Student Spotlight Award Recipient - Tao Zhang

Congratulations to Tao Zhang on being selected as the Student Spotlight Award winner for April 2026!

The purpose of this award is to highlight students who are doing important work in the CBS community whether for research, clinical, and/or volunteer-humanitarian efforts.

This is a way to highlight their achievements, let the ACBS community know important work students are doing, and possibly provide a platform for mentoring/collaboration/professional development/conversations around highlighted areas.

Learn more about Tao Zhang:

Background of CBS Research/Clinical/Volunteering efforts/achievements:

I have been engaged in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-related clinical and research work for four years. I was first introduced to ACT during my M.Phil. and was drawn to its values-oriented and non-judgmental approach to supporting people in distress. Since then, I have actively pursued ACT learning and practice, completing multiple international and local trainings. During my M.Phil., I developed and evaluated a digital psychological intervention for cancer patients in China. I later contributed to ACT-based digital projects, including a program for trauma survivors and a just-in-time intervention for college students. These experiences strengthened my commitment to integrating CBS with digital technology to expand access to mental health care.

I am currently a second-year Ph.D. student at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where my research focuses on digital ACT interventions for suicide prevention. I led a systematic review and meta-analysis examining ACT for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, which showed significant reductions in suicide-related outcomes. This work was published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. In the next phase of my doctoral research, I will develop a culturally adapted digital ACT intervention for suicide prevention in China and evaluate its effectiveness and mechanisms through a randomized controlled trial.

I have presented my ACT-related work at international conferences, and related findings have been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. Moving forward, I am committed to advancing culturally adapted digital ACT interventions in low- and middle-income countries and Eastern cultural contexts to improve access to effective, evidence-based psychological support for individuals in resource-limited settings.

Autobiography

I grew up in a small northern Chinese city where mental health resources were limited. Before reaching adulthood, I had very few opportunities to learn about or receive psychological support simply because such services were not readily available in my community. Later, as a first-generation college student, moving to Shanghai for my undergraduate studies gave me my first direct experience of how access to mental health resources can vary widely across regions. This realization inspired my commitment to improving mental health accessibility and guided me toward becoming a helping professional.

During my undergraduate years, I took my first counseling course and was deeply moved by the meaningful changes psychological support can create. While pursuing my M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology, I encountered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I was drawn to how ACT helps people connect with meaning and live a full, values-driven life even in the presence of pain. This experience sparked my long-term dedication to ACT and CBS, eventually motivating me to pursue a Ph.D. at Hong Kong Polytechnic University to explore their potential in alleviating distress and promoting well-being.

Outside my academic and clinical work, I enjoy table tennis, running, and hiking. As a former national second-level table tennis athlete in China, I learned to approach challenges with curiosity, persistence, and vitality—qualities that continue to shape both my research journey and personal life. Moving forward, I hope to live with openness and compassion and support others in doing the same.

Future goals:

I hope to continue my work in ACT-based suicide prevention while contributing to the cultural adaptation of CBS in Eastern cultural contexts and low- and middle-income countries, and to further develop and facilitate accessible, evidence-based digital interventions for communities with limited mental health support.

Links to relevant publications:

1. Zhang, T., Hui, B. P. H., Ducasse, D., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Hu, J., Tang, W. T. C., & Ke, Y. (2025). Efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Suicide and Self-harm: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000548398

2. Zhang, T., Feng, W., Sun, Y., Li, Y., Hu, J., Du, X., Lai, L., Ke, Y., Hui, B. P. H., & Ren, Z. (2025). Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an asynchronous, internet-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy for people living with cancer: A pilot randomized controlled trial using mixed methods. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 100859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100859

3. Zhang, T., Ren, Z., Wakefield, C. E., Hui, B. P. H., Akechi, T., Shi, C., Du, X., Chen, W., Lai, L., Zhao, C., Li, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2025). Are digital psychological interventions for psychological distress and quality of life in cancer patients effective? A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 115, 102520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2024.102520

4. Zhang, T., Wakefield, C. E., Ren, Z., Chen, W., Du, X., Shi, C., Lai, L., Zhao, C., Gao, Y., Chen, Z., Zhou, Y., Wu, T., & Cai, M. (2023). Effects of digital psychological interventions on physical symptoms in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. General Hospital Psychiatry, 84, 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2023.05.016

5. Hui, B. P. H., Zhang, T., Ho, J. C. F., Cheng, S. K. L., Li, C., Wong, R., & Chen, S. X. (2025). Promoting prosocial behavior and well-being in adolescents through a gamified virtual reality intervention: A randomized controlled trial protocol. Internet Interventions, 100883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2025.100883

6. Li, Y., Liu, Y., Liu, X., Zhang, T., Guo, Z., Lai, L., Zhao, J., Cheng, Y., & Ren, Z. (2025). Digital Psychological Interventions for Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Health Psychology Review, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2025.2493903

7. Li, Y., Liu, X., Guo, Z., Lai, L., Bryant, R. A., Zhang, T., Song, H., Mi, T., & Ren, Z. (2025). Comparative Efficacy and Attrition Rates of Psychosocial Interventions for Individuals Affected by the COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Network Meta‐Analysis. Stress and Health, 41(6), e70124. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.70124

8. Shi, C., Zhang, T., Du, X., Lu, S., & Witthöft, M. (2024). Efficacy of internet-based psychological interventions for pathological health anxiety: A three-level meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. General Hospital Psychiatry, 87, 77–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2024.02.001

9. Guo, Y., Liu, Y., Zhang, T., Ruan, J., Liu, S., & Ren, Z. (2024). Intrinsic disruption of white matter microarchitecture in major depressive disorder: A voxel-based meta analysis of diffusion tensor imaging. Journal of Affective Disorders, 363, 161–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.07.050

10. Du, X., Lai, L., Shi, C., Guo, Z., Han, J., Zhang, T., & Ren, Z. (2024). Internet-based cognitive bias modification of interpretation in health anxiety: A randomized controlled trial. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 56(10), 1351. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.01351

11. Du, X., Witthöft, M., Zhang, T., Shi, C., & Ren, Z. (2023). Interpretation bias in health anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 53(1), 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722003427

12. Zhang, L., Zhang, T., Ren, Z., Jiang, G., Zhang, L., Zhang, T., Ren, Z., & Jiang, G. (2023). Predicting compassion fatigue among psychological hotline counselors using machine learning techniques. Current Psychology, 42(5), 4169–4180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01776-7

13. Shi, C., Taylor, S., Witthöft, M., Du, X., Zhang, T., Lu, S., & Ren, Z. (2022). Attentional bias toward health-threat in health anxiety: A systematic review and three-level meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, 52(4), 604–613. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721005432

14. Cheng, Q., Shi, C., Yan, C., Ren, Z., Chan, S. H.-W., Xiong, S., Zhang, T., & Zheng, H. (2022). Sequential multiple mediation of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance in the relationship between rumination and social anxiety among Chinese adolescents. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 35(3), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2021.1955864

15. Shi, C., Ren, Z., Zhao, C., Zhang, T., & Chan, S. H.-W. (2021). Shame, guilt, and posttraumatic stress symptoms: A three-level meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 82, 102443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102443