On 14 May 2026, ACAMH will host a webinar An update on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) research in children and young people.
We chatted to the presenter – Dr Victoria Samuel, a clinical psychologist who developed the InTER-ACT intervention – about the topic itself, her career, and hopes for the event.
What first got you interested in ACT for children and young people, and how did you come to specialise in it?
Around 2008, I started working in paediatric intensive care at Bristol Children’s Hospital, and quickly realised that traditional therapeutic approaches were not suitable or appropriate, as the trauma was not in the past; it was still happening. Asking people to reassess ‘unrealistic’ thoughts about threat and danger, which is typical of CBT, was not appropriate when perceptions of threat were realistic (even survival was often uncertain) and treatment created ongoing trauma.
I’d undertaken some initial ACT training and found this invaluable on the unit – particularly for supporting parents. I went on to develop an ACT-based programme to support the nurses on the unit, who, until then, had had no psychological training, despite the incredibly challenging nature of the role.
I then undertook significant further specialist training in ACT and started using ACT routinely in my therapeutic work with children and young people.
What exactly is ACT, and how does it differ from other interventions or programmes that children and young people might be offered?
ACT is a 3rd wave evidence-based cognitive therapy, created in the 1980s by Steven Hayes. A distinguishing feature of ACT is that psychological suffering is conceptualised as a normal, inevitable consequence of the way the mind works – and not indicative of a disorder.
Consequently, symptom reduction is not viewed as a goal of ACT. In fact, attempts to control or get rid of difficult thoughts and feelings are viewed as causing a lot of problems. The aim of ACT is to help people develop ‘psychological flexibility’, so they can take action in line with their values, in pursuit of a more meaningful life, even when painful thoughts and feelings show up.
Is there anything that you think people don’t quite understand about ACT, or a common mistake people make with it?
I think with the growing popularity of ACT and the proliferation of resources online, it can be tempting to print off a handout and teach someone ACT skills, with little understanding of ACT theory or ethos.
This can be problematic, as without understanding the underlying framework for ACT, a practitioner can inadvertently undermine key ACT principles and confuse the client, particularly if the ACT skill is used alongside other approaches.
Another area that can be overlooked with ACT is the need to practice what you preach. I don’t think you can’t authentically support someone else to learn ACT without first-hand experience of using the skills yourself.
How strong is the evidence for ACT for children and young people (CYP) – and what does that mean for developing these interventions?
I would describe the evidence for ACT for CYP as encouraging, but there is a need for additional research and larger studies using more robust methodology – such as comparing ACT to other approaches, rather than just a control group.
However, based on current research, I think we can conclude reasonably confidently that ACT results in significant improvements for young people experiencing depression, anxiety and behaviour difficulties.
There is also evidence that ACT can improve quality of life and wellbeing for CYP, which is important as this is consistent with the aims of the approach, and that it can be effective in more specialist areas, such as for young people living with long term health conditions, including chronic pain.
What research or resources would you suggest someone interested in this topic could look at now, ahead of the session?
The Association for Contextual Behavioural Science is a good place to start. Members can pay a voluntary donation to join the website and there is a plethora of resources available, including access to research publications, protocols, forums and articles.
Who do you hope will attend this webinar?
It would be great to see a range of professionals attending the webinar. I think it would be of interest to academics, psychologists, therapists, students, educational mental health practitioners and other clinicians working with children and young people.
