Aetna for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in New York

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ACT Therapy For Anxiety, ADHD, Depression, Stress, Caregiving, And Life Transitions

Trying harder doesn’t always mean feeling better. Maybe it’s anxiety that won’t quiet down, ADHD that makes daily life feel harder than it should, or depression draining the color out of things. Maybe you’ve spent so long caring for others that your own needs got left behind. Burnout, grief, health struggles, or a big life change can push things past your limit.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you stop fighting your thoughts and feelings, so you can start moving toward a life that feels meaningful.
KLS Collective Therapy Group offers remote ACT therapy for adults and couples across New York, helping you feel grounded, flexible, and connected to what matters.

What Is ACT Therapy?

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an evidence-based therapy that helps people develop psychological flexibility.
Instead of trying to eliminate every anxious thought, painful emotion, or uncomfortable memory, ACT focuses on changing your relationship with those experiences. The goal is not perfection or constant happiness. The goal is to learn how to keep showing up for your life, your values, and the people you care about, even when things feel difficult.
ACT combines mindfulness, self-compassion, and behavioral change strategies to help you:
  • Step out of cycles of overthinking and emotional avoidance

  • Notice thoughts without becoming consumed by them

  • Respond more intentionally rather than react automatically

  • Build a stronger awareness of identity and direction

  • Reconnect with meaning, purpose, and relationships

  • Create a life that reflects your values, not just your fears

ACT Therapy Depression

KLS Collective Therapy Group Therapist Team

Geralyn Valonzo new

Geralyn Valonzo

LCSW

Experienced in: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Person Centered Therapy, Supportive Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Trauma Informed Therapy

Matthew Louie_new

Matthew Louie

LMSW

Experienced in: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Person Centered Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Supportive Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy.

Liz Davis_New

Liz Davis

LMSW

Experienced in: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I), Person Centered Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma Informed Care, Supportive Therapy, Sleep Therapy.

Marcy_new

Marcy Ruland

LCSW

Experienced in: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person Centered Therapy, Humanistic, Positive Psychology, Strengths-Based Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Supportive Therapy, Culturally Sensitive, Motivational Interviewing.

ACT For Anxiety And Overthinking

When your brain refuses to stop scanning for problems
Anxiety often convinces people that if they think hard enough, worry enough, prepare enough, or stay alert enough, they can finally feel safe.
Unfortunately, that usually leads to exhaustion.
ACT helps people notice when anxiety has taken over. Instead of getting pulled into cycles of worry or trying to force anxious thoughts away, therapy helps you learn how to step back from them and respond in ways that feel more grounded, intentional, and connected to what actually matters to you.

ACT can help with:

  • Worrying and getting stuck in your thoughts

  • Panic and physical anxiety symptoms

  • Health anxiety and medical stress

  • Perfectionism and people pleasing

  • Fear of disappointing others

  • Burnout and emotional overload

  • Difficulty being present in relationships

Sources:

ACT For ADHD

When your mind feels busy all the time
People with ADHD commonly carry far more shame than anyone realizes.
You may struggle to manage your emotions, experience procrastination, feel overwhelmed, forgetful, rejection-sensitive, or feel like you are constantly falling behind. Over time, this can create anxiety, self-criticism, and the belief that you are somehow failing at life while everyone else seems to manage.
ACT helps people move away from constant self-criticism and toward a better understanding of how they function, what they need, and what actually helps. Therapy focuses on developing more flexibility, self-awareness, and practical support so that daily life feels more manageable and less overwhelming.

Therapy may focus on:

  • Understanding and managing intense emotions

  • Executive functioning stress

  • Rejection sensitivity

  • Motivation and avoidance cycles

  • Self-worth and identity

  • ADHD burnout

  • Navigating work, parenting, and relationships with ADHD

ACT For Depression

Reconnecting with yourself when life feels flat or heavy

Depression often pulls people away from the things that once made them feel connected, purposeful, or alive.
You may notice yourself withdrawing, going through the motions, losing interest in things you care about, or feeling emotionally numb. ACT does not pressure people to “think positive.” Instead, it helps people reconnect with small moments of meaning, movement, and intention, even as motivation feels far away.
Together, we work on creating space for difficult emotions while also rebuilding connection to the parts of life that matter most.

Living According To Your Values

Becoming the person you want to be remembered as
One of the core ideas in ACT is that pain is part of being human, but suffering grows when we become disconnected from our values.

Therapy may include questions like:

  • What kind of person do you want to be in your relationships?

  • How do you want your children or loved ones to experience you?

  • What matters to you underneath the anxiety or self-doubt?

  • What would it look like to live more intentionally instead of constantly reacting to stress?

  • If fear stopped running the show, what would you move toward?

ACT helps people begin making choices that align with the version of themselves they want to grow into, rather than the one formed by stress, shame, or survival mode.

