Mighty Children facilitators on final day of training (2023 Grant Awardee)
(learn more about their ACBS Foundation Grant funded project here)
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- 2021 ACBS Foundation Grant Awardee
Maria Hamdani, University of Akron (USA) and her colleagues (Dr. Vickie Coleman Gallagher, Dr. Grace H. C. Huang and Dr. Kelly Yu-Hsin Liao) are proud to be the recipients of the first ACBS Foundation Grant for their research on Psychological Flexibility and Adaptive Job and Family Behaviors of Resettled Syrian and Ukranian Refugees in USA.
"Unlike past studies of refugee experiences, our study examines the role of psychological flexibility in transition issues at the advanced stages of refugee work and family life in their new country. This grant will extend our ongoing research to support refugee wellness, self-determination, employment success, and their family's overall health and wellbeing. As researchers across the College of Business Administration, College of Education, and Department of Psychology, the Foundation Grant will strengthen our collaboration between the two universities and the local resettlement agencies, to build a holistic view of the refugee crisis, support the community, and attract additional funding resources for future research,"---Dr. Hamdani
- 2022 ACBS Foundation Grant Awardee
Wenqian ZHAO, PhD Candidate of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR, China) and her supervisors (Prof. Wai Tong CHIEN and Prof. Yuen Yu CHONG) are proud to be the recipients of the 2022 ACBS Foundation Grant for Miss ZHAO’s PhD research on Effectiveness of online ACT-based program for breast cancer survivors on improving body image disturbance.
"We combined the nursing techniques (i.e., health education) with ACT techniques in our intervention to examine the effectiveness of ACT-based intervention on improving body image disturbance of breast cancer survivors. This grant will support our ongoing research to help breast cancer survivors on improving their perceived body image, emotional problems and dysfunctions during the treatment and/or rehabilitation. As a video-conferencing program, the Foundation Grant will strengthen feasibility and acceptability of the intervention (especially the internet utilization) during the whole research, to establish an accessible, sustainable online platform for telemedicine nursing service; promote the physical, psychological and social rehabilitation of breast cancer survivors; and attract more attention and funding resources for future research on those patients and also other populations with the similar body image concerns."
- 2023 ACBS Foundation Grant Awardee
Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity
Dr. Alice Morgan, Coordinator of Clinical Psychology at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and research team Rachel Lassman (Baby Ubuntu) and Michael Gumisiriza (Cohere) are proud to be the recipients of the 2023 ACBS Foundation Grant - Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity to complete a research project: Helping caregivers create Mighty Children: A Caregiver Support program for Children living with disability in a refugee camp.
The Mighty Children program was a 9 week peer support and education program for caregivers of children living with disability. Based off the Getting to Know Cerebral Palsy program, and with the addition of ACT techniques targeting caregiver well-being and resilience through mindfulness, gratitude and acceptance, Mighty Children had previously been found feasible and acceptable in a humanitarian setting in Afghanistan. This Foundation Grant them to train expert-parents and community workers in a Refugee-led Organsiation to run the intervention in their community. They then trialed the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention for a refugee setting in Uganda for caretakers of children living with a disability aged 2-10 years old. It is hoped that with further investment this program, it may be rolled out in larger trials in across the refugee camps in Uganda and potentially other countries.
- 2024 ACBS Foundation Grant Awardees
Foundation Grant:
Sini LI, PhD Candidate of the The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and her co-investigators; Dr. Waitong Chien and Dr. Kamki LAM (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) are proud to be the recipients of the 2024 ACBS Foundation Grant for Sini LI's randomized controlled trial of an ACT-based parenting program for parents and autistic children.
Parents of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience significant stress and emotional difficulties due to the demands of caregiving and the complex nature of their children's condition. This research proposal aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based parenting program in improving parental stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, psychological flexibility, self-efficacy, as well as children’s emotional and behavioral problems, when compared with the usual-care-only. By helping parents develop acceptance, psychological flexibility, and strategies to break free from unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior, this program can empower them to effectively manage their psychological experiences and flexibly respond to their children’s needs and conditions.
Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant:
Serena Wong, PhD, Adjunct Faculty, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario (Canada) and her co-investigators; Frankie Lui, Lisa Van Bussel and Lynette Markoff, are proud to be the recipients of the 2024 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project on Targeting Loneliness: A Novel Application of Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups for Geriatric Psychiatry Patients.
