Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Naples, Estero & Fort Myers
Stop fighting your thoughts and start living the life that matters to you. ACT helps you build psychological flexibility so difficult emotions no longer hold you back.
What Psychological Inflexibility Looks Like
Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of trying to control your thoughts or push away difficult feelings, only to find them coming back stronger? Maybe you avoid situations that make you anxious, cancel plans because you are feeling low, or spend so much energy managing your inner world that there is little left for the things and people you care about. This is what psychologists call psychological inflexibility, and it is remarkably common.
Psychological inflexibility shows up in many ways. It might look like ruminating over past mistakes, worrying endlessly about the future, or following rigid internal rules about how you should feel or behave. It can manifest as procrastination, withdrawal from loved ones, or a persistent sense that you are going through the motions of life without actually living it. Many people describe feeling trapped by their own minds, as though their thoughts and emotions are running the show.
The irony is that the strategies most people use to cope, such as avoidance, suppression, and distraction, often make the problem worse over time. The more you try not to think about something, the more it demands your attention. ACT offers a fundamentally different approach, one that does not ask you to eliminate difficult experiences but instead helps you change your relationship with them so they no longer dictate your choices.
Is ACT Right for You?
You do not need a specific diagnosis to benefit from ACT. If any of the following feel familiar, working with an ACT-trained therapist could help:
- ✓ Organizing your life around avoiding discomfort
- ✓ Feeling disconnected from what matters to you
- ✓ Struggling to accept difficult thoughts or feelings
- ✓ Chronic anxiety or depression that has not responded to other approaches
- ✓ Wanting to build a meaningful life despite challenges
- ✓ Overthinking and getting stuck in your head
If you are looking for a structured approach that focuses on changing thought patterns directly, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be a strong fit. For building present-moment awareness as a standalone practice, explore our mindfulness-based therapy. If anxiety is your primary concern, our anxiety therapy page explains how we treat anxiety across multiple modalities. And if persistent low mood is part of the picture, our depression counseling services may also be relevant -- ACT therapists frequently work with both anxiety and depression.
Our Treatment Approach
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is built on six interconnected processes that together create psychological flexibility: acceptance, cognitive defusion, being present, self-as-context, values clarification, and committed action. At Florida Coast Counseling, our ACT-trained therapists guide you through each of these processes in a way that feels natural and personally meaningful, not like a textbook exercise.
Acceptance does not mean liking or approving of painful experiences. It means making room for them without wasting energy on a losing battle. Cognitive defusion teaches you to step back from your thoughts and see them for what they are: words and mental events, not facts that must be obeyed. Mindfulness practices help you stay grounded in the present moment rather than lost in worry or regret. And perhaps most importantly, values work helps you clarify what genuinely matters to you so that your daily actions move you toward a rich, full life. The foundational framework for this approach was laid out by Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, and Lillis (2006), whose work established the theoretical and practical basis for ACT as a distinct model of behavioral therapy.
A meta-analysis by A-Tjak and colleagues (2015), published in Behaviour Research and Therapy, found ACT to be effective across a range of psychological conditions, with outcomes comparable to established treatments like CBT. Additionally, a comprehensive review by Ruiz (2010) in the International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy documented consistent empirical support for ACT across anxiety, depression, chronic pain, substance use, and other concerns. Our therapists integrate ACT with other evidence-based approaches when appropriate, including elements of CBT and DBT. Because ACT is inherently flexible, it can be tailored to address a wide range of concerns. Whether you are dealing with a specific diagnosis or simply feeling disconnected from the life you want, ACT provides a compassionate framework for moving forward.
How ACT Compares to Other Approaches
| Approach | Primary focus | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| ACT | Acceptance + values | Builds willingness to experience difficult emotions while taking action toward what matters most; uses mindfulness as one of its core processes |
| CBT | Thought change | Identifies and restructures unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that maintain distress |
| DBT | Emotion regulation | Teaches distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal skills for managing intense emotions |
| Mindfulness | Present awareness | Cultivates nonjudgmental, moment-to-moment awareness to reduce reactivity and increase calm |
ACT incorporates mindfulness as one of its six core processes, but pairs it with values clarification and committed action. Many clients benefit from a combination of approaches, and your therapist will recommend a starting point based on your goals.
