Congratulations to the 2020 Developing Nations Scholars. The Developing Nations Committee provides scholarships to attend the ACBS World Conference to ACBS members who are from emerging economy countries and who would not be able to attend without this added financial support. Click here to read more about the Developing Nations Scholars program and donate to the Developing Nations Training Fund.

Ceri Lan - Malaysia

Ceri Lan is a passionate mindful humanitarian who deeply cares for human suffering equally as human well being. As a meditator and a mindfulness practitioner for over 10 years, she is the co-founder of Mindful-Nest, a space for unique meditative experience, authentic conversation and deeper self- awareness. She is currently pursuing her Master's in Counseling Psychology at HELP University, Malaysia for her calling to serve humanity. Her passion lies in individuals, as each of us is the living cell that duplicates life. Her scientific interest is in Self Leadership, building the self based on a functional contextual approach. In spreading awareness on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Self Leadership, she actively delivers talks and conduct workshops to the general public and universities locally and internationally. She sees ACT beyond science and a therapy approach. She believes it is also a way of life as she adopts this intervention into her counseling and social works. Most importantly, ACT is the way she lives her life. She is from Hanoi, Vietnam.

Abu Onesimus Bockarie - Sierra Leone

My name is  Rev. Abu Onesimus Bockarie. By the grace of God I am the founder and General overseer of Better Hope Ministries with its headquarters in Bo City, Sierra Leone, west Africa. I am an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) trainer trained by commit And Act Foundation in Sierra Leone.

Emina Osmanovic Basic - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Emina Osmanovic Basic is a cognitive-behavioral therapist (CBT), working with clients in Bosnia and Herzegovina for more than five years.
Before starting Association “ABC” (http://psiholoskosavjetovaliste.ba/) with her colleagues, with the aim of providing psychotherapy and speech therapy services, Emina worked as a psychologist at a primary school in Sarajevo and spent several years working in two non-governmental organizations. After successful and significant work with vulnerable and disadvantage groups such as victims of sexualized and domestic violence at the Safe house “Medica”, and parents of children with developmental disabilities in the NGO “Dajte nam sansu”, Emina works now as a psychotherapist treating problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem etc.
After several years practicing traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Emina has now become more focused on applying ACT interventions in her work.
Emina has several published research projects concerning target groups and the problems she has encountered during her work.

Congratulations to the 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars. The DEI Committee provides scholarships to attend the ACBS World Conference to members who are from varied backgrounds and who would not be able to attend without this financial support. Click here to read more about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars program or to donate to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Fund.

Fady Safwat - Egypt
Dr Fady, is a young established psychiatrist from Egypt. He is interested in introducing ACT for adolescents, especially those who battle with gaming addiction. He is starting a small ACT based group for young adults called TELOS.

Desmond Bull - Sierra Leone
I am Desmond Bull. I am originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa. I have been working as a Registered Behavioral Therapist in Washington, DC for close to a year now. Implementing ABA instructions has ushered me to new knowledge, even as I am pursuing an Information Systems degree at Bowie State University. I hope to infuse both disciplines to create an automated, interactive therapeutic application for managing autism in children and adults.

Nguyen Tran - Vietnam/USA
Hello, my name is Nguyên and I am originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I am currently a Clinical Research Coordinator at Seattle Children's Hospital. I'm involved with multiple research projects that seek to develop innovative treatments for families with ADHD children. I am also working with Dr. Jonathan Kanter on a research project focusing on LGBT microaggressions and ways to reduce them. Just a bit on my background, I've been living and working in Washington state since 2007. I graduated from Seattle University in 2015 with a degree in psychology and a minor in chemistry. Right after school, I was a clinical case manager at Asian Counseling Referral. During this time, I was introduced to ACT and immediately was hooked. I joined the local WA ACBS chapter and have been active ever since. My research interest is a psychological intervention in social justice context. Hopefully not too long from now, I will pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I'm very excited to attend the ABCS Conference 2020 and look forward to embracing the experience and community.

Sandi James - Australia
Sandi James is an Australian registered psychologist with more than 10 years working in mental health and addiction treatment. Her primary interests lie in mental illness and trauma recovery, with a particular focus on individuals with co-morbid presentations. She is a qualified Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) clinician and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) practitioner. Sandi was employed at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah for 2 years prior to relocating to Thailand to pursue further clinical expertise and practice in addiction and trauma treatment. Sandi is also a Scientific Writer for The Joanna Briggs Institute, writing evidence summaries in the areas of Public Health and evidence based medical practice. Sandi is currently undertaking her PhD candidature in the school of Social Work and Social Policy with La Trobe University, Australia. Sandi’s research focus is on the traditional use of alcohol in the indigenous communities of Sabah. Other research interests include evidence-based treatments for mental illness, ACT and Ultra Brief Psychological Interventions, collaborative health care provision, and alcohol harm reduction programs.