ACT Therapy in Kenosha, Racine & Silver Lake, Wisconsin

Trying to eliminate every difficult thought or emotion can sometimes become a struggle of its own.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) takes a different approach. Instead of making the complete elimination of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings the goal, ACT helps people learn how to respond to those experiences differently while continuing to build a life around what matters most to them.

At Pillar Health and Kenosha Community Health Center (KCHC), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is among the evidence-based approaches used by our behavioral health professionals serving patients in Kenosha, Racine, Silver Lake and throughout Southeast Wisconsin.

What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, commonly called ACT, is a behavioral therapy focused on increasing psychological flexibility.

Psychological flexibility is the ability to remain aware of your thoughts and emotions, adapt to circumstances and make choices based on your values rather than automatically allowing difficult thoughts or feelings to determine what you do.

ACT recognizes that uncomfortable emotions are a normal part of being human.

Fear, sadness, disappointment, uncertainty and stress cannot always be eliminated. Constantly struggling against those experiences can sometimes cause people to withdraw from relationships, avoid meaningful activities or become increasingly focused on controlling how they feel.

ACT helps patients develop a different relationship with difficult internal experiences while taking purposeful action toward what matters to them.

ACT techniques may be used as part of treatment for concerns such as:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Trauma-related symptoms
  • Grief
  • Life transitions
  • Chronic health conditions
  • Difficult or intrusive thoughts
  • Avoidance
  • Low self-esteem
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Feeling stuck or disconnected from personal values

Your therapist will determine whether ACT, another therapeutic approach or a combination of approaches may be appropriate for your individual circumstances.

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The Six Core Processes of ACT

ACT commonly focuses on six interconnected processes.

Acceptance involves allowing thoughts and emotions to exist without spending all of your energy trying to suppress, avoid or eliminate them.

Acceptance does not mean approving of painful circumstances, giving up or deciding that change is impossible.

Instead, it means recognizing what is currently present so you can decide how you want to respond.

People can become so caught up in their thoughts that a thought begins to feel like an unquestionable fact.

Cognitive defusion teaches you to notice thoughts as thoughts rather than automatically allowing them to dictate your actions.

For example, there can be an important difference between thinking “I am a failure” and recognizing, “I’m having the thought that I’m a failure.”

That distance can create room for choice.

ACT incorporates mindfulness and present-moment awareness.

Rather than becoming consumed by what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow, patients practice bringing attention back to what is happening now.

ACT helps people recognize that they are more than any individual thought, emotion, diagnosis or experience.

You can notice what you are thinking and feeling without allowing those experiences to completely define who you are.

Values are the qualities and directions that matter deeply to you.

They might involve family, relationships, health, learning, service, creativity, personal growth, spirituality, career or community.

ACT helps patients clarify those values so they can use them as a guide when making choices.

Identifying what matters is only part of the process.

Committed action means taking practical steps toward your values, even when difficult thoughts or emotions are present.

These steps do not have to be dramatic. Small, consistent actions can gradually move life in a more meaningful direction.

Benefits of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Depending on your concerns and treatment goals, ACT may help you:

  • Develop greater psychological flexibility
  • Respond differently to difficult thoughts
  • Reduce avoidance
  • Increase mindfulness and present-moment awareness
  • Clarify personal values
  • Make decisions that better reflect what matters to you
  • Develop healthier responses to uncomfortable emotions
  • Take meaningful action despite fear or uncertainty
  • Build greater self-awareness
  • Improve resilience when circumstances cannot immediately be changed

ACT does not promise a life without uncomfortable thoughts or emotions. Instead, it helps people build skills for living meaningfully even when difficult experiences occur.

Is ACT Right for Me?

ACT may be worth exploring if:

  • You spend significant energy fighting or avoiding difficult emotions
  • Fear or anxiety prevents you from doing things that matter to you
  • You feel stuck even though you understand the problem
  • You are highly self-critical
  • You struggle with uncertainty
  • Circumstances outside your control are causing distress
  • You feel disconnected from your priorities or values
  • You want to build a meaningful life rather than making symptom reduction your only goal

You do not have to decide which therapy approach you need before making an appointment. Your therapist can help determine which methods best fit your concerns and goals.

What Does ACT Therapy Look Like?

ACT is an active and collaborative form of therapy.

Your therapist may help you identify situations in which attempts to avoid or control uncomfortable thoughts and emotions are keeping you from doing things that matter to you.

Sessions may incorporate conversation, mindfulness exercises, metaphors, values clarification and practical behavioral exercises.

You may also identify small actions to practice between sessions.

The objective is not simply to “feel better” before moving forward. ACT can help patients learn that meaningful action and difficult emotions can sometimes exist at the same time.

ACT vs. CBT: What’s the Difference?

ACT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are both evidence-based behavioral approaches, and therapists may draw from elements of both.

Traditional CBT often helps patients identify, examine and modify unhelpful thought patterns.

ACT does not necessarily try to change the content of every difficult thought. Instead, it often focuses on changing your relationship with thoughts so they have less power over your behavior.

For some patients, the approaches may complement one another.

ACT Therapy in Kenosha, Racine, Silver Lake & Southeast Wisconsin

Pillar Health and KCHC provide behavioral health care for communities throughout Kenosha County, Racine and Southeast Wisconsin.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is among the evidence-based approaches available through our behavioral health team, along with CBT, DBT, EMDR, mindfulness, solution-focused therapy and other modalities.

Behavioral health services are available in Kenosha, Racine and Silver Lake, with telehealth options available for eligible patients throughout Wisconsin.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Acceptance in ACT means acknowledging thoughts, emotions or circumstances that are present rather than using all of your energy fighting their existence. ACT pairs acceptance with committed action toward things you can influence.

Mindfulness is an important component of ACT, but it is only one part of the approach. ACT also emphasizes acceptance, cognitive defusion, values and committed action.

Eliminating every negative thought is not the primary goal of ACT. Therapy can help you change your relationship with thoughts so they have less control over your choices and behavior.

Values describe what is important to you and the kind of person you want to be. ACT helps translate those values into practical choices and actions.

ACT does not require replacing every negative thought with a positive one. It teaches patients to recognize thoughts without automatically treating them as commands or facts and to make choices based on their values.

No referral is required to request a behavioral health appointment at Pillar Health or KCHC.

Request an Appointment

If difficult thoughts or emotions are keeping you from doing the things that matter most to you, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy may help you develop greater flexibility and take meaningful steps forward.

Taking the first step toward better mental health starts with a conversation. Whether you are seeking support for yourself, your child, your relationship or your family, our behavioral health team is here to help determine the treatment approach that best meets your needs.

No referral is required.

Request an appointment now or call the location most convenient for you:

  • Pillar Health Kenosha Clinic: (262) 771-1700
  • KCHC 22nd Avenue Kenosha Clinic: (262) 771-0070
  • KCHC 14th Avenue Kenosha Clinic: (262) 771-1688
  • KCHC 2nd Street Silver Lake Clinic: (262) 771-1963
  • Pillar Health Racine Clinic: (262) 771-0035
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