WHO Guidelines Recommend ACT for the Management of Chronic Pain in Children
In December 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its “Guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children.” The guidelines contain exciting news for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy practitioners and researchers: ACT is specifically recommended for use. The guidelines state there is “moderate certainty evidence" in support of ACT in improving functional disability. Read more.
Call for Nominations: Board of Directors
It's time again for elections to the ACBS Board of Directors! Being on the ACBS Board is a rewarding experience, and an opportunity to help shape a vibrant CBS community. This year, we will need to elect 5 new members to the board: President, Secretary-Treasurer, 2 Members-at-large, and a Student Representative. If you would like to nominate someone, please submit the nomination by January 31.
New CBS and Cancer Special Interest Group
We are pleased to announce the newest Special Interest Group: CBS and Cancer SIG! The mission of the CBS and Cancer SIG is to facilitate collaboration and exploration between professionals, researchers, and trainees interested in the area of psycho-oncology. ACBS members can join the CBS and Cancer SIG, hop onto the SIG listserv, and learn more on the CBS and Cancer SIG's webpage.
Student Spotlight Award
It is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Huanzhen Xu, a graduate student at Bowling Green State University (USA). She designed a treatment-outcome study with Chinese international students using ACT and published part of the findings in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. Read more about Huanzhen Xu.
Psychological flexibility and inflexibility as sources of resiliency and risk during a pandemic: Modeling the cascade of COVID-19 stress on family systems with a contextual behavioral science lens
In JCBS Vol. 18, Jennifer Daks, Jack Peltz, and Ronald Rogge conclude parental flexibility and inflexibility are key points of intervention for helping families navigate the current global health crisis. The paper states that parent flexibility was linked to greater family cohesion and constructive parenting. ACBS members can read the full text of all JCBS articles for free in the JCBS member portal.
Share your stories of how ACBS, CBS, or ACT has impacted and inspired you!
The ACBS Foundation is looking to highlight inspirational stories about ACBS or Contextual Behavioral Science. This is your chance to lift up the work of someone that has inspired you. We also encourage you to toot your own horn and let us know about the great work that you’ve done! Whatever your story about ACBS, CBS, or ACT, we’d love to hear from you. Share your story.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award: Application Deadline is February 1, 2021
The Awards Committee is accepting applications for the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards, which will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of CBS with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be two monetary awards of $750 USD to be used in support of research or to attend the ACBS World Conference. Apply here.
ACBS Virtual World Conference: Oral Submission Deadline is February 15, 2021
We invite you to join us for the Annual World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science June 24-27, 2021. The general call for oral presentations-symposia, papers, panels, ignites, and workshops-closes on February 15, 2021. Poster submissions will be accepted until March 20, 2021.
We are excited to announce that registration is now open!
ACBS Virtual World Conference: Scholarship Application Deadlines
ACBS Foundation Grant: Application Deadline is March 1, 2021
The ACBS Foundation is proud to announce a new funding mechanism for CBS projects related to the environment, social justice, and behavior in real life contexts. The ACBS Foundation Grant application period is currently open and will close on March 1, 2021. Apply for the grant here.
Please consider volunteering to be a grant reviewer.
ACT is a Part of More than 150 Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has reached a new milestone: ACT is a now part of more than 150 Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews! The meta-analyses contain peer reviewed assessments of the ACT evidence base, including evidence on measures and processes of change. In many meta-analyses ACT alone is the target, while others include related methods. See the full list.
ACBS Foundation Grant: Application Deadline is March 1, 2021
The ACBS Foundation is proud to announce a new funding mechanism for CBS projects related to the environment, social justice, and behavior in real life contexts. The ACBS Foundation Grant application period is currently open and will close on March 1, 2021. Apply for the grant here. Take a look at what the Foundation has accomplished over the last year, the Foundation's 2020 annual report is now available.
2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship Recipients: What They Learned at the World Conference
In 2020, ACBS awarded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarships to three members to attend the ACBS World Conference Online. DEI scholarship recipients Sandi James, Nguyen Tran, and Desmond Bull discuss what they learned at the conference and how they utilize CBS in the USA and Malaysia. You can read more about the DEI Scholarship here. We need your help to continue to fund these scholarships!
