Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the Treatment of Distressed Couples

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a revolutionary new development in human psychology. Originally developed for treating anxiety and depression, the principles of ACT can be applied to a broad range of human concerns, including marriage and couple therapy.The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to reduce psychological distress and interpersonal distress among couples of Dezful. The population included all the couples that refered to the counseling center of the Education office. The sample consisted of 3 couples that were selected according to the results of the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (45.2-OQ) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Non-congruent multiple baseline experimental single case study was used as the method of the present study. The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy protocol was carried out in three phases of the intervention (Baseline, 12 sessions, and a one- month follow-up). Participants completed the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (45.2-OQ). before the treatment, during the treatment, and one month after the treatment had ended.
Data were analyzed using visual inspection, the improvement percentage formula and the reliable change index (RCI) strategies. Results showed that the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has positive effects on all the variables of the study.