ABSTRACT
The approach that Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) practitioners take to client behaviours is not so different to this. The emphasis on increasing rather than decreasing can influence various stages of a therapeutic interaction. There can sometimes be too much attention paid to thinking, feeling, or doing less of what is difficult, distressing, or unhelpful. For example, many mental health assessment protocols focus on describing the topography of ‘the problem’, with the aim of then reducing it. The approach that ACT practitioners take to client behaviours is not so different to this. The emphasis on increasing rather than decreasing can influence various stages of a therapeutic interaction. At assessment, it shows up as a desire to learn as much, if not more, about the aspects of the client’s life that give them meaning and purpose as those that they find difficult or distressing.