Student Spotlight Award
It is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Sebastian Garcia-Zambrano, a doctoral candidate at the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (USA). Read more about Sebastian Garcia-Zambrano. Applications open March 1 to recognize a student doing important work in the CBS community. Apply here.
Curriculum-based yoga and ACT intervention for undergraduate students: A mixed-methods investigation
In JCBS Vol. 19, R. Ashlyne Mullen, Tracy Protti, Jennifer Block-Lerner, Donald R. Marks, Emily K. Sandoz, and Paola Ricardo investigate the effects of a curriculum-based intervention using ACT and yoga on psychological flexibility and distress over time in college students. ACBS members can read the full text of all JCBS articles for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS Membership Scholarship Deadline is March 31
ACBS is committed to outreach to scholars, practitioners, researchers, and other professionals who have a strong interest in ACT, RFT, and CBS and who have difficulty affording full membership in the organization. For those who are interested in a membership scholarship, we ask that you read the policy and complete the scholarship application. The deadline for this round of applications is March 31. Apply here.
ACBS Virtual World Conference: Registration is Open
We invite you to join us virtually for the Annual World Conference 24-27 June 2021.
We are excited to announce that registration is now open!
Reminder, the general call for poster presentations closes on 20 March 2021.
It is our pleasure to announce the 2021 - 2022 ACBS Board of Directors: President, Miranda Morris; President Elect, Maria Karekla; Past President, Lisa Coyne; Secretary-Treasurer, Jill Stoddard; Members-at-Large, Jenna LeJeune, Diana Ferroni Bast, Rhonda Merwin, and Sindhu BS; Student Representative, Marianna Zacharia.
New Process-Based Therapy SIG
A new SIG has been formed that is dedicated to the advancement of Process-Based Therapy (PBT) research, education, and clinical practice. This group aims to develop a diverse, inclusive, and value-guided social network that advances education, disseminates tools and resources to facilitate successful implementation of PBT in clinical practice. Visit here for more information, you can also join this SIG here.
The Sounding Board: Updates from the ACBS President
In her new blog, ACBS President Lisa Coyne discusses news from the ACBS Board of Directors, the DEI Committee, and the Conference Strategy Committee. She also highlights two inspiring members in our community, Fredrik Livheim and Duncan Gillard. Check out Lisa's blog post here.
ACBS Virtual World Conference - Join us!
We invite you to join us virtually for the Annual World Conference 24-27 June 2021. Register today! It is sure to be a memorable virtual learning and networking experience. New in 2021, ten simultaneous session tracks, Spanish language presentations (also translated into English), and a Portuguese language translation track. You can find more detailed information here.
Student Spotlight Award: Anne I. Roche
It is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Anne I. Roche, a graduate student at the University of Iowa, and is currently completing her clinical internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center (USA). Anne hopes to pursue a career that allows her to disseminate ACT and other CBS-based interventions. Read more about Anne here. The application is open until March 31.
An experimental investigation on the effects of perspective-taking on emotional discomfort, cognitive fusion and self compassion
In JCBS Vol. 20, Louise Boland, Dorian Campbell, Monika Fazekas, Wataru Kitagawa, Lorna MacIver, Klaudia Rzeczkowska, and David Gillanders generate a SRNT in a non-clinical sample, and capture ratings of emotion discomfort, state cognitive fusion, and state self-compassion. Click here to learn more about the results of the study! ACBS members can read the full text of all JCBS articles for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS Foundation: Successful First Open Call for Grants
The ACBS Foundation was excited to receive such a great group of applications during the recent open call. A team of volunteer reviewers will examine the applications and selections will be made based on funding criteria. Grant Awards will be announced by June 1, 2021 and shared on the Foundation page here – stay tuned to see which innovative projects are selected!
In April 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the United Kingdom published the guidelines “Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain.” The guidelines contain exciting news for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy researchers and practitioners: ACT is specifically recommended for managing chronic primary pain in people aged 16 years and over. Click here to learn more.
