Dr. Frank Gallo

Welcome to Headway! My name is Frank Gallo. I’m a licensed psychologist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I provide treatment services to workforce professionals who want to fuel higher performance levels and live more fully. My core approach to treatment involves using scientifically supported acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) principles and practices, including mindfulness, breathing, and relaxation strategies and exercises. Overall, therapy aims to help you develop psychological flexibility, enabling you to take action toward what matters to you despite the inevitable pain that comes with caring.

ACT looks at things differently than traditional cognitive-behavioral and insight-based treatment approaches. Instead of treating painful thoughts and feelings as problems to fix, get rid of, or not have, ACT encourages you to accept them for what they are, just thoughts and feelings, and where they are, just inside you. They don’t have to stop you from living the life you want.

ACT focuses on your whole life and broader patterns of behavior, not just specific problems, challenges, or difficult situations. This doesn’t mean you’re ignoring them. They’re acknowledged but placed within the bigger picture of what matters most to you. For example, if anxiety is making it hard for you to pursue loving relationships, ACT won’t try to eliminate your anxiety. Instead, it will help you take action to connect with others, even if the anxiety is still there. The goal is to help you live in alignment with your values, like loving compassionately, connecting caringly, or working effectively instead of waiting until you feel “ready” or “fixed.”

ACT prioritizes action. It asks, “What kind of life do you want to live, and how can you take steps toward it right now?” This shift in focus helps you live in the present moment and act in ways that reflect your values. Staying in the present doesn’t mean ignoring painful thoughts and feelings that show up in a situation. It means learning to experience them without letting them control you.

ACT helps you identify your values, which are like a compass guiding you toward the life you want. Whether your values include building strong relationships, helping others, or pursuing creativity, the therapy focuses on taking meaningful actions aligned with those values. This approach can help you create a fulfilling life, even when things feel hard.

To learn more about my professional practice, you may visit my website at https://frankjgallo.com.

ACT can be effective if you’re experiencing anxiety, depression, or stressor-related issues and you’re willing to learn by doing.

During and between therapy visits, you’ll engage in various activities to facilitate learning ACT skills to transform life challenges into value-driven opportunities.

To be candid, ACT isn’t easy. Living your values requires hard work and a willingness to face discomfort. You’ll be asked to step into challenging situations and face thoughts and feelings you might have avoided. But this hard work isn’t just for the sake of suffering. It’s for something much bigger, the direction you want to take your life.

ACT isn’t about pretending that life is easy or that painful thoughts and feelings will disappear. It’s about learning to carry that painful stuff with you while taking steps toward the life you want to live. By focusing on what truly matters to you and taking action in service of your values, ACT helps you break free from the cycle of chasing solutions and start living more fully—right here, right now.

So, we’ll measure your progress throughout treatment. Most people experience significant improvement in their lives within a few months and continuous improvement after that.