Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based treatment developed by Steven Hayes, Ph.D, that addresses mental health conditions and life challenges. ACT helps clients learn to accept what is out of their personal control, and commit to action that improves and enriches their life. It does this by:
- Teaching psychological skills to effectively address painful thoughts and feelings so that they have less impact and influence (these are known as mindfulness skills).
- Helping clarify what is important and meaningful and make use of that knowledge to guide, inspire and motivate change for the better. To find out more about ACT, including its research support, visit the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science website.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment developed by Aaron Beck. CBT is comprised of an interrelated set of treatments all growing out of the idea that our cognitions (thoughts) and our behaviors (actions) are intricately related to our emotional experience. It is effective in the treatment for a wide variety of psychological issues, including depression and anxiety. Strategies offered by CBT include: setting manageable and realistic goals to engage in new patterns of behavior; challenging unhelpful assumptions in thoughts and beliefs about oneself and one’s world; and practicing adaptive coping strategies for managing intense emotions (e.g., relaxation).
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based intervention developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington. DBT combines cognitive behavioral techniques for emotion regulation with distress tolerance, acceptance and mindfulness practices derived from Buddhism. The goal of DBT is to help clients create a meaningful life by balancing acceptance with a therapeutic push towards change. DBT is an effective treatment for impulsivity, suicidal behavior, eating disorders, substance abuse, emotional dysregulation and interpersonal conflict. DBT emphasizes the importance of a non-judgmental stance towards life and postulates that these problematic behaviors arise from environmental factors and biological ones.
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy
Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is a form of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) developed by Robert Kohlenberg and Mavis Tsai at the University of Washington that focuses on in-session client-therapist interaction as the basis for therapeutic change. Through this lens, clients and therapists identify problems that are occurring in the therapy session in order to make constructive changes outside of the therapy setting.
Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based, person-centered method for helping people recognize and change problem behavior. Developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, MI is designed to strengthen an individual’s intrinsic motivation for change by resolving ambivalence within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion. While MI was originally designed to help address alcohol problems and other addictions, and was seen as an alternative to 12 step treatment approaches, it now applied broadly across a variety of medical and health related areas.