Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in San Francisco

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)


Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help you learn to identify your values, embrace your feelings, and more gracefully accept your circumstances so that you can build a better quality of life.

At Calm Again Counseling, we offer several forms of trauma-informed therapy, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, to help people heal from traumatic events and move toward recovery in the San Francisco area. Trauma can prevent you from moving forward and reaching your goals. The effects of trauma can limit your ability to make sense of your life and leave you feeling broken and powerless.

People who’ve experienced trauma may experience:

  • Trouble concentrating

  • Difficulty making decisions

  • Hypervigilance

  • Desire to withdraw from people

  • Hopelessness

  • Intrusive memories or flashbacks

Ongoing struggling with the effects of trauma can keep you from living the life you deserve. Our trauma-informed therapists provide a safe and compassionate atmosphere for trauma survivors to experience Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. You don’t have to feel stuck in an endless loop of suffering. Our licensed therapists can help you finally break free from your negative feelings using ACT and begin your healing process.

Acceptance and commitment therapy can help you work through trauma and rediscover inner peace.

If you’re afraid to process your trauma, you are not alone. Many people want to simply “forget” their past because it’s scary and overwhelming. The good news is that trauma therapy can help you learn to embrace your feelings, which helps you move through them more fluidly. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help address many issues, including:

Learn to live in the present again.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in San Francisco

If you're searching for San Francisco ACT therapy that supports your growth while honoring your values, you've come to the right place. At Calm Again Counseling, we offer evidence-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you move forward—especially when anxiety, trauma, or emotional pain feels overwhelming.

What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

ACT (pronounced like the word “act”) is a modern behavioral therapy that helps you stop avoiding painful thoughts or emotions. Instead of resisting discomfort, ACT teaches you to accept what is out of your control while committing to actions that align with your core values.

At our San Francisco therapy office, ACT is one of our go-to treatments for anxiety, trauma, life transitions, and even chronic stress.

Is ACT Therapy Right for You?

We often recommend ACTS therapy services when clients:

  • Feel stuck in cycles of anxiety or avoidance

  • Struggle with perfectionism or people-pleasing

  • Want to live more meaningfully but feel blocked by fear

  • Are seeking long-term tools—not quick fixes

  • Need a values-driven approach to personal growth

Whether you’re coping with trauma, making a major life change, or just feeling lost, ACT can offer the structure and mindset to guide you toward lasting peace.

Why San Francisco Clients Choose ACT

San Francisco is a fast-paced, high-pressure environment—and many of our clients struggle with anxiety that comes from trying to “do it all.” Through San Francisco ACT therapy, we help people step back from their racing thoughts and start living with intention.

We’ve seen this approach work for:

  • Professionals facing burnout

  • Parents overwhelmed by perfectionism

  • Individuals with past trauma

  • Creatives feeling paralyzed by fear of failure

ACT Therapy Techniques We Use

At Calm Again Counseling, we incorporate core ACT methods to help you develop psychological flexibility:

  • Mindfulness practices to ground you in the present

  • Values clarification to define what truly matters

  • Cognitive defusion to change your relationship with anxious thoughts

  • Committed action to guide daily choices

  • Acceptance strategies for emotional pain

You don’t need to be “fixed.” You just need tools to live more fully—and that’s what ACT offers.

ACT Therapy That Fits Your Journey

Whether you're just discovering ACT or you’ve been looking for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training near me, our team in San Francisco is here to walk with you. Our therapists are highly trained in ACT, and we tailor our approach to your specific needs.

We understand the nuance of applying ACT to diverse lived experiences. Some clients benefit from a values-based approach right away; others need help simply learning to pause and observe. Wherever you are, we’ll meet you there.

Welcome to Your Acceptance Place in SF

Calm Again Counseling is proud to be a trusted space for ACT and other anxiety-related therapies in San Francisco. Think of us as your acceptance place in SF—a supportive, nonjudgmental space where you can reconnect with your values and build a life that reflects them.

Many people feel stuck in their lives because of their past. Anyone can lose sight of their values, especially when circumstances trigger stress and anxiety. Acceptance and commitment therapy

(ACT) aims to help clients embrace their suffering and live more fully in the present, along with their suffering. As a form of behavioral therapy, ACT guides clients to take positive action.

Many people who feel broken or powerless due to their circumstances. Rather than avoid and escape your suffering, ACT helps you face difficult feelings and challenges head-on. This evidence-based treatment promotes cognitive flexibility so clients can handle whatever happens in their lives.Get Started Today

FAQs

If you’re unfamiliar with acceptance and commitment therapy, you may have questions about how it can help you. Here are a few questions we receive about ACT.

What Is Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Therapy?

Cognitive therapies like ACT focus on helping people accept their feelings rather that try to change them. ACT encourages individuals to mindfully turn toward their suffering, rather than away from it. ACT therapists use techniques to promote psychological flexibility and emotional resilience. ACT helps you slow down and embrace your suffering so that you can move meaningfully forward in your life. If you feel stuck in your life and need help understanding why you can’t move forward, ACT can help.

Is ACT Different From Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

While CBT posits that people suffer because their thinking is irrational, ACT posits that people suffer because they resist and avoid their suffering, and end up living lives that are out of line with their personal values.

Does ACT Focus On Core Principles Or Techniques?

Yes. ACT focuses on six core principles: acceptance, cognitive defusion, self-as-context, mindfulness, committed action, and value clarification. Therapists who use ACT focus on techniques like mindfulness and values-based goal setting. They also use defusion exercises to help individuals shift away from unhealthy thoughts.

ACT encourages people to focus on what difficult parts of their life they can accept, and which parts they can change. Mindfulness is an essential technique that helps people remain present without trying to change or predict the future. This technique allows people to process in a gentle way so they can choose what they need to change or accept.

What Issues Can ACT Help People Recover From?

ACT can help people recover from various issues including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and chronic pain. It can also help address the symptoms surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other types of trauma.

Connect With A Therapist Today

Contact Calm Again Counseling and connect with a therapist today. We can teach you the tools you need to gain control of your life. Connect with us today and let us help you break free from stress and move toward healing.