Sara Cristina Robayo Perez - Bogotá, Colombia

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
I am a psychologist with a master's in clinical psychology from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a PhD student in Psychology at the Universidad de los Andes. I have four years of experience providing individual clinical care to cisgender adults and trans and non-binary people. I currently work in a program promoting health care for children and adolescents with rare diseases. My line of research centers on social connection among Colombian trans and non-binary people. I am also coordinating a research project that evaluates the effect of Functional Analytical Psychotherapy on interpersonal intimacy repertoires of trans and non-binary people.

How did you become interested in CBS?
Since my undergraduate studies, I have had access to several books and classes about contextual behavioral therapies. I particularly became interested in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and I joined a study group in which I participated in research activities and experiential exercises. During that time, I realized that I wanted to delve into the FAP's change mechanisms. Later, I had the chance to research on FAP's therapeutic effect on Colombian gay men. I consider that contextual behavioral therapies enable clinical psychologists to translate behavioral principles within the therapeutic context and promote the client´s behavioral change.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
My experience working with Colombian TGNC (transgender and gender non-conforming) individuals in both clinical and research contexts has underscored the importance of developing research using cost-effective therapies like FAP, tailored to meet this population’s unique needs and the contextual barriers they face. Currently, I am working on FAP’s application with TGNC individuals who hold intersectional identities. This population may encounter additional stressors and often have limited access to social support.

On the other hand, given the idiographic approach and growing evidence base of behavioral contextual therapies, I am particularly interested in exploring their mechanisms of change to foster social connection in Latinx people.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
This was my first time attending the ACBS World Conference. I was genuinely thrilled to meet researchers and psychologists from around the world who share interests and passion for contextual behavioral therapies. Every person I met was so interesting and shared brilliant ideas and updates on their work. At the beginning, I was a bit scared since English wasn’t my first language, but the logistic team was very helpful in providing the help I needed. It was an amazing opportunity to get in touch with the latest technological advances in contextual therapies and the contributors behind these achievements. During the Conference, I had the chance to share the findings of a FAP application with Colombian gay men. Despite my doubts and fears, I felt a warm response from the audience, who were willing to share their knowledge and support. This experience also made me realize how research like this buil ds the foundation of science and how forming social networks is essential for constructing and disseminating knowledge.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
I'd like to start by saying that this event was much more than I had imagined. One of the most memorable aspects of my experience at the conference was the warmth and appreciation that experts and professionals from around the world showed toward the work of Latin American researchers. The presentations and thematic axes illustrated the scope of contextual sciences and their contributions across different contexts and professional areas. I can also highlight the growing interest in and development that contextual therapies have gained on our continent. Finally, I would like to underscore the importance of events like the Conference to promote contextual therapies as an opportunity to develop prolific lines of research sensitive to the needs and values of our culture.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
Throughout this event, I certainly understood the importance of creating local and international social networks to facilitate the dissemination of our research work. Attending events such as the ACBS Conference facilitates the exchange of research teams that can promote academic collaborations and support the development of research. At the conference, I connected with professionals who taught me a lot about therapeutic work with populations with intersecting identities. These reflections on clinical considerations derived from this meeting have strengthened my work with third-wave therapies, making me more aware of how my identity categories influence my clinical practice and the application of behavioral principles.

Since the conference, I have become more willing to take interpersonal risks, reaching out to others who share my research and professional interests to explore opportunities for collaborative work.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
I want to express my deep gratitude to the DEI fellowship committee for this opportunity and to everyone who allowed me to present my research team’s work. I am proud and grateful to have participated in this conference—for the inspiring people I met, the networks I built, and the professional growth it fostered. I see huge potential in contextual therapies to address pressing issues in behavioral health. Spaces like this conference are essential for advancing contextual sciences and supporting the growth of the professionals who attend.

Raphaela Stürmer, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Could you please tell us a little about you and your background?
My name is Raphaela Stürmer. I am Brazilian and I live in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. I am currently in my 3rd year of my undergraduate degree in Psychology. Since the beginning of my studies, I have always been interested in behavioral therapies/science, but something bothered me: the lack of an approach that considered context, culture and social dimensions in treatment. It was during an extension course that a professor introduced me to a lecture and video by Steven Hayes on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). There, I found the answer I had been looking for: a therapy that integrates the behavioral basis with a deep understanding of the individual's social, cultural and political context. This discovery was transformative for me.

How did you become interested in CBS?
I became involved with contextual behavioral therapies, especially ACT, during my 2nd year of undergraduate studies. From the beginning, I have always been fascinated by behavior analysis/science, but I felt a lack of an approach that considered the impact of context and lived experiences, such as gender, race, and social class. When I learned about ACT, I realized that it promoted psychological flexibility while respecting the social context of individuals. This aligned with my own values ​​of social justice and equality. In addition, my personal journey as a Gifted, and Gifted Woman in a Latin American context, marked by an eating disorder and domestic violence, made me understand the importance of living according to values ​​and embracing suffering. As I experienced ACT in my life, I realized how it could be a powerful tool both for my self-knowledge and for helping my future patients deal with their difficulties, always considering their social and cultural context.

