Identify what matters most to you in areas such as:
For example, instead of thinking::
- Relationships
- Family
- Career
- Health
- Spirituality
- Community
- Personal growth
Values serve as a compass for making meaningful decisions.
Stop Fighting Your Thoughts. Start Living Your Values.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Chicago and the Western Suburbs.
Many people come to therapy hoping to get rid of painful thoughts, uncomfortable emotions, or anxiety. While this is a natural goal, the harder we fight our internal experiences, the more powerful they often become. Trying to suppress worry, avoid sadness, or eliminate fear can sometimes leave us feeling even more stuck.
At Grace Integrated, we provide Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families throughout Chicago and the western suburbs. ACT is an evidence-based therapy that helps people develop a different relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions—one based on acceptance, flexibility, and purposeful action rather than avoidance and struggle.
Overview
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
Instead of asking, “How do I stop feeling anxious?” ACT asks, “How can I build a meaningful life even when difficult emotions show up?”
Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, chronic illness, grief, stress, or a major life transition, ACT helps you develop the psychological flexibility to navigate life’s challenges while staying connected to what matters most.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a modern, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that helps individuals respond more effectively to difficult thoughts, emotions, and life experiences.
ACT is based on the idea that emotional pain is a normal part of being human. Rather than trying to eliminate uncomfortable emotions, ACT teaches people how to make room for them while continuing to move toward a rich, meaningful, and values-driven life.
At the heart of ACT is psychological flexibility — the ability to remain present, respond intentionally, and take meaningful action even when facing difficult thoughts or feelings.
ACT helps individuals:
- Develop a healthier relationship with anxious or self-critical thoughts
- Reduce avoidance behaviors
- Increase emotional resilience
- Clarify personal values
- Build mindfulness skills
- Strengthen self-compassion
- Make choices that align with what matters most
Instead of asking whether a thought is true or false, ACT often asks:
“Is this thought helping you live the life you want?”
This shift allows people to stop struggling with their internal experiences and begin investing their energy in living according to their values.
Is this the right time?
Signs You May Benefit From ACT
Many people become stuck because they spend enormous energy trying to control or avoid difficult emotions.
You may benefit from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy if you:
Struggle with chronic anxiety or worry
Experience depression or hopelessness
Feel overwhelmed by stress
Avoid situations because they create anxiety
Feel stuck in repetitive thinking or overthinking
Experience intrusive thoughts
Want to build greater resilience and emotional flexibility
Feel disconnected from your values or purpose
Struggle with grief or loss
Live with chronic pain or chronic illness
Experience burnout
Feel controlled by fear of failure or rejection
Live with OCD or perfectionism
Have difficulty accepting situations outside your control
ACT can be especially helpful when you’ve spent years trying to “fix” your emotions but continue feeling trapped by them.
Treatment Options
What ACT Can Help Treat
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been extensively researched and shown to be effective for many mental health concerns.
Our therapists commonly use ACT to help clients experiencing:
01
Anxiety Disorders
Reduce the struggle with worry, panic, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety while learning to respond with greater flexibility and confidence.
02
Depression
Reconnect with meaningful activities, relationships, and personal values while reducing the impact of self-critical thoughts and emotional withdrawal.
03
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Develop new ways of responding to intrusive thoughts without becoming trapped in compulsive behaviors or endless mental battles.
04
Trauma and PTSD
Increase emotional flexibility while supporting trauma recovery alongside approaches such as EMDR, Somatic Therapy, or Trauma-Focused CBT when appropriate.
05
Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness
Help individuals reduce the emotional struggle associated with ongoing physical conditions while improving quality of life and daily functioning.
06
Stress and Burnout
Develop healthier responses to workplace stress, caregiving responsibilities, perfectionism, and overwhelming life demands.
07
Grief and Life Transitions
Navigate loss, career changes, divorce, parenting, empty nesting, and other major life transitions while staying connected to personal values.
08
Self-Esteem and Personal Growth
Reduce self-judgment, strengthen self-compassion, and build a life guided by purpose rather than fear or self-doubt.
ACT is effective because it focuses not only on reducing symptoms but also on helping individuals create meaningful, fulfilling lives despite life’s inevitable challenges.
How We Help
The Six Core Processes of ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is built around six evidence-based processes that work together to increase psychological flexibility.
Acceptance
Learn to make room for difficult emotions rather than constantly fighting or avoiding them.
