ACT Therapy in San Antonio, TX
Online Therapy For Individuals and Couples is Also Available Throughout Texas and Florida
Do you want a way to stay in the present without the past trying to come with you there?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT Therapy) teaches you new ways to respond to distressing memories and negative thoughts. Its a clinically effective treatment that supports the clients I work with to face their problems head-on and to stop avoiding situations, as well as denying feelings and emotions they are experiencing. If you want to figure out what matters most to you, and start making progress in that direction then I can help you get there.
What is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy?
ACT Therapy supports growing comfortable when you are uncomfortable. The goal is to accept the discomfort and make behavioral changes in your best interest. It has been shown to be a clinically effective form of therapy for people who struggle with self-doubt, anxiety, trauma, stress, and depression.
ACT therapists help by focusing on six domain areas:
Acceptance -accepting our experiences without avoiding them and experience difficult thoughts but not allowing them to take us over
Cognitive Defusion- observe our thoughts without them taking charge, and face our emotions paired with them
Values- identifying our values and discover what is really important to us so we can live according to them
Committed Action- Take action to pursue the important things in your life and engage in positive behavioral change so they can be received by others around you
Self as Context (mindfulness)- focusing on the here and now so we are present without judgement
Being Present- staying in the here and now
This is done naturally in our lives already but sometimes it happening so fast we need support to slow it down! We miss the off ramp to control and challenge these thoughts.
ACT Therapy will help you be able to:
Live life based on what you value
Open up to difficult feelings
Change your relationship to intrusive thoughts
Pivot from the past and future to the present
Develop self-compassion
Embrace uncertainty and challenge
I’ll help through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) comes from a place of learning to thrive despite trauma so you can start to live alongside your past experiences rather than avoid them.
ACT Therapy Gets You Refocused!
How can Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Help?
When we refocus on our guiding principles that give life meaning and purpose, the negative parts do not hit us as hard. When I am focused on living within my values, e.g. authenticity, it empowers me to make choices that align to my authentic self. Values can clarify each domain of your life:
Mental and Physical Health
Work/Education
Intimate relationships
Parenting and Family
Friendships and Community
Personal Growth and Learning
Adventure/Creativity/Leisure
Working with an ACT Therapist
If I use “authenticity” as my primary identified value then it can empower me to live that value in my daily interactions. To take a chance through vulnerability to connect authenticity with those I interact with to build deep, fulfilling relationships. To get there I support my clients to break down the barriers to build the value; perhaps its communication skill building, challenge negative self-talk, or work through challenges of experience with past mistrust based in a historic relationship.
It can also assist in identifying areas that we not longer hold as important. For example a parent may have given us a value but it never held the same meaning for me later in my life. Perhaps it has changed due to life circumstances, growth, or knowledge of my experiences. Now, I can re-align the ones that hold value in my life in the here and now.
Are you ready to go on this exciting adventure of self discovery?
Traditional approaches may inadvertently reinforce avoidance of places, people, things, or suppression of traumatic memories. ACT focus, on the other hand, fosters a compassionate approach to facing and accepting these memories, reducing the need for avoidance.
ACT Therapy Helps You Regulate Emotions
Through mindfulness and acceptance practices, ACT equips individuals with tools to regulate their emotions effectively. This can be especially transformative for those grappling with the emotional aftermath of trauma.
By promoting self-compassion and acceptance, ACT contributes to a healthier relationship with oneself. Additionally, the therapy encourages the development of meaningful connections with others based on mutual understanding and support, allowing for posttraumatic growth.
Factors that increase likelihood for posttraumatic growth include:
Openness to experience
Ability to focus attention on what matters most and disengaging from uncontrollable or unsolvable problems
Ability to grieve and gradually accept the past
Presence of support from others and having access to different perspectives
New narratives of traumatic events and explore questions of meaning
Adaptive coping strategies
I help clients, who have defined themselves by trauma, separate from the past so they can enjoy a better future. I am here to meet you where you are right now and to help guide you toward a sense of peace and calm. Contact me now and lets get started!
Want to try ACT Therapy in San Antonio or Online Across TX and FL?
Healing Intimacies provides ACT therapy in San Antonio, TX and serves the nearby communities of Helotes, Stone Oak, The Dominion, and Boerne. Online therapy is also available to all TX and FL residents.