Acceptance and Commitment Therapy at Dayspring
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a unique, mindful approach to addressing mental health issues. Dayspring counselors use ACT for emphasizing acceptance, commitment to values, and the cultivation of psychological flexibility.
Everyone who is a client at Dayspring Center for Christian Counseling receives an individualized assessment and treatment plan. Your counselor may employ ACT if they determine that it will equip you with the tools you need to face your challenges more effectively. Its application can lead to profound changes in how you as an individual relate to yourself and the world around you, ultimately facilitating a life rich in meaning and purpose.
Developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Steven C. Hayes and his colleagues, ACT is a behavior-analytic approach to understanding language and cognition. Its emergence was part of a larger movement towards third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies, which emphasize treating psychological flexibility as essential for mental well-being.
Instead of promoting avoidance or suppression, ACT encourages you to confront your experiences openly. By fostering acceptance, your counselor will help you learn to engage with your thoughts and feelings without the additional burden of self-judgement. This foundational element can assist you in understanding that discomfort is a part of life, and that you can still pursue meaningful goals despite it.
Sessions often start with mindfulness practices to enhance your awareness of the present moment, followed by discussions of the thoughts and feelings that may arise. Your counselor will guide you through cognitive defusion exercises to help you distance yourself from negative thoughts and observe them without judgment. Values exploration is also central to ACT, helping you articulate what you genuinely want out of life and the actions necessary to move toward those values.
Are you ready to make a personal commitment to change?
Significant benefits can often be experienced within a short series of sessions (perhaps 6-8 sessions), but if you are dealing with a complex history or chronic condition(s), your treatment plan may require more prolonged therapy (up to 12-20 sessions or more).
You may be curious about what to expect from Dayspring Center for Christian Counseling. Established in February 2002, we are a community mental health provider that originated as a nonprofit group of local counselors. Our mission has remained consistent throughout our journey.
Unlike some well-known online counseling companies that adopt an “industrialized” approach, Dayspring continues to be a local organization that prioritizes the well-being of our clients over profit. While our reach has expanded from Marshall County to encompass the entire state of Alabama, we remain committed to providing affordable, personalized counseling services that evoke a sense of familiarity and community.
