Veterans Affairs (VA) ACT SIG

Veterans Affairs (VA) ACT SIG

Department of Veterans Affairs ACT Special Interest Group (VA ACT SIG)

Affiliated 2011

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Contact Information

Wyatt Evans

Current Leadership

Wyatt Evans, PhD, ABPP - President

Paige Novick-Kline, PsyD - Vice-President

Carter Davis, PhD - Secretary

Levi Wampler, MS, LCPC - Member-At-Large

Ali Molaie, PhD - Early Career Professional (ECP) Representative

Samantha Dashineau - Student Representative

General Interest Area to be Specifically Addressed by SIG

The general interest area is the promotion and evaluation of members' practice of ACT and the dissemination of these findings.

Mission/Objectives

The Department of Veterans Affairs ACT Special Interest Group's (VA ACT SIG) mission is to promote the clinical practice and research of ACT within the VA by creating an open, collegial, and supportive environment for all VA clinicians and researchers (interns, fellows, and full-time staff) to learn, practice, and study ACT. This SIG seeks to promote the evaluation of members' practices and dissemination of these findings. The SIG encourages its members to creatively apply ACT principles to their work environment, training programs, clinical practice, research, and VA-public sector cooperative efforts.

SIG Activities

To accomplish this mission, this SIG will promote the utilization and research of ACT through the following activities:

  • VA ACT SIG listserv
  • Resources on the ACBS website.

 

mindfulmonkey

VA ACT SIG Resources

VA ACT SIG Resources

The April 2016 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Major Depressive Disorder recommends ACT as a "first-line treatment for uncomplicated mild to moderate MDD", citing the research evidence for this recommendation as "strong"
http://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/MH/mdd/MDDCPGClinicianSummaryFINAL5192016.pdf

ACT for Posttraumatic Anger-Related Problems in Living

Veterans Health Administration ACT Video Series

Randomized Control Trials

  • Dindo, L., Zimmerman, M. B., Hadlandsmyth, K., StMarie, B., Embree, J., Marchman, J., Tripp-Reimer, T., & Rakel, B. (2018). Acceptance and commitment therapy for prevention of chronic post-surgical pain and opioid use in at-risk veterans: A pilot randomized controlled study. The Journal of Pain, 19, 1211-1221.
  • Herbert, M.S., Afari, N., Liu, L., Heppner, P., Rutledge, T., Williams, K., Eraly, S., VanBuskirk, K., Nguyen, C., Bondi, M., Atkinson, JH., Golshan, S., Wetherell, J.L. (2017) Telehealth Versus In-Person Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial. The Journal of Pain 18 (2), 200-211. DOI:10.1016/j.jpain.2016.10.014
  • Lang, A.J., Schnurr, P.P., Jain, S., He, F., Walser, R.D., Bolton, E., Benedek, D.M., Norman, S.B., Sylvers, P., Flashman, L., Strauss, J., Raman, R., Chard, K.M. (2017) Randomized controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for distress and impairment in OEF/OIF/OND veterans. Psychological Trauma 9(1), 74-84. DOI:10.1037/tra0000127

 

Articles from Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) pertinent to the VA ACT SIG:

  • Karen O'Brien, Mary Dozier, Julia Lopez, and Allyson Ruha (2021) A new treatment model for veterans?: Results from a program evaluation of a recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program for veterans with heterogeneous diagnostic presentations. JCBS, Volume 19, Pages 57-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.12.001
  • Wharton, E., Sears Edwards K., Juhasz, M., and Walser, R. (2019). Acceptance-based interventions in the treatment of PTSD: Group and individual pilot data using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. JCBS, Vol. 14, 55-64.
  • Grodin, J., Clark, J.L., Kolts, R., Lovejoy, T.I. (2019) Compassion focused therapy for anger: A pilot study of a group intervention for veterans with PTSD. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 14, 27-33.
  • Borges, L.M. (2019) A Service Member's experience of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Moral Injury (ACT-MI) via telehealth: “Learning to accept my pain and injury by reconnecting with my values and starting to live a meaningful life”. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 13, 134-140.
  • Cox, D. W., Motl, T. C., Bakker, A. M., & Lunt, R. A. (2018). Cognitive fusion and post-trauma functioning in veterans: Examining the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation. JCBS, Vol. 8, 1-7.
  • Farnsworth, J. K., Drescher, K. D., Evans, W., Walser, R. D. (2017). A functional approach to understanding and treating military-related moral injury. JCBS, Vol. 6, Issue 4, 391-397.
  • Cobb, A. R., Lancaster, C. L., Meyer, E. C., Lee, H., & Telch, M. J. (2017). Pre-deployment trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and experiential avoidance predict war-zone stress-evoked psychopathology. JCBS, Vol. 6, Issue 3, 276-287. doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.05.002
  • Hermann, B. A., Meyer, E. C., Schnurr, P. P., Batten, S. V., & Walser, R. D. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy for co-occurring PTSD and substance use: A manual development study. JCBS, 5(4), 225-234.
  • Bryan, C. J., Ray-Sannerud, B., Heron, E. A. (2015). Psychological flexibility as a dimension of resilience for posttraumatic stress, depression, and risk for suicidal ideation among airforce personnel. JCBS, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 263-268.
  • Bahraini, N.H., Devore, M. D., Monteith, L. L., Forster, J. E., Bensen, S., Brenner, L. A. (2013). The role of value importance and success in understanding suicidal ideation among Veterans. JCBS, Vol. 2, Issues 1–2, 31-38.

