2nd Story Counseling | ACT Therapy in Chicago’s Lakeview
📍 655 W Irving Park Rd #204, Chicago, IL 60613 | 📞 773-528-1777
Are you searching for an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) therapist in Chicago? At 2nd Story Counseling in Lakeview, ACT is one of the core approaches our therapists use — particularly for clients who have spent years fighting their own thoughts and feelings and are ready to try something different.
The central insight of ACT is both simple and counterintuitive: the harder you try to suppress or eliminate difficult thoughts and emotions, the stronger they tend to become. ACT offers a different path — one built on acceptance, psychological flexibility, and moving toward what genuinely matters to you.
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy developed by psychologist Steven Hayes. It belongs to the same family as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) but takes a distinct approach: rather than focusing primarily on changing distorted thoughts, ACT focuses on changing your relationship to those thoughts.
In ACT, thoughts and feelings are not the enemy. They are part of the human experience — and trying to get rid of them often makes things worse. The goal is psychological flexibility: the ability to be fully present, accept what you cannot control, and take meaningful action aligned with your values even when life is difficult.
The Six Core Processes of ACT
ACT works through six interconnected processes that together build psychological flexibility:
🌿 The Six Core Processes of ACT
- Acceptance — making room for difficult thoughts and emotions rather than fighting them; allowing them to exist without letting them control your behavior
- Cognitive Defusion — learning to observe thoughts as mental events rather than facts; stepping back from the story your mind is telling and seeing it for what it is
- Present Moment Awareness — developing the ability to be fully engaged with what is happening right now, rather than caught in rumination about the past or worry about the future
- The Observing Self — connecting with the part of you that notices and observes — the stable, continuous “you” that exists behind your thoughts and feelings
- Values Clarification — identifying what genuinely matters to you in life — not what you think should matter, but what actually does — and using that as a compass for action
- Committed Action — taking meaningful steps toward your values, even when it’s uncomfortable; building a life of purpose rather than waiting for the difficult feelings to go away first
What ACT Treats
ACT has a strong and growing research base for a wide range of challenges. At 2SC, our therapists commonly use ACT for:
- Depression — breaking the cycle of avoidance and reconnecting with meaningful activity
- Generalized anxiety and chronic worry — reducing the struggle with anxious thoughts rather than amplifying it
- Grief and loss — accepting the reality of loss while finding a path forward
- Perfectionism and self-criticism — loosening the grip of impossibly high standards
- Trauma and PTSD — processing traumatic experiences with greater psychological flexibility
- Addiction and substance use — building values-based motivation for change and tolerating urges without acting on them
- Chronic illness and pain — improving quality of life by changing the relationship to pain rather than fighting it
- Career stress and purpose — clarifying values when work feels meaningless or misdirected
- Quarter-life and identity questions — building a life that is genuinely chosen rather than defaulted into
- Relationship challenges — communicating more effectively and acting in line with your values as a partner
How ACT Differs From CBT
Both ACT and CBT are evidence-based and focus on the relationship between thoughts and behavior. The key difference is what they do with difficult thoughts.
CBT typically works to identify and challenge distorted thinking — to replace inaccurate thoughts with more realistic ones. ACT takes a different angle: it is less concerned with whether a thought is accurate and more concerned with whether engaging with it is helpful. Rather than arguing with the thought, ACT teaches you to observe it, make room for it, and choose your behavior based on your values rather than your fear.
In practice, many clients benefit from both — and at 2SC, our therapists draw on whichever approach serves you best, often integrating elements of each.
🔗 ACT and IFS: A Powerful Combination
At 2SC, ACT is frequently paired with Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy — and the combination is particularly effective.
ACT builds the psychological flexibility to accept and observe difficult thoughts and feelings. IFS goes deeper — working with the specific inner parts that generate those thoughts and feelings in the first place. The observing self in ACT and the Self in IFS share a deep conceptual overlap: both point to a stable, compassionate core that can witness inner experience without being consumed by it.
Clients who engage with both approaches often find that the acceptance skills from ACT make the deeper parts work in IFS more accessible — and vice versa. This integration is one of the things that distinguishes 2SC’s approach from practices that treat each modality as a standalone tool.
What to Expect in ACT Sessions at 2SC
ACT sessions at 2nd Story Counseling are collaborative and experiential. You will not just talk about your thoughts — you will practice working with them differently. Sessions typically involve:
- Mindfulness exercises — building present-moment awareness and the ability to observe thoughts without fusing with them
- Values exploration — clarifying what genuinely matters to you and what a values-driven life would look like
- Metaphors and experiential exercises — ACT uses vivid metaphors and exercises to make abstract concepts concrete and personally meaningful
- Committed action planning — identifying specific steps you can take between sessions toward a more meaningful life
- Between-session practice — like CBT, ACT involves work outside the therapy room; building new habits of mind takes consistent practice
ACT is used in our individual therapy work and can be integrated with other approaches as needed. Sessions are available in person at our Lakeview office and via telehealth throughout Illinois.
If you are tired of fighting your own mind and ready to try a different approach, ACT may be exactly what you are looking for. Our Chicago ACT therapists are here to help.
Ready to get started? Call us at (773) 528-1777 or reach out through our confidential online contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions: ACT Therapy in Chicago
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
ACT is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy that builds psychological flexibility — the ability to accept difficult thoughts and feelings, stay present, clarify your values, and take meaningful action in your life even when things are hard. Rather than fighting or eliminating difficult thoughts, ACT changes your relationship to them.
How is ACT different from CBT?
CBT focuses on identifying and changing distorted thinking. ACT is less concerned with whether a thought is accurate and more focused on whether engaging with it is helpful. ACT teaches you to observe thoughts without being controlled by them, and to act based on your values rather than your fear or discomfort.
What does ACT treat?
ACT has strong research support for depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, addiction, chronic pain, perfectionism, relationship challenges, career stress, and identity questions. It is also particularly effective for people who have tried other approaches and still feel stuck.
Is ACT a good fit for me?
ACT tends to be especially effective for people who have spent a lot of energy trying to control or suppress their thoughts and feelings — and found that it hasn’t worked. If you are someone who is intellectually curious, open to experiential exercises, and willing to explore what genuinely matters to you, ACT is likely a strong fit.
Do you combine ACT with other approaches?
Yes. At 2SC, ACT is frequently combined with IFS and CBT depending on what you need. Our therapists are trained across multiple modalities and bring them to bear in an integrated way — not as a rigid protocol.
Is ACT available via telehealth?
Yes. ACT sessions are fully available via secure, HIPAA-compliant video for clients anywhere in Illinois. The experiential and mindfulness-based elements of ACT translate well to telehealth.
How do I get started with ACT therapy at 2nd Story Counseling?
Call us at (773) 528-1777 or use our online contact form. We will match you with a therapist whose background and approach fit your needs and get you scheduled for an initial consultation.