I'm a clinical psychologist working in Argentina. My main area of interest (and the main reason for attending to the conference), is the dissemination and training of EST in Argentina, specially low-cost interventions with a wide spectrum. In terms of therapies, this means ACT and also BATD (values-driven behavioral activation, Lejuez et al).

And, since Parma, a lot of good things had happened. First of all, we've created the SIG for Dissemination (the majority of the scholarship's recipients are on the SIG), which is a whole challenge on itself (I think there are as many languages as people on the SIG, it is a beautiful thing), and we are giving our firsts steps with it.

Specifically in Argentina, we had our first BATD and ACT workshops a couple of months ago. Particularly, the ACT workshop (with Kelly Wilson), had more than 80 attendees, which is just crazy in a country with a long standing psychoanalytic tradition (even CBT is relatively new around here). I've been giving some short lectures on several places (including the university of buenos aires, which in a sense is like teaching in Freud's backyard. Highly rewarding.), and we are having our first "native" workshop next month. In addition to that, we are starting to work on a research project using behavioral activation for depression. Im particularly interested on the act-related mediational factors for BA, so maybe in a couple of years we'll get back to you with some data about it (and btw, research funding for psychology is nearly zero, so almost everything in this is just will-supported).

If you interested in any of the things we are working on, drop me an email, join the SIG http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acbsdisseminationsig/, or buy me a beer at DC this year :-)

Peace,
Fabian Maero
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

I, Belal Mustafa, am a fresh graduate from the Jordan University of Sciences and Technology (JUST) located in Middle East country of Jordan, currently holding a master degree in applied behavior analysis.

I have participated in the ninth ACBS world conference held last year in the city of Parma- Italy as being awarded a scholarship by ACBS’s committee to attend that international event gathering. The invaluable benefits I gained through that event have significantly helped achieve my learning and performance objectives. Eventually, the exposure and presentation I had through the course of the conference was translated into an experience I am currently sharing with the rest of applied behavior research community in the region (Middle East and North Africa).

My main objectives are centered at enhancing my RFT, ACT and other contextual behavior science knowledge and experience, and serving the community specially those whom are suffering worldwide. More specifically, it is on how these conferences positively contribute to my personal and academic goals.

Through the course of these conferences I have established relations with professionals from all over the world. Preconference workshops were a great opportunity to exchange experience and knowledge about ACT that continued and extended to a network of relations that I am very proud of. The conference was a valuable opportunity to acquire up to date knowledge on latest ACT & RFT research introduced by most known professors in the track of contextual behavior science from overall the world. It is worth mentioning that, Behavior Analysis science is still a new field in my entire region that is why more effort is extremely needed in educating ACT, RFT, and other contextual science theories. In this context and since my attendance in the ninth conference till now I am working hard to hopefully implement ACT, RFT at our university’s hospital. Moreover, after attending the conference I've started preparing a research paper analyzing the “Arab spring” phenomenon and current region nations revolutions from an RFT perspective, I may considered myself a pioneer with this approach at both my university and within the entire region, where as this is the first psychological and behavioristic analysis to this phenomenon, in addition I believe that I am one of the first people in middle east region who worked on relational frame theory (RFT).

Considering RFT, ACT, and contextual behavior science becoming the most interesting fields in behavior analysis and psychology in general, , I was all the time keen to get advanced knowledge through my attendance at the ninth conference. Following my ambitious in this regard, I proposed establishing an ACBS chapter in the Middle East region and North Africa ; Since then I have made serious endeavors at initiating this promising chapter that disseminate ACBS values, serve professionals and students from one side, and patients whom indeed need to be treated deploying this prominent science from the other side.

I cannot ignore the positive impact and experience I gained by being a member of the “CBS Dissemination in Developing Nations” Special Interest Group (SIG). Finally, beside all of what I have mentioned before, I cannot emphasizes enough one of the benefits the ninth conference have served, which is getting acquainted with seasoned professors and scientist which in return gave me the chance to get consultation and guidance on many issues related to this science and others. Furthermore, I am communicating with other ACBS official chapters to enhance my presentation in future scientific conferences, looking to maximize my educational knowledge in this prominent track as well. In essence, I consider this conference a precious and priceless event I cannot bear to miss.

Many Thanks and Best Regards

Belal Mustafa
A member of Jordanian Applied Behavior Analysis Association.
Bsn,RN,Master Degree at ABA program in Jordan University of Sciences and Technology.

Irbid, Jordan
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

My name is Manuel Garayar and I’m from Peru. Since I’ve got back to my country, I've continued with my scientific blog about CBS in Spanish (http://conductistaenperu.wordpress.com/). It worked very well because, a few months later, I received an invitation to give a presentation about some topic related to Functional Contextualism. For my audience, I choosed the title: “Functional Contextualism: A contemporary monistic perspective to understand and influence on cognitive events” and my goal was to give a broad perspective about philosophical issues that underly CBS, and an introduction about their theoretical (RFT) and applied dimensions (ACT).

As I said in my poster presentation at Parma, I’ve continued doing workshops, helping others learn about ACT and Psychological Flexibility as a way of promoting personal development. I think that CBS can be promoted by demonstrating that its products are useful for the problems that common people label with their own words (low self-esteem, anger control, leadership, etc.). The interventions were planned, for example, using notions like self as context vs. self as content for deminishing the discriminative functions of the “negative” self-statements known as “low self-esteem”. I’ve shared some of this work through the ACT listserv (a power point presentations called “Lidiando con emociones no deseadas” [“Dealing with unwanted emotions”] for someone who was looking for some material in Spanish for his client).

As a therapist, I’ve been working with children, adolescents and adults (especially, parents). My experience is that the psychological flexibility model is a powerful and useful approach for the therapist in his role of helping the client to get a valuable life for him/her. A clear advance after the conference is that I’ve made an initial adaptation of the “feeding the tiger” metaphor for working with unwanted emotions in children, which I call “the story of the monster” who is presented as an analog of their emotions and thoughts and the notion that the problem comes when you always do “what the monster says”, adding to this some training in basic mindfulness repertoires.

In the same way, my Peruvian partner (Silvia Melgar) and I are preparing an experiential seminar with the goal of giving an introductory level of knowledge about CBS (ACT/FAP, RFT, FC). In April, I’ll travel to Buenos Aires (Argentina) to give a class about Functional Contextualism. Besides this class, I’m co-working on the possibility of a seminar about CBS topics too. For October, Silvia and I are organizing an ACT workshop (with Patricia Zurita) which will be the first one in my country.

In my country, it’s really important to show in both contexts, academic and professional, that there’s a powerful scientific approach, which emerging from the past behavioral and cognitive interventions, is giving new solutions from a contextual behavioristic point of view. The scholarship received from the ACBS (my new family around the world) was, of course, fundamental because I received more tools for achieving this goal. I’m sure that CBS approach can fill the void of dealing with suffering with verbal subjects in a human, pragmatic and scientific way. Our clients, the people who trust in us, will receive this benefit.
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Silvia Melgar

My Peruvian partner (Manuel Garayar) and I are preparing an experiential seminar with the goal of giving an introductory level of knowledge about CBS (ACT/FAP, RFT, FC). In October, Manuel and I are organizing an ACT workshop (with Patricia Zurita) which will be the first one in my country.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Report by Krisztina G. Szabó, PhD
Psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor in Ericksonian Pyschotherapy and Client- Centered Psychotharapy (Focusing)
Cluj, Romania

The scholarship represented a unique opportunity to participate in an intensive 14 hours pre-conference workshop and in 6 other workshops during the conference. Through this experience, I got a comprehensive understanding of the core processes of ACT and learned ways of using related concepts and techniques based on the model to develop therapeutic and supervision interventions. My previous readings about ACT have already provided me with a new understanding of processes related to therapeutic change, adding more effectiveness to my work; but it has been so important to actually see how different ACT professionals work, because for me this created a “shortcut” to the deep and living sense of what ACT means.

Another tremendous gain was to meet the ACBS community live and to experience that declared values really are the compass of acting and interacting within it. I consider this kind of experience really vital, especially when coming from a community still paying tribute to authority- and hierarchy-driven relationships.

So far, my dissemination activities have consisted in:
- using ACT in clinical practice
- introducing the ACT model trough all my teaching and training activities (seminars in clinical psychology and psychotherapy, trainings in psychotherapy/CE, as well as in supervision);
- bringing with me a colleague to the conference, who actively supported me further in all of the following activities:

• organizing a summer-camp (30 hours of training) on the topic of fostering psychological flexibility, where we presented the ACT model and specific techniques and also discussed ways of using the model in clinical practice; we also offered access to all the relevant materials (books and articles) we have. The program was credited with 30 CE credits by the Romanian College of Psychologists (August, 2011);
• developing a personal development program for adolescents based on ACT (ACT flexibly!); the program is thought to be an 8-week group activity, with the aim of fostering psychological flexibility; we organized a two-day intensive training (16 hours) for counselors and therapists interested in applying the program and also continuous assistance; we offered a brochure containing the specific topic and the objectives targeted in each session, as well as samples of recommended activities and guidelines. So far we have 20 therapists involved in the program, from different towns, and are still more interested. This program is sustained on a volunteer basis (the training and the assistance is free, as well as the participation in the group); we offered access to all the materials we have (books, articles etc.) and which are relevant to the topic;
• have submitted our proposal to translate into Romanian the best-seller Get out of your mind and into your life to a prestigious publisher;
• founding the Institute for Contextual Psychological Technologies which basically aims to promote values, views and principles grounded in functional contextualism, and to contribute to the dissemination and enrichment of knowledge and technologies based on that (the process in ongoing);
• have translated into Hungarian (in addition to the Romanian version) the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II and we are working on its validation; we have translated into Romanian and Hungarian the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (for the Hungarian versions we have collaborated with a colleague from Hungary);

It is to be mentioned that we conducted our teaching and training activities being certified trainers by the Romanian College of Psychologists; we did not presented ourselves as ACT-trainers, but shared our understanding and experience with it.
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

From Hannah Bockarie Sierra Leone West Africa.

 Subject. Report on ACBS Conference Attended 2011.

The painful and bitter experience of the war in Sierra Leone left most people with traumatic experiences and the feeling of unstable minds, the ACBS conference has help me touch many lives. It helped build my skills that I use to help people with mental health problems. With the help of these tools, major achievements have been done in the following ways:

1. After the ACBS Conference, training was organized for eight therapists in Bo Southern part of Sierra Leone at my place of work. The topic ACT for Life was presented, for which they were very much grateful. They were able to understand the basic concept, and learned some new skills for dealing with clients.

2. A supervision meeting for therapists in Freetown the capital city was organized where I facilitate on the topic ACT and the Treatment of Trauma. This helps therapists learn the usefulness of ACT in the treatment of trauma, a new tool of dealing with traumatic cases which helps them better understand the painful feelings, unstable minds, and unwanted thoughts clients goes through as a result of the traumatic experience. These tools are used by most therapists.

3. The training has help me with new skills which I use to help my clients with different cases in both individual and group counseling and the communities.

4. A workshop is organized for thirty participants which is going to be facilitated by Beate and her team from the 5th to the 7th of March 2012 to help therapists with new tools in working with clients with mental health problems. (Scroll down for pictures).

Action Plan

1 . I have written a proposal in which the objective is to open a Commit and ACT center in Bo, the second capital city of Sierra Leone. I am seeking funds to help facilitate the process.

2. To continue supporting other therapists through trainings, and to continue with individual and group sessions for both old and new clients.
 

Pictures from the March 2012 Sierra Leone ACT Workshop

^ ACBS Members, left to right: Beate Ebert, Hannah Bockarie, Ross White

^ ACT workshop participants complete the "Life Line" exercise together.

^ The group who participated in the Seirra Leone ACT Workshop March 5th-7th, 2012

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

My vision of life has changed.

As a Catholic priest, I use ACT in my sermons. Sometimes, instead of preaching, I use a mindfulness exercise related to the Word of God of the day. During some retreats, I preach about acceptance. Many people appreciate this.

Last year, on August 15th, 2011, I gathered fifty disabled people to give them food and drink, and to talk about acceptance. Many of them are frustrated, and therefore have become aggressive, smoke, or drink alcohol. Many journalists came to cover that event and presented it in radio, TV, and newspapers. Many people called to congratulate me.

Also, as chaplain of school, I coordinated with the Ministry of Education in the training of many teachers.

My project now is how to disseminate to francophone (French-speaking) countries. Because I’m a francophone working in Anglophone (English-speaking) country.

For me ACT-ACBS can be used to build Peace in the world.

Thanks to you.

Rev. Fr KICHE
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

The Parma Conference was a unique experience for me. I am a psychiatrist and CBT therapist. The ACBS community is so warm, energetic compared to our communities. At the Parma Conference I have reached what I could consider an intermediate level about ACT, metaphors and mindfulness techniques.

When I returned to Turkey I decided to study more on ACT and related topics. I have started to try to treat my patients from the ACT point of view. I see that creative hopelessness, in particular, is a very useful technique for resistant patients and it can be useful for CBT too. 

I have been working at a full time inpatient clinic for three months. With ACT techniques I’m helping my patients to accept and be mindful about their hallucinations and delusions without any response. I finished two of my client’s therapy with only ACT techniques. One is PTSD and the other one hypochondriasis. I realized that ACT provides motivation quickly for functional behavioral change.

I organized a half day workshop called “Three waves of Behaviorism” at the National psychiatry congress which was held on October 2011. It includes basic RFT principles and RFT views of psychopathology, too. At the same congress we organized a session about “new behavioral therapies” and I did a presentation called “What ACT brings to Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy?”

I am working at the biggest Psychiatry Hospital in Turkey. On December 2011, I did a presentation called “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A new behavioral model for psychopathology” at my hospital. At the same time I am teaching and reading together with my psychiatry residents about ACT at my inpatient clinic.

Nowadays I am working about meta-cognitions (rumination, avoidance, thought action fusion, etc.) and have some researches with these processes. Soon I will start to research for the reliability and validity of Turkish version of AAQ-2. I took permission from the authors. I think this will be an important experience for me. 

I am a founder member of a new association in Turkey called “Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies of Turkey”. I am responsible for the ACT unit of this association. I am planning to arrange workshops and trainings about ACT and RFT in midterm.

I am planning a two days workshop at a psychotherapy training center in Istanbul. The content will be about the history of behaviorism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. With this workshop I want to constitute a basic level for further trainings.

This year there will be two psychiatry congresses in Turkey. I will suggest half or full day ACT workshops to congresses’ committees.
With my colleagues this year I am planning to start to translate one of the ACT books into Turkish.

It seems that my direction is on the ACT path at this point in my professional development...

K.Fatih Yavuz, MD
Psychiatrist
Bakirkoy Psychiatry Education and Research Hospital
Istanbul, Turkey
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Having attended WC10 has been a very fruitful experience for me because it was a great opportunity to train therapeutic skills in experiential ways. Much of my knowledge in contextual therapy has been self-taught and has a clear deficit in experiential training. Attending the conference was very useful for me in that sense. My current efforts are focused on the ability to convey this knowledge to colleagues in my country and for this purpose I have organized a study group without charge. We meet once every two weeks (for 3 hours) and we read papers, book chapters and watch videos, then we have very fruitful discussions to deepen our knowledge. It is a stable group that aspires to become a clinical team working consistently with behavior contextual sciences.