Early Career Mentee Award
This is a new initiative from the Centering Science Strategic Plan Pillar aimed at supporting early career CBS researchers in securing research-focused faculty positions in research universities/academic medical centers. We are now accepting applications for our first cohort of three mentees. Learn more about this new program here.
VIRTUAL World Conference - REGISTER TODAY!
Join us for this memorable virtual learning and networking experience!
Congratulations to the 2021 ACBS Foundation Student Scholars: Pinelopi Konstantinou, University of Cyprus, Cyprus and Jin Xiaohuan, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The ACBS Foundation, founded in 2019, provides two full scholarships that cover the student conference registration fee for attending the annual ACBS World Conference.
NEW OCD and Related Disorders SIG
This SIG will broadly focus on obsessive compulsive disorder and related conditions, including, but not limited to, body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, perfectionism, illness anxiety disorder, body-focused repetitive disorders (e.g. trichotillomania and excoriation disorder), and common comorbid presentations. Clinical applications and research based in CBS as related to the OCD and related disorders will be central to this SIG. Click here to learn more about joining the SIG and the listserv.
Open Call for Committee Chairs through April 30th
The ACBS Board has created a new, more formal process for identifying and selecting new committee chairs to replace current chairs who are due to rotate off. The new process includes an open call to members who may be interested in becoming committee chairs. The person selected will shadow the current chair until their term ends summer 2022. The term for the position will be three years. The application deadline is April 30, 2020, submit the application here.
I won't comply because it is a hoax: Conspiracy beliefs, lockdown compliance, and the importance of psychological flexibility
In JCBS volume 20, M. Constantinou, A. Gloster, and M. Karekla explore how the stress and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic led to conspiracy theories which can affect the way individuals behave. Is psychological flexibility a protective factor in relation to this distress? Click on the link to learn more about their findings! ACBS members can read the full text of all JCBS articles for free in the JCBS member portal.
That's right 600 - it's a number to celebrate! The 600 Randomized Controlled Trial milestone represents the culmination of more than 30 years of ACT research from this community. RCTs are key to agencies, governments, policy makers, and funders, therefore they are important to the ACBS community and to the people we serve. Read Steve Hayes' commentary on this amazing milestone and then see the list of RCTs on the ACT Randomized Controlled Trials webpage.
Countdown to the World Conference - it all begins in two weeks!
Don't miss outon therich learning and networking opportunities happening at the World Conference on 24 - 27 June with Pre-Conference workshops on 12 & 13 June. You still have time to REGISTER HERE.
ACBS is pleased to announce our 2021 Class of Fellows:Megan Kelly, Ph.D. (USA), Rhonda Merwin, Ph.D. (USA), Jean-Louis Monestès, Ph.D. (France), Joe Oliver, Ph.D. (United Kingdom), Kenneth I. Pakenham, Ph.D. (Australia), and Jill Stoddard, Ph.D. (USA). Congratulations and thank you for your contributions to contextual behavioral science and to the ACBS community.
Interested in helping a colleague during the ACBS World Conference?
The Developing Nations Committee offers limited scholarships to practitioners from LAMIC, often they are CBS pioneers in their country and are involved in very innovative work and projects.Some may not be experienced in attending a world conference, and we know that this can be very overwhelming. You will find more information about how you can help here - Please contact Claudette Foley by 31 May.
The effect of acceptance and commitment training on improving physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic
In JCBS volume 20, Etana Berger, Yors Garcia, Robyn Catagnus, and Jennifer Temple evaluate individual and combined effects of mobile-delivered behavioral and ACTr interventions to improve physical activity. Does feedback, goal setting and stimulus control improve physical activity levels when combined with a digitally delivered acceptance and commitment training intervention (ACTr)?Click on the link to learn more about their findings post-intervention and at 1-week follow up. ACBS members can read the full text of all JCBS articles for free in the JCBS member portal.
Membership Resources and Updates:
ACT and Casework, a Social Work SIG webinar - Thursday June 10 (10:00 -11:00 AM EST).
