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.