Caregiver Stress, Illness, And Emotional Exhaustion

Supporting the people who are always supporting everyone else
Caregivers often spend so much time focusing on others that they stop noticing how overwhelmed they have become.
Whether you are parenting, supporting aging parents, navigating chronic illness, helping a partner through medical challenges, or simply carrying emotional responsibility for everyone around you, it is easy to lose yourself in the process.

ACT can help caregivers:

  • Manage chronic stress and burnout

  • Create healthier emotional boundaries

  • Reduce guilt surrounding rest and self-care

  • Process anticipatory grief and uncertainty

  • Stay connected to themselves while caring for others

  • Develop compassion without emotionally disappearing

LGBTQ Affirming ACT Therapy

Therapy that makes space for your full identity
For many LGBTQ individuals, stress does not happen in a vacuum. Anxiety, depression, shame, hypervigilance, and self-protection often develop within places where safety, acceptance, or belonging were perceived as uncertain.
ACT can help create space to examine identity, relationships, family dynamics, self-acceptance, and the emotional impact of constantly feeling you need to explain, defend, or minimize yourself.
Our approach is affirming, collaborative, and grounded in respect for your lived experience.

Therapy may support:

  • Learning to accept yourself and embrace your identity

  • Family and relationship stress

  • Anxiety related to visibility or belonging

  • Shame and internalized criticism

  • Handling life transitions and coming out experiences

  • Building meaningful connections that feel authentic and natural

What ACT Therapy Looks Like

ACT therapy is active, collaborative, and practical.
Sessions may include mindfulness exercises, identifying personal values, noticing thought patterns, exploring emotional avoidance, and practicing new ways of responding to stress. We focus on helping you build a life that is more aligned, intentional, and emotionally sustainable.
Therapy does not require you to have everything figured out before you begin.
Sometimes the work starts simply by slowing down long enough to ask:
“What kind of life do I actually want to create from here?”

Remote ACT Therapy Across New York with Aetna Insurance

We provide remote ACT therapy across New York State that is in-network with Aetna. Online therapy allows you to access support from the comfort of home while still taking part in meaningful, connected work.
Whether you are dealing with anxiety, ADHD, depression, burnout, caregiving stress, relationship challenges, chronic illness, or a major life transition, therapy can help you feel more grounded, more connected to yourself, and better able to move through life with clarity and purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is your practice in-network with Aetna in New York?

Yes, KLS Collective Therapy Group is in-network with Aetna in New York, so many clients can use their Aetna benefits to help cover ACT therapy sessions with us.

What will my Aetna copay be for ACT therapy sessions?

Your copay depends on your specific Aetna insurance plan. We recommend checking your Aetna member portal or calling the number on your insurance card to confirm your mental health/behavioral health copay before your first session.

What Aetna plans are accepted (e.g., Aetna Choice POS II, Aetna HMO, Aetna Medicare Advantage)?

We accept a variety of Aetna plans, including Aetna Choice POS II, Aetna HMO, and Aetna Medicare Advantage. Since benefits vary by plan, we recommend confirming your specific coverage with Aetna before booking.

Do I need a referral from my doctor to use my Aetna benefits?

No, not usually. Most Aetna insurance plans allow direct access to mental health providers without any referral. Requirements can still vary by plan, so it’s worth double-checking with Aetna directly.

Does Aetna cover ACT for anxiety, depression, or chronic pain?

Yes, Aetna generally covers ACT therapy for concerns like anxiety, depression, and chronic pain when provided by an in-network therapist. Since coverage details vary by plan, we recommend confirming your specific benefits with Aetna.

Will my sessions be billed directly to Aetna, or do I pay upfront and get reimbursed?

We bill Aetna directly on your behalf, so there’s no need to pay upfront or submit for reimbursement.

Are you only in-network with Aetna?

No. In addition to Aetna insurance, we are also in-network with: MVP, CDPHP, and Fidelis insurance providers in New York. Additionally, we also offer a sliding scale for clients if needed.

Do you offer in-person ACT therapy?

No. We only offer online therapy sessions, so you can get support from anywhere in New York.

What can I expect during my first session?

Think of the first session as a starting point. You and your KLS Collective therapist will spend the time getting to know each other — what’s bringing you to therapy, what you’ve already tried, and what you’re hoping changes. Your therapist uses this to map out a plan that actually fits your situation.

What happens during the other ACT therapy sessions?

From there, sessions shift into the real work of ACT: practicing mindfulness, getting clear on your core values, and learning to respond to hard emotions and stress without avoiding them. It’s a hands-on, collaborative process aimed at helping you move toward a life that feels genuinely yours.

What is the cancellation policy for your mental health services?

If you need to cancel, please let us know at least 24 hours ahead of time. This gives us the chance to offer that time slot to another client. Appointments canceled with less notice, or missed altogether, may be subject to a cancellation fee.

Are sessions confidential?

Yes. Everything shared in your virtual session stays private, and our practice follows HIPAA standards to keep your information secure and protected.