ACBS Newsletter

January 2018

The Journey From Pain to Change! The ACBS Turkey Chapter Hosts Its First Congress

Ahmet Nalbant, M.D., the president of the ACBS Turkey Chapter, examines how the organizing and hosting of their first ACT Congress reinforced the chapter's values. The Turkey chapter was formed in 2013 and four years later the chapter held the first ACT congress in the region. Hundreds of people attended the congress in Istanbul in September 2017. You can read about the ACBS Turkey Chapter's journey here.

Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Trainings for Fostering Self-Care and Reducing Stress in Mental Health Professionals: A Systematic Review

In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 4, Myriam Rudaz, Michael Twohig, Clarissa Ong, and Michael Levin review the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to foster self-care and reduce stress in mental health professionals. The paper explains that most studies support the benefit of these trainings to change process variables. ACBS members can read it for free in the member portal.

Call for Nominations: Board of Directors

It's time again for elections to the ACBS Board of Directors! Being on the ACBS Board is a fun and rewarding experience, and an opportunity to help shape a vibrant, creative, and collaborative contextual behavioral community. This year, we will need to elect 5 new members to the board: President, Secretary-Treasurer, Student Representative, and 2 Members-at-large. If you would like to nominate someone, please submit them here by February 2, 2018.

New Chapters and Affiliates

In 2017, ACBS members formed a new chapter (Brazil) and three new affiliates (Romania; Albuquerque & Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Louisiana & Mississippi). Chapters and Affiliates are membership groups associated with ACBS through their interest in the dissemination and growth of ACBS values. Affiliates are smaller & simpler than chapters; however, both types of groups can do most of the same activities, such as workshops or peer supervision groups. See the full list of 60+ chapters and affiliates on the ACBS website.