Strengthen your mental health through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Learn to accept, commit, and build lasting emotional resilience.
At Upstream Counselling, our mental health professionals offer ACT sessions that help clients manage difficult thoughts and emotions without getting overwhelmed. By building psychological flexibility, you can respond more effectively to internal struggles and move toward a more meaningful life.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based treatment grounded in behavioural and cognitive therapies that supports individuals in facing life’s challenges with strength and flexibility. Rather than aiming to eliminate discomfort, ACT teaches you how to accept them, be present, and align your actions with what truly matters.
ACT has shown strong benefits for those experiencing anxiety and depression, chronic pain, and other mental health conditions. Through practical ACT strategies, our team works with you to foster inner strength, emotional clarity, and long-term healing.
With ACT, you don’t just cope, you grow with purpose.
ACT therapy offers transformative benefits that support emotional well-being, resilience, and behaviour change. We integrate ACT with our counselling services to support your journey toward improved mental health.
ACT helps individuals build psychological flexibility by teaching them how to adapt to life’s challenges. Instead of being controlled by painful thoughts and feelings, you learn to respond with openness, resilience, and purpose.
ACT encourages being present by using mindfulness-based therapy to help you focus on the here and now. Rather than ruminating on the past or worrying about the future, you engage more fully with the present moment.
Rather than trying to change or suppress difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT teaches acceptance, helping you coexist with discomfort while still taking committed action toward your goals. This acceptance allows you to move forward with clarity and courage.
A key benefit of ACT is its emphasis on personal values. ACT empower individuals to better align with their values, helping them take action toward a life that feels authentic and meaningful, guided by what truly matters to them, not by fear or avoidance.
ACT has been shown to be effective for depression and anxiety, chronic pain, and social anxiety. We tailor the therapy to support your specific challenges, using evidence-based strategies that promote emotional and mental well-being.
We use ACT to help individuals create long-term behaviour change, not by trying to change symptoms, but by helping you build a life rooted in your values. It’s about lasting growth, not short-term fixes.
Take control of the process.
Beginning therapy can feel daunting but the truth is you decide what (and when) to share. Our diverse team specializes in a range of issues including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relationship issues. No matter your situation, we're here to support your journey to empowerment and mental wellness.
Your therapist is your guide.
Finding the right therapist is key to achieving your goals. Dip your toes into the therapy experience by booking a free consultation with one of our registered psychotherapists. These appointments are an opportunity to address your questions and explore your challenges, needs, and aspirations.
Commit to the experience.
To maximize the benefits of counselling it’s important you attend sessions consistently. When in session, we encourage you to lead the agenda. (Remember, this is YOUR therapy!) Between sessions, we hope you will strive to apply new insights, practice new skills, and develop new habits that support personal growth.
Ready to respond differently to life’s challenges, with clarity, courage, and purpose?
ACT therapy is grounded in mindfulness and acceptance, offering a compassionate path to healing. It differs from traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) by focusing less on changing the content of negative thoughts and more on changing your relationship with them.
At Upstream Counselling, we use the ACT approach to help clients increase self-awareness, move past avoidance patterns, and reconnect with their core values. Through mindfulness-based cognitive therapy practices, we support clients in staying grounded, even in the face of distress.
“Rather than control your experiences, ACT invites you to take control of your actions, guided by what truly matters to you.”
Our experienced therapists are trained to guide you through key ACT principles such as cognitive defusion, acceptance, self-as-context, and committed action. These core ACT processes work together to improve your ability to face internal challenges without being overwhelmed.
Whether you're navigating therapy for anxiety and depression, life transitions, or simply seeking greater emotional clarity, ACT therapy can help you heal, grow, and move forward. It's not about avoiding difficult experiences, it's about changing how you respond to them in a way that is both compassionate and courageous.
With ACT, we help you step into a meaningful life, even when it's hard, and support your journey through every therapy session with care and expertise.
At Upstream Counselling, we want you to feel comfortable with the counselling process. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about talking to a therapist about this type of therapy.
At Upstream Counselling, our approach to therapy work includes proven ACT interventions designed to help you respond more effectively to life’s challenges. Rather than eliminating distress, ACT guides you to create change by focusing on action that aligns with what truly matters.
Psychological Flexibility: ACT interventions help you become more mentally flexible, so you're not stuck reacting the same way to stress or pain. Instead of fighting unwanted thoughts, you learn to shift your perspective and make more conscious choices.
Mindful Awareness: We integrate a mindful focus into sessions so you can stay grounded in the present rather than getting overwhelmed by past regrets or future worries. This helps build emotional resilience and self-awareness over time.
Values-Driven Action: ACT emphasizes action in accord with core values rather than emotional comfort. That means you can begin to make progress in your life even if things feel difficult, because you're moving toward something meaningful.
Acceptance of Internal Experiences: With ACT, acceptance and mindfulness replace avoidance. You’ll learn how to allow painful feelings to exist without letting them define your actions or identity.
Long-Term Growth Tools: We use evidence-based ACT techniques that you can apply between sessions. This includes using acceptance and commitment training that fosters long-term emotional strength and practical skills that translate to real-life growth.
