Voyager Recovery Center in Lake Forest, CA provides Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as part of a comprehensive, evidence-based addiction treatment program focused on mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and long-term healing.
ACT helps clients manage cravings, challenging thoughts, and emotional discomfort by teaching acceptance, defusion, values-based living, and committed action—rather than relying on avoidance or substance use.
What is ACT in addiction treatment? ACT is a mindfulness-based behavioral therapy that helps individuals observe thoughts and emotions without judgment while taking actions aligned with personal values and recovery goals.
ACT is integrated into detox, residential, PHP, and IOP levels of care and is especially effective for clients with co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and chronic pain.
Voyager combines ACT with other evidence-based approaches—such as CBT, Motivational Interviewing, trauma therapy, and behavioral activation—to support whole-person recovery and long-term relapse prevention.
Healing from addiction requires more than willpower—it requires learning how to live with your thoughts and emotions without being controlled by them. At Voyager Recovery Center in Lake Forest, CA, we offer Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as part of our comprehensive, evidence-based addiction treatment programs.
ACT is a powerful, mindfulness-based psychotherapy that helps people stop fighting their inner experiences and instead focus on what truly matters—their values, purpose, and long-term goals. For individuals struggling with substance use disorders (SUDs), ACT teaches a new way to relate to cravings, negative thoughts, and difficult emotions without falling back into addictive behaviors.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, often called ACT, is part of the “third wave” of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches. It was developed by psychologist Steven C. Hayes, along with Kelly Wilson and Kirk Strosahl, to help people build psychological flexibility—the ability to adapt to challenges while staying committed to one’s personal values.
ACT combines six core principles that help clients reduce experiential avoidance and live more fully in the present moment:
At Voyager Recovery Center, our clinical psychologists and behavioral health professionals use ACT to help clients find clarity, resilience, and direction in recovery.
Whether you’re reaching out for yourself or someone you love, you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to listen, to guide, and to help you take that first step toward something better. Call us, ask questions, or just talk things through — no expectations, no pressure. Healing starts with a conversation. Let’s have it.
Many individuals with substance use disorders turn to alcohol or drugs as a way to escape negative emotions or painful memories. ACT helps clients confront that avoidance head-on. Rather than trying to eliminate discomfort, ACT teaches acceptance of internal experiences while encouraging actions that support recovery and long-term goals.
This approach is particularly effective for:
Research from the SAMHSA and the National Institutes of Health (gov) supports ACT as an evidence-based practice for both addiction and mental health conditions, improving psychological flexibility and reducing relapse rates.
Both ACT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are evidence-based approaches, but their focus differs. While CBT emphasizes challenging and changing negative thoughts, ACT emphasizes acceptance and defusion—changing how you relate to those thoughts instead of trying to eliminate them.
For example:
This subtle shift can make all the difference for people in recovery. ACT helps clients stop struggling against their inner experiences and instead take consistent, committed action toward recovery, health, and personal meaning.
At Voyager Recovery Center, ACT therapy helps clients achieve several key outcomes:
Addiction often locks people into rigid patterns—avoid pain, seek relief, repeat. ACT restores flexibility, allowing clients to tolerate distress while still choosing behaviors aligned with recovery.
Through mindfulness and cognitive defusion, clients learn to observe cravings as temporary sensations rather than commands to act. This approach reduces impulsive reactions and helps prevent relapse.
ACT helps clients identify what truly matters beyond addiction—such as family, creativity, or personal growth—and take small, daily steps toward those values, reinforcing motivation for change.
Instead of using drugs or alcohol to escape pain, clients learn healthy coping mechanisms like journaling, breathing exercises, or connecting with supportive peers.
Many people with substance abuse histories carry deep shame or self-criticism. ACT fosters kindness toward oneself, which is critical for sustainable addiction recovery and improved mental health.
ACT therapy at Voyager Recovery Center is integrated into a wide range of treatment programs, including detox, inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient (IOP) care. Clients experience ACT principles through individual counseling, group therapy, and experiential sessions.
Some common interventions include:
These practices strengthen emotional regulation and self-awareness—skills that are vital to relapse prevention and life after treatment.
Voyager’s addiction treatment approach is never one-size-fits-all. ACT is most effective when combined with other evidence-based practices that address different dimensions of recovery.
ACT may be integrated with:
This combined approach supports both mental health and physical recovery, ensuring clients receive a balanced, holistic path to wellness.
ACT is particularly helpful for individuals facing both addiction and mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD. By targeting negative emotions and rigid thinking patterns, ACT promotes resilience and self-regulation across all areas of life.
Our licensed healthcare providers and clinical psychologists specialize in dual-diagnosis care, ensuring each treatment plan addresses the underlying psychological, emotional, and behavioral challenges that contribute to substance abuse.
Incorporating ACT into your recovery plan can lead to meaningful, lasting change. Benefits include:
By helping clients live in the present moment instead of the past or future, ACT creates space for healing, forgiveness, and forward motion.
ACT can be successfully applied across various forms of substance use disorder and behavioral health challenges, including:
No matter the substance or underlying cause, ACT helps individuals develop healthier relationships with thoughts, cravings, and emotional discomfort.
At Voyager Recovery Center, we believe recovery is about more than staying sober—it’s about building a life that feels meaningful and worth living. Our addiction treatment programs integrate ACT principles throughout the recovery process, empowering clients to stay grounded in their values, connected to their purpose, and committed to change.
Our treatment environment in Lake Forest, California, offers privacy, comfort, and compassionate care from experienced clinicians who understand the complexities of substance use and mental health. We provide both inpatient and outpatient program options, along with family involvement and relapse prevention planning.
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, alcohol dependence, or co-occurring mental health issues, ACT therapy can help you reclaim control and rediscover meaning in your life.
Call (949) 415-5104 to speak with an admissions specialist at Voyager Recovery Center or verify your insurance coverage today. With Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Addiction in Lake Forest, CA, recovery isn’t about fighting your emotions—it’s about learning to live fully with them, guided by values, purpose, and freedom from addiction.
ACT teaches clients to acknowledge cravings, emotions, and difficult thoughts without being controlled by them. By focusing on values-based actions, clients develop resilience and reduce reliance on substances as coping mechanisms.
While CBT focuses on modifying specific thoughts, ACT emphasizes accepting internal experiences and changing how individuals respond to them. This approach builds psychological flexibility—an essential skill for navigating cravings and triggers.
ACT is especially effective for individuals who struggle with emotional avoidance, chronic cravings, trauma-related symptoms, anxiety, or depression. It also benefits clients seeking a mindfulness-based approach to recovery.
ACT is integrated with evidence-based treatments such as CBT, Motivational Interviewing, trauma therapy, and holistic wellness practices. This blended approach supports both the emotional and behavioral aspects of addiction recovery.
Yes. ACT strengthens coping skills by teaching clients to tolerate discomfort, manage cravings mindfully, and make choices aligned with their values. This reduces impulsive reactions and supports long-term sobriety.
Dr. Lori Bohn is the Medical Director at Voyager Recovery Center and a Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. With over a decade of experience in integrative medicine, she specializes in addiction psychiatry and women’s mental health.