It's time to cast your vote for the Member-at-Large (basic science) in the 2021 ACBS Board of Directors Special Election! You can read bios and platforms of candidates here. Thepolls will close on Sunday, June 6, 2021 at 23:00 GMT (4:30am Delhi / 7:00pm New York / 12:00am (7 June) London).
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2021 #6 Newsletter (June)
2021 #6 Newsletter (June)
VIRTUAL World Conference: Bringing the BEST of ACBS to YOU
Register today for the 24 - 27 June VIRTUAL event! We can't wait for you to experience all of the incredible research presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities that our 19th Annual World Conference will offer! Attendees will learn about the latest scientific developments in CBS and RFT, have access to offerings in Spanish and Portuguese, gather together in virtual rooms, and hear from our brilliant array of international speakers. Don't forget that with your registration you will have on-demand access after the conference for 8 weeks, so you won't miss out on anything! Join us!
The Sounding Board: Updates from the ACBS President
Enjoy the 3rd edition of the Sounding Board blog, by ACBS President Lisa Coyne. Lisa shares some of the most recent activities and exciting new initiatives of the ACBS Board. She also highlights an inspiring member in our community, Sindhu BS, and discusses the Final Report of the ACBS Task Force with Steve Hayes. Curious? Take a look! You can find Lisa's blog post here.
ACBS has Translations of Assessment Measures
Did you know ACT and CBS related assessment measures have been translated into 27 languages? The ACBS website has a list of these translations. Most measures have a citation to the validation study and when possible the translated measure is available for ACBS members to download. If you know of a validated translation, please send the citation and translation to community@contextualscience.org and we will add it to our website. You can find the current list on the ACBS website here.
2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars: Bianca Augustine, USA; Tanya Bankston, USA; Shatangela Gibbs, USA; William Hwang, USA; Deirdre James, USA; Melody Sylvain, UAE; and Fabiola Williams, USA. The DEI Committee provides scholarships to attend the ACBS World Conference to members who are from varied backgrounds.
Early Career Research Paper Award - Emily Kroska, Ph.D.
In preparation for the ACBS Virtual World Conference, ACBS awarded the 3rd annual Early Career Research Paper Award to recognize a rising star researcher presenting a study at the conference. This year’s winner was Emily Kroska, PhD. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Iowa. Her research details the findings of a randomized micro-intervention trial wherein assessments and ACT-based interventions were delivered via a mobile application for 6 weeks with distressed first-generation college students.
Developing Nations Scholars
We are happpy to share the 2021 Developing Nations Scholars: Mohamed Abdelalem Aziz Ahmed, Egypt; Edmond Joe Bodie Brandon, Sierra Leone; Lara Dobrkovic, Serbia; Huiyuan Li, China; Jamie Nyaa, Sierra Leone; Nevern Subermoney, South Africa; and Maria Jose Vuckovich, Paraguay. The Developing Nations Committee provides scholarships to attend the ACBS World Conference to ACBS members who are from emerging economy countries, who would not be able to attend without this added support.
Cheers to a Memorable 2021 VIRTUAL World Conference!
Wow, what an incredible four days! We hope our attendees got as much out of the conference as we did. While we wish we could have had this event in person, we are so appreciative of the time our attendees and presenters invested to benefit the ACBS community. We can’t wait to (hopefully... go away COVID!) see you in San Francisco in 2022!
Did you miss the conference, but are interested in viewing the on-demand recordings? You can register here, and get access to all of the engaging sessions to watch at your convenience through 27 August.
Superlab Announcement!
With the release of the ACBS Task Force Report on the Strategies and Tactics of Contextual Behavioral Science Research, high-level discussion around how to roll out the proposed recommendations is necessary. The CBS Superlab aims to facilitate high-level discussions around ongoing research in CBS labs internationally that both advances the field and seeks to address some of the recommendations outlined by the ACBS Task Force via an international research lab meeting held once a month via Zoom. Read more and register your interest here.
ACBS Has a New Malaysia Chapter!
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the Malaysia Chapter! The chapter's purpose is to foster the development of functional contextual, cognitive, and behavioral science. The chapter will serve as a scientific and professional group for scientists, students, and practitioners in disciplines which embrace the principles and practices of contextual behavioral science. Click here to join the Malaysia Chapter.