Attending to the conference has also allowed me to meet colleagues from different places around the world, with whom I keep in contact to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

Some of my actions committed to disseminating contextual behavioral science in my country were: paper presentations and workshops at various conferences in Argentina, such as Argentine Psychiatrists Association (APSA) in the city of Mar del Plata, Latin American Association Analysis and Behavior Modification (ALAMOC) in CABA, Buenos Aires and the American Association of Clinical and Health (APICSA) in the province of Cordoba (Argentina).

I've also been able to complete the first promotion course of Contextual Third Generation Therapies that I have organized and coordinated in Fundacion Foro (institution focused on promotion and research in mental health), where 13 professionals from various disciplines of mental health learned about theoretical and practical contents of ACT, FAP and Mindfulness. Another achieved goal for 2012 has been to organize Schoendorff Benjamin´s workshop during the month of October, also in the Fundacion Foro.

After establishing contact with colleagues in my country interested in contextual behavioral sciences I have organized a two-day workshop in the province of Cordoba, attended by 15 professionals who learned ACT and FAP principles in an experiential way with a very good response from the audience.

I am currently working with a colleague Dr. Fabian Olaz, (National University of Cordoba), in designing a research project that will begin soon. It was really valuable for me being able to attend the conference in Washington and I take this opportunity to thank again the support I have received from ACBS to make this possible.

- Juan Pablo Coletti, Argentina
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

By Chhori Laxmi Maharjan
FNC/Ankur Counseling Center

Chhori Maharjan is the senior counselor and program director for Friends of Needy Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing psychosocial therapy to disadvantaged children and young people of Nepal. Chhori and her team of psychologists at the Ankur Counseling Center provide counseling to adults and children in the Kathmandu area and the income generated through this counseling helps to fund free treatment for disadvantaged children, many of whom struggle with trauma, disability, and homelessness. Since 2006, Chhori’s group has provided training to over 700 mental health providers, including counselors, child care professionals, Buddhist monks, and women’s groups from all over Nepal. Here, Chorri describes what she has been up to since attending ACBS World Conference X.

I am thankful to the team of ACBS for providing me a chance to participate in the conference last year. It was my first exposure to the international expertise in contextual behavior science and ACT. Because of the scholarship from ACBS I got an additional chance to attend Sand play therapy as well as an exposure visit to Antioch group and Bradley University, where I started to share about ACT and its effectiveness. We discussed ACT with students, practicing psychologists, psychotherapists, sand play therapists, as well as some of administrative staff.

Being a beginner and an enthusiastic learner in ACT therapy, before starting orientation classes in Nepal, I referred ‘ACT made simple’, ‘Get Out of Your Mind and into Your Life for Teens’ and consultation with Dr.Louise along with my experiences. I organized orientation programs 2-3 hours long for staff members of my organization. 

Similarly, in the last six months, five orientation classes were organized for teachers, students of clinical and counseling psychology, students of Buddhism studies, private and government colleges, along with the only Mental Hospital in Nepal. Also, during world mental health day (October 10), I had a chance to share about ACT.

After my orientation session, students, teachers have been visiting Ankur counseling center seeking books on ACT, and they have provided positive feedback to Ankur. They have shown their keen interest to learn more, have trainings, and planning to apply for the upcoming world conference in Sydney. 

‘ACT Made Simple’, ‘I just want to be Me’, and ’Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens’ are commonly used books by the readers in Ankur library.

According to the need, I have been using some of the interventions effectively during counseling sessions such as diffusion, mindfulness, workability, mindfull movement, values base living, and more. 

I translated ‘Leaves on the Stream’ and am currently translating a values exercise for teens by Dr. Louise into Nepali language for easiness and for its effectiveness.

Publicly I gave two Radio Interviews and one talk program. 

Currently, I have prepared a training manual including ACT and its interventions as a major component. The training is named “Trauma counseling.” It lasts for five days, and is specially designed for volunteer peer counselors who have been rescued from servitude, and have had various traumatic past life experiences. 

In addition, I have been communicating with some of the professionals for their commitment to give training on ACT in Nepal. Dr.Louise, Tim and Sandra are planning to come this year.

Dr.Louise and Ankur team have been in Skype for clinical supervision monthly.

Lastly, I would like to state that the five days exposure to ACT is just an appetizer, so I need to learn and get trained on ACT more and more just like a full meal course. Hence, all of my colleagues and I are looking forward to get a floor of ACT with a thrust again and again.

- Chhori Laxmi Maharjan, Nepal
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Christian Vonjoe is a Senior Health Education Officer at the Health Education Division of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone. Christian’s program develops and disseminates educational initiatives and behavioral interventions that promote healthy behavior change at both the individual and community levels. Christian uses a contextual behavioral approach to develop culturally appropriate health messages that combat stigma, discrimination, and the persistence of inaccurate information about HIV, tuberculosis, reproductive health, and immunization. Christian also provides counseling to individuals with HIV and tuberculosis, emphasizing values and flexibility in their approach to managing their illness and engaging with their communities. To learn about his activities since ACBS World Conference X, read his report below.

REPORT ON ACBS ACTIVITIES IN SIERRA LEONE

INTRODUCTION
Knowledge and skills gained form the ACBS conference in Washington D.C. was disseminated through staff meeting with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and a one day orientation meeting held on the 25th September, 2012 with members from line ministries and a cross–section of university students. My presentation focused on the following concepts:

• Background information of ACBS and its objectives
• Promoting Behavior Change in Primary Health care
• Acceptance and values in Behavior Medicine
• ACT as a behavioral medicine to improve health- pain management and smoking cessation
• Promoting Healthy behavioral life choices
A one day orientation meeting was supported by the Directorate of Non communicable diseases in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone.

NEXT STEP
• A National Contextual Behavioral Science (NCBS) committee was formulated and has been identified by the ministry of health to collaborate with health partners to promote healthy behavioral lifestyle choices .
• The executive structure of the committee was developed.
• Committee meets monthly to discuss issues that required to be address through the use of CBS, RFT and ACT concepts.
• Coordination with the broad ACBS umbrella was highly suggested.
• Mobilize resource for the implementation of CBS activities.
• The committee wrote project proposal to promote healthy behavioral lifestyle choices in communities

ACHIEVEMENT
• Committee meets twice each month to identify issues required to be address and among them were: Unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol consumption.
• The committee is now a member of the national taskforce on non-communicable diseases in the Ministry of health and sanitation.
• The Health Education Programme in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is a member of this committee and has now incorporated some CBS principles to heighten community awareness on health issues.
• The committee has written a project proposal to solicit support form NGO partners and to create awareness on healthy behavioral lifestyle choices ( physical exercise, healthy diet and the prevention and control of tobacco and alcohol in communities).
• So far we are awaiting feedback from our donor partners.

CONCLUSION
The committee noted the importance of securing e a technical support from ACBS and additional resources to effectively implement pending CBS projects. The committee also identified the need for additional training on CBS concepts to scale up behavioral interventions in the country.

Submitted by:
Christian Vonjoe
Senior Health Education Officer
Ministry of Health and Sanitation
Sierra Leone
  

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Time has flown since the Worldcon in July and so many things have been happening. I want to first thank everyone at ACBS for creating and supporting the opportunity for me to attend the conference and the training before. I would like to especially thank Chris Wemple and Suzan Stafford who made me feel so comfortable when hosting me so far from home, and giving me greater insight into life in DC.

The pre-conference workshop I attended was presented by Paul Gilbert and Dennis Tirch on Compassion Focused Therapy. I found the workshop very inspiring, and I began to apply what I had learned to my personal process and my work with individual clients immediately. In September, I used some of these principles and exercises in a facilitator training and a leadership camp for cultural diversity intelligence, called Umthombo Wesizwe (Spring of the Nation, see www.uwfund.org) near Cape Town. The facilitators were especially moved by the compassionate approach, and there was a lot of positive feedback about how this helped them to deepen their connection with themselves, others, and within the group.

Over the past 5 months I have been involved in a process of exploring a research topic relating to the process of transformation in South Africa. I find that I have been deeply affected by the work on shame that we explored with Paul Gilbert, and I am intending to follow in this line by exploring "white shame" and its consequences in terms of transformation in South Africa.

On the ACT front I continue to apply an ACT approach with many of my clients and I continue to grow in this work. I have also done an introductory presentation on ACT to a group of mental health professionals at the military hospital in Cape Town that I based on an introductory pamphlet that I compiled for distribution to health professionals. The pamphlet has been well received and I had some requests for more from interested General Practitioners.

I had made plans for an introductory workshop on ACT in November/December to be presented by an international ACT trainer, though due to time and communication constraints this did not happen.
I have subsequently come into contact with others that are also working with ACT, and have been asked to do another ACT presentation in a neighboring town in the near future.

Overall the opportunity to participate in the conference was a great inspiration to my work in various areas. I have had numerous conversations with people since that time discussing my experience and sharing the knowledge gained in D.C., and I continue to contemplate Worldcon X in Cape Town.

Thank you again to all of those that have supported this wonderful opportunity.

Regards,

Yoav Van der Heyden
Cape Town, South Africa
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Dear Association of Contextual Science,

Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to come to Australia and attend the 13th World Conference of ACBS. There is a number of good news to be reported here for ACT promotion and training in China.

In September 2013, we had held a small Salon inviting around 15 professionals (professors and psychologists), and we presented on both ACT and RFT for introduction. The attendees were excited in training, researching, and developing culturally adaptable techniques for ACT.

A larger forum for “Chinese culture and post-modern applied psychology” was held by the Key Laboratory of Mental Health and the Mental Health Promotion Center of our institute during early December 2013. This forum was for the promotion and development of post-modern psychological practices in China based on Chinese cultural backgrounds. In this event, Dr. Kenneth Fung from Canada joined us, and we provided a brief session on the core techniques and practices of ACT and its relationships to the wisdoms of Zen. Around 200 attendees come together from 20 universities and centers from America, Canada, Germany, Taiwan, and across China. The ACT session was well-received, and ACT practices may be applied in the vast public servant population in China.

Soon after, a three day elementary training program for the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was provided from 27th to 29th of December by Dr. Yan Li and I. Yan had prior trainings in ACT and is based at the Counseling and Psychological Services center at Duke University. More than 50 people including lecturers, research staffs, clinical psychologists, and graduate students attended the event. The training was based on theories and activities to introduce the hexflex model. After the theoretical session, Yan lead the games of “the passengers”, “tug-of-war with difficulties”, “self-labeling”, several role play sessions and others. These games provided learners with deeper understandings and applications of each of the core processes in the ACT model.

We had also discussed with Professor Hayes for introducing the Boot Camp to China. Now, we have started the elementary package offered by Chinese ACT trainers, and a third training event will be held soon. These preparations as discussed were to create public awareness for the ACT therapy. Following from such local events, we would welcome International trainers to come to China for an intermediate package, and finally an advanced package by arranging Chinese audiences to come the US Boot Camp. We hope that this would progress well in the years to come.

Besides training, we never cease to introduce ACT to the wider Chinese audiences. For instance, we have continued to use microblogs and blogs to spread news on ACT. More importantly, the translation of the 2nd Edition of the ACT text is near completion. We make sure more professional guides on ACT will be appeared in the Chinese market in addition to the best sellers on the same topic. We express our gratitude for the hospitality of the ACBS team in giving us the opportunity to come to the 13th world conference and the careful arrangements during the conference. During the time of Chinese New Year, we wish you a happy Year of the Horse.

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Zhuohong Zhu
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Dear Association of Contextual Behavioral Science,

Being the recipient of the developing world scholarship of the 2013 Sydney world conference for contextual behavioral science, I hereby express my gratitude for this wonderful opportunity to learn, discuss, and share insights in the theory and practice of this burgeoning field. In the following, I will be happily present what we have accomplished in terms of the empirical researches of psychological flexibility carried out by myself and our team after the conference.

 In Chinese, we submitted two papers on the validations of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire 2nd Edition as well as the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, both validation papers (entitled “Reliability and validity in a Chinese version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – 2nd Edition (AAQ-II) in college students” and “Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire”) have been accepted by the Chinese Mental Health Journal, and will be appeared in the upcoming printed journal soon. Together with the two earlier review papers on ACT and RFT, these papers would lay down the conceptual foundation for further theoretical and interventional researches in China.

Following the validation papers, we have further analyzed the associations between psychological flexibility measures (PS) and generalized psychological well-being scales. This included the relationships of PS with differential psychological symptoms (SCL-90-R) among college students, together with post traumatic stress (PCL-C) and post traumatic growth (PTGI) among college student earlier influenced by the Wenchuan Earthquake. Our results showed that PS is a good predictor for psychological well-being, and these two papers have both submitted for review (entitled “Psychological flexibility model in predicting post-traumatic stresses and growth” and “Psychological flexibility as a predictor for levels of psychological distress and gender differences in its predictability among college students”).

I personally have completed a paper on the reliability, construct and incremental validity of the AAQ-II questionnaire in English. The paper after slight amendments will be submitted to the Journal of Behavioral Therapy, following Dr. Frank Bond’s original paper on the development of the AAQ-II questionnaire. The paper has been read by Professor Steven Hayes, and he considered the incremental validity studies were important conceptually, and encouraged us to take part in longitudinal studies for the predictive roles of psychological flexibility in future.

Moreover, we have completed a study among 40 college students on the associations between psychological flexibility and cognitive flexibility based on a computerized modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, our preliminary results suggested that cognitive flexibility are not as context specific, thus were more associated with the concept of present moment awareness. This study will be prepared into a manuscript in the near future.

Unfortunately, our paper on a microblogged suicide case “Zou-Fan” was not accepted into the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science due to its qualitative nature. We consider the paper not as a rigorous empirical research but a mixed policy article. Although the paper may not be readily accepted as agreed by most of our team, we believe that this endeavor in assessing a real life case would shed many insights to the new field of data mining and computer aided assistance, which is going to be more and more based on a pragmatic contextual philosophy.

These are the little “milestones” we have accomplished after last year’s world conference on contextual behavioral science. I hoped that we can produce more empirical researches of contextual behavioral science. Again, thank you for providing me the precious opportunity to come to UNSW in Sydney, and we wish the ACBS to have an ever more fruitful year in 2014.

