ACT Therapy in Fort Wayne for Teens and Young Adults
What would you do this week if fear, doubt, or “what if” weren’t making the decisions? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, known as ACT therapy, helps young people loosen the grip of painful thoughts and feelings so they can move toward what actually matters to them.
Unwilted Counseling offers ACT-based therapy with Destina Rekeweg, LMHC, for ages 13 to 25, in Fort Wayne and online across Indiana and eligible parts of Ohio. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation, or call or text (260) 255-6432.
The Six Core Processes of ACT
Process | What It Means | How It Might Sound in Session |
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Committed action | Taking small steps toward those values | “What’s one thing you could do this week?” |
Values | Clarifying what matters most to you | “What kind of friend do you want to be?” |
Self-as-context | Knowing you’re more than your thoughts or labels | “You’re the one noticing the worry, not the worry itself.” |
Present moment | Noticing what’s happening now | “What do you notice in your body right now?” |
Cognitive defusion | Seeing thoughts as thoughts, not facts or orders | “I’m having the thought that I’ll fail.” |
Acceptance | Making room for feelings instead of fighting them | “Can you let the anxiety be here while we keep talking?” |
Why ACT Therapy Takes a Different Angle
Most of us try to get rid of uncomfortable feelings. We argue with anxious thoughts, avoid situations that scare us, or numb out. But this struggle often makes life smaller. You skip the party, drop the class, or stop texting the friend, all to avoid feeling bad.
ACT therapy flips the goal. Instead of trying to feel better first and then live your life, you learn to make room for hard feelings while you do the things you care about. Over time, those feelings usually lose much of their power, because you’ve stopped organizing your life around them.
Psychologist Steven C. Hayes and colleagues developed ACT, and it’s part of a group of approaches often called “third wave” behavioral therapies. The aim is psychological flexibility: staying open, present, and committed to your values even when things are hard.
A Classic ACT Metaphor: Passengers on the Bus
Imagine you’re driving a bus toward a place you care about. Along the way, loud passengers get on: “You’re not good enough.” “Everyone will laugh.” “Turn back.” You could stop the bus and argue with them, but you’d never get anywhere. Or you could let them ride along, noisy as they are, and keep driving where you want to go.
That’s the heart of ACT therapy. The passengers, your difficult thoughts and feelings, may not leave right away. But they don’t get to steer.
Values in Action
Values give ACT therapy its direction. They aren’t goals you check off. Instead, they describe the kind of person you want to be. Here are a few examples of how a value turns into a small, real step:
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Connection → Text one friend you’ve been avoiding this week.
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Learning → Go to office hours once, even if it feels awkward.
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Courage → Raise your hand in class one time.
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Health → Take a 10-minute walk after school three days this week.
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Honesty → Tell a parent one true thing about how you’ve been feeling.
How ACT Fits Into Care at Unwilted
Unwilted Counseling uses ACT as one tool within a trauma-informed, relational approach. Destina may combine ACT-based strategies with EMDR, emotion-focused therapy, psychodynamic therapy, IFS-informed work, and other skills, depending on your goals. That focus on values and meaningful change also reflects Unwilted’s commitment to real, lasting growth rather than quick fixes.
What the Research Says
ACT therapy has a solid research base, mostly in adults. A 2015 meta-analysis led by Jacqueline A-Tjak in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics combined 39 randomized controlled trials with 1,821 participants. ACT outperformed waitlists, placebo, and usual care, and it worked about as well as cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety, depression, and other concerns.
However, research with teens is smaller, though it’s growing. For that reason, Destina adapts ACT for teens and young adults and pairs it with other established approaches.
Concerns Treated With ACT Therapy
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Anxiety and constant worry. ACT helps you stop wrestling with anxious thoughts and act anyway. Learn more about anxiety and depression therapy.
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Social anxiety. Values-based steps make it easier to show up, even when fear of judgment is loud. See social anxiety counseling.
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Overthinking. Defusion skills help you step back from looping thoughts. Our post on overthinking and anxiety in teens and young adults explains why the loop is so sticky.
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Depression and low motivation. Small, values-based actions can rebuild momentum when mood is low. Read about depression and mood disorder counseling.
