ACCEPTANCE & COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT) IN CALGARY
Start living your life.
You don’t have to wait until anxiety, self-doubt, or overthinking disappear to build a life that matters to you. ACT therapy in Calgary helps teens and adults unhook from difficult thoughts, make room for hard feelings, and take meaningful steps toward what they value most.
A PSYCHOLOGIST’S DEFINITION
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT, said like the word “act”) is an evidence-based therapy that builds psychological flexibility: your ability to stay connected to what matters while handling difficult thoughts and emotions. Instead of arguing with your thoughts or waiting for feelings to go away, ACT helps you change your relationship with them. ACT isn’t about feeling good all the time. It’s about feeling capable.
The Six Core Processes of ACT
Acceptance
Making room for uncomfortable emotions instead of fighting or avoiding them.
Cognitive Defusion
Stepping back from thoughts so they lose their grip, seeing them as thoughts, not facts.
Present-Moment Awareness
Staying grounded in the here and now instead of rumination or worry.
Self-as-Context
Seeing yourself with perspective and compassion, not defined by your thoughts.
Values
Clarifying what truly matters to you and the kind of person you want to be.
Committed Action
Taking small, meaningful steps guided by your values, even when it feels hard.
WHAT ACT CAN SUPPORT
Concerns ACT Helps With
ACT is especially helpful for people who feel stuck between wanting change and feeling overwhelmed by it. At NU Psychology, ACT supports:
Anxiety & Worry
Shifting your relationship with worry so it no longer runs the show. Learn more about anxiety therapy and health anxiety.
Overthinking & OCD
Unhooking from looping thoughts and intrusive doubts. ACT is often paired with ERP for OCD.
Low Mood & Self-Criticism
Loosening harsh self-judgment and reconnecting with meaning. Explore depression therapy.
Perfectionism & Burnout
Choosing values over pressure and finding a pace you can sustain. See perfectionism and burnout therapy.
Identity & Life Transitions
Finding direction through change, from career shifts to new chapters in relationships and family life.
Avoidance & Procrastination
Taking action even when motivation is low. Learn about procrastination and motivation therapy.
THE NU PROCESS
How ACT Therapy Works at NU Psychology
ACT sessions blend mindfulness, practical skills, and values-based planning, at a pace that fits you. A typical session may include:
Grounding Check-In
What showed up this week, emotionally, mentally, or in your life.
Noticing Patterns
How your mind responded, explored with curiosity instead of judgment.
Building Skills
Defusion exercises, mindful awareness, and acceptance strategies.
Values-Based Steps
Choosing small, meaningful actions that move you toward what matters.
What Changes Look Like
Taking action even when motivation is low. Moving through fear or uncertainty with more clarity. Making decisions rooted in values instead of pressure. Shifting out of avoidance. And building a life that feels aligned, now, not once everything is perfect.
ACT vs. CBT
CBT often works on changing unhelpful thoughts. ACT focuses on changing your relationship with thoughts, so they have less power whether or not they change. Both are evidence-based, and many clients benefit from elements of each.
ACT FOR TEENS & ADULTS
Is ACT the Right Fit for You?
ACT for Teens
ACT helps teens handle anxiety, self-doubt, and pressure without getting stuck in them, and figure out what actually matters to them as they grow into who they are. Learn more about teen therapy.
ACT for Adults
For adults, ACT is often grounding during transitions, burnout, and long-standing patterns of worry or avoidance. It blends mindfulness with action, so change happens in real life, not just in session. Explore adult therapy.
When ACT Works Best Alongside Other Approaches
ACT integrates easily with other evidence-based therapies. It pairs well with CBT for practical tools, DBT skills for intense emotions, Narrative Therapy for rewriting the stories you tell about yourself, and IFS or EMDR when past experiences need attention. You don’t have to choose ahead of time. Your psychologist will guide you.
ACT PSYCHOLOGISTS IN CALGARY
Psychologists Who Specialize in ACT
ACT at NU Psychology is offered by Heather Makowecki, Registered Provisional Psychologist, who provides neurodiversity-affirming therapy for teens and adults at both our Killarney and Bridgeland locations. Not sure who’s the right fit? We can help you get matched.
Killarney
2005 37 St SW, Unit #4. Serving the inner southwest, including Marda Loop, Altadore, Strathcona, and Aspen Woods. View location.
Bridgeland
172 9 St NE. Close to downtown, Renfrew, Riverside, and the Bridgeland/Memorial CTrain station. View location.
Online Across Alberta
Secure video sessions from home, anywhere in the province. Learn about online therapy.
ACT Therapy FAQs
Is ACT the same as mindfulness?
ACT uses mindfulness, but it’s broader. It also focuses on values, behaviour change, and psychological flexibility, so you can act on what matters even when difficult thoughts and feelings show up.
Will ACT force me to “accept” things I don’t like?
No. ACT teaches acceptance of internal experiences like thoughts, emotions, and sensations, not acceptance of harmful situations. Boundaries and change are part of the process.
Does ACT avoid talking about the past?
No. ACT includes the past when it’s relevant, but focuses on what you want your life to look like now and moving forward.
Is ACT helpful for anxiety?
Yes. ACT is a well-researched approach for anxiety because it shifts your relationship with worry. Instead of trying to make anxiety disappear, you learn to make room for it and keep moving toward what matters. Learn more about anxiety therapy.
What is the difference between ACT and CBT?
CBT often focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts. ACT focuses on changing your relationship with thoughts, so they have less influence over what you do. Both are evidence-based, and many people benefit from elements of each. See CBT therapy.
How long does ACT take to work?
It varies. Many people notice a difference within a few sessions as they begin practising skills like stepping back from difficult thoughts instead of arguing with them. Lasting change usually builds with steady practice between sessions and support over time.
Can ACT be combined with other therapies?
Yes. ACT integrates well with CBT, DBT skills, Narrative Therapy, IFS, and EMDR. Your psychologist will tailor the approach to your goals.
Is ACT therapy available online?
Yes. ACT works well online. Sessions are available in person at our Killarney and Bridgeland locations in Calgary, or through secure online therapy anywhere in Alberta.
A Life Guided by What Matters
If you want to move toward a life guided by your values, not by pressure, fear, or old patterns, ACT can help you take meaningful steps forward. You don’t have to wait for the “right moment.” Book online or contact our office to get matched with a Calgary psychologist trained in ACT, in person or online across Alberta.