Final answer:
Dialectical behavior therapy is the therapeutic approach that focuses on helping clients accept their current lives and the emotional anguish they feel, integrating acceptance with change strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The therapeutic approach that focuses on helping clients accept their current lives and the emotional anguish they feel is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that emphasizes the psychosocial aspects of treatment.
This therapy was initially developed to treat borderline personality disorder but has since been adapted for other kinds of mental health issues. DBT combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful awareness largely derived from Buddhist meditative practice.
DBT assists clients in learning to accept themselves, their history, and their pain. Acceptance and change are balanced in this approach, leading clients towards a better emotional and cognitive balance. It is distinct from other cognitive-behavioral therapies in that it integrates an acceptance-oriented strategy with a change-oriented strategy.