Evidence-based therapy that changes the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and actions — available across every level of care at Valley Spring.
Scroll to beginEvery thought shapes a feeling. Every feeling drives an action. ACT gives you the tools to intervene at the very beginning of that chain — where transformation is most powerful.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a structured, goal-oriented form of psychotherapy built on a straightforward principle: the way we think directly influences how we feel and what we do. When distorted thought patterns take hold — catastrophizing, black-and-white thinking, self-blame — they create emotional loops that fuel anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior.
ACT teaches you to recognize these automatic negative thoughts as they arise, examine the evidence for and against them, and systematically replace them with more balanced, realistic perspectives. It is not about "positive thinking" or pretending problems do not exist. It is about building a more accurate relationship with reality — one thought at a time.
Developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, ACT has become the most extensively researched psychotherapy in the world. Thousands of clinical trials have demonstrated its effectiveness for treating substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and dozens of other conditions.
At Valley Spring Recovery Center, ACT is not an add-on or a specialty track. It is woven into the fabric of every therapist's practice. From your first individual session in Partial Care through your final outpatient appointment, the ACT framework guides how our clinical team approaches your recovery — connecting the dots between your thinking patterns, your emotional responses, and your path forward.
ACT is not a trend. It is the most rigorously tested psychotherapy ever developed — backed by decades of peer-reviewed clinical research.
ACT follows a clear, repeatable process. Every session builds on the last — training your mind to catch distortions before they spiral into destructive behavior.
The first skill ACT teaches is awareness. You learn to notice the rapid-fire thoughts that appear in response to stress — "I'll never get sober," "Everyone is judging me," "One drink won't matter." These automatic thoughts feel like facts, but they are interpretations. Your therapist helps you begin logging these thoughts in real time, separating the event from your reaction, and recognizing patterns you have carried for years without question.
Once you can see the thought, you examine it. Is there actual evidence for this belief? Are you catastrophizing, overgeneralizing, or engaging in all-or-nothing thinking? Your therapist guides you through structured questioning — not to dismiss your experience, but to test it against reality. This process, called cognitive restructuring, weakens the grip that distorted thinking has on your emotions and behavior. Over time, you develop the habit of questioning thoughts automatically.
The final step is construction. You and your therapist build new, evidence-based responses to replace the distorted ones. "I'll never get sober" becomes "Recovery is hard, but I've already made it through today." These replacement thoughts are not naive optimism — they are grounded in facts and supported by behavioral experiments you design together. Over weeks and months, these healthier thought patterns become your new default, reshaping how you respond to triggers, cravings, and emotional pain.
ACT has demonstrated clinical effectiveness across a wide spectrum of mental health and substance use conditions. At Valley Spring, we apply ACT techniques to treat every condition we serve.
ACT has helped millions of people change the way they think, feel, and act. Our team is ready to guide you through every step — starting with a single conversation.
From your first session to sustained recovery, ACT threads through every phase of your treatment — evolving as you do.
Your journey begins with a comprehensive clinical assessment that identifies your unique thought patterns, triggers, and cognitive distortions. During Partial Care, your therapist introduces core ACT concepts in both individual sessions and structured group work. You learn thought logging, begin identifying automatic negative thoughts, and start building the vocabulary of self-awareness that will carry through your entire recovery. ACT Intro is part of the Week 1 Mental Health curriculum.
In IOP — whether 5-day or 3-day — ACT work intensifies. You move beyond identifying thoughts to actively challenging and restructuring them. Week 3 introduces Cognitive Flexibility training, where you practice holding multiple perspectives simultaneously. Behavioral experiments test old beliefs in safe, controlled settings. Group ACT sessions allow you to learn from peers who are working through similar distortions, building a shared language of recovery.
As you transition to Virtual IOP and Outpatient care, ACT becomes a self-directed practice. You have internalized the identify-challenge-replace cycle and can apply it independently when cravings, anxiety, or depressive episodes arise. Your therapist shifts from teacher to collaborator, helping you refine techniques and address new situations as they emerge. Through our Alumni Program, ACT skills remain available for ongoing reinforcement and support.
The thoughts that brought you here do not have to define your future. ACT gives you the tools to rewrite them — and our team is ready to walk beside you through every page.
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