Acceptance does not mean liking pain or giving up—it means reducing the struggle so your energy can be directed toward what truly matters.
Acceptance does not mean liking pain or giving up—it means reducing the struggle so your energy can be directed toward what truly matters.
Committed Action
Take realistic, values-driven steps toward the life you want—even when fear, uncertainty, or discomfort are present.
Lasting change occurs through small, consistent actions aligned with your values rather than waiting until difficult emotions disappear.
Present-Moment Awareness
Strengthen mindfulness skills that help you stay grounded in the present instead of becoming consumed by past regrets or future worries.
Self-as-Context
Develop a broader sense of self that recognizes you are more than your thoughts, emotions, or past experiences.
ACT helps clients understand that while painful experiences are part of their story, they do not define who they are.
ACT helps clients understand that while painful experiences are part of their story, they do not define who they are.
Values Clarification
Cognitive Defusion
Develop new ways of relating to thoughts instead of automatically believing or obeying them.
For example, instead of thinking::
- ” I’m a failure. “
You may learn to notice:
- “I’m having the thought that I’m a failure.”
This subtle shift creates space between you and your thoughts.
Trusted Excellence
Why Choose Grace Integrated?
At Grace Integrated, we believe emotional well-being is about more than reducing symptoms—it’s about helping people build lives that feel meaningful, connected, and authentic.
Clients choose Grace Integrated because we provide:
Evidence-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Personalized treatment plans
Therapy for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families
Integration with CBT, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Therapy, mindfulness, and other evidence-based approaches
Trauma-informed care
Inclusive and affirming services
In-person and telehealth appointments
A compassionate, collaborative therapeutic relationship
We tailor ACT to each individual’s unique goals, strengths, and life experiences while helping clients develop lasting emotional resilience.
Your Journey
What to Expect During ACT
Initial Consultation
Your therapist will take time to understand your concerns, personal strengths, life experiences, and treatment goals while exploring how psychological flexibility can support your healing.
Values Exploration
Together, you’ll identify what truly matters to you and explore areas where fear, anxiety, or avoidance may be preventing you from living consistently with those values.
Learning New Skills
Throughout therapy, you’ll practice mindfulness, acceptance, cognitive defusion, and values-based decision-making while applying these skills to real-life situations.
Growth and Lasting Change
As therapy progresses, many clients experience:
- Greater emotional resilience
- Reduced anxiety
- Increased confidence
- Less avoidance
- Improved relationships
- Better stress management
- Greater self-compassion
- Stronger sense of purpose
- Increased psychological flexibility
ACT doesn’t promise a life without difficult emotions—it helps you develop the ability to live a meaningful life alongside them.
Serving Chicago and the Western Suburbs
Grace Integrated proudly provides Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) throughout Chicago, including our Loop and West Town offices, as well as surrounding western suburban communities including Oak Brook, Elmhurst, Lombard, Riverside, Westmont, and nearby areas.
We also offer secure telehealth therapy throughout Illinois, making compassionate, evidence-based care accessible wherever you are.
questions & answered
Frequently Asked Questions
How is ACT different from CBT?
While both are evidence-based therapies, CBT primarily focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns. ACT focuses on changing your relationship with thoughts by practicing acceptance, mindfulness, and values-based action rather than trying to eliminate or challenge every difficult thought.
Does acceptance mean giving up?
No. In ACT, acceptance means acknowledging difficult thoughts and emotions without allowing them to control your behavior. It creates space to focus your energy on meaningful action instead of constant internal struggle.
Is ACT effective for anxiety and OCD?
Yes. ACT has extensive research supporting its effectiveness for anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, chronic pain, trauma, stress, and many other mental health concerns.
Will we practice mindfulness?
Often, yes. Mindfulness is one of the core components of ACT, although exercises are adapted to each person’s comfort level and goals.
Can ACT be combined with other therapies?
Absolutely. At Grace Integrated, ACT is frequently integrated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and other evidence-based treatments depending on your needs.
CONTACTS
Build a Life Guided by What Matters Most
Painful thoughts and emotions are part of being human, but they don’t have to dictate the direction of your life. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps you develop the flexibility to face life’s challenges with courage while making choices that reflect your values, strengths, and goals.
At Grace Integrated, our therapists provide personalized, evidence-based ACT to help you move beyond avoidance, strengthen emotional resilience, and create a life filled with greater purpose, connection, and fulfillment.