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ACT resources
Resources to help you better understand how you work and how you can make changes in your life.
Below you'll find a series of tools based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which you can use at home, between sessions, or on your own. The sheets marked with a download are fillable directly on your computer or phone. Those marked as external links take you to resources created by other authors or specialized organizations.
Important: The materials below are intended for educational and self-reflection purposes. They are not a diagnosis, a treatment, or a substitute for individual therapy. If you're going through a difficult time or feel you need specialized support, I encourage you to book a session or talk to a doctor/psychotherapist.
Core ACT Tools
ACT Matrix
Clarify your values and behaviors on a single page. A 4-quadrant diagram that helps you notice the difference between avoidance behaviors and actions that bring you closer to what truly matters to you.
Choice Point
A quick map of the moments where we choose how to respond. It helps you identify the "hook" — the thought or emotion that catches you — and consciously choose between a move away from and a move toward your values.
Hexaflex – the 6 ACT processes
A map of psychological flexibility. An explanatory poster of the 6 core ACT processes (acceptance, defusion, present moment, observing self, values, committed action), with space for personal reflection.
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Values Clarification
Values Clarification Worksheet
What truly matters to you, in each area of life. A worksheet structured around 6 areas of life (family, relationships, work, health, personal growth, leisure) where you note your values and one small, concrete step for each.
ACT Journal
A daily tool for psychological flexibility. A 2-page worksheet for reflection after a difficult moment: situation, thoughts and feelings, behavior, defusion, values involved, and one small step toward what matters to you.
Cognitive Defusion
Leaves on a Stream
A cognitive defusion and mindfulness exercise. A guided, 5-10 minute exercise in which you learn to observe thoughts as passing events, placing them — in your imagination — on leaves floating down a stream.
Thought vs. Self
A short cognitive defusion exercise. A 4-step exercise that helps you create distance from a difficult thought, without denying it or fighting it.
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Mindfulness and Present Moment
RAIN
Mindfulness and self-compassion in difficult moments. A 4-step exercise (Recognize, Allow, Investigate with kindness, Nurture) for moments when an intense emotion is hard to manage.
Self-Assessment Questionnaires
AAQ-II – Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire
The standard tool used in ACT research and practice. It measures the level of experiential avoidance / psychological flexibility. It is made freely available, for clinical and personal use, by its authors.
EXTERNAL LINK: The-Acceptance-and-Action-Questionnaire AAQ-2 – opens on the website of Steven C. Hayes, PhD, co-creator of ACT
VLQ – Valued Living Questionnaire
Assesses how aligned your actions are with your values, across 10 areas of life. A scientifically validated questionnaire, made available by its author for use in treatment and research.
EXTERNAL LINK: The-Valued-Living-Questionnaire VLQ – opens on the website of Steven C. Hayes, PhD, co-creator of ACT
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Other Recommended Resources
Free Materials – Dr. Russ Harris
One of the best-known international voices in ACT. Free worksheets, book chapters, and audio materials, in English.
EXTERNAL LINK: actmindfully.com.au/free-stuff și thehappinesstrap.com/free-resources
ACT Naturally
Additional free materials for ACT practice. Worksheets and scripts, in English, for mindfulness, values, and defusion.
EXTERNAL LINK: actnaturally.net/actmaterials
Insight Timer
Free mindfulness and guided meditation app. Thousands of guided meditations, organized by category (anxiety, sleep, beginners, etc.).
EXTERNAL LINK: insighttimer.com – mobile and web app
All of the materials above are educational resources, created or adapted from established models in ACT literature (Hayes, Harris, Polk, Ciarrochi, Wilson, and others). They are meant to support personal reflection and do not replace the assessment, diagnosis, or treatment provided within an individual therapeutic setting. All rights to the original concepts, questionnaires, and models remain with their respective authors and organizations; the worksheets offered here are original adaptations created for educational use; linked resources are provided for informational purposes only.