ACT Worksheets
A free, clinician-reviewed set of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy worksheets you can fill in here and download as a PDF.
About this tool
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based behavioral therapy with a distinctive aim: not to reduce or eliminate difficult thoughts and feelings, but to change your relationship with them so they stop running your life. Instead of struggling to feel good, you learn to make room for discomfort and take action toward what genuinely matters to you. ACT calls the goal psychological flexibility.
Psychological flexibility rests on six processes: being present, acceptance, cognitive defusion (unhooking from thoughts), the observing self, values, and committed action. The worksheets here target these processes directly. The values and Values Bullseye tools clarify your direction; defusion exercises like Leaves on a Stream and the Cognitive Defusion sheet loosen the grip of sticky thoughts; the observing self exercise builds a stable vantage point; and the committed action plan turns it all into doable steps.
Many of ACT's most effective tools are experiential, including metaphors like Passengers on the Bus. They work by giving you a felt sense of stepping back from your mind, which logic alone rarely achieves. Used together, these worksheets build the whole ACT skill set over time.
All of our worksheets are free, run entirely in your browser, and produce a clean PDF. Nothing you write is stored or sent anywhere.
- Hayes SC, Strosahl KD, Wilson KG. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2012.
- Harris R. The Happiness Trap. 2nd ed. Trumpeter; 2022.
- A-Tjak JGL, et al. A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinically relevant mental and physical health problems. Psychother Psychosom. 2015;84(1):30-36.
ACT Worksheets FAQ
What are ACT worksheets?
Structured exercises that teach the core skills of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: clarifying your values, unhooking from unhelpful thoughts, contacting the observing self, and taking committed action toward what matters.
Which ACT worksheet should I start with?
Start with the values worksheet to set your direction, then practice defusion with Leaves on a Stream or the Cognitive Defusion sheet, then use the committed action plan to turn values into steps.
How is ACT different from CBT?
CBT often works to challenge and change distorted thoughts. ACT focuses less on whether a thought is true and more on whether holding it tightly is workable, teaching you to make room for thoughts and feelings while acting on your values.
Are these a substitute for therapy?
They are helpful self-help tools and a good complement to therapy, but not a replacement, especially for persistent or severe difficulties.