Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota
If anxiety, depression, or relentless stress has started running your life, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy offers a specialized way forward. ACT is an evidence-based approach, and our specialized therapists in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota use it to help you stop fighting your difficult thoughts and feelings and start living by what matters most to you. Rather than trying to argue your worries away, you learn to notice a thought as just a thought, make room for the emotion underneath it, and still choose the action that fits the life you want. The result is psychological flexibility, the ability to stay present, stay open, and keep moving toward your values even when life is hard.
What is Unique About Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT stands apart from other therapies because of its focus on psychological flexibility rather than symptom removal. The work centers on a few core skills that fit together, which are:
Mindfulness - ACT uses mindfulness practices to help you stay focused on the present moment and step back from unhelpful thoughts.
Value-driven action - Instead of avoiding discomfort, ACT helps you identify your core values and take committed steps toward them, even when difficult emotions show up.
Acceptance - ACT treats thoughts and feelings as a natural part of life. Reducing the struggle against them frees up energy you can spend on what matters.
Cognitive defusion - You learn to observe your thoughts without getting tangled in them, which loosens their grip on your behavior.
The Six Core Principles of ACT
ACT is built on six principles that work together to build psychological flexibility and help you live in line with your values.
Cognitive defusion. Seeing thoughts as thoughts rather than facts that must direct your behavior.
Acceptance. Allowing both comfortable and uncomfortable experiences to be present without suppressing or avoiding them.
Contact with the present moment. Staying grounded in the here and now instead of getting lost in past regret or future worry.
Self as context. Observing your thoughts and feelings from a steady vantage point, recognizing that you are more than the sum of them.
Values. Identifying what truly matters to you and using those values to guide your choices.
Committed action. Taking concrete steps toward a values-based life, even in the face of obstacles.
What ACT Therapy Can Help With
ACT is a versatile approach that supports a wide range of concerns. People come to ACT for help with:
Depression and persistent negative thoughts
Stress and burnout, including workplace stress
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Chronic pain and the emotional weight that comes with it
Obsessive thoughts and compulsive patterns
Perfectionism and harsh self-criticism
Major life transitions, identity shifts, and relationship challenges
ACT Therapy in St. Petersburg, FL
Our St. Petersburg therapists bring deep, specialized experience in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to adults and couples across Pinellas County. This is where our strongest ACT expertise sits, with clinicians trained in ACT, third-wave CBT, and mindfulness-based methods. St. Petersburg clients can meet in person at our local office or connect through virtual therapy anywhere in Florida. ACT here is especially well suited to high-achievers, perfectionists, and people navigating identity or life-stage change.
ACT Therapy in Tampa, FL
If you are searching for an ACT therapist in Tampa, our clinicians help adults move from constant struggle with anxiety, stress, and self-doubt toward a life guided by their values. Tampa clients work with therapists who hold focused training in ACT and related mindfulness-based approaches, in person at our Tampa office or through secure virtual sessions across Florida. Whether you are facing a career transition, managing chronic worry, or feeling stuck without knowing exactly why, ACT gives you practical skills you can use right away.
ACT Therapy in Sarasota, FL
Our Sarasota therapists use ACT to help you stop avoiding hard emotions and start building a life that feels meaningful again. The approach pairs mindfulness with concrete, values-based action, which makes it a strong fit for anxiety, stress, grief, and life transitions. Sarasota clients are seen in person at our Sarasota office or through statewide virtual therapy. Each therapist works within a focused specialty rather than treating everything, so your care is matched to genuine expertise.
Virtual ACT Therapy Across Florida
ACT translates exceptionally well to telehealth. The mindfulness exercises, values work, and skills practice at the heart of the approach work just as effectively over secure video as they do in the room. Clients anywhere in Florida, from Orlando and Jacksonville to Miami and Fort Myers, can work with our ACT-trained therapists in Florida.
Who Can Benefit From ACT Therapy?
ACT is a good fit for many people, and it is especially powerful if you recognize yourself in any of the following.
You feel like you are fighting your own thoughts and emotions and losing energy to the struggle.