Yours sincerely,
Yang Ji
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

On the next weeks after coming back to Peru, I made a call to begin with meetings around discussing and providing some guidance to a formal study and practice at different levels of CBS, all for free. The middle-term goal linked to this was the one of stablishing a regional chapter, which would be the Peruvian Chapter of the ACBS. I was not alone on this, since Silvia Melgar, another CBS folk, has been working with me. This meant the born of the CBS Peruvian Community and since the first session we had discussed scientific articles around functional contextualism, RFT and more applied issues related to ACT. Our community also has worked through a virtual space where the members share CBS literature and where I share specific readings that could help in this first stage of the CBS dissemination in a more formal way (as long as we are following a route that beging on the philosophical level of analysis and its connection with more applied issues that constitutes the technological level). Some time of other sessions were dedicated to questions and answers. But what I think is the most exciting part of it is that our CBS Peruvian community has born with a strong orientation not only on dissemination activities (as it could be the case of a study group) but on practicing all that CBS can provide as a way of contributing to the history of human evolution, to say, for example, sharing certain values that create the context for the occurrence and manteinance of flexible repertoires across its members, in terms of how we relate each other (kindly, with good sense of humor, etc.) and with our society (i.e. curiosity about the needs of our regional context, so we can plan some intervention according to them). So our community is not just a mere academic group but I hope it could achieve the goal of being useful for our context and, in certain way, to contribute to evolution of humanity using CBS. This is the soul of this community, or at least, I'll work with Silvia to make it work in that way. I truly believe that we can do this by giving just little steps momment to momment. Besides this CBS community, another important activity that took place in the last months was the ACT workshop that I leaded on November about ACT since an RFT perspective where a group of participants could get a closer contact with the power of using behavior analysis since a functional contextual point of view in the direction of alleviating human suffering. Finally some of the sessions of the community have also been dedicated to discuss about the benefits and requirements to become a formal ACBS chapter. Until now we got and sent all the signatures required, which meant at least 10 new members from Peru in the ACBS. A good number that calls for happiness and good expectations, considering that we are, as I usually say, so far from the places where things happen. Now I'm just preparing the by-laws to send it to the ACBS so our community could become formally a chapter, which I think is a more practical way to get involved, interested and committed with the whole community around the world. My second attendance to the Conference was determinant on giving these steps which I hope can be the beginning of a more active role of the Peruvian folks in the world community.

- Manuel Garayar, Peru

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

I would like to thank all those who made it possible for me to have the opportunity to attend Worldcon in Minneapolis. Although I have managed to attend before and have been practising ACT for sometime, my relocation to South Africa and the accompanying financial constraints would have made attendance at this particular Worldcon impossible; yet I felt that precisely because of my relocation it was imperative to attend to focus on what can be done in South Africa to disseminate ACT.
During the buildup to Worldcon I had the privilege of meeting Bertus Swanepoel in an introduction to ACT workshop that I facilitated over a few days in my hometown. He lives in Gauteng and specifically in the most densely populated area in South Africa, where he can have the greatest influence in the mental health professional community. I will leave it to him to tell you of the great work he has been doing there.

I live in a very small town which also happens to have the most diverse population group – from the very rich, multiple home-owner holiday-makers and retirees to the very poorest unemployed and homeless. I have chosen to focus on the latter, although in my private practice I have had the opportunity to promote ACT within the local medical community: for example with report back especially with chronic pain patients.

In my work within the poor community, I am developing a protocol that I hope to be able to provide a simple model for dissemination amongst the disadvantaged and sometimes illiterate communities. Some years ago I studied the success rates of ‘foreign’ models that are brought into Africa by both religious and secular groups and discovered a high rate of failure. This was mainly due to a lack of consideration of the structures already in place, mainly leadership structures and ‘natural’ sources of healing. These are often older members of the society who, in contrast to some other societies, gain respect and reverential treatment as they age; also some influential younger persons who are considered to have ‘special’ powers who may, or may not agree to consider what is being offered.

As a result of my previous studies I decided to become a ‘participant observer’ and to this end have been part of a group of about 30-40 people in a church in the poorest area, and have been attending their meetings for three years now. I am accepted by most now, and sometimes (increasingly) asked to speak. I have identified the natural leaders and done two one-day workshops with them this year, and another two with any members of the community who care to attend. These were well attended, and the idea of willingness has been very well received. The cycle of poverty requires a great deal of stoic endurance for some, and especially for most of this group who are economic refugees (and some political). Families and support systems are often far away, and it has been a privilege to watch the transformation from stoicism to willingness as values have been brought into the picture.
The wonderful work in Sierra Leone has inspired me to prepare the ground here should we ever have to tackle that epidemic. The practice of handling, kissing and being present with the dead during lengthy repatriation is similar to Sierra Leone. It is, however, topical as we already have an epidemic of note, namely HIV. As this is mainly a church group, although others are attracted to come and listen by the great drumming and singing (!), it has been a welcome relief, I believe, to be introduced to a view that is based on compassion and yet moving towards health, as opposed to rules and judgement. The discussion of sex or anything approaching such a discussion is taboo in this community and a very delicate issue as I am a ‘foreigner’ but we get around this also with careful wording around values.

We had some wonderful discussions at Worldcon around different possibilities for dissemination and we are trying them out. We came home to the advent of spring, summer, holidays and end of year exams and deadlines and so it has been a different dynamic from what would be experienced in the northern hemisphere. I am confident that early 2015 will provide more opportunities for professional workshops and other opportunities as people will be more focussed on work and less distracted by immediate necessities.
Thank you to Jenn Gregg for her continued help in getting my training videos ‘up to speed’ so that I can finally hand in my portfolio to apply for peer recognition as a trainer. This will go a long way toward establishing my credibility in the professional arena in South Africa – and also toward providing videos that can be used in our sprawling and transport challenged count.

Ingrid Ord, South Africa
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Report on Dissemination Activities in South-Africa

I would firstly like to thank ACBS for their kind gesture to provide me with complimentary conference and pre-conference registration. It made it possible to attend as our currency isn't very strong against the dollar. I also appreciated the the lunch/dinner escorts with whom we could converse and learn from.

It was a privilege to meet people and attend sessions where theory and what I have read in books became alive in practical illustrations and discussions.
It was surely the beginning of a long term relationship with the ACBS.

Since being at the conference my Private Practice has been booming. I think it is a combination of being more mindful in sessions as well as having a better functional contextual understanding of behaviour. My best month was in September 2014 where I had 80 sessions for the month.

I have had the privilege to share the Matrix with two grade groups (15 and 16 year olds) and the staff at a High School in my community with great feedback. The school management and I are currently integrating the values of the school into behavioural outcomes and it seems to make the values more real to the children and the staff.

I also had several meetings with a representative of the Sereti Institue who does community projects like Violence and crime prevention as well as Football for youth.
We were at a stage where the involvement of PROSOCIAL was considered with possible meetings with a University to come on board, but unfortunately the person from the Sereti Institute had to deal with personal issues and the discussions were halted up until now.
He has contacted me a few weeks ago and told me that we must meet in the new year. Hopefully I can convince him to engage with PROSOCIAL but will ask for some guidance from PROSOCIAL if it comes to that.

I must admit that I was very excited about the above-mentioned possibilities and disappointed at the same time that nothing has happened yet, but I am learning to be patient.

I also networked with a few CPD (continuous professional development) forums and I have been given the opportunity to introduce ACT in January 2015 at two different forums. I also want to use these opportunities to invite interested persons to an ACT workshop which Ingrid Ord and I are planning to have in the Johannesburg area in March 2015.

Ingrid and I keep in contact on a regular basis and and although she is 1000 km away, it is nice to have someone knowledgeable in South-Africa to brainstorm with.

Hopefully we can bring new faces with us to Berlin next year.

Kind Regards

Bertus Swanepoel

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Greetings from Malaysia!

I can still feel the excitement while writing this dissemination report seven months after attending the ACBS World Conference 13 in Berlin. It was my first international conference, and this was made possible because of ACBS Developing Nation Scholarship. I am very grateful for the learning opportunity and am committed to share my learning back in my home country. This dissemination report will briefly describe my initial dissemination activities thus far and the future plans.

In contrast to learning from written materials, the six days conference has provided me with great conceptual and experiential learning on ACT, adding valuable amount of my repertoire on the application of the psychological flexibility processes. With the effective training method, the two days preconference workshops on ACT skill building by Steven Hayes has especially given me a good balanced of theoretical and practical input on ACT. During the conference, I attended workshops in accordance to my interest in young people and chronic pain, trying to gain as much as I can within the six days.

After returning to Malaysia, I started utilizing ACT modality with greater confidence in my private practice with individuals with mental disorders. For group work, I have also started to facilitate the participants' psychological flexibility to increase their work functioning while conducting a Return to Work program. In my work at pain clinic Hospital Kuala Lumpur, I have started to incorporate ACT approach to guild patients to manage chronic pain.

In addition to some informal sharing with my colleagues in Malaysia, I have organized a workshop on managing exam anxiety with ACT for students in Methodist College Kuala Lumpur in October 2015. In February 2016, I will be facilitating another ACT workshop on increasing psychological flexibility for special needs children in the Special Education Network in Asia Conference (SENIA).

For prospective plans, after securing a good funding, I will start my doctorate study on the area of ACT for young people with pain condition under Dr Lance McCracken. I am also looking for opportunities to observe ACT chronic pain group program, as I wish to implement one in the pain clinic that I am working in. Besides that, I plan to equip myself on the use of ACT on young children by attending workshops by Louise Hayes. Lastly, my longterm goal is to become a peer review trainer and share this wonderful approach and community to my fellow colleagues in Malaysia.

Thank you, ACBS!

With gratefulness,
Lee Sook Huey
Clinical Psychologist, Malaysia

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Report to ACBS on using ACT to train Lay Counselors in Afghanistan

Reported by Norman Gustavson, Phd

Feb. 17, 2016

First, thank you for your support and the ongoing work of ACBS

"Lay counseling" is a very new concept in Afghan communities attempting to deal with a vulnerable population dealing with many physical/structural demands and psychosocial issues.  In this project, in spite of the expected challenges, the volunteers who were trained were very determined in their community outreach and very enthusiastic about the tools that they acquired in the PARSA trainings.  This project demonstrated that the foundational work done this year has created the possibility of a healthy and effective community response to mental health issues. Methodology adapted from cognitive behavior therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) by Dr. Gustavson and Dr. Sabour proved effective in reaching clients in vulnerable communities.

During this period, three workshops on awareness of psychosocial problems and three trainings on “Introduction to Counseling Skills” were designed, developed and implemented in Kabul, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces.

In the workshops on “Introduction to Counseling Skills” 53 people were certified as “Village Psychosocial Counselors” (VPSC) to provide counseling to clients in internal refugee camps in these three provinces on a volunteer basis.

These 53 VPSCs reached 793 people utilizing their "lay counseling" skills.

The first awareness workshop was held in Kabul in February 2015 for five days for 16 staff from WarChild-Canada (WCC). 

The second MH awarness training for staff of the WCC contract provider, “Organnization for Human Welfare” (OHW) in February for 17 participants, male and female staff of OHW.

The third staff development-awareness of MH issues workshop was conducted in Kandahar in April for staff of (OHW) with 17 staff participants.

The first trainings for Village Psychosocial Counselors (VSPC)was conducted in in April in Kabul’s Charahe Qambar “Internally Displace Persons” (IDP) refugee camp.

The second and third trainings for VPSCs were conducted in June in Kandahar and Jalalabad.  The training method included several hours of practical exercise from actual case studies as well as simplified case vignettes from the trainer’s clinics and International Assistance Mission (IAM) mental health clinic materials.

Methods:

Observing, listening without judging is a basic counseling skill that crosses many counseling methodologies as does “active listening” and form a basis for PARSA’s work.  What we have added are principles form Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), an evidence based program of training and therapy.  ACT does not focus on diagnosis but on the concerns of the client and helping the client to discover unworkable avoidance patterns that tend keep the client “stuck” in a “vicious cycle” that attempts to avoid painful, distressing feelings but that actually tend to keep the client focused on the painful emotions.  The focus of ACT is to foster acceptance of distress as it is while building on the clients stated (and elaborated values, i.e., who and what are truly important to the client.  The client is assisted to formulating behaviors they can take on that support these values.  Acceptance plus increases in valued behavior aid the client in improved functioning, i.e., living a more productive and valued life.  In this way an overview of psychosocial problems was developed for trainees without needing to go into great detail about psychopathology and diagnosis.  The orientation of counseling is pragmatic.

The model used to help trainees understand how clients get stuck in problematic patterns of behavior or “suffering” with negative emotions was drawn from the ACT approach known as “The Matrix” (“the ACT Matrix”, Edited by Kevin Polk, PhD and Benjamin Schoenhorff, MA, 2014, New Harbinger Publications, Inc.).

The Matrix was used to develop both a way of conceptualizing a clients issues; a focus on recognizing things that trigger problem behavioral reactions or emotions and a path for finding more productive behaviors while learning to accept negative feelings as they come up without getting fixated on them.  The basic approach has counselors help clients list what and who is really valuable to the client and then use these values to develop positive actions toward personal goals instead of getting caught in behaviors or feelings they have learned in an attempt to avoid unwanted feelings and reactions.  For example actions to engage in social activity that is valued, like doing things with friends and family instead of trying to avoid negative feelings by self-isolating, drug use or other escape behaviors.

Outcomes:

The success of this program is quantifiable and exceeded our expectations. Using 53 volunteers at a low level of education trained to be Village Psychosocial Counselors (VPSC's), PARSA has documented an outreach to 793 beneficiaries in IDP camps in Kabul, Kandahar, and Nangarhar by the completion of the first year program.

In Kabul the training started in two separate locations for male and female groups and was conducted for 10 women and 12 men.

The VPSC workshop in Kandahar was conducted May 30th through June 5th for 11 females, and in a concurrent but separate workshop during the same dates for 14 males.

In Jalalabad the VPSC workshop was conducted from June 13th through the 17th in concurrent groups for 16 females and 17 males.  The trainees were a group of men and women from districts where IDPs were living (Daman District).

In addition to traditional training components for lay counselors like “active listening” and taking a nonjudgmental stance in relation to the client with whom the counselor is working, the ACT Matrix was used to help the VPSCs to listen for and share with clients the experiential avoidance patters that clients revealed as their issues or “struggles”.  A (I believe) new exercise was also developed (shown in our Poster) called “this is not a tree”.  Here participants were asked to recall an early image of “tree” as they learned to associate the word with objects in their environment and then to draw their personal image of “tree”.  The next step was for them to add to the drawing an early experience associated with their “tree” (to other things and actions in the larger “frame” of their tree.  After sharing their tree and related story/frame the ‘take away’ from the exercise was for the trainees to see that no ones “tree” and framework is any better than anyone else’s.  no ones tree is more or less valid than any other person’s.  All points of view are valid.  This work supported other exercises to build a nonjudgmental stance in relation to their clients.  The exercise also helped to reinforce the idea of observing and giving feedback to clients on patterns of avoidance and behaviors that move toward who and what is important without advise giving, i.e., helping clients discover and sort out unworkable patterns of behavior from moves toward their stated values.

The matrix exercise was done with individuals creating their own matrix using pictures to past into the four quadrants of the matrix.  This was a very success process based on presentations each participant made to describe their own matrix of values, internal (mental) thoughts and feelings, actions to avoid these feelings (stuck places) and new behaviors to move toward values to enrich their lives.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

My name is Mario Maricic, and I have been awarded a scholarship for Developing Nations ACBS World Conference in Berlin 2015. It`s been a long time since I was in Berlin and enthusiasm I felt there is somewhat present here. Beautiful people and World Class teachers. For me, it was as I have been to the Moon.

I would like to reflect on activities that my colleagues and I have done after WC13. Over the past ten months, a lot of things was going on. For the first time, I was part of the ACT training in Serbia, as a workshop co-facilitator with my mentor and teacher Igor Krnetic, Ph.D.

