Veterans and Military Service Members Special Interest Group

Veterans and Military Service Members Special Interest Group

Veterans and Military Service Members Special Interest Group

Affiliated 2025

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Contact Information
Wyatt Evans

SIG Officers
Wyatt Evans
Ryan Hissong
Ali Molaie
Aaron Keating

Mission/Objectives
The Veterans and Military Service Members (VMSM) SIG promotes research, application, and innovation of contextual behavioral science (CBS) to support treatment and training for military populations. The VMSM SIG serves as a hub for providers, researchers, consultants, and other behavior scientists to communicate, collaborate, and cultivate a mutual commitment to the performance and the wellbeing of veterans, service members, their families, and their missions. The SIG supports critical, evidence-based contributions to individual and institutional resilience, readiness, wellbeing, and recovery.

General Interest Area to be Specifically Addressed
Broadly, the SIG is committed to the health of veterans and service members as well as the resilience and readiness of military teams, missions, and families. Additionally, the SIG seeks to facilitate international and interagency dialog, partnership, and development.

SIG Activities
To accomplish our mission, the VMSM SIG will:
• Engage members via the Veterans and Military Service Members SIG Listserv
• Collate relevant resources (e.g., articles, guides, tools) on the SIG webpage
• Host periodic events including webinars, workshops, meetings, and networking events
• Support relevant and impactful submissions to the annual ACBS World Conference
• Facilitate mentorship and consultation between and among members and leaders

Description of Membership
Uniformed and civilian health professionals serving in direct patient care, public and global health, operational, and educational roles committed to the study and application of CBS with veterans and service members.

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Veterans and Military Service Members SIG Resources

Veterans and Military Service Members SIG Resources

VA Resources

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

Articles from Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS):

Randomized Control Trials

  • Buhler, J. N., Holens, P. L. & Sharpe, S. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of an online acceptance and commitment therapy-based intervention for chronic pain for military and police. Military Behavioral Health, 9(4), 463-474. https://doi.org/10.1080/21635781.2021.1982086
  • Dindo, L., Zimmerman, M. B., Hadlandsmyth, K., StMarie, B., Embree, J., Marchman, J., Tripp-Reimer, T., & Rakel, B. (2018). Acceptance and commitment therapy for prevention of chronic post-surgical pain and opioid use in at-risk veterans: A pilot randomized controlled study. The Journal of Pain, 19, 1211-1221.
  • Herbert, M.S., Afari, N., Liu, L., Heppner, P., Rutledge, T., Williams, K., Eraly, S., VanBuskirk, K., Nguyen, C., Bondi, M., Atkinson, JH., Golshan, S., Wetherell, J.L. (2017). Telehealth Versus In-Person Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain: A Randomized Noninferiority Trial. The Journal of Pain 18 (2), 200-211. DOI:10.1016/j.jpain.2016.10.014
  • Lang, A.J., Schnurr, P.P., Jain, S., He, F., Walser, R.D., Bolton, E., Benedek, D.M., Norman, S.B., Sylvers, P., Flashman, L., Strauss, J., Raman, R., Chard, K.M. (2017). Randomized controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for distress and impairment in OEF/OIF/OND veterans. Psychological Trauma 9(1), 74-84. DOI:10.1037/tra0000127