You are an overthinker, and worry or rumination keeps pulling you out of the present.
You hold yourself to impossibly high standards and your inner critic is relentless.
You feel stuck or unfulfilled but cannot point to a single clear problem.
You have tried to eliminate anxiety or sadness and want a different approach that helps you live alongside it.
You want therapy that connects daily action to a clear sense of what matters to you.
What to Expect in ACT Therapy Sessions
ACT sessions are active and experiential. Early on, your therapist helps you get clear on your values and on the patterns of avoidance or struggle that are keeping you stuck. From there, sessions blend mindfulness exercises, metaphors, and skills practice with real planning for the actions you want to take between appointments.
You will not be asked to argue your negative thoughts away. Instead you will practice noticing them, making room for the feelings that come with them, and choosing your next step based on your values rather than your fear. Many people notice meaningful change within eight to twelve sessions, though the right length depends on your goals and circumstances. ACT also combines well with other approaches, including traditional CBT and DBT, when that serves your care.
ACT vs. CBT vs. DBT: Which Approach Fits Your Needs?
ACT, CBT, and DBT are all evidence-based and all rooted in the cognitive behavioral tradition, but they emphasize different things. The table below shows how they compare.
Meet ACT-Informed Therapists at It Begins Within
Our ACT-trained clinicians work within focused specialties, which lets them go deeper than a generalist can. Each is selected and led by Dr. Mary Perleoni.
Andreas Balasis, LCSW
Andreas holds advanced training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, third-wave CBT, and mindfulness-based approaches, with DBT-informed skills woven in. He supports adults with anxiety, perfectionism, emotional regulation, performance psychology, and major life transitions.
Tyler Macdonald, lMHC
Tyler is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida who draws on ACT and related approaches in his work with clients. He brings a steady, practical style to therapy, helping people build the skills to act on their values rather than stay stuck in avoidance.
Amanda Farris, LCSW
Amanda works with adults using evidence-based modalities including ACT, attachment-focused EMDR, and DBT. She helps clients address trauma, depression, anxiety, self-harm, and other high-risk patterns, and as a registered yoga teacher she can bring mindfulness and body-centered practices into the work when that fits the client.
Frequently Asked Questions About ACT Therapy
Is ACT therapy good for anxiety and overthinking?
Yes. ACT is well suited to anxiety and overthinking because it does not ask you to win an argument with your worried thoughts. Instead you learn to notice the worry, unhook from it, and redirect your attention and energy toward what matters. Over time this loosens the grip of rumination and reduces how much anxiety dictates your choices.
Is ACT therapy helpful for perfectionism or self-criticism?
Very much so. Perfectionism is often driven by rigid rules and a harsh inner critic. ACT helps you create distance from those critical thoughts, accept that discomfort and imperfection are part of any meaningful pursuit, and act on your values instead of chasing an impossible standard. Many high-achievers find this approach freeing.
Can ACT help if I feel stuck but do not know exactly what is wrong?
Yes. You do not need a clear diagnosis or a single identifiable problem to benefit from ACT. The work often starts by clarifying your values and noticing where avoidance or struggle is quietly draining you. That process tends to surface what has been keeping you stuck, even when you could not name it going in.
How does ACT differ from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Both change behavior, but traditional CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts, while ACT focuses on accepting thoughts and feelings without necessarily changing them. ACT centers on living in line with your values rather than on symptom reduction alone.
How long does ACT therapy take?
It varies with your goals. Some people see meaningful improvement within eight to twelve sessions, while others continue longer to fully integrate the skills into daily life.
Can ACT be combined with other therapies?
Yes. ACT combines effectively with traditional CBT, DBT, and other mindfulness-based approaches, allowing your therapist to tailor a plan to your needs.
Schedule Free Consultation
If ACT sounds like the right fit, the next step is a conversation. At It Begins Within, the relationship between you and your therapist is the strongest predictor of success in therapy, so we offer a free consultation to make sure the match is right before you begin. Our ACT-trained specialists see clients in person in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota, and virtually across Florida.