Since Berlin, ACT is what I'm practicing and learning with the clients and colleagues I see daily, although I was practicing ACT for and with myself for years.
In December of 2014, my professor and I had created and started an Association for promoting and developing psychotherapeutic practice and science "Center for Mindfulness". Under that roof, we have begun with Student counseling services in October 2015. Students from the University of Banjaluka (Bosnia&Herzegowina) now can get counseling and can get into psychological treatment based on 3rd wave behavioral therapies free of charge. We have started continuous peer support and supervision in Center for Mindfulness, for therapists who work with the students.
(see our Facebook page)

Also, we had started group activities with the goal to promote, create and practice living meaningful lives. We had started a pilot project named "Practicing, developing and building meaningful lives". This group offers support for psychotherapists and non-psychologists in the area. We all learn and practice to respond to others needs with authentic courage and love and spread and share those experiences with our families, friends, clients, etc. We had used an online app to organize these activities (see link http://www.meetup.com/Banja-Luka-Mindfulnes-Meetup/)

In the March 2016., we had organized an event for promoting mental health in the local community "Days of mental health in local community - Banja Luka". We had five days of different events with the focus on creating peer support groups in the local community, and with a particular interest in persons with psychotic experience, and hearing voices.

I would like to thank all of you who made it possible for me to attend ACBS world conference in Berlin. Thank you all who made some effort and support people like me, and countries like mine. I would like to say thanks personally to a big-hearted Kristin Marjalla from Norway who financially supports me even these days, months after the World Conference 13 and who is investing in my personal and professional future. I want to say thanks to Dr. Igor Krnetic, my mentor, who is supportive beyond limits, warm and kind person who puts his efforts and made it possible for me and my colleagues to contribute to our local community and make a change. They both are investing in the future of my family, my friends, clients that I live and work with, investing into my colleagues trough me. Thank you! I could never say or do anything to match gratefulness I experience. Thank you all!

With kindness and love, Mario Maricic.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

ACCEPTANCE & COMMITMENT THERAPY IN UGANDA: 12 MONTHS ON
Time has flown since the Worldcon in July last year and so many things have been happening. I want to first thank everyone at ACBS for creating and supporting the opportunity for me to attend the conference in Berlin. I would like to especially thank Ross White, Jennifer Gregg, and everyone else who made me feel so comfortable when hosting me while so far from home, and giving me greater insight into life in Berlin. I have to say that I felt so welcome and supported all throughout my stay in Berlin. Thanks too, to Courtney and the rest of the organizers.

The pre-conference workshop I attended was presented by Steve Hayes on Advanced ACT. I personally found the workshop to be very enriching and inspiring, and I began to apply what I had learned to my personal process and my work with individual clients immediately. The workshop offered me an opportunity to experience ACT as an individual which gave me confidence to use it further. It’s now my first choice in my private practice. I have got to say that most clients here in Uganda also respond well to ACT.

I personally receive supervision from Ingrid who is based in Cape Town, South Africa. This has offered me an invaluable opportunity to have someone guide me through my case whenever I get stuck but also, just to have another person guiding me while I take on ACT. She has been extremely supportive and understanding because some times power or internet do not enable us to start on time but she is always willing to attend to me whenever I need her. She has been so supportive that it made my work seem so worth it. I had an opportunity to take on Matthew’s online course which runs for a year but the internet and the very busy schedule couldn’t allow me to complete. I still feel awful about not completing it but, I guess sometimes things like that happen.

In November last year we had a visitor from Bosnia (Igor) who visited Uganda for two weeks and offered ACT training workshops to over 40 students of psychology. These students were from three different programs including the Masters of Arts in Counseling (12 students), Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology (25), and Post-Graduate Diploma in Counseling Psychology (3). Some of these students had already benefitted from an Introductory course from Ross White who had visited Uganda the previous year. The coming of Igor boosted the students’ motivation and passion for ACT. In fact, most of them are continuing to use ACT as their major approach during psychotherapy. In December last year we had a visitor from UK (Taslim) who also conducted a half day workshop on ACT to over 60 students of psychology. This was a very interesting group of students (partly because more than 15 students were from the organizational psychology department).

I have also done an introductory presentation on ACT to a group of mental health professionals including a Clinical Psychologist who works with African Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV), and another School Psychologist who works with two International Secondary Schools here in Uganda. These mental health workers continue to use ACT in their day to day work are part of the team forming the Uganda Chapter.

Makerere University has now officially embraced ACT and I am receiving support to continue offering short courses and supervision to students on all post-graduate psychology programs. I continue to look for volunteers who are willing to come and offer support. In fact, as I speak with have someone from Denmark (Anne Anderson) who is going to be with the students for a month just to part of an ACT workshop series that will be running at Makerere University from the 19th of July until the 19th of August. This is very encouraging.
We are also expecting Joe Oliver to come over to Uganda some times in December. This will surely benefit the first years who are coming in this August. I hope that Joe Oliver will be keen on meeting a group of mental health workers who also are thirsty for more trainings. These attended Dr, Ross White’s introductory course but have since then not got so much attention. I also continue to coordinate the nurse’s stress reduction program using ACT. Cerdic Hall is supporting that program and both of us continue to work together.
There’s a very good opportunity for ACT to continue growing but sometimes both time and money remain a constraint.

Thank you again to all of those that have supported this wonderful opportunity.

Regards,
Rosco Kasujja
Kampala, Uganda.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Time has gone and it only seems like yesterday when the ACBS World Conference in Seville, Spain happened. I work at the School of Psychology, Makerere University and I am engaged in therapy as well as a Counseling Psychologist.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members that tirelessly engaged in supporting me to participate in the World Conference in June 2017. I would like to specifically appreciate Courtney and Laura for the great communication links that I managed to reach safely in a new land and continent. I would like to thank Dr. Ross White, Dr. Joe Oliver, Dr. Rosco Kasujja for the contact, believing in me and initiation process. Grateful to Louis Hayes, Tom Szabo, Jennifer, and Beate and the whole Commit and Act family for support during the conference.

I attended the two-day Pre-conference workshop that is Process-based ACT by Steven Hayes. The Intermediate sessions were helpful in grounding different processes of the ACT model especially the use of different exercises, case formulation and suggesting alternative exercises in session. The workshop had an experiential approach and different participants had an opportunity to share experiences with different clients and the role plays were helpful. I have been able to incorporate the learning from this workshop in my work with clients and in training other therapists.

Over the past six months, I have been engaged in individual and group therapy as well as ACT trainings.

• I was involved in organizing an ACT Introductory training for University students from 4th-5th July 2017. A number of them were hearing about ACT for the first time but picked interest and are engaged in further learning of the ACT model.
• In September 2017, I engaged in further learning by doing an on-line course called ACT for Anxiety and Depression with Dr. Russ Harris. It was insightful in how to work with anxious and depressed clients on their journey to coping and recovery.
• On 19th Nov 2017, I organized members of the Uganda Council of Psychologists for a session with Prof. Sath Cooper from South Africa. I had the privilege of introducing the other psychologists in attendance to the ACT model as well as inviting them to ACT trainings.
• I also engaged in the Uganda Counselling Association Conference and invited members to learn how to use ACT with clients by attending the training workshops.
• From October to November 2017, I planned community service sessions with 2nd and 3rd year university students to focus on the substance use challenges in Bukesa parish and Kikoni village (these are slums around the University). They had sessions in the schools and communities and used the ACT model to have sessions with different members and groups.
• From 21st-22nd December 2017, I facilitated a Prosocial training in Butabika hospital for Service Users organized under Peer Nation based at the Recovery College. I did this training with Dr. Rosco Kasujja and Mr. Wamala Kizito.
• I am continually engaged with Strong minds and Virtuous Women teams; training them how to engage with the ACT model in their personal experiences as well as for their clients.
• In December 2017, I participated in a Camp of over 600 youths and used the ACT model while I engaged in the session about Relationships in Adolescence.
• In February 2018, we organized an ACT Introductory Training for 2nd and 3rd years as well as Masters students. It had an attendance of 72 participants and the response to the use of the model was positive. We plan to follow them up to do an intermediary training and grow though supervision.
• I am currently engaged with Research processes to use the ACT model for my PhD studies.
• I have continually used the ACT model for sessions with my clients both in individual and group sessions.

More to that, the ACBS Developing Nations Committee is engaging many stakeholders like students, NGOS, banks, practitioners, Academia so that we offer them Introductory ACT workshops. We also are on the look out to partner with other members in the ACBS community to come and give advanced courses. The undergraduate and master’s classes are being introduced to the ACT model and ACBS work.

Generally, getting engaged with the ACBS community is a joy indescribable and I am growing as a professional through all the available resources. Conference attendance was a great privilege and inspiration in various areas of my work. I am also engaging members of the ACT community on how to take the ACT work further in Uganda especially with the ACBS Developing Nations Committee. We are growing the ACT community and supporting each other in the work we are involved with.

Lastly, thank you again for generously supporting me to have this grand opportunity to attend the ACBS World Conference.
Best Regards,
Racheal D. Nuwagaba-K

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Fresia Hernandez, Mexico

Thanks to the support of the Developing Nations Chapter-Committee Scholarship, for which I was one of the winners of the scholarship to attend the ACBS World Conference Montreal 2018, I had the opportunity to attend and could not explain how fortunate I felt during all the days of the conference.

First, I want to thank Courtney Zirkle, Abbie Lanning, Emily N. Rodrigues and all ACBS staff who supported me before the day of the conference, as well as Roscoe Kasujja and the Developing Nations Chapter committee, for selecting me as winner of the scholarship.

At the pre-conference I attended, I was able to learn about ACT assessment with Kelly G. Wilson, it was a great experience, and I was able to learn many things that have contributed to the improvement of my private practice and as a psychology teacher.

On the second day of pre-conference, I presented a poster with research results in ACT that I made with the help of students, in my country. It was also a great experience to be able to share my work with other colleagues from all over the world.

I also had the opportunity to meet during the conference with Steven C. Hayes, Kelly G. Wilson, Robyn D. Walser and Emily Sandoz, all of them incredible people who shared their valuable time with me and I hope later they can visit my country and share with us their knowledge. It really was a dream come true!

When I returned to my country, Mexico, I was able to apply immediately the knowledge acquired with a group of undergraduate students in clinical and health psychology, to whom I gave an introduction in ACT, so that they would know this approach and fall in love with this wonderful processes-based therapy. I have to mention that my students have been very interested in continuing to learn about ACT. With this group I also shared the videos with messages that kindly allowed me to record Steven C. Hayes and Kelly G. Wilson, so they would know how great and friendly they are and be able to bring them closer to the third-generation therapies, from the invitation of these two great leaders.

In the month of September, I gave a workshop to 150 students, in groups of 25 on the management of stress using ACT, this as part of the comprehensive training of students of all careers in an activity called "Health Challenge". In the month of October, I gave a workshop on psychological flexibility and anxiety in the week of mental health organized at my university. In the month of November, I gave the stress management workshop through ACT for high school students interested in studying psychology.

In December, I shared an ACT induction with my students in the chronic and terminal patient psychology course on how to apply this therapy in people with chronic diseases.

In addition, as a clinical supervisor I began to guide my students and provide them with tools for the implementation of ACT in the attention to clients of the Academic Center of Attention in Integral Wellbeing, in which psychological counseling is provided to people from a low-income community.

I am currently in talks with my superiors to offer ACT training to our teachers and students with national and international speakers, and to be able to host ACT training in our region.

Undoubtedly, my country needs a lot of diffusion and training in third-generation psychological therapies, and I extend my commitment and interest in continuing to train and dissemination.

I'm really grateful for this opportunity to get closer to the ACBS community, they really are a very friendly association committed to scientific psychology for the relief of human suffering. I fell in love!

Thank you very much for your support to attend the 16 ACBS World Conference Montreal, 2018, I’m see you at Dublin 2019.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Kizito Wamala, Uganda

At the conference

I was a scholarship winner; I was fully facilitated by ACBS to participate in the WC16. I arrived at the conference venue, the Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth, on 23rd July 2018. I participated in very educative and skills-building pre-conference workshops that were conducted for two full days – 24th and 25th July. I participated also in the conference symposia and trainings on 26th to 29th during which I also presented a poster on my work in Uganda – a copy was submitted to the organizing contact. At the conference, I benefitted beyond my expectation. I learnt so many new things from experiences of great ACBS experts for example meeting with Steven Hayes, Kelley Wilson, Robyn D Walser; research findings; experiences in practice and research of many presenters and facilitators; met new people for professional and personal friends; and received a Certificate of Participation in the Continuing Education Activity of ACBS World Conference 16.

Post-Conference

On return to Uganda, I engaged myself in four main activities:
1. Promotion of ACT theory and therapy among practicing counselors. I started with compiling materials, especially for training counselors and psychologists in the North of Uganda. I was able to convince my line manager to include 8 hours of training on Introduction to ACT in my organisational clinical capacity building training program. That program was and still is a 300-hours training in counseling theoretical approaches and skills plus 45-hours of clinical supervision spread over a period of 11 months per year. Participants in the program are counselors and psychologists working with different organisations and institutions where their main job is offering counseling to organisational clients. On 2nd October 2018, I was able to conduct the first 8-hour training on Introduction to ACT with thirteen (17) trainees plus my line manager and a psychotherapist/ trainer of The center for Victims of Torture (CVT). Thereafter, the psychotherapist/trainer recommended that the staff of my organisation – CVT – also receive the same training. On 15th October 2018, I conducted the same 8-hour training with seven (7) CVT staff. The feedback given by participants of both trainings was very positive. All the participants acknowledged that ACT was a new concept, process and approach of counseling for them and that they needed more hours of theoretical input, practice and supervision in order ground their skills in using ACT for themselves and for their clients. I have already scheduled to conduct the same ACT training in October 2019 with 19 trainees who have enrolled for our clinical capacity building.
2. Consistent use of ACT in my work with my clients. CVT as an organisation doesn’t subscribe to ACT as the organisational therapeutic approach but neither does it prevent its staff from using ACT as a personally preferred approach in individual counseling. I therefore decided to use ACT consistently in my individual sessions and I am witness to the positive feedback that I frequently receive from my clients relating to their experiences in ACT. I feel very satisfied with that feedback and I am committed to continuing with ACT as my first line therapeutic approach.
3. I consistently facilitate mindfulness exercises with my organisational clinical team at both individual and group supervision sessions that I conduct every week. This has been our practice since September 2018. I feel happy and proud to report that my team enjoys the exercises because, they say, those exercises bring each one to the present moment enabling them to experience life as it is. All my six team members (my supervisees) have reported back to me that since we started the practices in mindfulness, their lives have greatly changed. They struggle less with both past and future bothers and life is more livable than before in terms of both personal private lives and life at work.
4. And at the moment, I am personally writing my PhD project aiming at carrying out a randomised controlled clinical trial using ACT for treatment of Trauma in Uganda. Having used ACT consistently for the last six or so months, I find its efficacy promising for my context in Uganda. I therefore think that engaging myself in validating it with evidence will be a great contribution to ACBS and the evidence-base of therapeutic approaches in developing nations, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. This points to a great hope for ACBS’ future here in the developing world.

