Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Austin, TX

If you’ve spent a lot of energy trying to make painful feelings go away, ACT may come as a relief. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, said like the word “act,” helps you make room for hard thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, then take steps toward what matters to you anyway. The aim isn’t to feel good all the time, but to live a fuller life even when difficult feelings come along. Our post What is ACT? goes deeper.

It’s one of the most common worries about ACT, and it makes sense: “acceptance” can sound like resignation. In ACT, acceptance is about your inner experience, letting a feeling be there without spending all your strength fighting it. It never means approving of someone’s harmful behavior or giving up on change. Tell your therapist about the situations you want to change, including any concerns about your safety. Often, less struggle with a feeling leaves more energy for action.

ACT grew out of the same family as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), so they share a lot. Both look at how thoughts and actions shape your life. CBT often helps you examine and test a troubling thought. ACT takes a different angle: you learn to notice the thought as a thought, give it less say over what you do, and act on your values. Many of our therapists draw on both, so ask how they’d approach your concerns.

You’ll talk about what’s been hard, much like any therapy. Along the way, your therapist may use short mindfulness exercises, metaphors (like passengers on a bus shouting directions while you keep driving), or small experiments with doing something different when a tough feeling shows up. You’ll likely clarify what you care about and choose one doable step. Sessions tend to feel active and practical, and you’re always welcome to ask why an exercise might help.

ACT has been studied for many concerns, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, stress, and living with chronic pain or long-term illness. Because it focuses on how you relate to inner experience rather than a single diagnosis, it often helps when life feels stuck or smaller than you’d like. Results vary, and a method is only one part of good care. Your goals and your relationship with your therapist matter just as much.

That’s more common than you might think, especially after a long stretch of just getting through the days. In ACT, values aren’t rules or goals to achieve. They’re more like directions: how you want to treat people, what kind of friend, partner or worker you want to be, what makes a day feel meaningful. Your therapist can help you find them through conversation and simple exercises. You don’t need them figured out before you begin.

No meditation experience is needed. ACT uses mindfulness, but often in brief, practical ways: noticing a thought, naming a feeling, coming back to the room you’re in. We call this “mindfulness without performance”: you don’t have to clear your mind or already be calm. Tell your therapist what you’ve tried before and what you prefer, and if an exercise doesn’t sit right, say so. Read more in what mindfulness-based therapy is (and isn’t).

It’s natural to want a sense of the road ahead. ACT has no fixed length. Some research looks at brief versions of a handful of sessions, while long-standing patterns can take longer. Early on, talk with your therapist about your goals and any past therapy, and agree on how you’ll review progress together. You’re always free to raise whether the pace feels right. Our post on how you’ll know therapy is working may help.

Yes, either. Many people find it easier to try new ways of meeting hard feelings from somewhere familiar. We offer secure online therapy anywhere in Texas, and about half our clients meet online. You can also meet in person in North Austin or South Austin. Options depend on the therapist, so share your preference when you reach out, and we’ll help you find someone whose approach and location fit.

It helps to know the practical side before you begin. We accept several plans for individual counseling, including Aetna, BCBS-TX, Cigna and Optum (Oscar, Oxford, UnitedHealthcare); see every plan we take. Medicaid and Medicare aren’t accepted, and insurance doesn’t cover couples or family sessions. Self-pay rates run $75 to $200 a session. Call or text (512) 578-8070, or find your fit in about a minute with our therapist finder.