 

Books for Therapists

  • Evans, W.R., Walser, R.D., Drescher, K.D, Farnsworth, J.K. (2020) The Moral Injury Workbook: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills for Moving Beyond Shame, Anger, and Trauma to Reclaim Your Values. CA: New Harbinger.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems: A Practitioner’s Guide to Using Mindfulness and Acceptance Strategies

Books for Clients

  • Dark Agents, Book One: Violet and the Trial of Trauma
  • Finding Life Beyond Trauma: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Heal from Post-Traumatic Stress and Trauma-Related Problems

 

Other Publications

  • Goetz, D.B. & Hirschhorn, E.W. (2021). An Evaluation of an ACT-Based “Aging Resiliently” Group. Clinical Gerontologist. DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2021.1932001
  • Vowles, K. E., Witkiewitz, K., Cusack, K. J., Gilliam, W. P., Cardon, K. E., Bowen, S., Edwards, K. A., McEntee, M. L., & Bailey, R. W. (2019). Integrated behavioral treatment for Veterans with co-morbid chronic pain and hazardous opioid use: A randomized controlled pilot trial. The Journal of Pain.
  • Meyer, E. C., Szabo, Y. Z., Fra nkfurt, S. B., Kimbrel, N. A., DeBeer, B.B., & Morissette, S. B. (2019). Predictors of recovery from post-deployment posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in war veterans: The contributions of psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Behaviour research and therapy, 114, 7-14.
  • Walser, R., Simiola, V., & Cook, J. M. (2018, April). Qualitative exploration of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as the core treatment modality in two VA PTSD residential programs. [Web article]. Retrieved from http://www.societyforpsychotherapy.org/acceptance-commitment-therapy-ptsd-residential-programs
  • Meyer, E. C., Walser, R., Hermann, B., La Bash, H., De Beer, B. B., Morissette, S. B., ... Schnurr, P. P. (2018). Acceptance and commitment therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorders in veterans: Pilot treatment outcomes. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31(5), 781-789.
  • Donahue, J. J., Santanello, A., Marsiglio, M. C., & Van Male, L. M. (2017). Acceptance and commitment therapy for anger dysregulation with military veterans: A pilot study. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 47(4), 233-241.
  • Jacobs, M. L., Luci, L., & Hagemann, L. (2017). Group- based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for older veterans: Findings from a quality improvement project. Clinical Gerontologist, 41(5), 458-467.
  • Glover N.G., Sylvers P.D., Shearer E.M., Kane M.C., Clasen P.C., Epler A.J., Plumb-Vilardaga J.C., Bonow J.T., Jakupcak M. (2016) The efficacy of Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in VA primary care. Psychol Serv. 13(2):156-161.
  • Walser, R., Garvert, D.W., Karlin, B.E., Trockel, M., Ryu, D.M., & Taylor, C.B. (2015). Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in treating depression and suicidal ideation in Veterans. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 74, 25-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.012
  • Karlin, B.E., Walser, R.D., Yesavage, J., Zhang, A., Trockel, M., & Barr Taylor, C. (2013) Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for depression: Comparison among older and younger veterans, Aging & Mental Health, 17:5, 555-563, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2013.789002
  • Walser, R., Karlin, B., Trockel, M., Mazina, B. & Taylor, C.. (2013). Training in and implementation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression in the Veterans Health Administration: Therapist and patient outcomes. Behaviour research and therapy. 51. 555-563. 10.1016/j.brat.2013.05.009.
  • Blevins, D., Roca, J. V., & Spencer, T. (2011). Life Guard: Evaluation of an ACT-based workshop to facilitate reintegration of OIF/OEF veterans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(1), 32-39.
  • Batten S.V., Hayes S.C. (2005) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Comorbid Substance Abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Study. Clinical Case Studies. 4(3):246–262. doi: 10.1177/1534650103259689
     

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Veterans Affairs (VA) ACT SIG Newsletters

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