It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the pressures of daily life. Managing work, relationships, finances, health…it can all leave you feeling lost in a fog of confusion. The advice in self-help books, podcasts and social media is all over the place. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a clear path for discovering what you care about and a way to move in that direction.
It’s not about positive thinking, it’s about getting better at feeling.
The more we try to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, the louder they seem to get. ACT takes a different approach. Instead of fighting your inner experience, you learn to notice it, make space for it, and then gently shift your energy toward the life you want to be living.
ACT isn’t about “thinking positive” or forcing yourself to be okay with everything. It’s about building skills to be present with whatever’s here—whether that’s anxiety before a big meeting or grief that lingers long after a loss—without letting those feelings run your life. It’s about identifying the things that matter most to you, and then taking small, meaningful steps in that direction, even when fear or doubt show up along the way.
Cut through the confusion and center your life around the things that are most important to you.
When I started training in ACT 12 years ago, it was like a light bulb went off for me. Finally, there was a way to structure my work with people that made sense to me.
I came to ACT already equipped with extensive training in mindfulness-based therapies. I’ve since spent hundreds of hours learning how to use this therapy effectively.
The best thing about ACT is that it is open source and continues to evolve. I follow this evolution and am inspired by the great minds that continue to grow this therapy in new directions with the goal of alleviating human suffering.
FAQs About Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Since we can’t control thoughts and feelings, it helps to learn to make space for them. This is a mindfulness exercise for making space around a difficult emotion without suppressing it or trying to make it go away.
1. Think of an emotion that you’ve been struggling with…worry, sadness, ambivalence…whatever is showing up.
2. Locate that feeling in your body. Is it in your chest, stomach, throat? Is it in one place in your body, two places or all over?
3. Get curious about the feeling using these questions:
4. Imagine breathing space around the feeling, opening up around it.
Notice how you are much more than this feeling and no matter how intense it gets, it will never be bigger than you.
Stop struggling and start living. Book Now.
The therapy world is full of acronyms (DBT, MBCT, ERP, CPT, EMDR etc) with new ones being added constantly. When I started out as a therapist in 2006, I found this so overwhelming. I also struggled to find an approach that felt right to me. It had to be something that I could see myself using in my own life since I’m not so unlike you. I have worries, doubts, and fears. I get sad, stressed and overwhelmed by life. I get existential and overly analytical, sometimes to my own detriment.
I had to find an approach where I would be willing to invest the amount of time and money one has to spend to become a properly trained therapist. I knew it couldn’t feel inflexible, overly structured or dogmatic since that’s not how therapy works (and not how I work as a person or therapist).
ACT immediately resonated with me. The strong focus on mindfulness, the acknowledgement of the realities of life and the focus on committed action rooted in values made total sense to me. It felt useful and, ultimately, when I tried it out on myself, it delivered. ACT doesn’t make empty promises but instead provides a path for living intentionally and meaningfully even amidst life’s pain and challenges.
If you’re ready to make an appointment you can go ahead and schedule here.
I’ll review your appointment request and if it looks like I can help, I’ll accept the appointment and look forward to meeting you.
Not sure yet or have questions? Feel free to email me or book a free 15 minute call and we’ll have a conversation about your needs and see if we might be a good fit.
We’ll meet for your first session either online or in-person in West Des Moines and begin getting to know each other.
We’ll talk about what’s been going on and what you’re hoping for.
The first appointment will give us the time and space to really discuss what your needs are and get a sense of whether we’d work well together.
Therapy with me is collaborative and flexible.
Go at your own pace, get unstuck and build a life you love.