The goal of ACT is not to remove emotional pain, but to build the ability to live a full and meaningful life despite it. At Upstream Counselling, this means guiding you through therapy sessions that focus on committed action, mindfulness, and living according to your values.
Build Emotional Resilience: ACT sessions aim to enhance your ability to cope with distress without being consumed by it. Rather than aiming for emotional numbness, you’ll develop strength through psychological flexibility, not symptom elimination. This resilience allows you to move forward, even when life feels difficult.
Strengthen Self-Awareness: We help you tune into your internal experiences, including your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. By becoming more aware of your inner world, you’ll be better equipped to recognize unhelpful patterns and make more conscious, mindful decisions that reflect who you are and what you care about.
Clarify Values: The goal of ACT is tied closely to helping you define what really matters in your life. Therapy becomes a space to clarify and align your choices with those values.
Accept Rather Than Avoid: Avoidance of emotional discomfort often prolongs suffering. Commitment therapy for the treatment of chronic emotional pain works by helping clients lean into discomfort rather than pushing it away.
Take Purposeful Action: Every therapy session encourages you to take small, meaningful, and value-based steps toward your goals. The effectiveness of ACT lies in its ability to generate consistent, purpose-driven change that gradually reshapes your life in positive ways, one intentional action at a time.
While both therapies are rooted in behavioural science, ACT and CBT take different paths to healing. At Upstream Counselling, we help you decide which approach, or blend, best supports your journey.
Thought Focus vs. Relationship to Thoughts: Cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on identifying and changing distorted thinking. In contrast, ACT differs by helping you change how you relate to thoughts rather than disputing them directly.
Symptom Reduction vs. Meaningful Living: CBT often targets symptom relief as a primary goal. ACT, however, centers on building a meaningful life, whether or not symptoms go away.
Structure and Flexibility: Both CBT and ACT offer structured methods, but ACT may be particularly beneficial when emotions feel overwhelming or when avoidance is a pattern. Its flexibility helps in navigating a wide range of mental health issues.
Different Strategies, Shared Outcomes: Both therapies are grounded in psychotherapy and backed by research. ACT is based on behavioural principles and incorporates mindfulness strategies for long-term outcomes.
Client-Centred Experience: In our sessions, we recognize that each client’s needs are unique. We offer therapy options that reflect this, whether you respond better to structured CBT techniques or the open, mindful strategies ACT offers.
At Upstream Counselling, we’ve seen firsthand how ACT therapy can lead to deep healing, especially for individuals struggling with anxiety and emotional distress. ACT is especially effective for those who feel stuck in unhelpful patterns of avoidance or fear.
Address Avoidance Patterns: ACT has also proven effective in helping clients face rather than flee anxiety. Through guided acceptance, clients learn to move toward fear with curiosity and strength.
Create Space Between You and Your Thoughts: Cognitive defusion exercises in ACT sessions help you see your thoughts as just thoughts, not commands or truths. This simple shift often reduces anxiety’s grip.
Build a Life Around Values: Therapy focuses on helping you take action guided by your personal values, even in the presence of fear. This makes your life more purpose-driven and less defined by avoidance.
Develop Acceptance Skills: For therapy for social anxiety disorder and related conditions, ACT interventions encourage you to make room for uncomfortable feelings instead of battling them. That’s where pain acceptance becomes a strength rather than a burden.
Strengthen Present-Moment Focus: Our approach trains you to be mindful of your body, emotions, and environment. This present focus calms anxious patterns and builds resilience over time.
Starting ACT therapy with us is a simple, empowering process. Whether you're new to therapy or transitioning from another approach like dialectical behaviour therapy, we’re here to help you take the first step toward meaningful change.
Connect With Your Therapist: We help you find an ACT therapist from our qualified team who aligns with your needs and personality. We help you find ACT strategies that support your long-term growth.
Book Your Free Consultation: We offer complimentary consultations so you can ask questions and see how ACT may support your goals. This step is especially helpful if you’re considering commitment therapy versus traditional models.
Attend Regular Sessions: ACT requires consistency to be most effective. Therapy requires not only showing up physically, but also mentally committing to reflection, openness, and follow-through.
Practice Between Sessions: Your growth continues outside the therapy room. We offer strategies to manage mental health and medical conditions by helping you apply ACT tools between sessions which support your mental and physical health.
Track Your Progress: We regularly check in on your goals and how well ACT interventions are supporting your change. The act literature supports our methods, and we use it to personalize your care plan for best results.
Our team at Upstream Counselling is here to help you explore issues, gain insights, begin your journey towards healing, and work towards the goals you identify during the counselling process.
Personalized therapy designed to address specific mental health issues while also nurturing personal growth and well-being.
A counselling program focusing on fostering effective communication, resolving conflicts, and nurturing healthy relationships.
A program designed to support clinical growth, whether you’re a student or a seasoned professional.
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Disclaimer: Content on this website is for informational purposes only. Visiting this website does not establish any type of therapist-client relationship with Upstream Counselling or its staff. Information obtained from this site does not substitute for a thorough medical and/or psychiatric evaluation by an appropriately credentialed and licensed professional.