What to Expect in Sessions
ACT sessions are experiential and interactive. Rather than spending the entire hour analyzing your problems, your therapist will invite you into exercises, metaphors, and mindfulness practices designed to shift your perspective in real time. You might explore a creative metaphor that illuminates how avoidance works, practice observing your thoughts without reacting to them, or use a guided values exercise to reconnect with what gives your life meaning.
Early sessions often focus on understanding the patterns that keep you stuck. Your therapist will help you map out the cycle of struggle, noticing where your attempts to control difficult thoughts and feelings are actually narrowing your life. This is often an eye-opening experience for clients, and it happens without blame or judgment. From there, you will begin learning and practicing the core ACT skills, starting with whichever processes feel most relevant to your situation.
As therapy progresses, the emphasis shifts toward committed action. You will set small, meaningful goals aligned with your values and practice following through on them even when uncomfortable thoughts and feelings show up. Your therapist will support you through setbacks and celebrate your wins, helping you build momentum toward the kind of life you truly want. Most clients engage in ACT for 12 to 20 sessions, though the skills you learn will continue to serve you long after therapy ends.
Therapists Who Specialize in ACT
Angelina Papazova, MS, CRC, RMHCI
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
Naples office — Focuses on CBT, ACT, and DBT to help clients develop practical skills for navigating life stress
Micki Besse, MS, MA, RMHCI
Registered Mental Health Counseling Intern
Estero office — Integrates ACT, Gestalt Therapy, and Narrative Therapy with a trauma-informed, holistic lens
Stephen Bridges, MSW, RSWI
Registered Clinical Social Work Intern
Estero & Fort Myers offices — Utilizes CBT, DBT, and ACT in a collaborative, person-centered approach
Izzah Zainab, MA, RMHCI
Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern
Naples office — Integrates EMDR, CBT, and psychodynamic approaches with acceptance-based techniques
Chelsea Birmingham, MSAP, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Naples office — Uses person-centered and motivational approaches to support clients through addiction recovery and co-occurring concerns
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ACT and how is it different from traditional talk therapy?
ACT is a modern, evidence-based therapy that focuses on building psychological flexibility rather than eliminating symptoms. While traditional approaches often aim to reduce or control difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT teaches you to change your relationship with them. Instead of fighting anxiety, for example, you learn to make room for it while continuing to take actions aligned with your values. The result is greater freedom and a richer life.
Does acceptance mean I have to just put up with suffering?
Not at all. Acceptance in ACT does not mean resignation or passivity. It means stopping the internal war with your own experiences so you can redirect that energy toward meaningful action. Paradoxically, when people stop struggling against their difficult emotions, those emotions often become less intense and less disruptive. Acceptance is an active, empowering choice, not a white flag.
What conditions can ACT help with?
ACT has strong research support for a wide range of concerns, including anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, stress, substance use, OCD, PTSD, and adjustment to life transitions. It is also effective for people who are not experiencing a clinical diagnosis but feel stuck, unfulfilled, or disconnected from what matters to them. Because ACT targets underlying psychological processes rather than specific symptoms, it applies broadly.
Do I need to have experience with mindfulness to benefit from ACT?
No prior mindfulness experience is needed. While mindfulness is a component of ACT, your therapist will introduce these practices gradually and in a way that feels accessible. ACT mindfulness is practical and grounded. It is not about sitting in silence for long periods but about learning to notice your thoughts and feelings with curiosity rather than getting caught up in them. Most clients find it surprisingly natural once they get started.
How long does ACT therapy usually take?
Most clients engage in ACT for approximately 12 to 20 weekly sessions, though this varies depending on your goals and the complexity of what you are working through. Some clients experience meaningful shifts within the first few sessions as they begin to relate differently to their thoughts. Your therapist will regularly check in with you about your progress and adjust the pace to fit your needs.
Insurance We Accept for ACT
We want cost to be one less thing to worry about. Florida Coast Counseling accepts most major insurance plans at all three of our offices.
Not sure if your plan is covered? Call us at (239) 427-1833 and we will check your benefits before your first session. Learn more about insurance & payment →
Ready to Start Living by Your Values?
You do not have to wait until the difficult thoughts and feelings go away to start building the life you want. Our ACT-trained therapists can help you move forward, starting today.
Available at our Naples, Estero, and Fort Myers offices, plus telehealth across Florida.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. These services are free, confidential, and available 24/7.