Publications

  • Voth M., Chisholm S., Sollid H., Jones C., Smith-MacDonald L., & Brémault-Phillips, S. (2022). Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Quality of Resilience-Building Mobile Health Apps for Military, Veteran, and Public Safety Personnel Populations: Scoping Literature Review and App Evaluation. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 10(1), e26453. https://doi.org/10.2196/26453
  • Karen O'Brien, Mary Dozier, Julia Lopez, and Allyson Ruha (2021) A new treatment model for veterans?: Results from a program evaluation of a recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program for veterans with heterogeneous diagnostic presentations. JCBS, Volume 19, Pages 57-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.12.001
  • Goetz, D.B. & Hirschhorn, E.W. (2021). An Evaluation of an ACT-Based “Aging Resiliently” Group. Clinical Gerontologist. DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2021.1932001
  • Wharton, E., Sears Edwards K., Juhasz, M., and Walser, R. (2019). Acceptance-based interventions in the treatment of PTSD: Group and individual pilot data using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. JCBS, Vol. 14, 55-64.
  • Grodin, J., Clark, J.L., Kolts, R., Lovejoy, T.I. (2019) Compassion focused therapy for anger: A pilot study of a group intervention for veterans with PTSD. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 14, 27-33.
  • Borges, L.M. (2019) A Service Member's experience of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Moral Injury (ACT-MI) via telehealth: “Learning to accept my pain and injury by reconnecting with my values and starting to live a meaningful life”. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 13, 134-140.
  • Afari, N. et al. (2019) Design for a cohort-randomized trial of an acceptance and commitment therapy-enhanced weight management and fitness program for Navy personnel. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 15, 100408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2019.100408
  • Vowles, K. E., Witkiewitz, K., Cusack, K. J., Gilliam, W. P., Cardon, K. E., Bowen, S., Edwards, K. A., McEntee, M. L., & Bailey, R. W. (2019). Integrated behavioral treatment for Veterans with co-morbid chronic pain and hazardous opioid use: A randomized controlled pilot trial. The Journal of Pain.
  • Meyer, E. C., Szabo, Y. Z., Fra nkfurt, S. B., Kimbrel, N. A., DeBeer, B.B., & Morissette, S. B. (2019). Predictors of recovery from post-deployment posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in war veterans: The contributions of psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Behaviour research and therapy, 114, 7-14.
  • Meyer, E. C., Walser, R., Hermann, B., La Bash, H., De Beer, B. B., Morissette, S. B., ... Schnurr, P. P. (2018).  Acceptance and commitment therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorders in veterans: Pilot treatment outcomes.  Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31(5), 781-789.
  • Walser, R., Simiola, V., & Cook, J. M. (2018, April). Qualitative exploration of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as the core treatment modality in two VA PTSD residential programs. [Web article]. Retrieved from http://www.societyforpsychotherapy.org/acceptance-commitment-therapy-ptsd-residential-programs
  • Cox, D. W., Motl, T. C., Bakker, A. M., & Lunt, R. A. (2018). Cognitive fusion and post-trauma functioning in veterans: Examining the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation. JCBS, Vol. 8, 1-7.
  • Harvey, S., Bimler, D., Dickson, D., Pack, J., Sievwright, O., Baken, D., & Henricksen, A. (2018).  Acceptance and commitment therapy group treatment with the military: A preliminary study.  Journal of Military and Veterans' Health, 26(4), 6-15.  
  • Udell, C. J., Ruddy, J., & Procento, P. M. (2018).  Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in increasing resilience and reducing attrition of injured US Navy recruits. Military Medicine, 18(9-10), e603-e611.
  • Harvey, S. T., Henricksen, A., Bilmer, D., & Dickson, D. (2017). Addressing anger, stress, and alcohol-related difficulties in the military: An ACT intervention. Military Psychology, 29(5), 464-476.
  • Farnsworth, J. K., Drescher, K. D., Evans, W., Walser, R. D. (2017). A functional approach to understanding and treating military-related moral injury. JCBS, Vol. 6, Issue 4, 391-397.
  • Cobb, A. R., Lancaster, C. L., Meyer, E. C., Lee, H., & Telch, M. J. (2017). Pre-deployment trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and experiential avoidance predict war-zone stress-evoked psychopathology. JCBS, Vol. 6, Issue 3, 276-287. doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2017.05.002