Loneliness is a key predictor of death, dementia, physical decline, and poorer mental health in older adults. Geriatric psychiatry patients are at greater risk for the experience of loneliness. Reviews of loneliness interventions say that solutions need to have a clear theoretical basis and more randomized trials are required. Furthermore, researchers have stressed the importance of “a rich and forgiving social environment” for lonely individuals to address unhelpful social cognitions. Interventions rooted in behavior change theory also seem most promising.
- 2025 ACBS Foundation Grant Awardees
Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity
Nicolas Arancibia Levit, MSc, Coordinator of the Psychological Research and Advice Centre and his co-investigator; Maria Trinidad Terceros Pavisich, are proud to be the recipients of the 2025 ACBS Foundation Grant - Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity to complete a research project for Body Image Acceptance and Self-Efficacy: Predicting Exercise and Healthy Eating Behaviors in Young Adults.
Many young adults struggle with body image concerns, which can impact their confidence in maintaining healthy behaviors like regular exercise and balanced eating. This study aims to explore how accepting one’s body—without letting negative thoughts interfere—relates to confidence in staying physically active and making healthy food choices. Self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to succeed in a specific task, plays a key role in forming healthy habits. People who feel confident in their ability to exercise or eat well are more likely to engage in these behaviors. However, negative body image can lower this confidence, making it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle. By examining how body image acceptance relates to self-efficacy in exercise and eating habits, this research seeks to fill a gap in the literature and provide insights that could support interventions promoting well-being.
Foundation Grant
Anna Carolina Ramos, PhD, Professor at the Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), and her co-investigators; Dr. Helder Lima Gusso (UFSC) and Dr. Kenneth Fung (Toronto Western Hospital/University of Toronto) are proud to be the recipients of the 2025 ACBS Foundation Grant to complete a research project: Cultural Adaptation and Pilot of 'ACT on Your Recovery' with Contingency Management for Substance Use Disorders in Brazil.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a significant public health concern in Brazil, affecting millions of individuals and their families. Despite the urgent need for treatment, access to effective, evidence-based care remains limited, particularly for underserved and low-income populations. Many existing therapies are costly, difficult to access, or not culturally adapted to the Brazilian context. This project aims to bridge this gap by introducing an innovative, culturally adapted intervention that combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Contingency Management (CM)—two well-established, evidence-based treatments for SUD.
Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grants
Gladis-Lee Pereira, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Universidad Europea de Madrid and her co-investigators; Tien Kuei (Power to Live Foundation) and Natalia Andrés-López (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) are proud to be the recipients of the 2025 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project: Mapping In-Session Change in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy from An Idiographic Molar Approach.
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a therapeutic approach that emphasizes in-session interactions as the key factor driving meaningful change in clients' lives. It is a type of therapy that focuses on explaining why people change rather than merely analyzing if they change. In this sense, research that connects specific in-session interactions with clinical improvement, while preserving the unique role of each therapeutic dyad, is one of FAP’s most important tasks and, perhaps, one of its greatest methodological challenges.
Therefore, this study aims to expand our understanding of the specific behaviors exhibited by psychotherapists that are associated with clinical change, seeking to use a methodology that better fits the nature of psychotherapy. We believe that by focusing on the therapeutic interaction during clinical sessions, while capturing the uniqueness of each case, this project will contribute to improving therapeutic effectiveness and refining training methodologies for clinicians practicing FAP. This, in turn, has the potential to inform future research and applications within Contextual Behavioral Science and ultimately alleviate human suffering.
Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grants
Rabbi Aaron D. Cherniak (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and his co-investigator; Dr. Max Wolff (Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim) are proud to be the recipients of the 2025 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project: Psychedelic Psychotherapy Through a Functional Analytic Lens: Relationship as a Meta-Mechanism of Change.
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has shown potential to treat depression, trauma, and other mental health difficulties. Yet, we still know relatively little about how these therapies work. Recent research has identified several general mechanisms of psychedelic-related change that may drive improvement in psychotherapy broadly. However, these processes may depend on relational factors and how individuals navigate psychedelics’ effects.
- 2026 ACBS Foundation Grant Awardees
Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity
Sara Robayo, Universidad de los Andes and her co-investigators; Amanda Muñoz-Martínez (Universidad de los Andes), Anika Selena Ladamar Hernandez (Red Somos / Ministerio de Igualdad y Equidad), Tomas Serrano (Liga de Salud Trans), and Lina Quevedo Cerqueta (Liga de Salud Trans) are proud to be the recipients of the 2026 ACBS Foundation Grant - Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity to complete a research project for CONECTADES. A contextual co-designed program to foster social connection among Colombian Trans and Gender Non-Conforming individuals.