Student Spotlight Award!
It is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Niloofar Tavakoli, a graduate student at the University of Houston. As a research interventionist, she is providing an ACT-based smoking cessation intervention for Latinx individuals who also experience depression and/or anxiety. She also assisted with the development of the participant as well as the counselor manuals. Read more about Niloofar Tavakoli.
ACBS Foundation Grant Selection!
Congratulations to Maria Hamdami, University of Akron (USA) for being awarded the 2021 Foundation Grant. Maria’s project: Psychological Flexibility and Adaptive Job and Family Behaviors of Resettled Syrian and Ukranian Refugees in the USA has been selected to receive the ACBS Foundation’s Grant for 2021. She was awarded approximately $2,000 to complete her research project. Read a summary of the grant supported project here.
In-person and online-delivered acceptance and commitment therapy for hoarding disorder: A multiple baseline study
In JCBS volume 20, Clarissa W. Ong, Jennifer Krafft, Franchessca Panoussi, Julie M. Petersen, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig examine the effect of an ACT intervention on hoarding disorder symptom severity, functional impairment, quality of life and more. Click on the link to learn more about their findings post-intervention and at follow up. ACBS members can read the full text of all JCBS articles for free in the JCBS member portal.
It's time again for elections to the ACBS Board of Directors! Being on the ACBS Board is a fun and rewarding experience, and an opportunity to help shape a vibrant, creative, and collaborative contextual behavioral community. This year, we will need to elect 4 new members to the board: President, Student Representative, and 2 Members-at-large. If you would like to nominate someone, please submit them here by January 31.
Michael Levin Appointed Editor of Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science
We are excited to announce the appointment of Michael Levin, Ph.D. as the next editor of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS). Michael is the co-director of the Utah State University ACT Research Group and a former Associate Editor of JCBS. He replaces Emily Sandoz, Ph.D., as the Editor-in-Chief. We thank Emily for her contributions to JCBS and ACBS.
Article Co-authored by ACBS Members Published in Lancet
We are pleased to share a new article co-authored by ACBS members Felicity Brown and Ross White published in Lancet Global Health: Wietse A. Tol, Marx R. Leku, et al. (2020) "Guided self-help to reduce psychological distress in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda: a cluster randomised trial." Lancet Global Health, Volume 8, Issue 2, Pages e254–63. Click here to read more about this important study on ACT.
Belgium-Netherlands Chapter Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
In September 2010, the Belgium-Netherlands Chapter (ACBS BeNe) was founded. Starting from scratch with only a webpage for Dutch speaking members on the ACBS website, the Chapter has grown to a vibrant community with almost 250 members. The ACBS BeNe Chapter will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Antwerp, Belgium on March 19 – 20, 2020. Click here to read more about the chapter.
Australia-New Zealand Chapter responds to the Australian Bushfires
On January 7, the Australia-New Zealand Chapter (ANZ ACBS) sent an email to its members which suggested three ways that the chapter could facilitate responding to the Australian bushfires emergency. One suggestion was working with chapter members with expertise in trauma associated with natural disasters. Click here to read the entire letter from the ANZ Chapter's Board.
Evaluating the psychometric characteristics of the Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (WAAQ) in a sample of healthcare professionals
In JCBS Vol. 14, Johan Holmberg, Mike Kemani, Linda Holmström, Lars-Göran Öst, and Rikard Wicksell evaluate the reliability and validity of the Swedish translation of WAAQ in a sample of 184 healthcare professionals. The paper concludes that WAAQ is a promising measure of psychological health among healthcare professionals. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS Foundation Student Scholarship
A goal of the ACBS Foundation is to support existing activities within ACBS. The ACBS Foundation Student Scholarship will enable students to attend the annual ACBS World Conference. The scholarship will cover the full conference registration fee for two students. The application dealine is February 15th. For more information about the new scholarship, click here.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards: Application Deadline February 1, 2020
The Awards Committee is accepting applications for the Asher Student Dissertation Awards, which will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of CBS with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be monetary awards of $750 USD (first place) and $250 USD (second place) to be used in support of research or to travel to the ACBS World Conference.
