Many children and teens in the U.S. are impacted by at least one mental health condition. One treatment option that can help teens is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Mental health treatment services from Kiwi Recovery include ACT for teens.
Call Kiwi Recovery at 617.751.6610 to learn more about ACT.
What Is an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Program?
An acceptance and commitment therapy program is an action-oriented approach to talk therapy that has its basis in cognitive-behavioral therapy and traditional behavior therapy.
ACT for teens can help your child learn to stop avoiding and denying their emotions, teaching them that what they feel can be an appropriate response to certain circumstances. Teen ACT can also teach teens to understand that those emotions do not have to prevent them from moving forward with their lives.
Teen acceptance and commitment therapy can help teens who struggle with:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Eating disorders
- Substance use disorders
- Psychosis
- Stress
Teen ACT can help teens accept what they struggle with while committing to making the necessary changes in their behavior.
What to Expect in Teen Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
When beginning teen acceptance and commitment therapy, teens will learn how to listen to their self-talk, especially when dealing with traumatic events, difficult relationships, and other challenges.
By monitoring their self-talk, teens can decide whether a problem requires immediate action or if they need to accept the situation for what it is while striving to make behavioral changes.
ACT aims to improve psychological flexibility, allowing teens to adapt to thoughts and feelings more easily.
To accomplish this, teen ACT relies on some core principles.
Acceptance
Acceptance means embracing your full range of emotions and thoughts instead of trying to avoid or deny them. Noticing your thoughts and feelings as they come and go can help you see that they are temporary and do not always require a corresponding action.
Cognitive Defusion
Cognitive defusion teaches you to change the way you react to distressing feelings and thoughts. It can also teach you to distance yourself from what you think and feel without ignoring the problem.
Some of the most effective techniques for accomplishing this are observing a thought without passing judgment on it, labeling a thought, and even singing a thought.
Being Present
This part of ACT for teens involves being mindful in the present. It means being able to observe thoughts and feelings without trying to change them. By allowing yourself to experience events fully, you can feel your emotions without relying on coping mechanisms that don’t help in the long run.
Self as Context
This refers to expanding your idea of self. It can teach you that you are more than your thoughts, experiences, and feelings.
Values
By choosing personal values and striving to live up to those values, you can learn to identify which actions you take to satisfy other people’s expectations or avoid stress.
Committed Action
Committed action means taking steps to make changes that align with your values. It can involve setting goals, skill development, and exposure to difficult thoughts and experiences.
Find Effective ACT for Teens at Kiwi Recovery
Acceptance and commitment therapy can be excellent tools for teens and young adults facing mental health concerns. Instead of ignoring or denying their feelings and thoughts, they can learn to face them so that they can make the necessary changes in their lives.
At Kiwi Recovery, we offer ACT for teens as well as many other therapy options. With our dedicated professionals and our state-of-the-art facilities, getting the help your teen needs is just a phone call away. Get started today by calling Kiwi Recovery at 617.751.6610 or by reaching out online.