Social connection is a protective factor for physical and mental health of Trans and Gender Non-conforming (TGNC) individuals, who are at high risk for developing behavioral problems, and face countless experiences of prejudice linked to their gender identity. From a contextual behavioral perspective and minority stress theory, their chronic exposure to distal and proximal stressors may lead them to develop behavioral patterns of mistrust and isolation that prevent them from developing supportive relationships. Despite these disparities, there is a lack of empirical-based interventions tailored to TGNC individuals’ needs and contexts. Although contextual behavioral therapies show promising evidence for sexual and gender diverse populations, research with Latinx TGNC individuals remains scarce. To address this gap, we collaborative worked with three TGNC community co-researchers to explore how Colombian TGNC individuals experience social connection. Findings from this qualitative study informed the development of CONECTADES, a rooted contextual program tailored for this population. Through a pilot-randomized control trial, we aim to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of CONECTADES, a contextual co-designed culturally sensitive intervention among Colombian TGNC individuals. Up to 40 TGNC participants will be recruited through convenience and snowball methods and randomized into the intervention and the waiting list group. The program sessions will be conducted in a four-hour in-person group format during three sessions by the PI and one co-researcher. Feasibility, adherence and acceptability will be assessed throughout the sessions; variables such as intimacy, loneliness, minority stress, etc. will be measured at pre- and post-intervention to provide preliminary evidence of potential changes. The results will be discussed considering the evidence. It is expected that this study will enable us to identify the key components to be included in a larger trial.
Foundation Grant
Rocco Catrone, PhD, BCBA-D, IBA, CPACC, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and his co-investigators; Dr. Elizabeth Cambray (UIC), Betania Locati (UIC), Dr. Emily Gregori (UIC) and Stephanie Fernandez (UIC) are proud to be the recipients of the 2026 ACBS Foundation Grant to complete a research project: BST + ACT for Caregivers: A Relational ACT Protocol to Build Family Resilience.
This project evaluates the Behavioral Acceptance and Commitment Training (BACT), a program created by the lead applicant and code switched into Spanish by co-applicants. This program integrates Behavioral Skills Training (BST) of important skills with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to improve caregiver wellbeing and support Latine families of children with developmental disabilities in the Chicagoland area. This model emphasizes values-driven action, present moment awareness, and psychological flexibility of caregivers while teaching basic behavior-analytic repertoires to address relevant behavioral changes, led by their children.
Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant
Wesley Malvini, MS, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and his co-investigator Daniel W. M. Maitland, Ph.D. (University of Missouri-Kansas City) are proud to be the recipients of the 2026 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project: Awareness, Courage, and Love in Daily Life: A Process-Based Study of Alcohol and Psychological Partner Violence.Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and common public health problem and is most common among college students in romantic relationships. While physical violence often receives the most attention, psychological IPV, such as insults, manipulation, and controlling behavior, is the most frequently reported form and can have lasting emotional and psychological consequences. Alcohol use is one of the strongest predictors of IPV, yet we do not fully understand why alcohol increases risk in some moments but not others. Identifying changeable, real-time risk and protective factors is critical for effective interventions to reduce this type of IPV.
Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant
Logan Mattingly, University of Washington-Center for the Science of Social Connection is proud to be the recipient of the 2026 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project: TraumACL: A Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Mixed Methods Pilot Intervention for Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma.
Nearly two-thirds of U.S adults experience at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), with roughly 17% of adults experiencing four or more ACEs throughout their childhood. Though seemingly common to experience, high levels of ACEs have been linked to multiple negative outcomes across the lifespan. As more individuals continue to be exposed to traumatic events early in life, it’s important that we work to create supportive spaces and to facilitate recovery. One critical buffer against the impact of trauma is social connection, helping to reduce PTSD symptoms, foster resilience, provide safety, and more. The current study aims to investigate the impact social connection may have in supporting adults who have suffered from ACEs. We hope to create an intervention that works to both foster community and social support, as well as help participants address and heal from their adverse childhood experiences. The proposed project intends to utilize the Awareness, Courage, and Love (ACL) model, a group intervention distilled from the principles of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. Through the completion of this study we hope to continue building upon the principles of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, creating a community based intervention to both provide support and community to those who have experienced trauma, without the need for a trained clinician.
More information about all Previous Grant Recipients can be found at the pages below.