2025 Grant Recipient:
Anna Carolina Ramos, PhD, Professor at the Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), and her co-investigators; Dr. Helder Lima Gusso (UFSC) and Dr. Kenneth Fung (Toronto Western Hospital/University of Toronto) are proud to be the recipients of the 2025 ACBS Foundation Grant to complete a research project: Cultural Adaptation and Pilot of 'ACT on Your Recovery' with Contingency Management for Substance Use Disorders in Brazil.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a significant public health concern in Brazil, affecting millions of individuals and their families. Despite the urgent need for treatment, access to effective, evidence-based care remains limited, particularly for underserved and low-income populations. Many existing therapies are costly, difficult to access, or not culturally adapted to the Brazilian context. This project aims to bridge this gap by introducing an innovative, culturally adapted intervention that combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Contingency Management (CM)—two well-established, evidence-based treatments for SUD.
Our study will translate, culturally adapt, and pilot-test the ACT on Your Recovery protocol combined with CM, ensuring its effectiveness for the Brazilian population. By offering cost-free therapy sessions, we will remove financial barriers to treatment, making specialized care accessible to those who need it most. The project will also provide structured incentives to improve engagement and treatment adherence, an effective approach in increasing retention in SUD treatment.
The project fosters international collaboration, engaging with experts from Canada to refine ACT interventions for culturally diverse populations. Additionally, by training local therapists, we aim to create a sustainable mental health care framework that can be expanded across public health services in Brazil and Latin America.
Our findings will contribute to future research and policy recommendations, supporting the integration of ACT and CM into mainstream mental health services. Ultimately, this initiative has the potential to reduce health disparities, improve treatment retention, and enhance the quality of life for individuals with SUD, helping to alleviate human suffering and drive systemic change in mental health care.