Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than fighting them, so you can put your energy into living by your values.
What ACT is
Developed by Steven Hayes and colleagues, ACT belongs to the "third wave" of behavioral therapies. Instead of trying to eliminate painful feelings, ACT builds psychological flexibility: noticing thoughts without being ruled by them, staying present, and taking committed action toward what matters most.
A core part of ACT is understanding the difference between goals and values. Goals get checked off. Values are like a compass that keeps guiding you, even when life doesn't go to plan.
ACT can help with
- Anxiety and worry
- Depression and feeling stuck
- Chronic illness, pain and uncertainty
- Perfectionism and self-criticism
- Life transitions and decisions
ACT at Telegraph Psychology Collective
Dr. Danielle Kassouf draws on ACT, CBT, mindfulness and self-compassion, helping clients soften self-criticism and move toward what matters even when circumstances remain difficult. Dr. Emma McCulloch, a trained mindfulness teacher through the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, integrates acceptance strategies into her work.
Clinicians who offer ACT therapy
Where we offer ACT therapy
In person
Online
- Online ACT therapy in California
- Online ACT therapy in Florida
- Online ACT therapy in Virginia
- Online ACT therapy in Hawaii
San Francisco residents can meet online or in person in the East Bay; in-person sessions in San Francisco are coming soon.
Related reading
Questions about ACT therapy
How is ACT different from CBT?
ACT is part of the wider family of cognitive and behavioral therapies, and both are evidence-based and focused on changing behavior. Traditional CBT places more emphasis on examining unhelpful thoughts and testing them against the evidence. ACT places more emphasis on acceptance, mindfulness, stepping back from thoughts (called defusion) rather than disputing them, and committed action guided by your values. In practice the approaches overlap, and many clinicians in the collective draw on both.
Is ACT offered in person in Berkeley?
Yes, at the North Berkeley/Kensington office with Dr. Kassouf, plus online in California, Florida, Hawaii and Virginia.
Is ACT evidence-based?
Yes. ACT is a research-supported approach used for anxiety, depression, chronic pain and more.
Schedule your free consultation
Book in real time with any available clinician in the collective.