ACBS Newsletter - March 2016

Chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Are you looking for opportunities to be more involved with other members of the ACBS community? Do you have specific interests in topics, treatments, populations, and agendas that you feel deserve more detailed discussion? Would you like to connect with and collaborate with other ACBS members in the same geographic area as you? If so, consider joining an ACBS Chapter or SIG! Chapters are self-governed membership organizations within geographic regions, countries, localities, or language communities that promote CBS values within that area. A list of currently established chapters can be found here. In contrast, SIGs are groups formed to promote more specialized agendas within ACBS, as listed here. To join a Chapter or SIG, log into your ACBS account and access your dashboard. Next, select the "edit your profile" link and add the Chapter or SIG you would like to join. Additionally, we'd like to take this moment to recognize our newest SIG, ACT for the Christian Client, and our newest Chapters based out of Atlantic Canada, Alberta and Hungary.

Methods for Selecting Idiographic Values-Relevant Stimuli

According to many third-wave contextual therapies, an important step toward psychological flexibility is the articulation and clarification of values. However, in both experimental and applied contexts, it can sometimes be difficult to efficiently and effectively identify values that are idiographically relevant to the participant/client. In a recent study, Sandoz and Hebert (2015) evaluated four different methods for selecting values-relevant stimuli, and compared these methods to one another in the extent to which they produced stimulie that were meaningful, evocative, and reminiscent of something of importance to the individual. Of the methods evaluated, the authors concluded that participants writing about their most deeply held values, and circling the ten words in the writing sample that were most representative of their held values was the most effective means of identifying salient values-related stimuli. To read the full published account of the study and learn more about the intervention used, visit the ACBS member portal to JCBS here. If you would like to contribute to JCBS please see our submission information page. If you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our JCBS reference sharing page which includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.

World Conference 2016 Pre-Conference Workshops Announced

The official schedule for the pre-conference workshops at World Con in Seattle has been finalized and posted. These workshops will take place June 14-15, and offer clinicians and researchers alike a great opportunity to brush up on their skills. Examples of offerings this year include workshops on utilizing ACT and RFT to enhance therapy with autism, engaging in values work as a means toward self-care and self-compassion, and utilizing language and cognition as a means toward enhancing clincial inventions. Members of all skill levels and research/practice interests will be able to find a workshop that suits their needs. CE credits are also available. Expect therapy role-plays, case presentations, and experiential exercises to supplement the didactic training offered. For more information on the workshop offerings this year, including links to in-depth descriptions of the workshops, learning objectives and presenters, please visit our list of pre-conference workshops. To register for pre-conference workshops, visit our registration page. We look forward to seeing you there!

Posting Articles to the ACBS Website

Did you know that you can upload your recent journal articles to the ACBS website? Doing so is a great way to contribute to the dissemination of CBS research and principles, while also providing an opportunity to put your work in a visible place where other like-minded individuals can easily access them. Step-by-step instructions for posting your journal articles to the ACBS website can be found here. To check if your article has already been posted on the site, or to peruse the available articles (which are freely accessible to ACBS members), check our article database.

Submitting Items to the Newsletter

Do you have something newsworthy for ACBS to share? If you have any ideas for articles or Q&A sessions that you would like to see included in the next ACBS newsletter, please submit them via e-mail to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org. We would love to share your community projects, research findings, outreach programs and other relevant news to the ACBS member base!

Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!

to be held June 14-19, 2016. Go here for more information.