Congratulations to Huanzhen Xu on being selected as the Student Spotlight Award winner for January 2021!
The purpose of this award is to highlight students who are doing important work in the CBS community whether for research, clinical, and/or volunteer-humanitarian efforts.
This is a way to highlight their achievements, let the ACBS community know important work students are doing, and possibly provide a platform for mentoring, collaboration, professional development, and conversations around highlighted areas.
Learn more about Huanzhen Xu:
Background of CBS Research/Clinical/Volunteering efforts/achievements:
I became interested in contextual behavioral approaches early in graduate school, and this interest has grown into a passion through my journey in research and clinical practice. As a researcher and clinician with a uniquemulticultural background, I committed significant efforts towards the identification and reduction of acculturative stress experienced by my fellow international students - an enormous student body that has been long neglected. I designed a treatment-outcome study with Chinese international students using ACT because of the similarities between ACT components and Buddhism. The results showed that ACT significantly reduced these students' psychological distress and physical symptoms. Moreover, I found that participants’ familiarity with Buddhism made it easier for them to understand value-driven living and “Acceptance”. I also found that the self-disclosure aspect of ACT was especially effective with Chinese participants due to their “acquaintance culture”. My findings were published in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. Additionally, I was involved in multiple research projects relevant to contextual behavioral therapies, including a R21 grant that investigated the efficacy and effectiveness of ACT in treating work-related distress among nursing aides and a pilot study in which we developed a DBT protocol for college students who experience difficulty in physical exercise.
My passion in contextual behavioral science extends to my clinical practice. I assess the form, function, and reinforcing factors of presenting problems. Based on client fit, I strive to draw ingredients from various third-wave therapies and deliver them in an integrative fashion.
Autobiography:
My hometown is Leshan, Sichuan, one of the most famous Buddhistic cities in China. Growing up by The Leshan Giant Buddha, numerous Buddhistic temples and buddha stone figures, I naturally became familiar with Buddhistic values and practices without traces of learning. Though living nearby popular attractions for Chinese tourists, I had almost never seen a person who did not look like myself. A brief summer trip to America in 2009 revealed my talent for and passion in connecting with diverse people. In 2013, I left China for Minnesota, where I completed my bachelor’s degree. I knew I wanted to be a clinical psychologist because, not only would I finally experience diversity daily, but I would also provide concrete help to people of differing backgrounds. If speaking English enabled me to communicate with diverse individuals, training in psychology allowed me to truly connect with them.
Upon graduation, I was accepted into the BGSU clinical psychology PhD program, where I began to combine my passion for diversity with psychological services and research. Through this journey, I discovered my strength in acceptance- and values-based approaches, as they align well with my culturally rooted knowledge and experience in Buddhism. Additionally, I observed that minority populations often happen to be the most underserved in America. As a Chinese international student myself, I found an urgent importance to provide a voice to minority groups. Therefore, I decided to put my strength into good use and devote my research efforts to studies relevant to ACT and acculturation.
Future goals:
I aim to continue growing my capacity in CBS research and practice, and I wish to become a generalist practitioner with multicultural competency and a specialization in CBS.
Relevant publications:
Xu, H., O’Brien, W. H., & Chen, Y. (2020). Chinese international student stress and coping: A pilot study of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2019.12.010
O’Brien, W. H., Wang, S., Xu, H., Wang, S., Yang, Z., Yang, T., Liu, Q., Zhang, X., Tang, L., Varga, A. V., Sims, T., Lim, C. X., Jarukasemthawee, S., & Pisitsungkagarn, K. (2021) Psychological reactions to COVID-19: Survey data assessing perceived susceptibility, distress, mindfulness, and preventive health behaviors. Data In Brief, 34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.106687
O’Brien, W. H., Wang, S., Varga, A. V., Xu, H., Sims, T. E., Horan, K. A., & Lim, C. X. (2020). Predicting PPE use, post-traumatic stress, and physical symptoms during the early weeks of COVID-19 lockdowns in the USA. MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.27.20162057
Chen, Y., Peng, Y., Xu, H., & O’Brien, W. H. (2017). Age Differences in Stress and Coping: Problem-Focused Strategies Mediate the Relationship Between Age and Positive Affect. International Journal Of Aging & Human Development, 86(4), 347–363. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415017720890