Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Children don’t need to be protected from every emotion they need to be taught how to walk through them safely.
ACT Therapy for Children at Mindsight: Helping Kids Accept, Adapt, and Thrive
Every child faces difficult emotions, fear before a test, sadness after a fight, anger when things don’t go their way. Most of the time, these feelings come and go. But for some children, emotions begin to feel too heavy to carry. They might start avoiding school, giving up on things they used to enjoy, or trying too hard to “not feel” what hurts. As a parent, you see your child struggling, and you wish you could take that pain away.
At Mindsight, led by Punit Dixit, a compassionate and highly skilled child psychologist, we help children face these big feelings with courage and self-awareness not by pushing emotions away, but by learning how to live peacefully with them. This is the heart of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – a gentle, evidence-based approach that teaches children how to handle emotions effectively while staying true to what really matters to them.
“Children don’t need to be protected from every emotion, they need to be taught how to walk through them safely.”
What ACT Really Means
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps children understand that difficult thoughts and feelings are a natural part of life and that trying to control or avoid them often makes things worse. Instead, ACT teaches kids how to accept what they can’t control, and commit to actions that make their lives richer, happier, and more meaningful.
For example, a child might say, “I’m scared to go to school because everyone will laugh at me.”
Instead of forcing that fear away, ACT helps the child notice the thought (“I’m scared”), accept the feeling (“My body feels tight and nervous”), and still take steps that align with their values (“Even though I’m scared, I can try going and see what happens”).
It’s a shift from fighting emotions to making peace with them.
How ACT Works for Children
At Mindsight, ACT sessions are designed to fit the emotional world of children, full of imagination, curiosity, and discovery. Therapy with Punit Dixit feels more like storytelling, role-play, and creative exploration than formal treatment. Each child learns at their own pace, and every emotion is met with patience, empathy, and understanding.
Here’s how ACT unfolds inside a child’s mind at Mindsight:
- Acceptance:
Children learn that feelings aren’t “good” or “bad.” They just are. Through games, stories, and metaphors (like “passengers on a bus” or “waves in the ocean”), children understand that emotions can show up, but they don’t have to control what happens next. Cognitive Defusion:
Kids are taught how to see their thoughts for what they are, just words or pictures in the mind. For example, saying “I’m a failure” is not a fact; it’s just a passing thought. Using fun techniques like saying the thought in a funny voice or imagining it written on a cloud, children learn to distance themselves from negative thinking.Mindfulness and Present Moment Awareness:
ACT incorporates mindfulness in simple, child-friendly ways. Kids learn to slow down, breathe, and notice what’s happening in the moment, the sound of their breath, the feeling of their heartbeat, or the color of the sky outside. This helps them stay calm and focused instead of getting lost in worries.Values Exploration:
Every child has values, kindness, courage, creativity, friendship. In ACT, they discover what matters most to them and how they want to live. This gives therapy direction and meaning.Committed Action:
Once children know their values, they start taking small, brave steps guided by those values. For example, “I value friendship, so I’ll try talking to one new classmate this week.” These small actions, repeated over time, create lasting confidence and emotional strength.
Non-Medication-Based Recovery
Focus on therapy, skill-building, and emotional regulation.
Child-Centered Approach
Programs specially designed for children & adolescents.
Led by Punit Dixit
Experienced OCD Psychologist with years of expertise in pediatric OCD.
Parental Involvement
Active participation and guidance for families throughout the journey.
A Story of Healing
Let’s take Aarav, an 11-year-old boy who felt anxious every time he had to participate in class. He often told himself, “I’ll mess up. Everyone will laugh.” The more he tried to suppress his nervousness, the stronger it grew.
During ACT therapy at Mindsight, Aarav learned that fear is just one “passenger” on his bus, it can sit there, but it doesn’t have to take the wheel. He practiced mindfulness to stay calm before class, reminded himself that his fear didn’t have to stop him, and took small, confident steps. Slowly, he began raising his hand again.
By accepting fear instead of fighting it, Aarav discovered courage he didn’t know he had.
“ACT doesn’t teach children to remove fear, it teaches them to move forward even with fear beside them.”
