Find ACT Therapy in Montreal
Acceptance and commitment therapy sounds abstract until you see it in practice: values work, defusion exercises, and building psychological flexibility. Promptd lists ACT therapy providers across Canada so you can find someone trained in the approach and compare before your first session.
Acceptance and commitment therapy sounds abstract until you see it in practice: values work, defusion exercises, and building psychological flexibility. Promptd lists ACT therapy providers across Canada so you can find someone trained in the approach and compare before your first session.
Montreal, right now
Providers listed32
Accepting new clients26
Typical reply time~31 hours
Average session$149/h
Live numbers from provider profiles on Promptd. Every price and availability status is published by the provider.
32 ACT Therapy specialists in Montreal
Provider overview
32
Practitioners available
26
Accepting new clients
$149/h
Average session price
31h
Average response time
2
Specialties: Therapy and Assessment
7
Languages spoken
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Get matchedACT Therapy pricing in Montreal by professional title
| Profession | Avg. hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Psychologist | $182/hr |
| Psychotherapist | $136/hr |
| Counsellor | $138/hr |
| Social Worker | $136/hr |
| Sexologist | $95/hr |
| Psychoeducator | $150/hr |
ACT Therapy pricing near Montreal compared to nearby cities
| City | Avg. hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Montreal | $142/hr |
| Westmount | $142/hr |
| Outremont | $142/hr |
| Mont-Royal | $146/hr |
| LaSalle | $146/hr |
| Longueuil | $138/hr |
ACT Therapy provider breakdown by gender in Montreal
Female (91%)
Male (9%)
ACT Therapy provider breakdown by service mode in Montreal
In-person and online (81%)
Online only (19%)
From the blog
Advice and answers from our team on finding the right care.
Related specialties
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Your questions, answered
What is ACT therapy?
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a form of psychotherapy that builds psychological flexibility: the ability to handle difficult thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them, while taking action based on what you value. Unlike approaches that focus on reducing or restructuring negative thoughts, ACT teaches you to change your relationship with those thoughts so they have less power over your behaviour.
What are the 6 principles of ACT therapy?
The six core processes are acceptance (making room for difficult feelings), cognitive defusion (creating distance from unhelpful thoughts), present-moment awareness (staying grounded instead of ruminating), self-as-context (seeing yourself as more than your thoughts), values clarification (identifying what matters to you), and committed action (taking concrete steps aligned with those values). Sessions build skills across all six.
What is ACT therapy vs CBT?
CBT therapy focuses on identifying distorted thoughts and replacing them with more balanced ones. ACT takes a different angle: instead of changing the content of thoughts, it changes your relationship with them so they have less influence. CBT is typically more structured and symptom-focused, while ACT is values-driven and transdiagnostic. Both are evidence-based and some therapists draw from both.
Which is better, ACT or DBT?
They serve different purposes. DBT therapy was designed for emotional dysregulation, self-harm, and borderline personality disorder, with a structured program of individual therapy plus skills groups. ACT is broader and works across many conditions by building psychological flexibility. If emotional intensity and crisis management are the core issues, DBT is likely the better fit. If avoidance, values confusion, or getting stuck in thought loops is the main problem, ACT may be more relevant.
What concerns does ACT help with?
ACT is transdiagnostic, meaning it works across conditions rather than targeting one diagnosis. It has strong evidence for anxiety, depression, chronic pain, OCD, substance use, perfectionism, burnout, and life transitions. If anxiety is your primary concern, anxiety therapists specialists can help narrow your search. If low mood is central, depression counselling may be a more targeted starting point.
What happens in an ACT session?
A typical session includes a grounding check-in, noticing thought and emotional patterns without judgment, clarifying values, and practising skills like defusion exercises, mindfulness, or acceptance strategies. Sessions often use metaphors and experiential exercises rather than worksheets alone. Between sessions, you practise small committed actions aligned with your values.
How long does ACT therapy take?
Brief courses of 8 to 12 sessions can produce meaningful change for focused concerns. Longer courses help when issues are chronic or layered. ACT is flexible in format and adapts well to different schedules. Some providers deliver ACT through online therapy sessions, which can make consistent weekly attendance easier.
What is psychological flexibility?
Psychological flexibility is the core goal of ACT. It means being able to stay present, open to your experience, and engaged in values-based action even when thoughts and feelings are difficult. Rather than aiming to feel good all the time, ACT builds your capacity to move toward what matters regardless of internal discomfort. Research links higher psychological flexibility to better mental health outcomes across conditions.
Can ACT help with OCD?
Yes. ACT helps people with OCD by reducing the struggle against obsessive thoughts rather than trying to eliminate them. This acceptance-based approach often complements exposure and response prevention (ERP), the gold-standard OCD treatment. OCD therapists specialists increasingly integrate ACT principles, especially for clients who find traditional ERP alone too distressing to engage with initially.
Can ACT therapy help with chronic pain?
Yes, and chronic pain is one of the strongest evidence bases for ACT. The approach does not aim to eliminate pain but changes your relationship with it so pain has less control over daily decisions. ACT for chronic pain focuses on values-based activity, acceptance of physical sensations, and defusion from catastrophic thinking about pain. Multiple randomized trials show improvements in functioning, mood, and quality of life.