ACBS World Conference: Call for Submissions
We are excited to invite you to join us in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for the Annual World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) July 14-19, 2020. The general Call for oral presentations (symposia, papers, panels, ignites, and workshops) is open until February 15, 2020. Poster submissions will be accepted until March 20, 2020. Click here for more information about the Call for Submissions.
ACBS World Conference: Scholarship Application Deadlines
In September 2010 the Belgium-Netherlands Chapter (BeNe Chapter) of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science was founded. Starting from scratch with only a webpage for Dutch speaking members on the ACBS website, the Chapter grew to what it is today – a vibrant chapter with almost 250 members. The chapter now has a website with information for both clients and professionals. (www.ACBSBeNe.com)
The BeNe Chatper has a Board and several active committees (from the science committee to the PR-committee). The chapter also offers a wide array of workshops. Throughout the years, a variety of workshop topics were presented, such as ACT and pain; compassion; values; and “working with complex clients” by both renowned English- and Dutch speaking authors, therapists and researchers. In early 2019 a series of workshops on RFT by Yvonne Barnes-Homes et al. was launched, with a focus on experiential, clinical-technical and technical; like the HDML-model.
In October 2015; the chapter celebrated its first lustrum with a conference in The Netherlands. In March 2020, the chapter will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Antwerp, Belgium. We welcome you to join the BeNe Chapter in a 2-day conference on March 19 – 20, 2020, themed “ACT toge/ather.” This second conference of ACBS BeNe is dedicated to connect and deepen our knowledge and experience about ACT. The conference will feature Dutch and English speakers: Robyn Walser, Rikke Kjelgaard, Yvonne Barnes-Holmes and Ross White. Click here to learn more about the conference.
Community
ACBS Australia-New Zealand Chapter Responds to the Australian Bushfire Emergency
ACBS Australia-New Zealand Chapter Responds to the Australian Bushfire Emergency
January 7, 2020
Dear ANZ ACBS community,
We stand united with our entire community grieving the ongoing loss of lives, properties, flora and our precious wildlife, as the bushfire emergency continues across Australia. We share your fear, uncertainty, sadness and anger during this difficult time. We also stand side-by-side with the many members and their families who have been personally and directly affected by the bushfires. Finally, we recognise the wide ranging impact of this disaster more broadly, such as the known impact on the skies and glaciers as far as New Zealand. As a Board, we have been considering how our ANZ ACBS community best be part of the mental health response, as well as more broadly supporting facilitating action in response to the worldwide climate emergency. We know that there are immediate needs and many of our members are wanting to take proactive steps right now.
We have decided, at this time, that there are three ways ANZ ACBS as an organisation can facilitate responding:
If any of our Australian rural members hear of further requests for trauma counsellors, in a paid or pro bono capacity, please contact us, and we will help spread the word to mobilise those in our membership who are trained for these responses.
We would like to coordinate the provision of supervision and support to our Australian members who are providing services to those impacted by this ongoing, unprecedented natural disaster. We are calling for ANZ ACBS members who are not directly working with people impacted by the bushfire emergency, but who have a willingness, skills and capacity to offer supervision and support to those who are doing this work. We are asking for those people to be able to volunteer at least six hours, over a period of up to one year. If this is you, please email us with the subject line “I can help”. If you are directly involved in service provision to those affected by the bushfires, and you would like to access this supervision/ support service for yourself, please email us with the subject line “Please help me”.
In the coming weeks and months, we hope to work with members with expertise and experience in working with trauma associated with natural disasters, working with those affected by the climate emergency and in taking action around the climate emergency to put together CBS informed resources to help provide guidance to members. If you are willing to help us with any of these, please email us.
Let’s stay in touch as a community so that always going forward we can be agents for change. We encourage members to share, via our Facebook group, any actions that you may be taking as an individual in response to the bushfires or the climate emergency more generally; that we may learn from you, and be inspired to step out right alongside you. We also welcome any further suggestions about how we can use our knowledge and skills in behavioural science to help others, and help influence positive change.