How ACT Helps Parents Too
ACT therapy at Mindsight involves parents as partners. You’ll learn how to respond to your child’s emotional moments in a calmer, more supportive way. Instead of saying, “Don’t be scared,” you’ll learn to say, “It’s okay to be scared and I’m here while you handle it.”
This approach helps parents move from “fixing” their child to coaching them guiding them through emotions rather than rescuing them from every difficult moment. When parents model acceptance and flexibility, children mirror that resilience.
ACT therapy is especially effective for:
Anxiety and excessive worrying
Emotional regulation issues
Obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviours
Social anxiety and peer pressure
Low self-esteem
Anger and frustration
Adjustment difficulties
Academic or performance-related stress
ACT is versatile and gentle, it doesn’t require children to suppress or avoid feelings. Instead, it gives them emotional tools that last a lifetime.
The Mindsight Approach
At Mindsight, Punit Dixit combines scientific precision with deep empathy. Therapy rooms are filled with colors, games, and conversation creating a warm space where children feel safe enough to explore big emotions. The process is never rushed. Each session adapts to the child’s comfort level, ensuring that therapy feels more like discovery than correction.
Parents are updated regularly, not just about progress, but about how to continue nurturing emotional growth at home. The goal is always long-term change where the family learns to grow together.
The Science, Simplified
ACT is built on six core principles:
Acceptance – making space for feelings instead of fighting them.
Cognitive Defusion – seeing thoughts for what they are, not as absolute truths.
Present Moment Awareness – focusing on the here and now.
Self-as-Context – helping children understand they are more than their thoughts and emotions.
Values – identifying what matters most.
Committed Action – taking steps guided by those values.
For children, these ideas are simplified through metaphors, creative exercises, and mindfulness games. It’s therapy that feels like play but builds lifelong emotional skills.
Final Thoughts
Emotions are not problems to be solved, they’re signals to be understood. At Mindsight, under the expert guidance of Punit Dixit, ACT therapy helps children accept their feelings, focus on what truly matters, and take meaningful steps toward a happier life.
Through gentle exploration, mindfulness, and value-based action, children learn not just how to cope, but how to grow stronger from every experience.
“ACT doesn’t change who your child is, it helps them discover who they can become.”
At Mindsight, we help children and families embrace life’s challenges with calm, courage, and compassion, one feeling, one step, and one transformation at a time.
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Mindsight Manager is India’s first online platform dedicated to child-focused OCD recovery. We use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) – the world’s most trusted, non-medication treatments for OCD – guided by compassionate, trained child psychologists.
“CBT sessions at Mindsight Manager changed how our son thinks and feels – all without medicines.”
Frequently asked Questions
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team or write us an email at info@mindsightmanager.com
What are the warning signs of OCD in my teenager, and when should I seek professional help?
Look for excessive, upsetting obsessions (unwanted thoughts/images) and rigid compulsions (rituals like repeated checking or washing) that take up significant time or cause distress.
How do I know if my teen's excessive screen time is actually a technology addiction?
It crosses the line when the screen use is out of control (inability to stop or cut back) and actively causes problems like poor grades, sleep disruption, or social isolation. We provide counseling to help adolescents and families establish healthy boundaries and address any underlying anxiety driving the excess screen use.
What kind of therapy is most effective for teen anxiety, and what does treatment involve?
The most effective treatment is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), focused on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors. Treatment involves: 1) Skill building (coping techniques), 2) Exposure work (safely facing fears), and 3) Parent guidance on how to best support your teen.
How do I talk to my teenager about seeing a psychologist without making them resistant?
Approach it as a way to gain “life skills” or a “coach” for managing stress and worry. Focus on the benefits to them and give them a voice in the process. We prioritize building a trusting, non-judgmental, and confidential space where teens feel respected and motivated to participate.
Do you treat co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety alongside addiction or depression?
Yes. We take a holistic approach to co-occurring issues (dual diagnosis). Since anxiety or depression often drive substance use, we create a single, integrated, and personalized treatment plan that addresses both the primary addiction and all underlying mental health concerns simultaneously.