Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Los Angeles CA (ACT)
Between work, relationships, and trying to hold it all together, it’s easy to lose touch with what actually matters to you. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you reconnect—with your values, your sense of purpose, and the kind of life you want to live. Our ACT therapists in Los Angeles offer a space to slow down, reflect, and take meaningful steps forward. Reach out for a free consultation today to get started.
Do you spend hours and hours thinking and thinking without taking action?
Do you struggle with dwelling on the past or anticipating a terrible future?
Do you avoid situations or people that make you feel uncomfortable?
Do you have a hard time making decisions because you’re unsure?
Do you feel like an imposter despite everything you have accomplished?
Do fear, anxiety, and panic dominate your actions?
If you're nodding along to any of these, you're not alone. These are common struggles—and experiencing them does not indicate that something is wrong with you. They just mean you might be ready for a new way of responding to life’s challenges. ACT offers tools to help you move forward with more clarity, flexibility, and self-compassion.
Signs You May Need
ACT Treatment
It’s not always obvious when psychotherapy could be helpful. Sometimes, the signs show up as frustration, disconnection, or feeling like you're just going through the motions. If any of the experiences below feel familiar, ACT treatment might be a helpful next step.
Reasons Why We Love ACT
Accessibility
Many of our clients tell us that ACT just makes sense.
They appreciate how it doesn’t rely on jargon or abstract theory—it meets them where they are.
Values-based living feels personal and grounded, giving clients a clear sense of direction they can carry beyond the therapy room.
Flexibility
. Rather than trying to force your experience into a rigid model, ACT offers a flexible approach that adjusts to your needs, your pace, and your unique story. Clients often say it feels more compassionate and realistic compared to other methods.
Integration
ACT plays well with others. It blends beautifully with approaches like CBT and DBT, allowing therapists to draw from multiple tools while still staying focused on what matters most to you. This integration makes therapy feel more cohesive and personalized.
Empowerment
At its core, ACT helps you reclaim your sense of agency. Whether you're dealing with low self-worth, anxiety, or long-standing trauma, ACT helps you take meaningful action—even when things feel hard. Our Los Angeles ACT therapists often hear that sessions feel like a shift from survival mode to living fully.
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a “third wave” evidence-based behavioral therapy that provides clients with the skills to create a meaningful life (even when there is the presence of emotional pain and stress). ACT supports folx in developing the ability to sit with uncomfortable emotions, clarify what truly matters to them, and take committed action toward a fulfilling life.
ACT was developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Dr. Steven C. Hayes. One of the most impressive elements of ACT’s history is that it has now been supported by over 900 randomized controlled trials (Gloster et al., 2020).
The theoretical orientation of ACT is called Relational Frame Theory (RFT), a conceptualization of language and cognition that helps explain how our thoughts can become so entangled with our suffering. ACT invites us to change our relationship to those thoughts rather than trying to eliminate or control them.
Unlike traditional cognitive-behavioral therapies (like cognitive behavior therapy) that emphasize changing the content of our thoughts, ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility through the six Core Processes. Psychological flexibility can be defined as our capacity to stay present, open up to difficult feelings, and take action aligned with our values.
“The goal of ACT is to create a rich and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it."
Dr. Steven Hayes
Core Processes of ACT Therapy
ACT isn’t about “fixing” you—it’s about helping you live in a way that feels more aligned with your values, even when life is messy. These six core processes work together to help you build psychological flexibility: the ability to stay present, adapt to life’s ups and downs, and act in ways that reflect what matters most to you.
-
Instead of trying to fight or avoid difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT helps you make space for them. Acceptance does not mean you like these uncomfortable feelings—it just means you are creating space for them so that they can stop letting them run the show.
-
Our minds are constantly talking—but not everything they say is true or helpful. Defusion teaches you how to notice thoughts without getting tangled up in them. You learn to see thoughts as thoughts—not commands or facts.
-
So much of our stress comes from getting stuck in the past or worried about the future. ACT helps you come back to the present moment (aka what is going on right now) —where real life, and real change, happens.
-
This ACT core process is about seeing yourself as more than your thoughts, feelings, or roles. It’s the part of you that notices your experiences without being defined by them.
