Robert (Bob) J. Kohlenberg Research Fund
Robert (Bob) J. Kohlenberg Research Fund.jpg)
“My mission is to engage as fully and deeply as I can with the world—including interpersonal, cultural and physical realms. This includes: 1) striving to love ever more deeply and increasing the scope and intensity of my attachment to, caring for and benefiting others; 2) increasing my concern and involvement with solving sociopolitical problems; 3) passionately playing with ideas that foster creativity and intellectually challenging myself and stimulating others to do the same: and 4) learning about, deepening my understanding, and having hands-on involvement and connection to the physical and technological features of the world in which I live.” Robert J. Kohlenberg (1937-2021)
Dr. Kohlenberg was a dedicated member of ACBS from its inception. He co-conceptualized Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) in the 1980s, a “contextual, behavioral, relational approach to psychotherapy in which therapists focus on what happens in session between the client and therapist to shape the interpersonal behaviors, emotional awareness, and self-expression necessary for clients to create and maintain close relationships and to live meaningful liveslives” (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991; Tsai et al., 2009; Tsai, Callaghan & Kohlenberg, 2013).” This endowed fund honors the legacy of Dr. Kohlenberg’s pioneering work by continuing this spirit of inquiry.
The Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award will support graduate student, early, or experienced career research focused on advancing knowledge and expertise in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy or its dissemination to the general public via the Awareness, Courage & Love Global Project.
Two awards are available annually to qualifying applications. Priority for one award each year is given to high quality student and early career research applications.
(For the Kohlenberg Award, the ACBS Foundation defines “graduate student and early career” for the purpose of this grant as a post-baccalaureate student seeking a degree in a field relevant to the purposes of the association, or an early career researcher as a person who completed their terminal degree within the past 7 years (or 10 years if you took time off for personal reasons such as family). An early career researcher includes individuals in current postdoctoral and faculty positions, as well as those in other employment positions.)
To learn more about Bob Kohlenberg’s life and legacy, please read the beautiful obituary published on Recompose.
To contribute to the Robert J. Kohlenberg Fund, click the donate button below:
2024 Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant
2024 Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant2024 Grant Recipient:
Serena Wong, PhD, Adjunct Faculty, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario (Canada) and her co-investigators; Frankie Lui, Lisa Van Bussel and Lynette Markoff, are proud to be the recipients of the 2024 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project on Targeting Loneliness: A Novel Application of Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups for Geriatric Psychiatry Patients.
Loneliness is a key predictor of death, dementia, physical decline, and poorer mental health in older adults. Geriatric psychiatry patients are at greater risk for the experience of loneliness. Reviews of loneliness interventions say that solutions need to have a clear theoretical basis and more randomized trials are required. Furthermore, researchers have stressed the importance of “a rich and forgiving social environment” for lonely individuals to address unhelpful social cognitions. Interventions rooted in behavior change theory also seem most promising.
Developed by Dr. Mavis Tsai, Awareness, Courage, and Love Groups (ACL) represent a powerful, evidence-based approach to alleviate loneliness and enhance social connection. ACL sprung from functional analytic psychotherapy, which is a transdiagnostic approach grounded in functional contextualism and radical behaviorism, wherein the mechanism of change is therapeutic social reinforcement. Put simply, these groups are geared to alleviate suffering in a growing population of older adults with mental health diagnoses.
We recently adapted ACL groups for geriatric psychiatry patients, with positive results based on informal patient feedback and staff observations. Our adaptations include the use of visual cues, aging-related themes, listening prompts, shorter meditations, and a simplified discussion process. Our interdisciplinary team comprises psychology, social work, nursing, and psychiatry. Our goals are to examine feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy in both outpatient and inpatient arms of this study, using randomized waitlist and active control group methodologies. In other words, we want to see if ACL “works” for a new geriatric population. In addition to tracking patient retention, which has so far been at 100%, we are collecting session feedback and assessing program satisfaction both qualitatively and quantitatively. Outcomes include life satisfaction, loneliness, social closeness, relational health, and the experience of sacred moments in group. If these groups work, we can support dissemination and cultivate communities of connection worldwide for lonely seniors.
2025 Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant
2025 Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Award Grant2025 Grant Recipient:
Gladis-Lee Pereira, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Universidad Europea de Madrid and her co-investigators; Tien Kuei (Power to Live Foundation) and Natalia Andrés-López (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) are proud to be the recipients of the 2025 ACBS Robert J. Kohlenberg Research Grant to complete a research project: Mapping In-Session Change in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy from An Idiographic Molar Approach.
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a therapeutic approach that emphasizes in-session interactions as the key factor driving meaningful change in clients' lives. It is a type of therapy that focuses on explaining why people change rather than merely analyzing if they change. In this sense, research that connects specific in-session interactions with clinical improvement, while preserving the unique role of each therapeutic dyad, is one of FAP’s most important tasks and, perhaps, one of its greatest methodological challenges.
Therefore, this study aims to expand our understanding of the specific behaviors exhibited by psychotherapists that are associated with clinical change, seeking to use a methodology that better fits the nature of psychotherapy. We believe that by focusing on the therapeutic interaction during clinical sessions, while capturing the uniqueness of each case, this project will contribute to improving therapeutic effectiveness and refining training methodologies for clinicians practicing FAP. This, in turn, has the potential to inform future research and applications within Contextual Behavioral Science and ultimately alleviate human suffering.