Acceptance and Commitment Therapy at New Roads Behavioral Health
Do you tend to suppress your unpleasant emotions instead of feeling them fully? Do you view your negative thoughts as things that need to be changed or controlled rather than experienced and released? Would you rather avoid painful or uncomfortable situations altogether than explore ways to confront and resolve them? If any of these resonated with you or sound like someone you care about, it doesn’t always have to be like this. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a different way forward. It focuses on giving your hardest thoughts and feelings space instead of fighting them, and then building a life alongside them that matters to you.A New Approach to Lasting Change
At New Roads Behavioral Health in Utah, our care team is committed to helping you heal, grow, and continually prioritize your well-being. If you’re struggling with depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, substance misuse, or a related mental health issue, our goal is for you to:
- Experience genuine, lasting relief
- Feel deeply supported on your recovery journey
- Be encouraged and excited about what your future holds
- Walk away with healthy coping strategies and a sense of resilience
ACT is just one part of treatment. Keep reading to learn more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, how we integrate ACT into your care plan at New Roads, and how it’s different from other mindfulness-based modalities.
Have questions about our treatment programs? Our admissions team would be happy to answer them for you!
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (pronounced as “act,” not “A-C-T”) is an evidence-based approach that helps people relate to painful thoughts and emotions in a new way, so those experiences no longer stand between them and the life they want to live.
This form of psychotherapy combines mindfulness and acceptance skills with values-guided behavioral change. Rather than trying to eliminate or argue away difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT encourages people to make room for them while committing to actions that align with their values.
The Goal of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
The goal is what clinicians call psychological flexibility, the capacity to stay open to hard experiences and still move toward a meaningful life.
ACT is considered a “third wave” cognitive-behavioral therapy, making its debut in the 1980s. Where earlier approaches focus heavily on the content of a person’s thoughts, ACT focuses on a person’s relationship with their thoughts and emotions. Instead of forcing yourself to change or correct them, you simply acknowledge and accept them when they arrive, let them pass, then focus on responding in healthy ways.
For many people, that psychological shift is freeing: You no longer have to feel differently, or “perfectly,” before life can begin. You get to live fully right now, even in the midst of painful or unwanted situations.
The Six Core Processes of ACT
ACT builds psychological flexibility through six processes that all connect to one another. Think of these ACT principles less as rigid steps you must follow and more as practical skills you develop over time with the support of a trained clinician:
Acceptance
This step is about learning to be open to unwanted thoughts and emotions instead of avoiding or suppressing them. As the name suggests, it also involves accepting yourself and your lived experiences—especially the imperfect or messy ones—as a natural part of the human condition. Being hurt, disappointed, and let down, whether by yourself or the people you love, is inevitable. It doesn’t mean you can’t still live a beautiful life.
Cognitive Defusion
Cognitive defusion involves stepping back from unhelpful thoughts, so they hold less power over your behaviors. Over time, you learn to separate from these negative thoughts and see them merely as words or images passing through your head, as opposed to absolute truths or emergencies. Not every passing thought is rooted in reality, so cognitive defusion works to weaken the link between thinking something and immediately believing it to be true.
Here’s what that can look like:
- Instead of thinking, “I’m going to mess up at my audition,” try mentally rephrasing it to something like, “I’m having the thought that I’m going to mess up at my audition.”
- Sing the thought aloud to the tune of a familiar song, like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” or even “Happy Birthday.”
- Say your anxious thought out loud using a silly voice or by doing an impression of a famous character or TV show host.
- Thank your mind instead of fighting it by calmly saying, “Thank you, mind, for reminding me how much I care about this.”
Contact With the Present Moment
Being present means staying connected to the current moment instead of getting pulled into the past or lost in worries about the future. So much of our distress lives in what already happened or what might happen next, whether that’s replaying an old conversation or bracing for one that hasn’t come. This step is about gently returning your attention to right now, where life is actually unfolding, and where you have the most ability to respond with intention rather than on autopilot.
