ACT CHEAT SHEET
Adlerian Therapy
ACT focuses on accepting feelings and aligning
actions with personal values as a strategy for living
a more fulfilling life.
Key Concepts
Embrace feelings and thoughts without the
intent to alter them.
Commit to behaviors that are congruent with
personal values.
Build resilience to setbacks through
committed action aligned with goals.
Therapy Goals
Foster acceptance of unwanted internal
experiences.
Develop mindfulness and cognitive defusion
skills.
Develop psychological flexibility to adapt to
various life situations.
Core Processes
Cognitive Defusion: Step back from and
observe thoughts to reduce their control.
Acceptance: Open up to unpleasant feelings;
make room for them without resistance.
Being Present: Engage with the current
moment fully and without judgment.
Self as Context: Recognize a consistent,
observing self that is separate from fleeting
thoughts.
Values Clarification: Identify what truly matters
in life and use these values to guide actions.
Committed Action: Take steps towards living
according to chosen values, even in the face of
obstacles.
Therapeutic Techniques
Defusion Techniques: Help clients detach
from and observe their thoughts rather than
getting entangled in unproductive patterns.
Values Exploration: Assist clients identify
core values to direct their life direction.
Acceptance Practices: Foster emotional
resilience by encouraging the acceptance of
challenging thoughts and feelings.
Action Planning: Facilitate the creation of
specific, actionable steps toward living in
accordance with identified values.
Mindfulness Meditation: Use mindfulness to
reduce stress and enhance present-moment
awareness.
Goal-Oriented Visualization: Use visualization
of goals and values to motivate and direct
behavior.
Context-Sensitive Interventions: Customize
interventions to fit clients' unique life contexts
for enhanced impact.
Incremental Exposure: Introduce a structured
approach to facing fears gradually, fostering
resilience and reducing avoidance.
Challenges
Minimizing confrontation to prevent
resistance.
Encouraging change talk in hesitant clients.
Guiding through ambivalence without dictating
direction.
Application
ACT addresses psychological issues such as
anxiety, depression, stress, and chronic pain by
prioritizing living a valued life over discomfort
avoidance.
 THERAPEUTIC PROCESSES
Cognitive Defusion
Objective: Reduce the impact of negative thoughts
by changing how they're perceived and interacted
with.
Key Activities:
Observation and Labeling: Teach individuals to
detach, observe, and label their thoughts as
mere thoughts, not realities.
Mindful Awareness: Use mindfulness to stay
present and not fixate on intrusive thoughts.
Being Present
Objective: To engage fully with the present moment,
enhancing life engagement and reducing
preoccupation with past regrets or future anxieties.
Key Activities:
Mindful Engagement: Promoting focused
attention on current activities and surroundings.
Judgment Suspension: Encouraging the
suspension of judgment to enhance moment-
to-moment experiences.
Values Clarification
Objective: Help individuals identify and clarify their
core values to guide their actions and decisions.
Key Activities:
Exploratory Discussions: Guide clients to
identify core values through targeted
discussions and activities.
Values Assessment: Use tools to evaluate the
alignment of clients' actions with their values,
deepening value understanding.
Acceptance
Objective: To encourage individuals to openly
experience their emotions and thoughts without
attempting to alter their existence.
Key Activities:
Emotional Acceptance: Facilitating the
acknowledgment of feelings and thoughts
without judgment.
Tolerance Building: Developing resilience by
increasing tolerance for discomfort.
Self as Context
Objective: Facilitate the understanding that the
"self" is a constant amidst the ever-changing
experiences of thoughts, emotions, and sensations.
Key Activities:
Perspective Taking: Guide clients in separating
their thinking from observing selves,
emphasizing a stable identity.
Metaphor Use: Apply metaphors, such as
comparing the self to the sky, to demonstrate
constancy amid change.
Committed Action
Objective: Encourage actions aligned with values,
despite difficult thoughts and emotions.
Key Activities:
Action Planning: Develop specific, value-driven
action plans with clients, setting realistic short
and long-term goals.
Barrier Identification & Problem-Solving:
Identify and strategize against obstacles to
action, such as fear and time constraints.
 METAPHORS
Leaves on a Stream
Imagine your thoughts as leaves floating on a
stream. Observe them from the bank, letting them
drift away naturally, learning to detach and accept
without engaging.
Clouds in the Sky
Envision your thoughts as clouds moving across the
sky. Some are dark and stormy, others light and
fluffy, but all are transient, changing shape and
eventually passing by without impacting the
vastness of the sky.
Radio in the Background
Think of your thoughts as a radio playing in the
background. The radio may chatter away, but you
don’t need to get up and dance to every song; you
acknowledge the noise but stay focused on your
current activity.
Garden of Thoughts
Imagine your mind as a garden where positive
thoughts bloom like flowers and negative thoughts
grow like weeds. Just as you nurture flowers and
remove weeds, you can cultivate positive thoughts
and manage negative ones.
Waves on the Shore
Visualize your thoughts as waves crashing onto the
shore. They rise and fall with intensity, sometimes
larger, sometimes smaller, but always returning to
the sea. You stand on the beach, observing their
rhythm, untouched by the water.
Passengers on a Bus
Imagine your thoughts as passengers on a bus you
drive. While they may shout directions or critique
your driving, it's you who decides the route, guided
by your own values rather than their noisy
demands.
Cars on a Road
Imagine yourself sitting by a roadside, watching
cars (your thoughts) pass. You notice them come
into view, maybe catch your attention for a
moment, but then they're gone, and you don’t chase
after them.
Theatre of the Mind
Picture your mind as a theatre, with thoughts as
scenes or actors on a stage. You watch the
performance from the audience, observing without
attachment, knowing you are separate from the
action unfolding before you.
Mountain of Resilience
Visualize yourself as a mountain, strong and
unmoved by the weather around you. Storms of
stress and winds of worry may beat against you, but
like a mountain, you remain stable and resilient.
Chef Tasting Soup
Picture yourself as a chef tasting a soup with
various spices (thoughts). You taste each flavor as it
comes, but the brief taste doesn't define the soup's
entirety, nor does it dictate the next ingredient you
choose to add.