Self-as-Context brings perspective and compassion, especially in hard moments. -
What kind of life do you want to live? ACT helps you get clear on what really matters to you—your values, your priorities, your personal sense of meaning. These become your compass.
-
Once you know what matters, ACT supports you in taking steps toward it. Even small steps count—especially when they reflect the life you want to build. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being intentional.
What Does ACT Therapy Treat?
Anxiety and Depression
ACT helps you stop getting stuck in the struggle with your thoughts and feelings. Instead of avoiding or overanalyzing, you learn to take action toward what matters—even when anxiety or sadness shows up.
Substance Use and Addictions
Rather than focusing only on stopping the behavior, ACT looks at what drives it. By connecting to your values and building healthier coping tools, you create space for long-term change.
Chronic Pain
ACT helps you shift from fighting the pain to living a fuller life alongside it.
You gain tools to respond more flexibly, so pain has less control over your choices.
Eating Disorders
ACT supports healing by reconnecting you with your values and sense of self—beyond the rules and self-criticism.
It’s about making space for discomfort without letting it shape your worth or direction.
Trauma and PTSD
ACT offers a way to relate differently to painful memories and emotions. You don’t have to erase the past—you can learn to move forward with strength and self-compassion.
Family Interventions
When used in family work, ACT helps each person identify what matters to them—and how to show up for one another in more meaningful, flexible ways.
How is ACT Psychotherapy Different from Other Modalities?
Most therapies aim to reduce symptoms. ACT takes a radically different approach. It prioritizes helping you build a life that feels meaningful—even if the “symptoms” (like feelings of sadness or anxiety) don’t disappear right away. This approach creates long-lasting change, and gets you off the hamster wheel of trying to “feel better.”
Changing Relationship to Thoughts
While some approaches focus on changing your thoughts, ACT teaches you how to change your relationship with them. You learn to notice unhelpful patterns without getting pulled into them. Instead of getting stuck in the cycle of trying to “fix” your mind, ACT helps you make space for what you're feeling—and take action anyway.
Rooted in Values
It’s also deeply rooted in values. ACT doesn't just ask, “How can we make this pain go away?”
It asks, “What kind of life do you want to live—and what’s one small step you can take toward it today?”
Self-Compassion
This makes ACT especially powerful for people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or like they’ve “tried everything.” It’s not about pushing through. It’s about showing up for yourself with compassion and clarity—no matter what’s going on inside.
Get an Appointment Today
At Thrive and Feel, we are huge fans of ACT. All of our clinicians are trained in this modality.
We offer in-person ACT therapy in Pasadena (Los Angeles area) and teletherapy across California.
You do not have to be alone in your healing process, and you do not need to be “fixed.” You just need support stepping into the life you want.
FAQ
-
While CBT focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful thoughts, ACT focuses on accepting thoughts and shifting how you respond to them. Some people connect more with one approach over the other. It depends on your goals and what feels helpful for you.
In my experience as an ACT therapist, I have found that clients who feel like they cannot change their thoughts or stop their thoughts truly benefit from the ACT approach.
-
Yes. ACT is an evidence-based approach supported by research for a range of mental health concerns. It’s especially effective in helping people increase psychological flexibility—meaning you’re better able to handle life’s challenges while staying connected to what matters.
-
ACT can help anyone who feels stuck in patterns of avoidance, overthinking, or emotional overwhelm. It’s especially helpful if you’re looking for more meaning, more connection, or a new way to relate to your thoughts and emotions. You don’t need a specific diagnosis to benefit from ACT—just a willingness to explore and grow.
-
ACT has been shown to be helpful for a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, substance use, chronic pain, and eating disorders. It’s also effective for people dealing with burnout, stress, or major life transitions. Because it’s centered on values and flexibility, ACT can support healing across many different experiences—not just one diagnosis.
-
We are a short drive from downtown LA, located in Pasadena. Our office offers a quiet, comfortable space for in-person sessions, with easy access from nearby neighborhoods like Eagle Rock, Highland Park, and Glendale. We also offer virtual sessions for clients across California.