Have you ever felt caught in a loop of overthinking - a constant mental battle with difficult thoughts, anxiety, or guilt, where the harder you try to fight a feeling, the stronger it becomes? Most people are familiar with CBT, but did you know that therapy has profoundly evolved, offering a variety of approaches perfectly suited to your unique struggles and values?
While CBT is a powerful tool, modern psychology has evolved significantly. Today, a new generation of approaches, known as Third Wave Psychotherapy, offers a more compassionate, holistic, and flexible way to find relief. These methods like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) blend practical skills with a deeper focus on meaning, faith, and values. When combined with a Person-Centred therapeutic style, this approach offers a highly effective and culturally sensitive path to wellbeing.
This article will break down how these different therapies work together to support your unique journey and honour your background.
A Quick History of Therapy
Therapy has developed in "waves," each adding something new and building on the last. While the "waves" model often focuses on the evolution of behaviour therapy, it is crucial to acknowledge the foundational schools that came before and alongside them (American Psychological Association, 2022).
| School/Wave | Primary Focus | Key Approach | Example Modalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundational: Psychoanalysis | The Unconscious Mind | Bringing repressed conflicts and motivations into conscious awareness. | Psychoanalysis, Psychodynamic Therapy |
| First Wave: Behaviour Therapy | Changing Behaviour | Focusing on how environment and conditioning shape actions. | Classical Behaviourism |
| "Third Force": Humanistic | Human Potential and Self-Actualisation | Creating a non-judgmental, accepting environment for growth. | Person-Centred Counselling |
| Second Wave: CBT | Changing Thoughts and Behaviours | Identifying and modifying unhelpful thought / behaviour patterns. | Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) |
| Third Wave Therapies | Changing the Relationship with Thoughts and Behaviours | Acceptance, mindfulness, and living a values-driven life. | ACT, DBT, Mindfulness-Based Therapies |
| Modern: Integrative Therapy | A Blended Approach tailored to the individual | Combining elements from various schools to best meet client needs. | CBT, ACT, Person-Centred Blend |
Second Wave Foundation: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a highly effective, structured approach that gives you practical tools. It operates on the principle that your thoughts, feelings and behaviours are interconnected.
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Core Skill: Learning to identify "unhelpful thinking styles" (like catastrophising or all-or-nothing thinking) and replacing them with more balanced, realistic thoughts.
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Best For: Providing a clear structure and immediate techniques for symptom reduction in conditions like anxiety and mild depression.
Third Wave Compassion: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT builds on the structure of CBT but offers a different focus. Instead of trying to eliminate negative thoughts and feelings, ACT helps you change your relationship with them.
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Core Skill: Psychological Flexibility. This involves learning to accept difficult internal experiences (Acceptance), stepping back from negative narratives (Defusion), and committing to actions aligned with your Values, regardless of how you feel.
Key Insight: Suffering often comes not from pain itself, but from the struggle to control or avoid that pain. ACT's focus on Defusion and Values is a powerful approach for managing the intense stress often faced by South Asian and Muslim clients. This can include navigating cultural pressures, intergenerational conflict, identity struggles, or the guilt and shame associated with mental health challenges. ACT provides a framework to honour your faith and values while navigating mental distress with grace and inner peace.
ACT teaches you to "unhook" from unhelpful thoughts, so they have less control over your day. While research confirms ACT's effectiveness is comparable to CBT for anxiety and depression (JAMA Psychiatry, 2023), a major meta-analysis suggests that ACT may show better maintenance of gains over time (Ruiz, 2012). This powerful combination of focused tools and sustainable acceptance often leads clients to successfully combine both ACT and CBT approaches in their therapy (PubMed, 2022).
A Personal Note on ACT and Values: As a therapist and a Muslim, I have personally found ACT to be profoundly insightful and resonant with our principles. The core of ACT is living a life guided by your deepest values. For many of us, these values are directly tied to our faith: to compassion, justice, connection to others and spiritual purpose.
Specialised Support: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a highly structured form of CBT that was originally developed to treat complex emotional dysregulation but is now effective for anyone who struggles with intense emotional reactions.
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Core Skill: Learning practical skills in four key areas: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness.
The Power of Integration
At Amaanah Wellbeing, I believe the most effective therapy is one that is tailored to you. That is why I integrate these approaches with a strong Person-Centred foundation.Together, these therapies provide holistic mental health support, helping you heal emotionally and make meaningful changes in your life.
| Approach | Contribution to Your Therapy | Why it Matters |
|---|---|---|
| CBT | Provides structure, goals, and clear techniques. | Offers concrete tools you can practice immediately in your daily life. |
| ACT | Fosters acceptance, mindfulness, and values-driven living. | Helps reduce mental struggle with overwhelming emotions, cultural pressures, or spiritual guilt. |
| Person-Centred | Guarantees warmth, non-judgement, and a safe space to explore. | Essential for building trust and rapport in an online setting, especially for those in the South Asian and Muslim communities where trust and privacy are paramount (PHE, 2022). |
Whether you are struggling with anxiety, identity, overthinking, or emotional pressure, seeking a therapist who understands the intersection of culture, faith, and evidence-based practice is vital. My integrative approach to therapy combines the best of CBT, ACT and Person-Centred care to help you stop fighting your mind, connect with your values and start living a life that is truly meaningful to you.
Take the first step toward a more flexible and peaceful life.
Helpful Resources
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) - Information about ACT and research.
NHS Every Mind Matters - Tools and tips for everyday mental health.
The Reality Slap (by Russ Harris) - A book applying ACT to cope with major life setbacks, loss, and pain.
The Happiness Trap (by Russ Harris) - A client-focused book to ACT principles for overcoming anxiety and low mood.
Sources
American Psychological Association (APA). (2022). Different approaches to psychotherapy. Source for general categories and principles of the major schools.
Beck, A. T. (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. Foundational text for Cognitive Therapy
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change. Foundational text for ACT
Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being (2nd ed.). Foundational work where Abraham Maslow referred to Humanistic Psychology as the "Third Force."
Norcross, J. C., & Goldfried, M. R. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of Psychotherapy Integration (2nd ed.). A key reference for the theory and practice of Integrative Therapy.
Public Health England (PHE). (2022). Review of ethnic inequalities in mental health. Report highlighting disparities in access to culturally sensitive mental health services, particularly for South Asian and Muslim groups in the UK. (
Ruiz, F. J. (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy versus Traditional Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Study comparing ACT and CBT effectiveness.
Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and Human Behavior. Foundational text for Behaviourism.
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