Could you tell us about your research and application interests?
I have always been committed to the values ​​of Human Rights, especially considering my context as a Latin American woman, and now, in psychology, I seek to reinforce and spread these values. I believe that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS) can be powerful tools to promote equality, justice, and autonomy. My research interests focus on how these approaches can help people, especially women and minorities, to deal with the traumas, stressors, and inequalities they face, considering the multiple social, cultural, gender, and intersectional dimensions that impact their lives. I am particularly interested in how ACT can support the reconnection with personal values ​​and the development of psychological flexibility, especially in contexts marked by gender-based violence, structural oppressions, and identity-related challenges. By integrating emotional experience with the social context, these approaches, like ACT, including FAP and CFT (which I am beginning to explore) are capable of promoting profound changes, recognizing the importance of culture and identity in the construction of suffering and well-being.

Could you tell us about your experience at the World Conference this year?
At the ACBS World Conference, what stood out to me the most was the plenary on the theme "The Personal is Political: How Personal Trauma and Loss Can Inform a Path to Healing Our Divided World" with Niklas Tornke, Carmen Luciano, Barbara Kholenberg and Jennifer Gregg, which discussed how the principles of CBS help in coping with grief, trauma and oppression, promoting acceptance and emotional flexibility. It also addressed how these principles improve interpersonal relationships and the importance of connection and mutual support in healing from grief, with global impact. This plenary was particularly meaningful to me because it illustrated how contextual behavioral therapies can be a powerful tool for promoting justice and social transformation. In addition, the conference provided me with the opportunity to meet incredible women such as Manuela O'Connell, Shawn Costello, Holly Yates, Miranda Temp le Morris, Robyn Walser, Louise Hayes, Carmen Luciano, Barbara Gil, Jennifer Gregg, Desiree Cassado, Michaele Saban, Erika Leonardo, Geraldine Panelli and many others. We had very special moments, such as the Women In ACBS dinner, where we came together to share our experiences and walk together down the street. This meeting was a symbol of how solidarity among women can be a powerful force in confronting inequalities and promoting social justice.

Was there anything that stood out to you about the CBS community?
I have always felt a bit out of place, especially because i’m Gifted, a woman from southern Brazil and my life experience (so bad) is often different from most people. However, at the ACBS conference, for the first time, I felt that I could be who I really am, without having to adapt or hide. The horizontality of the community, where everyone is equally respected and valued, was something very important to me. I finally felt accepted, not only as a student, but as a Woman who is dedicated to caring for and transforming others, aligning my practice with my personal values ​​of justice and equality. Meeting other women and the mutual support we experienced made me realize that, together, we can build a more just and supportive path for everyone. Another special moment was the Brazil Chapter meeting (photo below) where I was able to meet such dear people who welcomed me with so much love, and it was a beautiful moment. I felt like home with CBS community.

What did you take back from your experience that has been helpful to you?
I returned from the conference with a renewed sense of belonging and an even clearer vision of how Contextual Behavioral Therapies and CBS, having now deepened my knowledge through ACT, can be applied in a sensitive and respectful way to treat people, considering social and cultural inequalities. The conference inspired me to further my studies on intersectionality, culture, the role of trauma and stressors, and to use ACT to work with individual and social problems, always with the goal of promoting equality and justice. In addition to expanding my studies to the potential of FAP and CFT. Upon returning, I led discussion groups for women in situations of violence, presented papers on values ​​in ACT and how clarification of values ​​can be a powerful tool in therapy, and shared with my colleagues the importance of integrating these issues into our professional work. I left the conference m ore confident and ready to apply the lessons learned to build a more inclusive and fair practice.

Do you have anything else that you would like to share with the community?
I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the ACBS World Conference, an experience that I would never have had without the scholarship provided by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. I am immensely grateful to ACBS and DEI for providing me with such a transformative opportunity, especially while still in college. The conference not only expanded my professional education, but also provided me with incredible friendships. In addition to connecting with the Brazilian community, I was honored to make friends with colleagues from Argentina, who welcomed me warmly and generously. These international ties, in addition to academic ones, are truly meaningful to my career path, and I am certain that they will take my clinical practice to the next level. The solidarity I experienced and the experiences shared with people from different countries strengthened me, expanding my vision of how we can work together, regardless of our backgrounds, to promote equality, justice, and social change. I left the conference more motivated to continue with my practice and to disseminate contextual behavioral therapies with a more sensitive view of issues of culture and context.