Introducing ACT Guide
ACT Guide is an online self-help program designed by psychologists at Utah State University to foster emotional wellbeing and help individuals cope with mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and stress.
- Participation is open to all adults aged 18 years and older
- Currently enrolled USU students can access the program for free for six months
- Members of the general public can pay $10 to access the program for six months
- Begin the registration process
Evidence-based program backed by scientific research
ACT Guide is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a treatment shown to be helpful for a wide range of mental health issues in over 300 randomized clinical trials. ACT Guide was developed by Michael Levin, an associate professor in Utah State University’s Psychology Department, along with members of the USU ACT Research Group. ACT Guide is a culmination of a decade of research by Dr. Levin on the benefits of online ACT, now made publicly available for you to use.
Skills you can use every day, learned at your own pace
ACT Guide is personalized to help you meet your specific mental health goals and is completed on your own entirely online. Practical strategies you’ll learn include developing a healthier relationship with negative thoughts and feelings, practicing mindfulness, clarifying what matters most to you in life, and setting personal goals that keep you on the right track. The program consists of 12 self-guided lessons that you can use whenever you want at whatever pace works well for you.
Flexible and convenient to meet your goals
ACT Guide provides a convenient way to improve your mental health from the privacy of your own phone or computer. ACT Guide is not intended to replace therapy, but you can use it on your own or with a therapist. We recommend ACT Guide for adults looking for help with mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, or for anyone who wants to learn new ways to develop emotional wellbeing and overcome challenges in their life. You have to be 18 or older to use ACT Guide.
Affordable and easy to access
For members of the general public, a $10 flat fee grants access to all modules of ACT Guide and included resources. Payments are processed through PayPal and can be made with any major credit or debit card. These fees cover the costs of delivering the program and continuing USU graduate student funding to support further development. Currently enrolled students at USU can register for free using their A-Number due to funding received from the University.
If you have any questions or technical issues using ACT Guide, please contact ACTGuide@usu.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are currently only able to offer ACT Guide to adults who are 18 or older. Beyond that, ACT Guide is designed to be applicable to a wide range of people struggling with a variety of challenges. Our program is primarily designed for people experiencing mild-to-moderate levels of depression, anxiety, or stress. However, the skills we will teach you have been found useful for a much broader range of concerns including addictions, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, psychosis, relationship problems, work performance, academic functioning, athletics, sleep, chronic pain, coping with medical issues, and weight management.
ACT Guide should not be used as a replacement for therapy, and we strongly recommend you work with a professional if you are in significant distress. That said, we hope ACT Guide can provide an additional resource for those who are unable to work with a professional, are not interested in in-person services, or for those working with a provider. So if you are interested in learning new skills to improve your general mental wellbeing, this program is probably for you.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which ACT Guide is based on, has demonstrated support for treating a wide range of mental health problems. There have been over 300 randomized controlled trials demonstrating the positive effects of ACT, which represent one of the strongest sources of evidence for treatments. Please see the following webpage for a regularly updated list of research studies supporting ACT: State of the ACT Evidence.
Of note, ACT has also been found to be effective when delivered in a self-help format like ACT Guide. Dr. Michael Levin, the developer of ACT Guide, is one of the leading researchers of ACT self-help interventions. Dr. Levin has found strong support for online ACT programs like ACT Guide in over 20 clinical trials, with dozens of studies by other research teams finding similar results. ACT Guide is most directly based off a line of research evaluating online ACT for a range of mental health concerns among college students, with three RCTs completed to-date showing positive results from a similar version of this program.
Levin, M.E., Haeger, J., Pierce, B. & Twohig, M.P. (2017). Web-based acceptance and commitment therapy for mental health problems in college students: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Modification, 41, 141-162.
Petersen, J.M., Krafft, J., Twohig, M.P., Levin, M.E. (In Press). Evaluating the open and engaged components of acceptance and commitment therapy in an online self-guided website: Results from a pilot trial.
Levin, M.E., Krafft, J., Hicks, E. & Twohig, M.P. (Under Review). A dismantling trial of the open and active components of acceptance and commitment therapy in an online self-help program for distressed college students.
ACT Guide is a service created and maintained by the Utah State University ACT Research Group.