Acceptance and Commitment
🧭 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Moving Forward, Even with Discomfort
Life doesn’t always feel manageable, neat, or in our control. You might be stuck in a loop of difficult thoughts, trying to avoid painful feelings, or feeling like you’ve lost touch with what matters most. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you learn to live with more freedom and purpose—even in the presence of struggle.
ACT is not about getting rid of painful thoughts or emotions. Instead, it helps you create space for them while reconnecting with what truly matters to you. At Nova Counselling, we use ACT to support clients in building psychological flexibility—the ability to respond to life with openness, awareness, and action aligned with your values.
🌱 How ACT Can Help
ACT is particularly helpful if you’re experiencing:
Anxiety or panic
Depression or low mood
Trauma or emotional pain
Perfectionism or people-pleasing
Burnout or life transitions
Feeling “stuck,” lost, or disconnected from meaning
Rather than battling your inner experience, ACT helps you build a new relationship with your thoughts and feelings—so they no longer have the power to control your life.
🧠 What Happens in ACT?
In ACT, we focus on six core processes that support well-being:
Acceptance – Learning to make space for uncomfortable emotions, rather than resisting or avoiding them
Cognitive Defusion – Gaining distance from unhelpful thoughts instead of getting caught up in them
Being Present – Cultivating mindfulness and awareness of the here and now
Self-as-Context – Connecting with the observing part of yourself that’s more than your thoughts or roles
Values – Clarifying what deeply matters to you in life
Committed Action – Taking meaningful steps toward the kind of life you want to live, even when it’s hard
This work can be gentle or deeply transformative, depending on what you’re ready for.
💬 You Don’t Need to “Fix” Yourself to Start Living
ACT gently shifts the question from “How do I get rid of this pain?” to “How can I carry this with me while still moving toward the life I want?” At Nova Counselling, we offer ACT as a grounded, affirming approach for clients who want more than symptom relief—they want clarity, meaning, and movement.
If this approach resonates with you, reach out to begin. You don’t have to wait for things to feel perfect to start living with purpose.