Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for professional staff burnout: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of controlled trials
Open accessAbstract
Background Staff working in people-oriented professions are vulnerable to burnout which is negatively associated with professional well-being and service-user care.Aim To investigate if interventions based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are effective in reducing staff burnout.Method Systematic database and reference list searches were conducted resulting in the inclusion of 14 quantitative papers. A narrative synthesis, including extraction of individual effect sizes, was performed.Results All studies were controlled trials. The settings for ACT delivery were varied across health, social care, and public services. The ACT interventions demonstrated statistically significant effects in favour of ACT on the outcome measure subscales across the majority of studies (n = 9). Thirteen studies demonstrated an effect in favour of ACT in at least one outcome measure subscale. Positive aspects of work engagement varied according to a professional role.Conclusions The findings suggest that ACT-based interventions using a wide range of formats may have the potential to decrease burnout across a range of professional groups. However, samples were small in the studies reviewed and the interventions were not always defined. Further research would benefit from larger studies, incorporating process measures, with explicit protocols.
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Acceptance and commitment therapy can help individuals reflect on, reconsider, and adjust their relationships with patients, potentially reducing client-related burnout.
“Acceptance and commitment therapy can help individuals reflect on, reconsider, and adjust their relationships with patients, potentially reducing client‐related burnout (Prudenzi et al. 2022; Towey‐Swift et al. 2023).”
From <scp>AI</scp>‐Assisted Tailored Intervention for Nurse Burnout: A Three‐Group Randomized Controlled Trial (2025) · cites this paper as Towey‐Swift et al. 2023
The Discussion (page unavailable) reports moderate support for ACT reducing burnout across professional settings, and the ACT section describes psychological flexibility as changing how people interact with their thoughts. The review does not establish that reflecting on and adjusting relationships with patients is the mechanism, or that ACT specifically reduces client-related burnout. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThird-wave cognitive behavioral therapies are effective in managing burnout.
“Third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies are effective in managing burnout.”
From Effects of Third-Wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Healthcare Professionals’ Burnout: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [21]
The Discussion reports moderate support for ACT reducing burnout in professional staff, and the Acceptance and commitment therapy section identifies ACT as a third-wave cognitive behavioural therapy. The claim extends that finding to third-wave therapies generally and states effectiveness more firmly than the Conclusion, which expresses cautious optimism and says evidence is insufficient to identify ACT as a treatment of choice. Page numbers were not supplied in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredTraditional ACT interventions can require considerable time commitment.
“traditional ACT interventions can require considerable time commitment [99-101]”
From Evaluation of an App-Delivered Psychological Flexibility Skill Training Intervention for Medical Student Burnout and Well-being: Randomized Controlled Trial (2023) · cites this paper as [101]
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“Interestingly, burnout symptoms increased between the baseline and the 6-month time point, which contradicts previous research showing that ACT-based interventions can alleviate severe burnout [57,61].”
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Características y Eficacia de Intervenciones de ACT en Línea en Trabajadores: Revisión Sistemática
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- Authors
- Towey-Swift, K. D., Lauvrud, C., & Whittington, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- St Olav's University Hospital (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Towey-Swift, Kim D.
- Venue
- Journal of Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2022-02-02
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 452-464
- ISSN
- 0963-8237 (ISSN-L)
- 1360-0567
- OpenAlex
- W4210750986
- Cited by
- 60
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 4
- FWCI
- 1.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Mental Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- The University of Liverpool
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Keywords
- acceptance and commitment therapy, burnout, occupational burnout, professional staff, psychological intervention, work engagement, health and social care professionals, public sector employees, professional well-being
- MeSH terms
- Burnout, Professional, Humans, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Narration, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
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