Ep. 55: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in OT Practice through Jen's Personal and Professional Experience

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in OT Practice through Jen's Personal and Professional Experience

What happens when an occupational therapist who supports others with mental health challenges experiences their own mental health crisis? In this episode, Jen Anderson-Frost shares their journey through perinatal OCD and how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy transformed both their recovery and their practice.

If you're an occupational therapist curious about ACT, working with clients experiencing intrusive thoughts, or supporting parents with perinatal mental health challenges, this conversation offers practical insights alongside vulnerable, lived experience. Jen talks openly about the difference between traditional CBT approaches and ACT, why understanding that ego-dystonic thoughts are part of OCD mattered, and how creating space for difficult experiences, rather than fighting them, opens up new possibilities for recovery.

This episode is particularly valuable for OTs interested in trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming approaches to mental health support.

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IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS:

- What perinatal OCD looks like and why it's often misunderstood

- The concept of ego-dystonic thoughts and why this reframe matters

- How traditional CBT exposure therapy can be traumatizing without nervous system consideration

- The difference between CBT thought-challenging and ACT's approach to difficult thoughts

- Why Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was more effective in Jen's recovery

- How ACT fits naturally into occupational therapy practice across all settings