Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are approaches I use within individual psychotherapy. They are not separate programs.
Both can help people notice difficult thoughts, emotions, sensations, and urges without automatically letting those experiences dictate what they do next. The goal is not to eliminate discomfort before you can act.
The basic idea
People understandably try to avoid or get rid of anxiety, grief, shame, self-criticism, or other uncomfortable experiences. Sometimes that helps. Other times, avoiding discomfort starts shaping more and more of what a person does.
ACT uses the term psychological flexibility for the ability to notice what is happening internally without automatically letting it determine your behaviour.
Mindfulness builds the skill of observing thoughts and feelings without automatically treating them as facts, instructions, or emergencies.
Values are part of the work too. They help clarify what matters enough to guide your choices, including when you do not feel motivated, confident, or comfortable.
What sessions are like
In sessions, we might look at a thought you keep treating as a fact, a feeling that has started determining your choices, or something important that keeps getting postponed. I may also use brief mindfulness or noticing exercises when they help with the problem you actually came in to work on.
The point is not positive thinking or learning to stay calm all the time.
I use these approaches often in work on anxiety, ADHD, burnout, shame, and life decisions. If one of those is the reason you are coming, that page is the better starting point. This page is for people who specifically want to understand the approach.
I work with adults and older teens, generally age 16 and up.
Practical information
In person in Edmonton and virtually throughout Alberta. 50-minute sessions. $235 per session. Direct billing is available with many extended-health insurance providers depending on your plan.
