Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Children: Applications and Strategies for Using ACT with Children with Anxiety, Depression, Autism Spectrum Cond

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients to embrace their feelings and use their personal values to improve their lives. Its popularity has grown significantly in recent years, but the number of ACT resources designed to support children is still limited.

The ACT strategies and activities in this guide have been designed specifically for use with children aged 5-12, with a particular focus on the uniquely delicate connection needed for a successful practitioner-client relationship. The approach is designed to fit children’s stages of development and learning styles, allowing young clients to build skills in a way that suits their age and cognitive patterns.

Built from the author’s extensive experience in child psychology, this guide offers ways to tailor ACT for effective work with children. It includes specific and detailed guidance on tailoring ACT to specific presentations, including OCD and neurodivergent populations, as well as parenting.

Jodie Wassner is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist with over 15 years’ experience using ACT with children and young people, and over 25 years’ experience as a child psychologist. She divides her time between her private practice in Melbourne, Australia, where she works predominantly with anxiety, autism, OCD and ADHD in children, and running training and workshops for psychologists and other health professionals. She has written a 10-session manual for psychologists working with anxious children using the principles of ACT and she recently launched a YouTube channel featuring explainer videos for children to assist them to notice and manage difficult thoughts and feelings via an ACT lens. Jodie is an active member of the Association for Contextual Behavioural Sciences (ACBS) and President of the International Autism and ACT ACBS group. She is also frequently invited to present at conferences.