Gijs Jansen is a psychologist and, for more than twenty years, the leading Dutch authority on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His fascination with this third-generation behavioral therapy began during his studies at Radboud University Nijmegen, at a time when ACT was still virtually unknown in the Netherlands. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to make its ideas accessible — not only to professionals, but above all to the people it is ultimately about.
What sets his work apart is the combination of deep subject-matter expertise and a strikingly human tone. Jansen has written more than fifteen books on ACT, including Het ACT basisboek, Time to ACT! and ACT in groepen, together reaching tens of thousands of readers. He is a trainer at SeeTrue, a lecturer at Radboud University, and the driving force behind the ACT Guide — a digital platform and app that puts ACT techniques in the hands of both care professionals and individual users. In his work, he does not shy away from discomfort: he speaks openly about fear, doubt, and suffering, and shows that it is precisely there that the starting points for a meaningful life can be found.
His work sits at the intersection of clinical psychology, education, and digital innovation. Whether it is a two-day training program for professionals, a masterclass with international founders such as Steven C. Hayes and Robyn Walser, or an accessible children's book about what goes on inside us — Jansen consistently translates complex psychological concepts into something recognizable, usable, and human. He does not steer around rigid rules and persistent thoughts, but invites people to view them with more gentleness and to shift their attention to what really matters.
Ultimately, Gijs Jansen is driven by a simple conviction: life can be hard at times, and it is precisely in accepting this that space opens up to consciously choose what is important. Through his work as a therapist, author, trainer, and developer, he has put ACT on the map in the Netherlands and beyond — helping countless people to live with greater psychological flexibility, resilience, and freedom.