About

Dr. Chloe Ackerman, PsyD

Sometimes the letters behind a person’s name can feel like alphabet soup.  I am a PsyD, or a doctor of clinical psychology.  I am a generalist, which means I’m trained in a wide variety of types of therapy, and have treated people with a wide variety of diagnoses and concerns.  I do have a preference for a certain type of therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but I have also found in my work that people need different things at different times, so I use cognitive behavioral (CBT), psychodynamic, and attachment therapies in my work, as well.  My philosophy of treatment is called “positive psychology,” which means that you come to me with skills, knowledge, and characteristics which will serve you in getting better – my job is to help you uncover these things and build on them to work towards wellness.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

When we try to achieve perfect happiness, we inevitably fail, and then we think there must be something wrong with us. Many times, we try to escape our hard feelings, distract ourselves from them, or numb them out, but that doesn’t seem to work for very long. Wellness is not about being happy all the time or never feeling pain again. Wellness is about learning to get better at feeling, period. That feeling may be happiness or sadness, contentment or grief, anger or joy.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, is based on two ideas: first, that to feel better, we must get better at feeling; and second, that if we commit to doing what makes us feel fulfilled regardless of how we feel, we will feel better.

In working with me, you’ll learn how to cope with hard emotions while also finding ways to do things that bring meaning to your life, regardless of how you feel. In this way, you will start to feel better – not because you’ve achieved perfect happiness, but because you know how to live well with whatever emotions life throws your way.

“When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.”

Thich Nhat Hanh