Observing Yourself
The observing self (also referred to as “self-as-context”) is the part of you that notices your thoughts and feelings without being defined or swallowed by them. Emotions and experiences move through you constantly, but they aren’t the sum of who you are. Learning to observe yourself with a little distance—and a lot of compassion—helps you see yourself as the person experiencing these thoughts, not the thoughts themselves. That perspective can be steadying, especially when things feel overwhelming.
Clarifying Your Values
This step is about getting clear on what genuinely matters to you: the relationships, roles, and qualities that make life feel meaningful. Values are different than goals. Instead of being achievements you check off a wishlist, they’re the directions you want to keep moving in, or the ways you want to behave. This might involve being a caring friend, a present parent, or someone who keeps showing up for their own growth. It could also mean living life with integrity or routinely making time for rest and recovery. When you know what you’re moving toward, even hard days have a sense of purpose behind them.
Committed Action
Committed action is where insight becomes something you do. It starts with taking real, values-driven steps, no matter how small, even when it’s difficult. This doesn’t mean waiting until you feel ready or until the hard emotions disappear. It means choosing to reach out, show up, and re-engage with the things that matter to you, and then doing it again, building steady patterns that carry your life in a direction you can feel good about.
What ACT Can Help With at New Roads
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has a growing body of research backing it across a range of mental health conditions. That makes it especially useful for the complex, often co-occurring challenges we treat.
Studies have examined ACT for concerns like anxiety and depression, and a 2024 systematic review found that its focus on acceptance, mindfulness, and personal values may help improve mental health and social functioning across several psychiatric disorders.
At New Roads, ACT is often part of an individualized plan for people working through:
ACT can be especially helpful when someone is ready to do deeper therapeutic work and build lasting stability. If this approach feels like it could be a good fit, or if you’re curious about whether ACT is right for you or a loved one, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our admissions team.
How Is ACT Different from Other Therapy Modalities & Programs?
Sometimes it’s helpful to understand how ACT relates to a few common behavioral and cognitive therapy modalities and programs.
ACT, CBT, and DBT are all therapy modalities: they describe how therapeutic work happens.
An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a level of care: it describes how often and how intensively treatment is delivered. In fact, a program like an IOP can deliver ACT, CBT, DBT, or a combination of all three.
Here’s how they compare side-by-side:
ACT, CBT, and DBT are all evidence-based, differing mainly in what they emphasize. None is “better,” they’re simply different tools for different needs. Many people benefit from more than one. New Roads is proud to be one of only a few comprehensive DBT programs in the country, and our clinicians draw on the approach that best matches each client’s needs.
ACT and an IOP can also work hand in hand. As someone stabilizes and prepares to return to school, work, and daily responsibilities, ACT delivered within a structured program like an IOP can support that reintegration, helping people carry their skills out of the treatment room and into a life worth living.
Why Choose New Roads for ACT Therapy?
New Roads Behavioral Health in Utah was founded on a simple belief: Every person deserves a chance to live a meaningful life. No matter what brought you here, our doors are always open to you. We offer:
More accessible treatment
We’re a preferred in-network provider with most major insurance companies, like Cigna, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare.
Support for complex needs
We regularly take on clients that other programs may turn away.
Highly trained clinicians
Our team receives 160 hours of extensive training and ongoing continuing education.
Evidence-based, human-centered care
Treatment is grounded in current clinical research and delivered with real warmth and compassion.
When you come to New Roads, you’re met by a team that believes every condition, no matter how severe, is treatable. We also strive to walk alongside you, never ahead or behind. Our mental health professionals create a space where you can approach even the hardest experiences with genuine support and without judgment—because that’s where true healing happens.
Take the First Step Today
Reaching out can feel like the hardest part, and we understand that. For those who have tried treatment before but felt like something was missing, there is still hope. Healing is always possible.
Whether you’re seeking help for yourself or someone you love, our team is here to answer your questions, walk you through admissions and insurance, and help you understand whether ACT-based treatment at New Roads is the right fit.
Take Back Your Life
Your road to healing and happiness starts with a single, brave first step. When you’re ready, our team at New Roads Behavioral Health in Utah is here to help.
Request to be contacted below by filling out your information.