Acceptance & Commitment (ACT) Therapy
A revolutionary approach to psychological flexibility and a meaningful life.
How much energy do you spend fighting your own thoughts and feelings? You might try to push away anxiety, argue with self criticism, or numb feelings of sadness, only to find they come back stronger. It can feel like you are in a tug of war with a monster where the harder you pull, the deeper you get dragged in.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) asks a radical question: What if the struggle to get rid of your pain is actually the problem?
At Fortitudo Therapy, I use ACT to help you “drop the rope” and end the tug of war. I help you make room for difficult emotions so they no longer control you, freeing up your energy to build a life rich in meaning and purpose.
I provide face to face ACT in Dorset and online ACT across the UK.
Is ACT Right for You?
ACT is an evidence based behavioural therapy that is particularly effective if you feel "stuck" or if traditional attempts to "think positive" haven't worked.
- You overthink everything: You are constantly hooked by "what if" thoughts or harsh self judgement.
- You are avoiding life: You turn down invitations, opportunities, or challenges because you are waiting to feel "confident" or "calm" first.
- You feel disconnected: You are going through the motions of life but feel numb or unsure of what you actually want.
- You struggle with control: You spend exhausted hours trying to control your internal world (thoughts/feelings) at the expense of your external world (e.g., relationships/career).
- ACT is widely regarded as an evidence based approach for supporting people where eliminating symptoms associated with long term health conditions may not be possible, but building a meaningful and fulfilling life still is.
What is involved in ACT?
ACT focuses on building psychological flexibility, which provides you with the capacity to stay present, open up to your inner experience, and take action in line with what matters to you.
In ACT, I work on six core areas:
- Acceptance – learning to make space for difficult thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them.
- Cognitive defusion – stepping back from unhelpful thoughts so they have less impact over you.
- Present moment awareness – developing mindful attention to the here and now.
- Self as context – strengthening the perspective of the observing self, so you are not defined by your experiences.
- Values – clarifying what truly matters to you.
- Committed action – taking meaningful, values led steps, even when it feels hard.
Rather than aiming to eliminate discomfort, ACT helps you build a rich and meaningful life alongside it.
Our Values
Empowerment
Collaboration
Inclusivity
Compassion
Integrity
How ACT can help
Because ACT targets the underlying processes of the human mind, it is effective for a wide range of struggles, including:
Respond differently to distress so it has less impact and influence.
Step back from unhelpful thoughts instead of getting caught up in them.
Take meaningful action, even when things feel uncomfortable.
Clarify what truly matters to you.
Reduce avoidance patterns that keep you stuck.
Build resilience and psychological flexibility.
ACT is particularly helpful when:
You feel stuck in repetitive thinking (e.g. rumination, worry, self criticism).
You are avoiding situations, conversations, or opportunities.
You live with chronic stress, pain, or health conditions.
You want to move towards a fuller, more values led life rather than simply managing symptoms.
The aim is not to “fix” you and instead the focus is on helping you live well, even in the presence of inevitable human difficulty.
Supportive therapy available in person or online.
You can learn more on our Online Therapy Dorset page.
Ready to make a change?
Frequently Asked Questions
No, absolutely not. In ACT, acceptance is an active process, not a passive one. It doesn't mean liking your pain or wanting it to stay forever. It means stopping the war against it. It means acknowledging, "Okay, anxiety is here right now," so that you can stop wasting energy trying to force it away and instead use that energy to do something meaningful (like playing with your kids or finishing a project). It is acceptance in the service of living a better life.
This is a great question. CBT focuses on identifying "errors" in your thinking and challenging them to change how you feel. ACT takes a different view: it assumes that negative thoughts are a normal part of the human experience. Rather than trying to change the content of your thoughts, ACT changes your relationship with them. We don't argue with the thoughts; we just learn not to take orders from them.
Mindfulness is a big part of it, but it is only one pillar. Mindfulness helps us notice what is happening, but the "Commitment" part of ACT is equally important. This is about taking action. Insight alone doesn't change your life; behaviour does. We use mindfulness to get steady, so we can take action towards your values.
Yes, ACT is one of the leading psychological interventions for chronic pain. When we are in pain, we naturally tense up and fight it, which often amplifies the suffering. ACT helps us distinguish between the physical sensation (pain) and the emotional struggle against it (suffering). By reducing the struggle, many clients find their pain becomes more manageable and their life becomes much bigger.