Challenges

1. Working in the north of Uganda, far away from Kampala, has disabled me from participating in peer supervision sessions with my colleagues of the ACT special-interest group that was initiated by Dr. Kasujja Rosco. I am very grateful however that whenever I meet clinical challenges related to my use of ACT, Dr. Kasujja Rosco makes efforts to avail himself to me. He is very supportive and very generous with time, reading and visual materials.
2. My new contract with my organisation has barred me from lecturing for universities. I have therefore lost the opportunity of introducing ACT at Bugema University.
3. This report has no pictures because my organisation protects its clients and stakeholders’ confidentiality very strictly and I believe that it’s okay. Therefore, you cannot see any pictorials which sometimes say more about the report narratives of activities.

Conclusion

The scholarship I received from the ACBS was a great honor and opportunity for me to participate in such a high caliber professional world conference in Montréal in 2018. The benefits of my participation are and will remain innumerable for me personally and for my country and beyond. I commend ACBS for their decision and effort to facilitate some interested professionals, to such conferences, who cannot afford on their own. It is one of the many ways ACBS is supporting the promotion of quality evidence-based mental health practices in the developing world and the world-over. Thank you so much ACBS.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Dario Lipovac - Bosnia/Herzegovina

Hi, I am Dario Lipovac, Psychologist M.A., Cognitive – Behavioral Therapist (CBT) and ACT Therapist (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small beautiful country located on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe.

Being a young Psychologist working with deprived, vulnerable and marginalized children and families, back in the 2011, I made a decision to attend an ACT experiential workshop and explore what is it all about, as I wanted to upgrade my skills and find some philosophy of life close to my values. The workshop was organized by Igor Krnetić, PhD, a mentor and colleague, who inspired a small group of psychologists to go deeper into ACT. That is how my ACT journey began, and how my shift towards values-based life started! Thank you Igor!

Speeding up to 2019, after some years of dynamic changes in the journey we’re calling life, I have found myself (now humanitarian worker, and CBT and ACT therapist) applying for the Developing Nations Fund Scholarship to attend WC17 in Dublin for the first time in my life. It seemed impossible to get this award, but I was thinking: Why not give it a try? The moment I have received a feedback I was selected as one of the Developing Nations Scholars for WC17 was one of those moments of joy and a feeling that something close to your heart is unfolding!

Of course, before my journey to Dublin I booked all workshops in the WC17 program that I could! I booked the pre-conference workshop “ACT Made Simple: A Quick Start Guide to ACT Basics and Beyond” facilitated by one and only Russ Harris. I enjoyed these 2 days with full attention to learn, experience and share as much as I could! I wanted to learn how to make ACT simple and easy to digest by my clients, colleagues and by myself, and I wanted to network with as many people as possible. Russ Harris and this workshop exceeded my expectations completely! Thanks Russ for showing me how to deliver ACT in a simple but very powerful manner, and for your openness to share knowledge and support.

WC17 continued with the program, where I booked workshops, workshops, workshops! ready to experience this amazing opportunity. I attended nine workshops over the Conference, focusing mainly on how to facilitate peer-to-peer supervision groups, exploring values, learning the power of metaphors, being more compassionate towards myself and others, and expanding the limits of my self-exploration. I met beautiful, supportive, smart and funny people, created many networks and enjoyed mindfully every moment of energy this Conference offered. I had a poster presentation named: “Encouraging young therapists to explore - Finding your own blueprint (REBT – ACT – CFT – integration)”, where I shared my experiences with other attendants of the Conference, and I was amazed how many people were interested to hear, ask and share with me, saying this poster was very inspiring and interesting. What a feeling! The conference was amazing and ACBS staff and volunteers were great. Support I got from ACBS through this award was really professional and I’m very grateful for everything! I had a lot of ideas for bringing back everything I experienced, and share with my clients and colleagues.

But as life often takes unexpected turns, just before the Conference, I got an amazing opportunity to work in the global humanitarian context, getting a chance to make this world better for all children and their families. This has not left me the time I was planning to have for CBS/ACT dissemination after the Conference. However, with a lot of self-compassion, I re-consolidated myself and decided to share my experiences with clients and my colleagues in the next months following the Conference, making a solid ground for strengthening CBS/ACT in my community, in Bosnia and Herzegovina for future.

I noticed my work with clients now is more open, flexible and enjoyable than ever before. Based on my client’s feedback, they noticed I’m doing therapy with more clarity and mindfulness, making it more useful for them.
As ACT is part of my life, I continued to practice it and living it in my life, and being in Dublin brought my personal growth on a whole new level.

I shared some of the experiences with my colleagues in a peer-to-peer supervision group I initiated before the Conference, where we are having online and face-to-face discussions and sharing our learnings together (our online Facebook group - ACTion in Sarajevo).

I shared my knowledge and experiences with the young therapists attending CBT training in Sarajevo, introducing them to ACT and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). Bringing the “third wave” to the trainees of CBT training I found very interesting and helpful, as I got the feedback they now better understand that CBT can be done with more emotions, not just protocols.

I have plans to strengthen our ACT community in the following years in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina more, to expand our peer-to-peer supervision group and present ACT to the wider community, throughout lectures, presentations, sharing events, and make it more popular. Moreover, as the humanitarian worker providing technical assistance in the field of global Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programs across the world, I want to bring ACT on the radar, and support piloting programs for supporting most marginalized and vulnerable children and their families using ACT as a base.

For me, a psychologist from Bosnia and Herzegovina, a still developing country in Europe, getting the chance to attend the WC17 was an amazing opportunity for my personal and professional growth! Thank you ACBS for giving me this opportunity, and for making Bosnia and Herzegovina and whole Western Balkans region more resourceful for expanding CBS! In the post-conflict societies like ours, having the strong ACT community is needed more than ever. Thank you and see you next time!
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Meryem Hajji Laamouri - Morocco

About three years ago, I received my training to become an ACT practitioner in parallel with my Master in Life and Business Coaching program. The ACT training transformed completely my life and opened my mind, my heart and vision on meaningful and mindful ways of working and living. Since then, my passion for the use of ACT in particular and the Cognitive and Behavior Science in general has been growing. I have become keen about enhancing my learning and know-how in ACT and Mindfulness therapies.

As a matter of fact, I was really happy to receive an email with the good news that I was selected as a an ACBS Scholarship recipient to participate at the ACBS World Conference that took place in Dublin, Ireland (June 25th - 30th, 2019). This great opportunity allowed me to enhance my competencies in ACT and acquire new skills, such as CFT and other ACT-related techniques that I am using in my work with my clients, during individual and group sessions, and workshops. The following report will therefore present my experience during at the conference and after the conference.

At the Conference:

I arrived on June 23rd, 2019 afternoon at the Dublin City University. I was nicely welcomed by both the DCU boarding and conference staff and provided with all the information and guidance for the conference.

I was so impressed by the program. It was filled with a huge amount of information, amazing workshops, amazing speakers, presenters, facilitators, big names in the world of psychotherapy, neuroscience, CBS, ACT…I was lost and not knowing what to chose as every inch of the program was important. I wanted to be in all the workshops and the conferences.

My pre-conference workshop was about “Mastering Compassion Focused Therapy: Taking CFT Beyond the Basics” by Ph.D Dennis Tirch, PsyD Laura Silberstein-Tirch, and Clin. Psy. Mary Welford. The reason why I chose this workshop and not another one was because I wanted to learn how to integrate effectively compassion therapy in my work with act. I felt blessed to be part of this 2-Day Intensive Workshop. Not only I learned the true meaning of compassion but I experienced its process. It was a profound and amazing emotional experience for me: I have acquired compassion focus therapeutic skills and techniques to help myself and my clients feel and act compassionately, to learn new ways of interactions with unpleasant emotions, and of clarifying values.

During the workshop, I was inspired by the notion of the Compassionate flexibility in comparison with ACT’s Psychological flexibility and how to help clients develop it in order to work on the feelings of not being worthy, shame and how to deal with self-criticism. These therapeutic skills allowed me to enhance my competencies during my work with my female clients. Most of the problems they have are linked the feelings of shame and self-criticism. By helping them develop a mindful compassionate mind, I become able to solve several challenges and help them engage effectively towards their values and what gives meaning to their lives.

In addition, I had the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and acquire further skills during the conference part as well. Although the choice was challenging for me, I was able to attend different conferences and presentations, namely the workshop about how to Deliver ACT effectively with high performing, busy people which I enjoyed a lot; Russ Harris conference on the self as a context-made simple; Robyn Walser Conference on ACT from a Therapeutic Stance. I attended Steven Hays and Kelly Wilson conferences…I attended the Women SIG meeting to connect with the women and learn more about them.

Moreover, the fun part was when I presented my poster at the cathedral. The title of my poster was about “Combining ACT and Creative Expression Therapy for Women’s Empowerment and Transformation.” I was happy to see that so many people were interested in the subject and research presented by my poster (copy attached). The poster highlights the efficiency of ACT when combined with a creative expression therapy: It can be done through music, painting, creative writing or any other creative activity.

Overall, both the pre-conference and the conference allowed me to acquire competencies that I used in my work with my clients and my workshops during right after I returned home. It also allowed to connect and exchange with so many inspiring people.

Post-Conference:

Upon my return, and during the past 6 months, I have taken the following actions:

‣ I have integrated the Compassion Focused Therapeutic techniques in my coaching-therapy work with my female clients. I am very satisfied because CFT really enhanced the results of the ACT therapy.

‣ I am receiving more and more positive feedback from my clients about how ACT changed their lives both at work and at their personal lives. ACT-CFT are my favored working therapies that I use and adapt according to the needs of all my clients. In fact, the conference helped me become more self-confident about accompanying my clients to achieve their desired results, transform their lives, and go for a meaningful life.

‣ I have facilitated a series of mindfulness workshops with a group of women teaching them the power to be in the present moment through Mindfulness exercises and also how to deal with their self-criticism through self-compassion.

‣ I have also participated in a 3 day study about the Human Enterprise during which I shared the magic of ACT as a Mindfulness- based cognitive and behavior therapy.

‣ I have facilitated a 2 day workshop with over 70 future leaders and entrepreneurs, 80% of whom were female participants. During this workshop, I guided the participants through mindfulness practice and how to integrate it in their daily life, especially during the execution of their action plans.

‣ I am currently preparing for other workshops that I will be facilitating at multinational organizations in order to help employees find their life-work balance and lead a meaningful life through ACT.

‣ Also, I am launching the ACT therapy for women empowerment starting from March.

‣ I have been volunteering to review ACBS fellows scholarship and I am an active member of the Creating a Culture of Empowerment and Productivity Team.

Overall, my participation at the conference helped me acquire an important knowledge and competencies that have really supported my work as a Life Empowerment Strategist (Coach-Therapist, Strategic Consultant, and a Trainer). I am very grateful for this great opportunity and for all the wonderful ACBS people who made it possible for me. Thank you! 

 You can read the complete report below!

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Gabriel S. N. Lizada, Philippines

I was fortunate to be given the Developing Nations scholarship and attend the ACBS World Conference 17 in Dublin, Ireland. From the time I received the acceptance letter up to the last moments of the event, I felt very welcomed by the ACBS community. This was my first time to attend this conference, and I can honestly say that I felt the warmth of the community.

Pre-conference Workshops

There were many pre-conference workshops that caught my attention. But, as a practitioner who is just starting his journey in the field, I decided to attend the workshop by Russ Harris, focusing on ACT for beginners. Russ's workshop did not disappoint as I gained new information, re-learned previous knowledge, and learned new techniques from seasoned professionals. I was also able to deepen my knowledge of the basics of ACT in this two-day workshop.

Aside from the workshop proper, I also got the opportunity to meet new practitioners in the field. I felt that our zest for learning made our workshop experience more meaningful and insightful. It helped me lessen the feeling of imposter syndrome within me. My conversations with my fellow practitioners, who like me, are also just starting their journey provide me a blanket of security.

The two-day pre-conference was already filled with learning and positive outcomes and made me so excited to experience the actual conference in the coming days.

ACBS World Conference

The ACBS World Conference 17 was one of the best conferences (if not the best) I had attended in my entire life. There were about 1000 delegates, but I never felt that everyone was distant to first-time attendees like myself. During the conference, I was able to attend workshops, hear lectures, experience live demonstrations, and establish connections from practitioners all over the world. The conference gave enough sessions for attendees to listen to prominent ACBS figures. I attended sessions led by Steven Hayes, Robyn Walser, DJ Moran, Jason Luoma, and Jenna LeJeune. I was able to listen and get information from other practitioners who were producing equally important researches.

The conference also introduced the Ambassador and Ambassade (A&A) program sponsored by the ‘The Women in ACBS SIG’ and ACBS Membership Committee. This program helped first-time attendees in pairing them with a member of the ACBS community in helping them feel more welcomed during the conference. The program was beneficial to me, and I know it was for all those who enrolled as well.

Then, there was also a bookshop where you could shop all day and have them signed by the authors attending the conference.

ACBS Community

The ACBS community is a very warm and welcoming community where you don't feel that you are lost. People in the ACBS community are open, approachable, friendly, and helpful. They even host the 'Follies,' the community's version of a gathering. The Follies is a unique and fun night that should not be missed by attendees.

Upon Return

After returning from the conference, I had so much to share with everyone who wanted to listen and benefit from it. Here are the activities that I did:

(1) I enhanced my ACT skills and applied them to my clients. The new learnings I had were very helpful to them because both they were able to move forward with their life and live a value-based life. They expressed that when I came back, the sessions were more helpful to them. As a result of this feedback, I decided to be more consistent with my ACT therapy and follow the protocols for specific concerns more rigidly to improve my practice.

(2) I also was able to share the knowledge with my graduate students who did not know the ACT exists or have just heard it once. Some students were so amazed by what ACT is and asked for books to read so they can enhance their knowledge more about ACT.

(3) Currently, I am trying to talk to local organizations to bring ACT prominent figures to the Philippines. From the conversations I had with ACT practitioners in Dublin, they were willing to travel to this side of the world to help spread ACT. The local counterparts are open to this idea, and negotiations are currently on-going.

(4) In the university that I am teaching in, there is currently a plan to improve mental health practices to students, faculty, and staff of the university. I have suggested to teach some aspects of this program and incorporate ACT and mindfulness practices to help participants build their psychological flexibility.

Conclusion

The experience I gained from joining the ACBS World Conference is something that I cannot put into words. I can honestly say that I am a better practitioner, teacher, person, and human being because of my learnings. I would like to thank the ACBS Community and the Developing Nations Committee for giving me this opportunity. I hope that I will be able to attend another ACBS World Conference in the future.

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Khamisi Musanje - Uganda

Attending the 2019 ACBS world conference in Dublin, still gives me chills to date. It’s a couple of months ago but memories seem fresh. Special thanks to the ACBS community for the generosity that saw some of us attend such an event which would otherwise not been possible without your support. As an award winner, I am grateful to the developing nations committee and the entire leadership at ACBS. Special thanks to Emily N Rodriguez, and Roscoe Kasujja.

At the conference

Warmth, kindness and love is what welcomed me to Dublin. As a first timer, everything seemed new, exciting and confusing at the same time. I allowed myself to feel the experience mindfully, noticing every detail while maximizing every opportunity. Thanks to the ACBS staff that supported me all the time. For the pre-conference workshop, I purposely attended pro-social facilitated by David Sloan Wilson, Paul Atkins, Silva and Wiser, although occasionally, I would sneak into Russ Harris’s sessions. The pro-social team was very amusing, brilliant and educative. I passionately loved the pro-social matrix because it seemed so obvious while at the same time new.

