Primary Goals
During intake, Deborah said her primary treatment goal was to address the anxiety, and her alcohol and marijuana use, so she could go back to work. She felt this would help with her income, and her feelings about herself and her life. Those choices were discussed in the context of whether they’d help her to live a life that had meaning for her.
It’s important to note that reducing alcohol and marijuana use isn’t done because of an assumption that they’re a problem. Within ACT, we’re agnostic about whether any given behavior is problematic. It’s only a problem when it interferes with a client’s ability to move forward with their life, consistent with their personally-chosen values.