Acceptance and Commitment Therapy uses a blend of cognitive and mindfulness strategies to assist you in developing new ways to understand and experience current situations. ACT, which is expressed as simply the word “act,” helps you learn to view life from a values oriented perspective, teaching you to stay true to what matters most to you and to see the world through a larger lens. ACT teaches that emotions are not to be pushed away, but rather experienced as a part of any rich and meaningful life. With this understanding, we can learn to hold feelings more “loosely” to allow them to move through us rather than to cling, which is what happens when we resist.  With ACT as part of your counseling, you will learn to take a step back from your thoughts to gain a more objective view and make choices that are in line with what you value most.  ACT also teaches mindfulness skills, goal-setting, behavior change, and present-moment-awareness among other self-growth strategies.