Beyond the pre-con, all presentations were interesting. I suffered the madness of running from one session to another to be able to deal with the temptation. The session chaired by Frank Bond that had presentations on ACT in the workplace was a perfect match. I got lots of insights on how to apply ACT in the workplace as an organizational Psychologist. I also made a poster presentation at St. Patrick cathedral (where religion met science).

Beyond content covered, networking was part of my greatest benefits. I built myself a rich network that is supportive to date and my life has never been the same again. Not forgetting the follies.

Post conference

Upon returning home, I embarked on a journey to popularize ACT in Uganda. I began with completing work I had presented on the poster “ACT for nurses in Uganda”. Partnering with Nic Hooper, Roscoe Kasujja and Taslim Tharani, we expanded the concept and shall be offering the first intervention to a group of 150 nurses in a private hospital in Kampala in January 2020. In September, I offered ACT and prosocial to a group of master card scholars at Makerere University and also advocated for inclusion of ACT in the Master’s curriculum. I am currently supervising 4 students researching psychological flexibility in organizations. In October, together with Roscoe, we entered into an understanding with Paul Flaxman and Ross McIntosh to adopt the ACT training for trainer’s manual in Uganda. We are currently leveling the ground but implementation will start in June 2020. I also have a plan to offer ACT to teachers, workers in a call center and to University students before end of next year. I am currently a member of the ACT for LAMIC group chaired by Claudette that aims at promoting ACT in developing contexts.
 

Are you wondering how you can help to disseminate CBS in the developing world through scholarship opportunities like this? Please consider donating to the Developing Nations Fund via Paypal by using the button below. Your donation will help us continue to bring attendees and presenters from developing nations to the ACBS world conference.

Every dollar/euro/yen goes to helping those in need -- not a nickel goes to administration. Money collected for this fund is distributed by an ACBS Developing Nations Fund committee. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit.

Please note that this contribution does not qualify as a tax-deductible charitable contribution, according to USA tax law ... but it's a nice thing to do.

Emina Osmanovic Basic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hi, I am Emina, and I come from a small beautiful country Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am a psychologist and CBT therapist. And now I could say also ACT therapist.

A few years ago, while I was still practicing CBT under supervision I was introduced to ACT and CFT thanks to Igor Krnetic. I attended ACT and CFT workshops led by Igor and was amazed. Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but at the end of the workshop, I completely changed my mind. It was a really special experience for me and it left its mark on my private and professional life. This helped me take a different approach to personal problems. I started reading more about ACT and CFT and it gave me the confidence to try the ACT approach in therapy sessions. Right after the workshops, I noticed that my work with clients started to get better, to give more and more positive results and positive responses from clients. I was naive to wonder where the change came from because I thought I was doing everything the same way as before. Then I realized I had become more present, more mindful, more compassionate, and more self-compassionate in contact with clients. ACT has helped me to become more aware of the whole therapy process and be more complete as a professional.

A few years later, thanks to my dear colleague Dario Lipovac, I heard about ACBS World Conference and was encouraged to apply for the Developing Nations Scholarship to attend World Conference 18 in New Orleans. I couldn't believe it, but I got it. I was very happy about it and started planning my trip. Unfortunately, at that time a pandemic hit us and it was not yet known whether the conference would be held online or as planned in New Orleans. Therefore, the friendly ACBS staff offered me to extend my scholarship for the conference next year - through 2021. Many thanks to them for this flexibility and opportunity. So I participated in World Conference 19 in 2021. As no one expected the situation with COVID-19 to last this long, the Conference in 2021 had to be held online as well instead of in Poland. I was really happy to have had the opportunity to be a part of such a big and significant event in the field of psychotherapy even in these difficult times caused by the pandemic.

From the first contact with the ACBS staff, I felt welcome. From the moment I received a scholarship until the end of the Conference, all staff members showed a warm and friendly approach, were open to all questions, and were ready to help in any way.

The hardest part was choosing the topics I planned to attend among all the big names, amazing workshops, presenters, facilitators. I decided to book the pre-conference workshop "Be A Brief and Powerful Clinician: Use Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT) to Help Many" led by Kirk Stroshal, Ph.D., and Patricia Robinson, Ph.D. I was really surprised that at the end of this two-day workshop we were given a whole set of tools on how to approach clients in primary care behavioral health to help people with physical, mental, social, and general health. I found so many useful things that I can use in working with clients.

During the 4-day Conference, I tried to take this opportunity to attend lectures and presentations as much as possible. I learned a lot about using ACT and CFT in working with different types of problems like social anxiety, addressing discrimination in working with transgender people, youth and the transition to adulthood, CFT for anxiety, learning more about the therapy process and our role as a therapist through cultivating sacred moments in psychotherapy and recognizing our own avoidance repertoires, about nonattachment in order to let go and become free. Attending lectures by big names like Stroshal, Robinson, Tirch, Fleming, Kocovski...was an invaluable experience. Although it was an online event, we had a lot of experiential exercises, time and space for discussion with presenters and other participants. Discussion rooms, chat opportunities, and a lot of networking activities allowed me to meet wonderful people from all over the world and share with them ideas, work, my own insecurities and connect on a deeper level.

The whole experience during the Conference has given me so many ideas that I can incorporate into my work with clients and my life. Immediately after the Conference, I started buying books to learn more about the use of ACT in therapy. I felt more confident using ACT metaphors and techniques in sessions with clients. It was more natural for me to include some experiential exercises or use ACT explanations for different types of client difficulties. And I felt I was explaining them better.

Motivated and inspired by the Conference, I enrolled in Mindfulness training and started practicing mindfulness daily. It helped me a lot to learn more about the way my mind works and to have the freedom to take a different stance at a given time and situation.

Thanks to World Conference 19, I was encouraged to expand my own practice and share my knowledge of ACT and CFT with my colleagues through various educations and training.

My goal for 2022 is to launch an ACT workshop for parents of children with disabilities to share with them all the benefits of the ACT approach to life. I also see this as my personal goal or to call it an obligation, because a few years ago as a professional I found myself having so little to give in working with parent groups. Now with ACT, I feel like I have in my hands tools of inestimable usefulness that I can share with parents.

For me this Conference was not just an educational session to learn about ACT and CFT, it was the whole ACT and CFT experience. Many thanks to all ACBS members.
 

While awarded in 2020, Emina attend the virtual conference in 2021.

Tran Thi Ngoc Lan, Vietnam

Hi, I am Lan from Vietnam. I am a counselor in training at HELP University, Malaysia. As a meditator for over ten years, when I began my journey into psychology study, a friend presented me a book named “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Second Edition: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change by Steven Hayes, Kirk Strosahl, and Kelly Wilson”. The initial exposure to ACT was captivating. Through ACT, I saw the mindfulness processes clearer and I was able to help others understand mindfulness easier. Importantly, I found the behavioral processes which was the missing piece to my practice. ACT fit perfectly into who I am as a person and my value as a counselor. I began to study ACT through books and online courses. In 2018, I contacted Dr. Steven C. Hayes who was very kind to guide me to ACBS community.

I was jumping off the roof when I found out I was given the ACBS 2020 Developing Nations Scholar Award to participate in the ACBS World Conference that took place in New Orleans, USA (July 14th - 19th, 2020). However, due to the break of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had postponed my attendance to ACBS Virtual World Conference (June, 24th – 27th, 2021). Initially, I did not have much exposure with the ACBS community, however I did not once felt alone because ACBS staff was patiently guiding me along the whole journey.

Pre-conference Workshop
I began the conference with the guidance of Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tam who regularly checked on me before, during and after the conference to support my learning process in the best way possible. I entered my first workshop with no expectation and great curiosity. What I found was beyond my imagination and left me out of words to describe Dr. Robyn Walser as a person, as an ACT trainer and ACT therapist who was conducting the workshop. She showed so much depth in simplicity, practicality and humanity. The way I understand ACT forever changed.

Unexpectedly, I also found so much comfort in the transparency and empathy of the participant’s sharing. I shared at the workshop that “I came to this conference to find a way to be a better counselor, but what I found is that we are all in this together and I do not feel alone anymore”. I could see encouragement, empowerment and love in the eyes of the participants clearly despite the distance and the screen.

At the ACBS World Conference
I had attended as many talks as I could during the conference. It would not be fair for me to mention only certain specific individuals who had impacted me in the conference, because each person whom I had a chance to connect with impacted my development in their ways.

But if I was to quote an experience, I can pick the time when I was listening to Dr. Kelly Wilson’s talk, my tears drop like the sky cries through the rain. My mind did not understand yet, but something in me felt deeply seen. I re-watched the talk many times, each time I continued to cry.

The award helped me, a young girl who felt far and invisible from an underdeveloped nation to finally realize many beautiful humans in the world who do not discount another human base on continent, race, status, or any labels. Being in the ACBS World Conference connected me with the spirit of the people who were there to care, support and grow together. It was one of the best conferences I had ever attended. I felt nurtured and belonged. I can still remember the joy and liberations that kept me awake every night after the conference because I felt so charged and alive.

ACBS Community
Even though the conference only took place in four days, yet I have continued to access the support from ACBS community until today. I became friends with Rachel Chan, a counselor from Hong Kong who included me in her ACT Peer Consulting Group and supported me in my ACT study journey. She carries the ACBS spirit and lit the fire in me every time we talk.

I was connected with the president of ACBS Malaysia Chapter, Mr. Eugene Koh Boon Yau who guided me with the supports available in Malaysia. He also connected me with Dr. Wendy and Dr. Nicholas Pang Tze Ping to support my ACT development journey in my internship at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

I met Paulo Cesar Bozza Junior in the ACBS LAMIC group, who has become my Functional Contextualism, Relational Frame Theory and ACT supervisor. I cannot imagine a human being as beautiful and generous as Paulo.

Post-Conference
1. I decided to further my education as I continued to take online courses such as FACT by Dr. Russ Harris, ACT Immersion by Dr. Steven C. Hayes, Value in ACT by Dr. Kelly Wilson. It crystalizes my confidence moving forward with ACT as ACT proves to be deeply congruent with my direction in life, and career.
2. As I enhanced my ACT skills, I applied them to my clients in my practicum and internship cases. I decided to be more consistent with ACT therapy as the foundational approach to my practice.
3. I completed and presented a second research paper on “Zen Practitioners’ Lived Experiences in Marriages” based on theoretical framework of Relational Frame Theory.
4. I offered free training and discussion to my university peers at HELP University, Malaysia.
5. I presented ACT to the wider community, throughout webinars, presentations, sharing events at universities such as Multimedia University Malaysia, bank and corporate organizations such as CIMB Bank Malaysia, and ACT group process which popularize ACT to thousands of Vietnamese within three months through the program Ban oi Khoe Khong, a Vietnam project to support mental health during the pandemic to popularize ACT in both English and Vietnamese.

Conclusion
For me, there are no words precise enough to describe my experiences and gratitude for the chance to attend the ACBS World Conference. The best way I can sum up is “Thank you ACBS for giving me this opportunity.”

While awarded in 2020, Lan attend the virtual conference in 2021.
  

Huiyuan Li, Melody, China

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
Hi, I am Huiyuan LI, Melody, and I come from China. I am a year three PhD candidate in nursing, an ACT learner and practitioner. I would like to express my sincere thanks to ACBS committee for selecting me as a scholarship recipient and having the opportunity to learn more about theories, practices and sharing my insights on ACT.

How did you become interested in CBS?
I first knew about ACT after listening to a scholar's sharing at an academic conference, and after that I became very interested in ACT and firstly attended an ACT workshop organized by ACBS China Chapter and ACBS World Conference 18 online, starting a continuous learning on CBS and ACT, and making it my PhD research topic.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
I am interested in helping patients with advanced cancer accept their cancer experience and promoting life meaning. I am also interested in cultivating my personal ACT competency, being open and mindful to the participants’ thoughts and experience, rather than getting trapped into complex stories and not believe in self abilities. Participating in the ACBS conference is the best opportunity to learn about all ACT-related research, technical training and guidance, and related theoretical frontiers. This is of great help to my research in terms of theory and technical practice. In the following, I would like to present the experience during at the conference and after the conference.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
My pre-conference workshop was about ‘Life from the Feet Up: Supporting Client Change through ACT Process and Therapeutic Relationship’ by Dr Robyn Walser. She is so passionate and warm that I was inspired by the two-day workshop, especially on how intrapersonal and interpersonal behavioral patterns inform a functional approach, how ACT metaphors and experiential exercises can be tailored to fit the client’s experience and language practices including the social and cultural contexts, how to work through barriers to fluid implementation of ACT in an ACT consistent fashion, and the role of personal values in guiding the work done in ACT therapy. This helped cultivate my competences well when communicating with patients with advanced cancer, which has made me think about my relationship with my clients all the time that the therapist maintains a stance that instigates and reinforces psychological flexibility.

During the conference, I actively participated in various forms of lectures and presentations. A Plenary allowed me to hear from Prof Hayes their latest insights on process-based therapy. Banjamin's impressive workshop allowed me to quickly and accurately master the six steps to improve psychological flexibility with the matrix. Dr Fung’s presentation gave me a deep impression on the differences on the development and implementation of ACT based on different cultural contexts. The symposiums allowed me to learn about the research progress of scholars in different fields according to my own interests. The SIG meeting is an interesting part where I can share any insights about ACT practices with ACTors in different parts of the world. During this conference, I also gave oral presentations on ‘Patients’ experience of experiential avoidance on the trajectory of being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer: a qualitative study’ and ‘Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for improving fatigue interference and health-related quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer: Protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial’, and I was honored to share my research findings on ACT to different scholars.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
Through this conference, I was also fortunate to meet my mentor, Dr Anastasia Keller-Collins, who provided great support for my effective learning during the conference and the communication after the conference. Overall, the conference this year and my mentor helped answer many of my questions about the ACT practice, improved my awareness of many practices issues and enhanced my confidence in implementing exercises.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
Inspired by the Conference, I was encouraged to buy more ACT practice and theory books to broaden my knowledge, and share ACT-related knowledge to clinical nurses. I was also encouraged to actively participate in the ACT advanced theory study and group supervision training organized by ACBS China Chapter. After mastering certain skills, I consummated the ACT intervention manual for patients with advanced lung cancer in China and conducted an ACT intervention among 160 patients with advanced lung cancers in China to examine its effectiveness, which is a process of constantly clarifying personal values and applying ACT skills more skillfully. I hope I can share ACT as much as possible with every patient with advanced cancer in China and make them know about it and truly benefit themselves.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
Although ACT began to prevail in China, ACT implementation directly by clinical nurses is still very rare. My goal after completing the PhD project is to continue to share ACT knowledge towards clinical nurses and inspire them to realize the importance of ACT and the feasibility and practicality of ACT, no matter for the quality of life of patients or their own career development, and there will be potential practical value for clinical nurses as an alternative deliverer of ACT in the future.

I would like to spread more useful information about ACT to Chinese cancer patients, so that more patients can be familiar with it, and make it an important choice to enhance their meaning of cancer life. I will also continue to accumulate my own ACT toolbox to enrich my experience and apply ACT to guide my own life.

