Is It Anxiety ACT Worksheet

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a psychotherapy developed in the 1980s by Steven Hayes, a psychologist. Compared to other types of therapy, ACT is more action-oriented and has roots in traditional behavior therapy. It treats mental conditions such as chronic pain/stress, psychosis, OCD, depression, anxiety, and substance use/eating disorders.

To treat these conditions, ACT aims to teach the client to accept that feelings are appropriate responses to situations, experiences, thoughts, etc., instead of avoiding, denying, or struggling with their feelings. To do that, the referring physician conducting the ACT sessions will provide them with the information and tools they need to care for their well-being.

Among these tools and pieces of information are the essential core processes:

• Acceptance: The client must be able to allow and accept any opposing thoughts or feelings and allow them to happen without denying or wanting to change them.
• Cognitive Defusion: The client must be able to change their adverse and self-harming reactions to thoughts/feelings into ones that are more positive and beneficial to their well-being.
• Mindfulness/Being Present: The client must be able to be present and observe any event/thoughts they have at the moment without judging or wanting to change them.
• Self as Context: The client must accept that they are not simply a sum of their emotions, thoughts, and experiences. Furthermore, they are not defined by what happens to them.
• Values: The client must determine the values that motivate them to live a certain way.
• Committed Action: Following the determination of values, the client must be able to take the steps needed to change their life for the better amidst difficult situations, thoughts, and experiences. They may use the tools provided by the referring physician to do so.

ACT or Accepting and Commitment Therapy sessions and exercises can only be conducted by mental health professionals with ACT training, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and licensed and experienced therapists.

How to use the Is It Anxiety ACT Worksheet:

Access and Download the Template

To access and download a copy of the Is it Anxiety ACT Worksheet to print or use as a digital file, you can do either of the following:

• Click the “Download Template” or “Use the Template” button
• Search for “Is it Anxiety ACT Worksheet” in the search bar on Carepatron’s template library on the app or website

Fill the Template

After you download a copy of the template, you may give it to your client to fill out. There are straightforward instructions written in simple terms that they can follow. However, to ensure that they fill it out in a way that’ll benefit you and them, you should explain the sections, remind them that they can contact you if they have any clarifications, or use you as a sounding board if they’re having difficulties filling the worksheet out. You may use our sample template as a guide or educational resource when explaining.

Discuss the Template

If the patient consents and is comfortable sharing the worksheet's content with you, you may discuss it with them.

Store the Template Securely

Don’t forget to remind your patient to store their printed worksheet in a secure physical location or their digital worksheet on Carepatron, a HIPAA-compliant EHR, for easy access when you or they need it.

When would you use this Is It Anxiety ACT Worksheet?

Healthcare practitioners who are licensed and experienced mental health professionals with additional training in ACT, like therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors, can use the “Is it Anxiety ACT Worksheet?” when they have clients who are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or express concerns about being anxious about multiple events or situations and need help deciding if an activity, event, or condition is worth pursuing.

As for when the worksheet will be used, we’ll leave it up to the referring physician and their expertise to decide when or if they’ll have the client complete the worksheet. That’s because only you can determine if the client needs the exercise, can complete the worksheet, or this worksheet may prove effective.

What are the benefits of using this Is It Anxiety ACT Worksheet?

Improved Self-Awareness

Since the worksheet has to be done independently by the client and because of the nature of the questions, the client will develop self-awareness skills to complete the worksheet. They’ll better understand which of the actions or events they feel anxious about, understand with the help of the referring physician why they may feel anxious, and know more about their goals and reasons for pursuing or opting out of the situation/event/activity.

Provides Insight

A completed Is it Anxiety ACT Worksheet will provide insight into the client that the practitioner can use when forming a bond, understanding, and formulating a treatment plan. They’ll know what environment the client is constantly exposed to, their thought process, their reactions to anxiety-inducing events/activities/situations/actions, and the values or goals they strive to accomplish.

Empowering

For specific clients, having the option to reflect on which actions/events are worth pursuing because of their benefits to the client's mental, physical, and emotional state can feel empowering. Furthermore, it can encourage them to utilize the tools the referring physician has or will give them to manage their anxiety and participate in the said event or situation.

Easily Accessible

If you decide to use the digital file of the “Is it Anxiety ACT Worksheet,” you can easily access and complete it on any PDF editor on any gadget you have on hand. Furthermore, if you decide to store the completed worksheet on Carepatron, you can give and limit access to you, your client, and other relevant physicians.