for Mental Health Awareness Month

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A mindfulness-based behavioral therapy that uses acceptance strategies to increase psychological flexibility through commitment to actions that increase behavioral change. ACT is guided by six core principles:

1. Cognitive Defusion:  Learning cognitive defusion methods to reduce the tendency to "buy into" harmful or ineffective thoughts, images, emotions, and memories. Rather than trying to change the way we think about things or try to talk ourselves out of our opinions, cognitive defusion helps us choose to not engage with ineffective thoughts.

2. Acceptance: Allowing thoughts to flow freely, making space for them rather than spending our energy fighting against them. This includes acceptance of uncomfortable emotions and physical sensations. By learning to be more willing to tolerate discomfort, we can pursue things we do want.

3. Present Moment Awareness (Mindfulness): “Paying attention to the present moment on purpose”. Mindful connection to the present, experienced with clarity, interest, and devoid of judgment. Rather than giving in to catastrophic interpretations of what's happening, mindfulness teaches us to connect to the reality of the present moment in a more grounded way.

4. Self-as-Context: When we have anxiety or other uncomfortable internal experiences, it feels as though they're harmful to us. This often results in trying to suppress or avoid these feelings, making them more intense and unpleasant. Recognizing that these painful experiences don't actually harm us but are just some of our many internal events can help us act in meaningful ways.

5. Values Clarification: Discovering what's most important to our authentic self. Values can be thought of as our guiding compass. Every significant goal inevitably has unpleasant components we'd rather not experience. By clarifying values and acting in ways that are congruent with them, we become less avoidant of uncomfortable experiences.

6. Committed Action: Moving toward value-based goals effectively. By making an effort to commit to daily action that moves us towards our goals, we can align with our intrinsic values and find purpose in our lives.
   

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A type of psychotherapy that combines cognitive and behavioral treatment to help individuals change maladaptive ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. There is significant scientific evidence that CBT’s methodologies produce change for individuals, as it is one of the most highly researched and utilized modalities in western society. CBT is based on several core principles, including:

• Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking.

• Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.

• People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives.

CBT treatment usually involves efforts to change thinking patterns. These strategies might include:

• Learning to recognize one’s distortions in thinking that are creating problems, and then to reevaluate them in light of reality.

• Gaining a better understanding of the behavior and motivation of others.

• Using problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations.

• Learning to develop a greater sense of confidence in one’s own abilities.

CBT treatment also usually involves efforts to change behavioral patterns. These strategies might include:

• Facing one’s fears instead of avoiding them.

• Using role playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with others.

• Learning to calm one’s mind and relax one’s body.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): An evidence based treatment that focuses on four core skills (mindfulness, acceptance & distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness). DBT is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and has been shown to be effective in reducing or resolving symptoms in individuals struggling with Anxiety and Depression, Substance Use Disorder, Eating Disorders, PTSD, and Borderline Personality Disorder. The word “dialectical” comes from the idea of combining two opposing ideas, for example, “change” and “acceptance”. Or, a practical example used in a therapeutic context, “I am feeling extremely anxious about taking the final exams, and also, I am feeling very excited”. 

**Click on the hyperlinks below to access worksheets you can use at home and/or with your therapist**

• Mindfulness: Learn to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions through Mental Noting. Learn to observe yourself without judgment. Practice Mindful Breathing. Utilize the skill of Wise Mind to make decisions that balance your rational and emotional mind. 

• Distress Tolerance: Cope with difficult and painful situations by utilizing various skills. Become confident and resilient. A few skills are Radical Acceptance, Distracting Activities, and Self-Soothing.

• Emotional Regulation: Manage emotions. Change unproductive emotions using Self-Validation. Balance Emotional Urges. Creative positive emotions.

• Interpersonal Effectiveness: Learn to manage your relationships by identifying Communication Styles. Be assertive in what you want by using Scripts and Interpersonal Rights. Learn to say “no”. Manage conflict. Develop healthy social relationships by building Trust in Relationships.