Many thanks to the conference committee and all members. Hope to see you next time!

Mohamed Abdelalem Aziz Ahmed, Egypt

Hi, I am Mohamed Abdelalem Aziz, Psychiatrist, Cognitive behavioral therapist (CBT), Dialectical Behavior therapist (DBT), and ACT therapist (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) from Egypt. A country located in the north of mother AFRICA. 

When I started my career as a psychiatry resident in 2015, I did not believe in the efficacy of psychotherapy, may be due to the lack of training of psychotherapy in Egypt. After some time I started noticing that some of my clients do not need medications but they have problems and also prescribing medications does not change thoughts nor the feelings. I got confused and my thoughts take me to change my specialty but something inside me was curious about psychotherapy. I registered for my first CBT course here in Egypt, it was quite expensive but I was very curious if there is something will help the clients to deal with things that medications can not deal with such as thoughts, feelings, traumatic memories and Grief.

After finishing my first CBT course, I was fascinated with theoretical background of this model and started reading more and more about it. I started working with my clients using it, it was good but I have always had the feeling that there is something missing and that I am pushing the patient towards the positive attitude. I used CBT on myself and I got the same feelings and my mind started questioning me – where do these negative thoughts and feelings come from? And why do they keep coming? - I became obsessed searching for every negative thought and challenging it and sometimes the thoughts came without feelings and sometimes feelings came without thoughts.

One of my clients who was struggling with anxiety related problems told me that he sometimes woke up in the morning and had a bad mood and I kept asking him – what did you have in mind when you woke up? And he kept answering me that he had nothing in his mind (his mind was blank). I noticed something after this client session, I am facing the same problem - sometimes I wake up with a bad mood and I did not know why. Another thing, the CBT was not effective at all with borderline personality disorder clients. All these situations left me with many questions about CBT, its theory, and effectiveness. 

One day, after a very difficult session with one of my clients who was struggling with chronic depression, I came back home disappointed and started revising the great CBT course of Beck Institute. I noticed a word called (ACT) was mentioned by one of the instructors of the course about the new waves of cognitive behavior therapy models and how this model is gaining evidence. I started searching about ACT books where I found Dr. Russ Harris great book (ACT made simple, 1st edition). I just finished the first chapter which explains the (caveman mind theory) and I started dancing- yes, yes, I was literally dancing shouting that’s amazing, amazing. I started reading about ACT with a great motivation and watching Russ Harris and Prof. Steven C. Hayes videos.

Acceptance and Commitment therapy not only changed my way of practicing psychotherapy but also, changed my whole life. Two concepts make me realize how ACT is so amazing. The first one was (the misery of human kind) - I was shocked that the main feelings for humans were the feeling which we were calling negative feelings such as fear, anxiety, panic, etc. not happiness and they are all normal feelings. I read Prof. Steven books and realized that he was searching for the source of humankind suffering even in religions. And since I am a Muslim, I did the same thing looking in my religion if there is something telling me and giving me evidence about human suffering. Guess what, I found many things in the holy book of Islam telling the same things Prof. Hayes told us. The second concept was Psychological Flexibility which gave me ways how to deal with all these difficult situations, thoughts, and feelings.

I finished all Dr. Harris and Prof. Hayes courses also read almost every book they wrote and many other authors. 2018, I started to introduce ACT to my clients and I was fascinated by the effectiveness and flexibility of this model. I started integrating other modalities to ACT especially Compassion Focused therapy and Self-Compassion exercises develop by Dr. Kristen Kneff.

I joined ACBS community which opened a huge door with its marvelous members, professionals, and resources. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to travel to any world ACBS conference but I attended two virtual conferences. They were amazing, with many professionals introducing the most recent research studies and with plenty of wonderful workshops which helped me to advance in my ACT practice. 

Now and after more than four years of practicing ACT myself and with different problems facing clients, I am writing my first ACT book which is in ARABIC language and also making my final touches in a series of ACT courses for Egyptians and Arabic therapists, all in Arabic language. My most important goal is to develop an ACBS community (Egypt branch).

Finally, from all my heart, thank you ACBS community for all the support and guidance you are giving to therapists in every country around the world especially developing countries. And I am looking forward to meeting you again in the next world ACBS conference. Thanks. 

Maria Jose Vuckovich, Paraguay

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
Hi, my name is Maria Jose Vuckovich but mostly go by Josie. I am a 35 year old Clinical Psychologist from Asunción, Paraguay a small country located in South America. I work in a private practice, where I see teens, adults and couples.

How did you become interested in CBS?
I was first trained in psychoanalysis as it was (and probably still is) is the main psychological orientation in Paraguay. When I was in university I never heard of Contextual Sciences or any of the CBS based therapies. As I said, I started with psychoanalysis but I did not feel content with the results of my work, nor could I explain why sometimes it seemed to work and sometimes it seemed to not work. I got to CBS by getting to know Mindfulness first. I found that through the practice of mindfulness I got to change behaviors in myself and my clients that I hadn't been able to get to through psychoanalysis (and in a much shorter time). Mindfulness led me to DBT training which later led me to ACT and I have been passionately studying about CBS ever since.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
I am interested in understanding the roots of behavior change. Learning ACT from its roots. I have been specially interested lately in furthering my understanding of RFT and have been taking particular interest in issues
relating the SELF and body related issues. 

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
I was very excited to participate in WorldCon this year. Last year was my first and this was my second year attending. I found very interesting talks and was very glad that we had some time later to catch up on the talks we
weren't able to attend. I was especially interested in the talks about interbehaviorsim, the talk about psychodynamic defense mechanisms from a behavioral lense, RFT related sessions and Body Image sessions.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
What has always stood out to me from the CBS community is the sense that there is a genuine interest in understanding and furthering the science and sticking to the roots. At the same time it was a very welcoming community, very humble and helpful with people like me who where just starting, and very human.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
New people I got to know and who are exploring subjects that I am interested in. I met my current mentor through the ACBS world conference last year and contacted her after hearing a few of her talks. I definitely feel I am a much better clinician because of her and I feel that ACBS world con gives me that. A context to get to know people who are working in this field, who I can later contact to train with them or to get resources. It gets me excited and motivated to keep moving towards my values as a clinician and it gives me a sense of belonging to a bigger community.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
I would love to bring CBS to Paraguay. Get psychologist to at least know about CBS and that it exists and that it is a real option. To get my colleagues here to know that there is more than just psychoanalysis or CBT and to help new clinicians train in this model by translating to spanish what I can. 

Lara Dobrkovic, Serbia

As graduate medical doctor and attendee of third year of CBT/ REBT training, I am mainly focused on broader CBT interventions and working with clients primarily with anxious and depressive symptoms. My main area of psychotherapeutic work is in individual sessions and clients, as well as training groups on selected topics, and experience share within peer groups and professional conferences and gatherings.

Herewith I would like to give my warm thanks and appreciation for being part of ACBS virtual conference of 2021. Topics that were covered in the conference were very relevant and useful for broader CBT therapists. In my county I attend CBT and REBT psychotherapy trainings and I am part of broader CBT community. My main activities after that conference were focused on sharing knowledge, perspectives, and insights with my peers from the same training program I am attending to. Also, during national psychotherapy congress, that was held in late 2021, I was able to discuss in small groups topics of interested from third wave of CBT and direct co-participants into the area of further investigation about ACBS areas of work and staying tuned for future possibilities and attendance of ACBS conferences. Areas that was broadly shared and discussed within our professional circles were Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) therapy in practice, and it’s supreme position in defining and leveraging on client values. I had facilitated experience group with peers where we discussed values from REBT, broader CBT perspective and ACT perspective.

In addition to sharing verbally impressions and knowledge obtained from the conference with my peers, and facilitating experience sharing sessions, I also have embedded ACT and values into training material that I use for group workshops open for non-professional attendance. Clients are responding to values concept taken from ACT quite well and applying my modest knowledge from ACT and third wave has proven to be very useful and likable by my clients. This experience of attending ACBS virtual conference of 2021 has broaden my CBT perspective as well, and intend to attend further third wave conferences and also look up for some formal training in ACT in future.

Topics that were focus for my further practice and sharing my lessons learnt with my peers were Mindfulness based interventions and Compassionate focus therapy interventions. Both were present to my peers in context of primarily anxious and depressed clients, but were also considered in wider spectrum as well. Mindfulness is growing in popularity in my country, within both professional and non-professional circles. And Compassionate focus therapy and its interventions are very useful for clients who had some childhood trauma and have suffered from poor self-image. Through my attendance of the conference I really felt the power of compassion and I was enabled to carry this knowledge, but even more importantly, this emotional and motivational insight forward. My experiencing it first hand myself, I was better equipped to take it further, share with my peers, attendance of the training and my clients.

ACBS conference was great experience for me and I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend it.
 

Nevern Subermoney, South Africa

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
My name is Nevern and I am a clinical psychologist from Johannesburg, South Africa. 

How did you become interested in CBS?
I have always had an interest in mindfulness meditation, which led me looking into third wave therapies, which led to ACT. The second pathway was my interest in looking at psychotherapy integration, for which I found the PBT model incredibly helpful. 

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
I use process-based therapy and ACT in my clinical practice. I plan to do a PhD with Joe Ciarrochi as a co-supervisor on a PBT topic.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
My experience was lovely. There were so many top quality talks and opportunities for engagement. It was overwhelming in a good way.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
I love that the CBS community is so pragmatically values driven. I also love the focus on the alleviation of suffering and promotion of flourishing. And so far, the CBS members I interact with really embody that. 

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
I took back some very helpful information on the integration of CFT with ACT, as well as some newer digital possibilities for therapy.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
I would like to thank the ACBS for giving me the opportunity to attend the conference, which I think played a role in me being promoted to a chapter leader in SA!  

Wenqian Zhao, China

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
Hi, I am Wenqian ZHAO, Chaney, a year three PhD candidate in nursing from China. I am doing research on the utilization of contextual behavioral science in oncology care. I appreciate the ACBS committee for selecting me as a scholarship recipient so I can learn more about theories and practices and share my insights on ACT-related research.

How did you become interested in CBS?
I first learned about ACT from published papers about using ACT-based intervention to address cancer patients’ depression when doing my master's research. I learned basic knowledge about ACT in the training courses of Prof. Zhu Zhuohong, professor of the Chinese Academy of Psychological Sciences. I first learned about ACBS when I was going to start my PhD study from my co-supervisor Prof. Chong, who is also a professional member of ACBS. Prof Chong recommended I register as an ACBS student member to get more information about contextual behavioral science as I am interested in using ACT in my PhD study. Then, I attended ACT workshops organized by ACBS World Conference from 2020 to now, further learning about CBS and ACT to support my PhD research.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
I am interested in using ACT to promote the rehabilitation of breast cancer patients. In my previous studies, I focused on the sleep disturbance of those patients, and now on their body image disturbance. But there is a big challenge for me to deliver ACT as I do not have so much experience in using ACT in clinical sites. I always lack confidence in my ACT competency, getting trapped into anxieties about the research results, instead of focusing on the study process. ACBS conference provides me the best opportunity to learn more about experiences of using ACT in research and clinical treatment, which help me a lot in design and problem solving during my research.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
This year, I attended the pre-conference workshop on “Enhancing the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis through Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT)” presented by Dr. Luisa Cañon. In this workshop, Dr. Cañon introduced a behavior analytic framework for doing ACT. The basic philosophical assumptions and principles of behavior analysis underlying ACT could provide ongoing assessment and intervention of verbal behavior within the scope of practice of behavior analysts. The roleplay and experiential exercises throughout the workshop gave me an entire repertoire to use ACT, so I was better equipped to deal with the challenges in my research sessions. During this conference, I also submitted a poster presentation on “Effectiveness of cognitive-based interventions for improving body image and psychological distress of breast cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis”, and I was honored to share my research findings on the ACT with scholars from all over the world.

The workshop I participated in this year gave me a lot of inspiration, including how to understand some repressed and neglected inner activities when patients describe and narrate their personal experiences. At the same time, my supervisor, Professor Chong, also commented on my ability to guide patients to practice and put forward suggestions for improvement.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
Inspired by the Conference, I actively participated in more clinical ACT practice activities, such as SIG of Body Image organized by friends I met in ACBS, and clinical supervision training organized by the ACBS China Chapter. I also conducted my PhD study, an ACT-based intervention program among breast cancer patients in China. During my research, I shared my experience with the patients, their families, doctors and nurses who worked in the surgery department at the research sites. The patients and their families showed a great interest in ACT and its unique attitudes toward the negative experience. The doctors and nurses in the department also showed interest in related research topics, such as ACT, CBT, and Mindfulness. I will continue to expand my research areas and make my efforts to promote the utilization of ACT in clinical nursing care.  

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
Thanks again for this opportunity to attend this great conference. Looking forward to seeing you next year!

Enver Denizhan Ramakan, Türkiye

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
Hi, I’m Denizhan Ramakan from Türkiye. I’m working as a resident in psychiatry department of a rooted mental health hospital and I am a member of ACBS Türkiye. 

How did you become interested in CBS?
I first met with CBS when I started my residency education, thanks to Fatih YAVUZ and after him Sevinç ULUSOY who are two of the founders of ACBS Türkiye. After that I’ve got into CBS work day by day. I took ACT course from ACBS Türkiye. I’ve been a member of the chapter and got part in the CBS family. I’ve been welcomed with warmth and inclusiveness and I saw the same warmth and inclusiveness from the CBS society around the world. I’d been choosen for the secretaria duty of ACBS Türkiye. I took part in congress arrangement within ACBS Türkiye. As ACBS Türkiye we made three congresses.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
I usually use ACT in my practice with or without pharmacotherapy. I find lots of chance to practice with both inpatients and outpatients with varieties of troubles in their lives. I have chance to see and manage patients with severe mental disorders like schizophrenia and I experience that ACT interventions really help people with psychotic symptoms. Our hospital also has an alcohol and substance dependence center and we’re currently doing a research with people who suffers from alcohol and substance use disorders. We're planning to arrange intervention for these patients. We have an affective disorders center. We've initiated a study which is an ACT group therapy for people with bipolar disorder. We’ve experienced two groups so far and we’re going to experience more in the coming days. World Con helped me develop my therapeutic skills and so contributed this process. This development is not just by new therapeutic interventions that I learned, also by enhancing my therapeutic relationship and understanding clients. 

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
I am in contact with psychiatry specialists, residents, clinical psychologists, social workers and psychiatry nurses. When I met them, I see that they didn’t know what CBS, RFT and ACT are or they knew very few of ACT. Introducing them CBS and seeing them thinking about it is priceless. After World Con, I had found chance to transfer my take outs to them and introduce them our world wide community. I take part of the education of other residents and medical students. We're doing research in the context of CBS with some of them. We're doing reading groups about CBS papers. I’m more into RFT. We’ve initiated a working group named Language and Behaviour Research Working Group within ACBS Türkiye. In this group, we’re deepening our knowledge about RFT and planning to do some research in this field. RFT sessions in the conference updated me and encouraged to initiate researches. We have some ideas that we are preparing to bring to life.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
ACBS made communication easier to us and helped me to see the openness to share. Thanks to our community for this opportunity that helped me to connect people who makes great valued works, to update myself and develop my therapeutic skills and my therapist stance; encouraged me to transform my effort to scientific work. I think that’s important to contribute and develop together. 

