiety and worry
  • Depression
  • Trauma and painful memories
  • Life transitions and feeling stuck
  • Chronic stress
  • Grief and loss

What it looks like with me

ACT fits well with how I see therapy: you don’t have to have everything figured out or feel better first before you start living. We’ll focus on what matters to you, and build from there one step at a time.

Is this right for you?

You don’t have to know which approach you need. Reach out, and we’ll talk about what you’re going through and what might help most.

Take the first step
Explore my approaches

If you are in crisis: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741, or call 911. This website does not provide emergency services and messages sent here are not monitored around the clock.

Your right to a Good Faith Estimate: If you don’t have insurance or choose not to use it, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of your expected costs. You’ll receive it in writing at least one business day before your scheduled service, and you can ask for one any time. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your estimate, you can dispute it. Learn more at cms.gov/nosurprises.