Implementing Principles of Acceptance and Commitment Coaching into Your Practice

Posted by Joe Oliver, PhD (United Kingdom) | August 1, 2024 | Comments (0)

What is Acceptance and Commitment Coaching?

Acceptance and Commitment Coaching is a rapidly expanding area within the coaching industry. Drawing its principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a widely recognized and evidence-based approach to psychotherapy, ACT encourages the acceptance of thoughts and feelings rather than trying to change them, working with issues head-on instead of trying to bury or avoid them. The six core processes of the ACT model are: acceptance, attention to the present moment, defusion, self as context, values, and committed action.

Both disciplines believe that individuals are not fundamentally broken but rather, grappling with challenges that arise from the intricate workings of the mind’s language machine. Acceptance in this context doesn’t mean resignation; it means actively embracing discomfort with openness and self-compassion, which then allows us to take active steps toward our values. This acceptance facilitates a transformative process for coachees, helping them develop psychological flexibility and initiate positive change.

Inherently humanistic, compassionate, and optimistic, acceptance and commitment coaching operates on the same premises as the ACT model itself. It focuses on the fact that every individual possesses a set of values and a core purpose. These can sometimes become obscured by the tumultuous nature of thoughts, emotions, and judgments. By identifying their most cherished principles, we can help people understand realistic and actionable ways to incorporate those values into their everyday lives.

Regardless of the industry or area of work, this versatility can effectively be applied to address a wide range of issues, including well-being and resilience, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and low confidence.

How Acceptance and Commitment Coaching Fills a Crucial Gap

The experiential and dynamic nature of acceptance and commitment coaching interactions, rooted in acceptance, mindfulness, values, and commitment, sets it apart from other coaching styles. It often opens avenues for creative exercises, metaphors, and interactive experiences that deepen an individual’s understanding of their inner world and the dynamic interplay between their behavior and the external environment. This creates a more accessible and personalized experience, engaging a wider breadth of people.

While coaching has established itself as a valuable discipline in various domains such as health and wellness, career development, and executive leadership, the growing prominence of coaching necessitates increased regulation, professionalism, and scientific rigor. Acceptance and commitment coaching fills a crucial gap in this landscape by offering a clear theoretical foundation that can be applied to any issue a coachee presents. With over 1,000 randomized controlled trials exploring ACT’s effectiveness and over 400 published meta-analyses and systematic, scoping, or narrative reviews of the ACT evidence base, the versatility has been proven, showing it is a valuable application beyond traditional therapeutic contexts.

Dropping the Anchor – An ACT Principle in Practice

In acceptance and commitment coaching, the coach’s role is to guide and support the coachee through this process of change, leveraging the language-based learning processes that are fundamental to human functioning.

As an example, one useful ACT skill that can be used in any coaching session, particularly when the coachee is struggling or caught up with difficult thoughts and feelings, is to “drop an anchor” to help them slow down and reorientate.

The dropping an anchor skill uses the ACE formula. Here’s an example of a short script:

A: Acknowledge Thoughts and Feelings

Take a moment to silently and kindly acknowledge whatever thoughts, feelings, or sensations arise within you. Imagine yourself as a curious observer, simply noticing what is happening in your inner world.

C: Come Back Into the Body

Mindfully come into your body. Observe your breath. Notice your posture. Straighten your shoulders. The aim is not to distract yourself but simply acknowledge your inner world and, at the same time, connect with your body.

E: Engage in What You are Doing

Shift your attention to the current activity you are engaged in. Take a moment to become aware of your surroundings and refocus your attention. You can try the following suggestions or come up with your own ways:

Look around the room and notice five things you can see.
Pay attention to three or four things you can hear.
Take note of any scents or smells around you.

The dropping the anchor technique aims to help the coachee ground themselves in the present moment, acknowledging thoughts and feelings while also reconnecting with their body and the activity they are engaged in.

Acceptance and commitment coaching maintains that even in the face of overwhelming thoughts or unbearable feelings, it is possible to reconnect with our core values and take meaningful action. The transformative power extends beyond mere behavioral change, empowering coachees on a personal level and honoring their lives.

Joe Oliver, PhD (United Kingdom)

Joe Oliver, PhD, is a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of Contextual Consulting, an organization providing training, supervision, and therapy in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). He is also an associate professor and overall program director for the University College London CBT for Severe Mental Health Problems post-graduate program. Joe co-authored Acceptance and Commitment Coaching: Distinctive Features and regularly provides ACT and contextual-cognitive behavioral therapy training, both nationally and internationally.

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