Veysel GÜLEÇ Türkiye

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
I am 29 years old, I am studying as a psychiatrist in a training hospital in Istanbul and I am actively examining patients. I am about to complete my 5th year in the profession. I am currently a member of the acbs turkey chapter.

How did you become interested in CBS?
In Turkey, ACT is known among psychiatrists and used clinically by some psychiatrists. In the trainings given in Turkeye, behavioral sciences are explained in areas such as functional contextualism. Since I was also interested in the theoretical side of CBS, I continued additional reading groups and trainings after I received the training. During this time, I participated in groups where books such as “the ABCs of human behavior” and “Learning RFT” were read, and I worked as a coordinator in a group. I was joined a group that started years before I trained. We've been meeting weekly for years. Even though the content changes, we do readings and practices every week under the heading of CBS. I am also an active member of the turkey chapter. I took part in the organizing team of the ACT congresses, which will be held for the 4th time next year and attended by different professional groups working in the field of mental health. 

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
Apart from psychiatric clinical diagnoses, I am interested in couple relationships, we have a working group that we conduct on the basis of contextual behavioral sciences. In this group, we are planning projects related to more application areas. I made my thesis to investigate the factors that predict dyadic adjustment in bipolar patients. I examined variables such as stigma and psychological rigidity within this framework. 

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
The ACBS world conference I attended this year was the first for me. I think it's been effective. After a workshop I attended at the precongress, I made a presentation in my own unit at the hospital. The workshop about “single case design” was interesting for me. After the congress, I made additional readings on the subject. In addition, I had the chance to talk about the sessions and share experiences with my friends who attended the congress in my close circle. In general, I was also pleased that both the presenters and the participants were extremely helpful and friendly at the congress.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
Everyone I knew was diligent, helpful, and kind. I can say that I have seen again what it means to be value-oriented.  

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
If I evaluate not only this world congress but also my acquaintance with CBS, I can say the following. I have been following patients with ACT for about 4 years, I have had patients that I have followed with therapy, as well as with medication and therapy. Although we evaluate patients through a diagnosis-oriented and deterministic approach during examinations in the hospital, I use the CBS approach during patient examination, while formulating patients' complaints. I think the contribution of CBS to understanding my patients is great. In an environment where the mechanistic perspective is dominant, it is an advantage to consider clinical situations as a functional contextualist. Functional contextualist formulation is useful when diagnosing and determining treatment.  

Bryan Guerrero Trujillo, Lima – Perú

¿Podrías contarnos un poco sobre ti y tus antecedentes?
Hola soy Bryan, psicólogo y psicoterapeuta individual y de pareja. No se si catalogarme como psicoterapeuta ACT, pero lo vengo estudiando y entrenándome desde hace 6 años, la terapia de aceptación y compromiso (ACT) y la terapia integral conductual de pareja (IBCT) son las que más he estudiado, me he formado y he dictado cursos.

¿Cómo te interesaste en CBS?
Mi forma de entrar al mundo de la ciencia conductual contextual puedes ser resumida como un amor a primer oído. Estudié psicología en la Universidad Autónoma del Perú en mis inicios estaba muy entusiasmado por ver lo que iba a aprender y recuerdo que en el curso de Análisis experimental del comportamiento cuando me hablaron del conductismo, Skinner, los principios de aprendizaje, experimentos con ratas me pareció algo increíble y desde ese momento entre al mundo del conductismo desde entonces empecé a leer y conocer más. La Facultad de Psicología de mi universidad todos los años hace un Congreso Internacional donde reúne a diferentes psicólogos donde se realiza ponencias de diferentes temáticas, recuerdo que entre a un simposio de psicología clínica y psicoterapias contemporáneas, es allí donde escuche por primera vez sobre ACT, cuando escuche de lo que se trataba la terapia se me hizo muy conductual y a la vez muy cálida y amable con el consultante así mismo me llamo la atención que era una terapia basada en evidencia. Cuando acabo el simposio recuerdo que le pedí a los ponentes que me briden sus correos para que me pasen libros y donde podría formarme en eso. Desde ese momento me entusiasme en ACT y RFT, leía libros, veía videos sobre eso también recuerdo que realice un curso en ACT, siendo estudiante de sexto ciclo de la carrera, solo éramos 5 alumnos que estábamos haciendo ese curso en un centro de formación aquí en lima. Luego de ello tuve la oportunidad de pertenecer a un grupo de estudio sobre terapias basadas en evidencia y conocí más de ACT, luego con un grupo de compañeros creamos un grupo de estudio en nuestra propia universidad con el objetivo de que nuestros compañeros conozcan sobre las terapias contextuales. Realice mis practicas pre profesionales en el mismo centro en el cual escuche por primera vez ACT, termine la universidad con una tesis basada en ACT, me dieron trabajo en el mismo centro donde conocí ACT por primera vez luego por motivos externos tuve que retirarme y es allí donde abrí mi propio Centro de Formación en Terapias Contextuales, desde hace 6 años me he formado en ACT, RFT, IBCT, FAP, BA en diferentes países, he participado como ponente en charlas y talleres sobre ACT, hace 2 años me invitaron a la universidad donde estudie para hablar sobre ACT y fue en el congreso donde hace 6 años yo había estado como asistente y oyente, pero ahora mis valores me habían guiado ha estar al frente de unos alumnos intentado trasmitir lo que años antes alguien me había trasmitido y era esta chispa por conocer ACT y temas que no nos enseñaban en las universidad.

¿Podría contarnos sobre sus intereses de investigación y aplicaciones?
Mis intereses actualmente están muy relacionados a aplicar ACT en grupos, difundir ACT y RFT también la IBCT, mi población es adultos y parejas.

¿Podría contarnos su experiencia en la Conferencia Mundial de este año?
Mi experiencia en el congreso mundial fue increíble aprendí mucho a pesar de solo entender lengua castellana, ver a los máximos exponentes de ACT fue maravilloso aún así allá sido virtual. El próximo año lo harán en argentina así que estoy muy muy entusiasmado por eso también porque al fin podré verlos en persona.

¿Tienes algo más que te gustaría compartir con la comunidad?
Agradezco infinitamente a la ACBS por brindar esas becas que son de mucha ayuda para las personas que no podemos costear el ingreso por nuestra situación económica, están ayudando y apoyando a que la comunidad crezca y que cada uno nos acerquemos a nuestros valores como profesionales y terapeutas.

       Dina Masoud Abdelhafez Abdraboh, Egypt

Seyed Ali Kolahdouzan, Iran

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
I was born and raised in Iran. When I was nineteen years old, I immigrated to the United States to live and continue my education. There, I have received my bachelor's degrees in "Biological Sciences" and "English Literature" from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and then I've got my master degree in "Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities" from Towson University. When I returned back home, I continued my study in psychology and I've got my Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Isfahan, Iran. Currently, I am a faculty member in the psychology of health department at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

How did you become interested in CBS?
During my Ph.D., I became familiar with ACT and I fall in love with it. I wanted to learn ACT first handed, so as a sabbatical leave, I went to University of Nevada for one semester to be trained and work under the supervision of Dr. Steven C. Hayes. There, I attended many Ph.D. classes and I got a chance to learn about other forms of therapies in CBS. As I returned back home, I became a member of the ACBS Persian chapter and five years later, I became the president of the chapter. So, for the last eight years, ACT and CBS were part of my main focuses in my academic fields.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
My Ph.D. thesis was "Designing two therapeutic packages based on ACT and Abrahamic Religions to evaluate the effect of death anxiety on psychological health and quality of life of cancer patients." My main research and clinical interest is on palliative care and end-of-life care psychotherapy. I am also interested in spiritual care & health, logotherapy, existential psychotherapy and psychology of death. Currently, I am the head of the behavioral research center at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
If I want to say it in a simple sentence, I shall say, "it was an absolute pleasure and an amazing gift for me." I had this opportunity to get in touch with many great CBS scholars, scientists, researchers and psychotherapists, and relearned and evolved my ACT and other CBS knowledge. I attended a two-day workshops on "Trauma" by Robyn Walser. It was a pure pleasure and amazingly informative. Then, I spent a couple of days swimming in an ocean of amazing subjects and topics related to CBS. Especially, I found many interesting topics on "palliative care," "end-of-life" and "death and dying." It was really good. Moreover, finding new connections and networks during the World Conference was another thing that made me so grateful.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
Participating in the conference was very beneficiary for me. I got updated from various new research topics and innovations in the field of psychology and learned new methods and concepts of different psychotherapies in CBS. The great attitude and welcoming culture of the CBS community was truly beautiful. I am so glad to be part of such an outstanding warm culture.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
Even though none of prominent CBS and ACT founders have ever been in Iran, Iran has one of the highest number of publication of ACT articles in the world. There are so many people in Iran who want to learn about ACT and CBS from the main sources, but they simply do not have the opportunity to act upon. When I got a chance to participate in the World Conference, I tried to pass on my experiences and knowledge to the Iranian academics who were so eager to be updated from ACT and CBS. I can proudly say that in the World Conference, I was the representative of at least several thousand Iranian people who passionately love to learn about ACT and CBS. I tried to pass my experiences in the workshops, classes, webinars and seminars that I participated all over the countries. All of my students really appreciated the rich contents that they have been introduced to.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community? 
I know I am asking too much, but if each year, at least one Iranian can have this opportunity to participate in the world conference, I think that would elevate the knowledge and understanding of so many Iranians who missed to be part of this amazing culture and community. In the Persian chapter, we would like to expand the CBS into the public forum and show general public how they can benefit from ACT and CBS in their daily lives. So, we need to learn new methods and protocols of teaching and therapy, so we can pass these knowledge as best as possible. We hope the CBS community helps us to reach this goal. 

   Dinara Tussupkaliyeva, Kazakhstan

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
I am Dianara Tussupkaliyeva, a native of Kazakhstan, currently pursuing a master's degree in the psychology of intercultural relations. My research focuses on the attitudinal and cultural aspects of gender-based violence.

As a consulting psychologist, I specialize in assisting adults with relationship issues, identity crises, acculturation stress, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), while also incorporating an intersectional approach to my work. Additionally, I focus on systemic discrimination within various contexts, examining its impact on individuals and communities.

How did you become interested in CBS?
Following my introduction to the ACT method, self-study of its manuals, and completion of an online course led by Steven Hayes,I began applying ACT in my daily work with clients and for personal development. Shortly after, I joined ACBS and participated in an online conference.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
My research focuses on understanding the socio-cultural factors that affect people's tolerance of gender-based violence, along with systemic discrimination in different settings. I aim to create evidence-based interventions to reduce systemic gender-based discrimination, particularly when it's justified by cultural or societal norms. I'm particularly keen on utilizing the CBS approach, particularly values work, for its potential in effectively addressing these issues.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
Attending the conference in Cyprus was a highlight of my year! I found myself among like-minded individuals who shared my enthusiasm for learning - nerdy, compassionate, and humorous individuals dedicated to alleviating human suffering. Meeting and talking with colleagues from around the globe was particularly enjoyable. In Kazakhstan, the community of practitioners working in CBS is still relatively small, and it can be quite lonely. So, hearing firsthand experiences from those who have gone through similar journeys was especially gratifying. Despite geographical, linguistic, and cultural differences, we all share something much deeper. Experiencing this unity at the conference was personally reassuring and a reminder that the path to developing the CBS community in my country may be long, but the important thing is to keep moving forward. I found the lectures and practical seminars on existential topics and sessions by guest speakers to be particularly enjoyable. Witnessing the development of CBS in addressing societal and ecological issues has deepened my admiration for the community. Additionally, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the conference organizers for creating an atmosphere that was both welcoming and inclusive. It truly enhanced my overall enjoyment and made me feel valued as a participant.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
The inclusivity and warmth of the CBS community truly stood out to me. I genuinely appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in the conference.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
Apart from feeling a sense of belonging to the broader community of CBS practitioners, I gained practical tools to enhance my work with clients. The feedback received during my poster session affirmed the relevance and potential for further advancement of my research. Additionally, forming new friendships with whom I anticipate reconnecting at future ACT trainings was enriching. Lastly, these experiences collectively inspired fresh ideas for implementing the CBS approach with different populations.

 Lydiah Maingi, Kenya

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
I am a counselling Psychologist and Lecturer at the department of Psychology in Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. There is limited mention, use and training of CBS concepts/principles in Kenya. and hence I had never interacted with it in my training or therapy work. 

How did you become interested in CBS?
I learnt about ACT in the process of reviewing literature on appropriate interventions for cancer survivors. I contacted Prof. Steve Hayes who connected me with Joanna Arch, a mentor I have to date. I participated in ACT training via ACT immersion and continue to further my knowledge and skills through the ACBS resources. I also learnt about ACBS community and joined the organisation in 2020 and continue to benefit from the resources available via the website.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
My research interests are in Mental health, specifically on Compassion Fatigue among health care providers, Depression and Anxiety and on Psychosocial support for Cancer survivors. I desire to support cancer patients to accept and improve their quality of life despite their cancer experiences in a country where treatment accessibility is low. I successfully applied for the ACBS Development Research Award in 2021 courtesy and together with Joanna Arch to conduct a study on "Gaps in Supportive Care for Cancer Patients in Kenya: Recommendations for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention". Later in the year (2022) I applied and was granted the ACBS Developing Nations Award to attend the ACBS 2023 conference where I would present the preliminary findings of the ACBS funded project. Currently, I am developing an ACT intervention to address the gaps faced by cancer survivors in Kenya.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
The experience at the ACBS world conference at Nicosia, Cyprus is very memorable. The workshops came in handy for me and helped to grasp the ACT metaphors and to experience the exercises personally and practically. I particularly learnt how to utilise ACT from where I am through the Pre-conference workshop by David Gillanders "Starting where you are at: How to integrate ACT and other Contextual Behavioural Principles into your work". The fact that I could follow more conference sessions later after the conference made it easier for me to select the sessions that were more practical during the physical conference at Nicosia. This gave me the opportunity to maximise more conference presentations than would have been possible in a few days of physical presence. I commend the conference organisers for this.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
The CBS community comprises of very friendly and down to earth members who made my first time experience at the ACBS conference easy and memorable. The enthusiasm, love and utilisation of the CBS concepts in research and client work as illustrated in most presentations demonstrated not only a belief in but also the usability and effectiveness of CBS and ACT specifically. This was very inspiring for me.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you? 
I have been able to integrate ACT in my client work and also in my teaching. The books that I bought at the conference and other resources as well as the exposure I got has continued to motivate me to utilise the CBS principles. I have developed a proposal for an ACT intervention with Cancer Survivors and hope to get funding to roll it out. I look forward to having more of my colleagues engage in ACBS. I also hope to soon publish my recent findings in a journal which will enhance dissemination of ACT in Kenya, a Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC).

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
There is need to disseminate the CBS principles and the existence of ACBS in Kenya. While I hope to make that happen, any other efforts towards that will be highly appreciated.

I am very grateful for the Developing Nations Award that made it possible for me to attend the conference that I would have otherwise not been able to. To the committee and the conference organisers, thank you all for a well planned event.