ACTivating Health: A Skills Building Workshop to Help People with Chronic Medical Conditions

Over the past decade, scores of articles have been written on the benefits of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for individuals with various medical conditions. Dr. Staci Martin and Dr. Amanda Rhodes are clinical health psychologists at the National Institutes of Health (Greater Washington DC, USA), who are dedicating their careers to studying and applying contextual behavioral science with those experiencing acute and chronic illness.

Undoubtedly, many clients will directly experience a health-related issue during the therapeutic course. These individuals often invest much of their energy towards controlling their symptoms and tend to avoid meaningful activities. This interactive workshop combines didactic (30%) and experiential (70%) methods and is designed for practitioners familiar with the basic tenets of ACT. Drs. Martin and Rhodes will harness their combined knowledge and expertise from decades of experience imbedded in the medical field to teach attendees how to use the power of language and experiential learning to target health behavior change such as increasing daily functioning (work/school, physical activity, social activities, pain coping) and health-promoting behaviors (medication adherence, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, and sleep).

Attendees will learn functional behavioral analysis, case conceptualization, watch the presenters role-play, and engage in plenty of small group practice. Through participating in this workshop, attendees will take away new contextual-behavioral perspectives on acute and chronic health issues plaguing many clients, a host of handouts and materials to use in their continued work, and the ability to conceptualize and intervene in real time. Specific modules in this workshop will focus on tailoring this work for people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds, including cultural adaptations of ACT metaphors, modifying interventions to fit the specific developmental needs of children and adolescents, and shaping crucial experiential exercises for individuals with physical disabilities. Finally, given the increasing relevance of e-health interventions, attendees will master how traditional ACT techniques can be conducted effectively in a remote context.

About Staci Martin Peron, Ph.D.: 

Staci Martin, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with specialized expertise in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She is the President Emeritus of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), Past President of the ACBS Pain Special Interest Group, and a member of the ACT for Health and CBS and Cancer SIGs. She also is an associate editor of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS). Dr. Martin routinely conducts trainings for mental health and medical providers on ACT and mindfulness and has presented her work to medical patients at conferences in multiple countries.

Dr. Martin is a Senior Associate Scientist in the Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Clinical and Training Director of the Health Psychology and Neurobehavioral Research Program. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of studies examining the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for adolescents and young adults with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) and chronic pain, a mindfulness-based intervention for children with high-risk cancers and their caregivers, and a study of medication adherence for patients on NF1 clinical trials. She routinely conducts therapy with medical patients ranging from children to adults. In addition, she co-chairs the POB’s Diversity Working Group aimed at addressing diversity-related issues in the workplace.

About Amanda Rhodes, Psy.D.:

Amanda Rhodes, Psy.D. is a clinical health psychologist and early career researcher at the National Institutes of Health (USA). Dr. Rhodes specializes in researching and applying acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions, including ACT, with pediatric and adult populations experiencing chronic illness and pain. She is also trained in psychological assessment of individuals with medical conditions. At the NIH, Dr. Rhodes’ specific work includes ongoing collaborative protocols investigating ACT for sleep disturbance in sickle cell disease; physical activity for late cognitive effects in pediatric brain tumor patients; diet and exercise changes to the gut microbiome and response to immunotherapy; and medication adherence in NF1. She provides trainings and workshops on ACT for chronic illness, conducts neurocognitive assessments, and provides therapeutic services across institutes. Dr. Rhodes has published articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at international conferences on her research and expertise in clinical health psychology and contextual behavioral science. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences (ACBS) Mid-Atlantic Chapter and the ACBS Cancer SIG. She is also the Chair of the ACBS Pain SIG Research committee, Chair of the POB’s Diversity Working Group Education and Training subcommittee, and Co-Leader of the Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (RAPNO) Neuropsychological Assessment subcommittee. In addition, Dr. Rhodes has a secondary appointment as a clinical assistant professor of psychology at the George Washington University.