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Low self-worth and identity questions. ACT separates who you are from the labels in your head. Explore self-esteem and identity counseling.
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Feeling lost after a big change. Clarifying values helps when graduation, a move, or a breakup leaves you unsure of your direction. Visit life transition counseling.
ACT Therapy for Teens
Teens hear a lot of “just stop worrying.” ACT therapy offers something more realistic: you can feel nervous and still go to tryouts, still apply, still speak up. Many teens connect with ACT because it focuses on what they care about, not on what’s wrong with them.
For clients ages 13 to 17, parents meet with Destina briefly at intake and get general progress updates. The details of what your teen shares stay private unless there’s a safety concern. When it’s clinically helpful and your teen agrees, a parent can join a session. Read about Unwilted’s approach to teens and young adults.
Meet Your Therapist
Destina Rekeweg, LMHC, opened Unwilted Counseling in 2024 and is its only therapist. She works exclusively with ages 13 to 25 and has supported young people since 2019 in community mental health and social service settings.
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Indiana Licensed Mental Health Counselor, license #39005463A
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Bachelor’s degree in psychology
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Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling
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EMDR trained and IFS-informed
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ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)
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Member, National Board for Certified Counselors
She doesn’t prescribe medication but can coordinate with a prescriber when needed.
Location and Hours
Sessions take place at 3514 Stellhorn Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46815, with free parking and accessible facilities. Clients come from Fort Wayne, Allen County, New Haven, Huntertown, and Leo-Cedarville. Hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Online Sessions
Virtual therapy runs on encrypted video in your browser, with no download and no recording. You’ll need to be in Indiana or an eligible part of Ohio, through the Counseling Compact, during each session. You can also mix in-person and online sessions.
Fees and Payment
The 50-minute intake assessment is $160, and ongoing 50-minute sessions are $135. Intensive sessions are $202.50 for 75 minutes, $270 for 100 minutes, and $405 for 150 minutes. Unwilted is private pay and doesn’t bill insurance, though superbills are available for possible out-of-network reimbursement. You can pay by card, HSA or FSA card, cash, check, or the client portal.
Policies
You can request a Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act. Please give 48 hours’ notice to cancel. However, Unwilted waives the late fee if you reschedule within the same week.
Four Steps to Start ACT Therapy
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First: Free 15-minute phone consultation; reply within 24 business hours
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Next: Secure intake forms, sent about 48 hours ahead (15 to 20 minutes)
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Then: 50-minute assessment to set goals and clarify values
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Ongoing: Sessions weekly at first, then every other week or monthly
Frequently Asked Questions
About ACT Therapy
No. In ACT therapy, acceptance means making room for feelings you can’t control right now, not approving of a bad situation. You still work hard on changing what you can. Acceptance just stops the exhausting fight with your own emotions, so you have more energy for what matters.
CBT often works on changing or challenging unhelpful thoughts. ACT therapy focuses more on changing your relationship with those thoughts, so they have less influence over what you do. Both are evidence-based. In fact, a 2015 meta-analysis found ACT worked about as well as CBT across many concerns.
It can be. Many teens like that ACT focuses on their values and goals instead of what’s wrong with them. Its metaphors and hands-on exercises also make abstract ideas easier to grasp. Research with teens is still growing, so Destina combines ACT with other well-established approaches.
No. Mindfulness in ACT therapy simply means paying attention to the present moment on purpose, without judging it. It doesn’t require any belief system, meditation retreat, or special equipment. Most exercises take a minute or two and can happen anywhere, including in a classroom or on a bus.
Yes. ACT works well over secure video, since sessions involve conversation, short exercises, and planning values-based steps. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Indiana and in eligible parts of Ohio, and you can switch between online and in-person appointments as needed.
Good Faith Estimate: Clients paying privately have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining expected costs of care. You may request this prior to scheduling.
Start Moving Toward What Matters!
You don’t have to wait until anxiety or doubt disappears to start living the life you want. Book a free 15-minute consultation with Destina to see if ACT therapy is a good fit. Contact Unwilted Counseling, or call or text (260) 255-6432.
