Counsellors typically support clients in addressing life challenges through practical, goal-oriented approaches within a supportive and accepting environment. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is increasingly recognised as an invaluable addition to a counsellor’s toolkit, with a growing evidence-base highlighting its effectiveness and adaptability to diverse client needs.
ACT offers a complementary, flexible, and evidence-based approach that equips counsellors to help clients move beyond their struggles and lead richer, more meaningful lives. Its emphasis on psychological flexibility, encouraging values-based action, and normalising difficult experiences aligns seamlessly with the realities of counselling practice.
Psychological flexibility, a key focus of ACT, involves six interrelated processes: acceptance, cognitive defusion, being present, self-as-context, values, and committed action. These processes work together to reduce experiential avoidance, help clients detach from unhelpful thoughts, and enable them to live in alignment with their core values. Unlike traditional cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), ACT does not aim to challenge or alter thoughts. Instead, it focuses on building a healthier relationship with internal experiences while promoting meaningful, value-driven behavioural change.
Why ACT resonates with counsellors
Counsellors often work with clients who feel stuck in unhelpful patterns of thinking, emotional distress, or behavioural avoidance. ACT equips counsellors with tools to address these challenges by shifting the focus away from symptom elimination and towards creating a life of meaning and purpose.
Some reasons why ACT is particularly useful for counsellors:
- Flexible and transdiagnostic application: ACTs transdiagnostic nature makes it applicable across a wide range of mental health concerns. Whether a client is struggling with anxiety, depression, or burnout, ACT’s framework can be adapted to meet individual needs. For counsellors, this flexibility is invaluable. It allows them to use a single therapeutic model while personalising interventions based on the client’s unique struggles and goals. This reduces the need for counsellors to master multiple models while still ensuring effective care.
- Emphasis on values and meaning: One of ACT’s most distinctive features is its focus on values-based living. Counselling clients sometimes feel disconnected from their sense of purpose, which can exacerbate feelings of emptiness or depression. ACT encourages people to clarify what truly matters to them and align their behaviours with these values, encouraging a renewed sense of direction and fulfilment. For instance, a client struggling with social anxiety might identify family relationships as a core value. Through ACT, the counsellor can support the client in taking small, meaningful steps such as attending a family gathering, despite the presence of anxiety. This shift from symptom reduction to value-driven action can be profoundly empowering for clients.
- Normalising difficult experiences: ACT’s acceptance component helps clients normalise and make space for difficult emotions and thoughts, rather than engaging in futile battles to suppress them. This approach is especially helpful for counsellors working with clients who feel overwhelmed by shame, guilt, or grief. By introducing metaphors and simple exercises, such as the ‘finger trap’ or ‘grief ball‘ metaphor, counsellors can help clients understand that unpleasant experiences are part of the human condition and do not need to dictate their actions.
- Mindfulness in action: Unlike meditation-focused mindfulness interventions, ACT’s mindfulness strategies are seamlessly integrated with the client’s goals and values, making them particularly relevant in a counselling context. Counsellors can use brief mindfulness exercises, such as grounding techniques, to help clients stay present during sessions and in their daily lives.
Recent research supporting ACT
There is a growing body of research validating the efficacy of ACT and its broad applicability. Here are just a few recent studies which you can read in more detail about on our resource hub:
- ACT for anxiety: A study by Arch et al (2025) showed that ACT offers a powerful framework for treating anxiety disorders. ACT was shown to help individuals move beyond rigid avoidance behaviours and toward meaningful, values-driven lives.
- ACT for addictive behaviours: A systematic review and meta-analysis from Krotter et al (2024) showed that ACT supported higher abstinence rates at the end of treatment and in the short-term for addictive behaviours.
- ACT in workplace settings: Research by Rad et al (2025) examined ACT’s impact on improving mental health and workplace well-being. Their findings indicated that ACT subprocesses such as defusion and acceptance, had positive effects on mental health and burnout.
Counselling versus therapy: the key differences
While there are clear distinctions, the roles of counsellors and therapists often overlap. Both provide a confidential, supportive space for clients and use therapeutic techniques to promote emotional wellbeing. In practice, the difference may depend on the practitioner’s training, the client’s needs, and the setting in which the support is provided.
- Counsellor: Ideal for those facing specific, situational challenges or seeking short-term support, such as coping with stress, navigating a relationship breakup, or managing grief.
- Therapist: Suitable for individuals dealing with deeper or more complex concerns, such as trauma, long-term mental health conditions, or patterns of behaviour that require exploration and change.
It’s worth noting that many professionals describe themselves as both counsellors and therapists, so it’s always helpful to inquire about their qualifications, training, and approach to ensure the client is receiving the support that aligns with their needs.
