Acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies are changing the landscape of clinical psychology and psychotherapy. These approaches are based on the view that most psychological suffering is caused by people running away from psychological pain and unwanted experiences such as difficult thoughts, worries, memories, physical sensations. Instead of trying to change difficult thoughts and feelings as a means of coping, these approaches teach clients how to open up to the world within, to connect with their values, and to carry their personal history forward into a more vital and valued life.

One of these new approaches is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — a unique behavior therapy approach that aims to address human concerns about psychological problems in a mindful compassionate way, while encouraging people to pursue what really matters to them. In a nutshell, ACT is about helping people accept themselves and others with compassion, choose valued directions for their lives, and commit to action that leads them in those directions. This is why ACT is about acceptance and change at the same time.