2015 EST Status: Treatment pending re-evaluation Very strong: High-quality evidence that treatment improves symptoms and functional outcomes at post-treatment and follow-up; little risk of harm; requires reasonable amount of resources; effective in non-research settings

Strong: Moderate- to high-quality evidence that treatment improves symptoms OR functional outcomes; not a high risk of harm; reasonable use of resources

Weak: Low or very low-quality evidence that treatment produces clinically meaningful effects on symptoms or functional outcomes; Gains from the treatment may not warrant resources involved

Insufficient Evidence: No meta-analytic study could be identified

Insufficient Evidence: Existing meta-analyses are not of sufficient quality

Treatment pending re-evaluation

1998 EST Status: Modest Research Support Strong: Support from two well-designed studies conducted by independent investigators.

Modest: Support from one well-designed study or several adequately designed studies.

Controversial: Conflicting results, or claims regarding mechanisms are unsupported.

Brief Summary

Treatment Resources

Editors:Keith Gunnerson, M.A.; Zac Imel, Ph.D.

Note: The resources provided below are intended to supplement not replace foundational training in mental health treatment and evidence-based practice

Treatment Manuals / Outlines

Treatment Manuals

• ACT for Depression and Anxiety Group (Cornell University Counseling and Psychological Services)
• Group Treatment of Depression (Zettle)
• Pole to Pole: An approach for exploration and communication in bipolar (Walton et al.)
• Postpartum Depression (Klausen)

Books Available for Purchase Through External Sites

• A Practical Guide to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes & Strosahl)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Second Edition: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson)
• ACT for Depression: A Clinician’s Guide to Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Treating Depression (Zettle)
• ACT Made Simple: An Easy-To-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Harris)
• Learning ACT: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills-Training Manual for Therapists (Luoma, Hayes, & Walser)

Training Materials and Workshops

• ACT for Depression and Anxiety Disorders (Harris)

Measures, Handouts and Worksheets

• Self-Compassion Scale
• Thought Control Questionnaire
• Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ)
• Experiences Questionnaire (EQ)
• Internalized Shame Scale
• White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI)
• Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II

Self-help Books

• Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes & Smith)
• The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT (Harris)
• The Little ACT Workbook (Sinclair & Beadman)
• The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Move Through Depression and Create a Life Worth Living (Robinson & Strosahl)

Important Note: The books listed above are based on empirically-supported in-person treatments. They have not necessarily been evaluated empirically either by themselves or in conjunction with in-person treatment. We list them as a resource for clinicians who assign them as an adjunct to conducting in-person treatment.

Smartphone Apps

• ACT Coach (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
• ACTCompanion The Happiness Trap App (Berrick Psychology)

Video Demonstrations

Videos Available for Purchase Through External Sites

• ACT in Action DVD series (Hayes)

Clinical Trials

• Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression, Psychological Well-Being and Feeling of Guilt in 7-15 Years Old Diabetic Children. (Ataie et al., 2015)
• A four-session Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based intervention for depressive symptoms delivered by masters degree level psychology students: A preliminary study. (Kohtala et al., 2015)
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) versus Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for dementia family caregivers with significant depressive symptoms: Results of a randomized clinical trial. (Losada et al., 2015)
• A comparative effectiveness study of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and group cognitive therapy for major depressive disorder. (Tamannaeifar et al., 2014)
• Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on depression. (Zhao et al., 2013)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression: A Preliminary Randomized Clinical Trial for Unemployed on Long-Term Sick Leave. (Folke et al., 2012)
• Efficacy of an early intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy for adults with depressive symptomatology: Evaluation in a randomized controlled trial. (Bohlmeijer et al., 2011)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Adolescent Depression: A Pilot Study in a Psychiatric Outpatient Setting. (Hayes et al., 2011)
• Treating Inpatients with Comorbid Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Comparison of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. (Petersen & Zettle, 2009)
• A randomized controlled effectiveness trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Therapy for anxiety and depression.(Forman et al., 2007)
• Group cognitive and contextual therapies in treatment of depression. (Zettle & Rains, 1989)

Internet-Based Clinical Trials

• Acceptance and commitment therapy as a web-based intervention for depressive symptoms: randomized controlled trial. (Pots et al., 2016)
• Web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depressive symptoms with minimal support: A randomized controlled trial. (Lappalainen et al., 2015)
• ACT Internet-based vs face-to-face? A randomized controlled trial of two ways to deliver Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depressive symptoms: An 18-month follow-up. (Lappalainen et al., 2014)
• Internet-based behavioral activation and acceptance-based treatment for depression: A randomized controlled trial. (Carlbring et al., 2013)

Meta-analyses and Systematic Reviews

• Acceptance and commitment therapy – Do we know enough? Cumulative and sequential meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. (Hacker et al., 2016)
• A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinically relevant mental and physical health problems (A-Tjak et al., 2015)
• “Third wave” cognitive and behavioural therapies versus treatment as usual for depression (Churchill et al., 2013)
• DBT, FAP, and ACT: How empirically-oriented are the new behavior therapy technologies? (Hayes, et al. 2004)
• Dysfunctional control by client verbal behavior: The context of reason giving. (Zettle & Hayes, 1986)

Other Treatment Resources

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Made Easy (Fogel)