  • Donahue, J. J., Santanello, A., Marsiglio, M. C., & Van Male, L. M. (2017).  Acceptance and commitment therapy for anger dysregulation with military veterans: A pilot study. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 47(4), 233-241.
  • Jacobs, M. L., Luci, L., & Hagemann, L. (2017). Group- based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for older veterans: Findings from a quality improvement project. Clinical Gerontologist, 41(5), 458-467.
  • Hermann, B. A., Meyer, E. C., Schnurr, P. P., Batten, S. V., & Walser, R. D. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy for co-occurring PTSD and substance use: A manual development study. JCBS, 5(4), 225-234.
  • Glover N.G., Sylvers P.D., Shearer E.M., Kane M.C., Clasen P.C., Epler A.J., Plumb-Vilardaga J.C., Bonow J.T., Jakupcak M. (2016) The efficacy of Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in VA primary care. Psychol Serv. 13(2):156-161.
  • Bryan, C. J., Ray-Sannerud, B., Heron, E. A. (2015). Psychological flexibility as a dimension of resilience for posttraumatic stress, depression, and risk for suicidal ideation among airforce personnel. JCBS, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 263-268.
  • Walser, R., Garvert, D.W., Karlin, B.E., Trockel, M., Ryu, D.M., & Taylor, C.B. (2015). Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in treating depression and suicidal ideation in Veterans. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 74, 25-31. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.012
  • Bahraini, N.H., Devore, M. D., Monteith, L. L., Forster, J. E., Bensen, S., Brenner, L. A. (2013). The role of value importance and success in understanding suicidal ideation among Veterans. JCBS, Vol. 2, Issues 1–2, 31-38.
  • Karlin, B.E., Walser, R.D., Yesavage, J., Zhang, A., Trockel, M., & Barr Taylor, C. (2013) Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for depression: Comparison among older and younger veterans, Aging & Mental Health, 17:5, 555-563, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2013.789002
  • Walser, R., Karlin, B., Trockel, M., Mazina, B. & Taylor, C.. (2013). Training in and implementation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression in the Veterans Health Administration: Therapist and patient outcomes. Behaviour research and therapy. 51. 555-563. 10.1016/j.brat.2013.05.009.
  • Walser RD, Karlin BE, Trockel M, Mazina B, Barr Taylor C. (2013) Acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness for chronic pain: model, process, and progress. Behav Res Ther. 51(9):555-63. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2013.05.009
  • Blevins, D., Roca, J. V., & Spencer, T. (2011). Life Guard: Evaluation of an ACT-based workshop to facilitate reintegration of OIF/OEF veterans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(1), 32-39.
  • Batten S.V., Hayes S.C. (2005) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Treatment of Comorbid Substance Abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Study. Clinical Case Studies. 4(3):246–262. doi: 10.1177/1534650103259689

Books

  • Evans, W.R., Walser, R.D., Drescher, K.D, Farnsworth, J.K. (2020) The Moral Injury Workbook: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills for Moving Beyond Shame, Anger, and Trauma to Reclaim Your Values. CA: New Harbinger.
  • Follette, V., Briere, J., Rozelle, D., Hopper, J. W., & Rome, D. (2015). Mindfulness-Oriented Interventions for Trauma: Integrating Contemplative Practice. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Gardner, F. L., & Moore, Z. E. (2007). The psychology of enhancing human performance: The Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment approach. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
  • Walser, R. & Westrup, D. (2007). Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Trauma-related problems. CA: New Harbinger.
  • Walser, R. & Westrup, D. (2007). Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Practitioner's Guide to Using Mindfulness & Acceptance Strategies. CA: New Harbinger.
  • Folette, V. & Pistorello, J. (2007). Finding life beyond trauma: Using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy to heal Post-Traumatic Stress & Trauma-related problems. CA: New Harbinger.

Books for Clients

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

Podcasts

Videos

Audio Recordings:

Posters

Pamphlets

Webinars

ACBS VA ACT SIG

  • Click here to view the VA ACT SIG Resources webpage
Community