ABSTRACT
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) uses mindfulness, acceptance and a focus on committed, values-based action to help people make changes in their lives. ACT’s theory of language, relational frame theory, describes how humans give meaning to their experiences based on previous learning. Rengina has learned that travelling on the bus is a scary, threatening experience. At the same time as formulating a client’s distress using ‘open, aware and active’, the ACT therapist will be working on the client’s commitment to therapy. This may start with the use of ‘creative hopelessness’. ACT includes getting clear on the client’s values. The metaphor, ‘my 80th birthday party’, involves asking the client to imagine it is their 80th birthday and everyone they have ever admired or loved can be there. The therapist uses many ACT metaphors and role plays to facilitate experiential learning about how avoidance maintains problems and how acceptance and approach behaviours can change one’s life.