Sincerely
Daniel, Tiff, Lisa, Andrew, Farah, Kali, Sarah, Jennifer, Shelley, Karen, Nathan and Claire.
The ANZ ACBS Board of Directors
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group! The new ACT Across Cultures SIG aims to increase accessibility of resources to people from developing countries and help build the competence of clinicians looking to deliver ACT in a cross-cultural setting. ACBS members can join the ACT Across Cultures SIG, hop onto the SIG listserv, and learn more on its webpage.
Thank you to the ACT for the Public Listserv Moderators
ACBS is grateful for our terrific volunteers. Recently, the ACT for the Public listserv migrated from Yahoo to a new host. Thank you to the ACT for the Public listserv moderators - Jim Benton, Houyuan Luo, and Aimee Caramico - for all of your hard work during this transition. Did you know ACBS has more than 35 listservs that members can join? You can join the listservs on the ACBS website.
New Filter Available in the ACT Therapist Directory: Online/Teletherapy
The Find an ACT Therapist Directory has a new filter for Online/Teletherapy. If you are an ACT therapist who offers Online/Teletherapy, then we want that information about you listed in the directory! To modify your settings: login to your ACBS Account; click on the "Edit" tab; click on the "Account Information" tab; answer "Yes" to the Online/Teletherapy Available question; scroll to the bottom; and click save.
The nomological network of cognitive fusion among people living with HIV: Associations with rumination, shame, and depressive symptoms
In JCBS Vol. 15, Caitlin O'Loughlin, David Bennett, and C. Virginia O'Hayer examine the extent to which cognitive fusion is associated with the conceptually related constructs of shame, rumination, and self-compassion among people living with HIV. The paper states the results further support cognitive fusion as a potential target in ACT. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
2019 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship Recipients: What They Learned at the World Conference
In 2019, ACBS awarded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarships to three members to attend the ACBS World Conference in Dublin. DEI scholarship recipients Laís Nicolodi and Jan Topczewski discuss what they learned at the conference and how they utilize CBS in Brazil and Poland. You can read more about the DEI Scholarship here. (We need your help to continue to fund these scholarships!)
It is our great pleasure to announce the 2020-2021 ACBS Board of Directors:
President Lisa Coyne; President-Elect Miranda Morris; Past-President Dennis Tirch; Secretary-Treasurer Maria Karekla; Members-at-Large Jenna LeJeune, Diana Ferroni Bast, Lance McCracken, and Jill Stoddard; Student Representative Lam Ching Yee.
COVID-19 Resources
ACBS has a webpage containing a list of therapy resources for COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus. There are resources for therapists and for the public. ACBS also has a webpage containing a list of video/teleconferencing options for therapists who are now working remotely. Thank you to the ACBS members who helped us compile these lists.
Video Therapy Recommendations and Guidelines from the ACTing with Technology SIG
The ACTing with Technology Special Interest Group (SIG) created a webpage highlighting recommendations and guidelines for online/video therapy. Topics include equipment, software, creating the therapeutic space, transferring what we do in-person to online, and coaching clients who are new to video therapy. Thank you to the ACTing with Technology SIG members who helped create this webpage.
New Filter Available in the ACT Therapist Directory: Online/Teletherapy
The Find an ACT Therapist Directory has a new filter for Online/Teletherapy. If you are an ACT therapist who offers Online/Teletherapy, then we want that information about you listed in the directory! To modify your settings: login to your ACBS Account; click on the "Edit" tab; click on the "Contact Information" tab; answer "Yes" to the Online/Teletherapy Available question; scroll to the bottom; and click save.
A psychological flexibility-based intervention for burnout: a randomized controlled trial
In JCBS Vol. 15, Anne Puolakanaho, Asko Tolvanen, Sanna Kinnunen, Raimo Lappalainen investigate the effectiveness of a novel eight-week program based on ACT to alleviate burnout. The study suggests that psychological flexibility skills can be crucial elements in job-related burnout interventions. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
Michael J. Asher Disseration Award
We are pleased to announce the winners of the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award: Caitlyn Gumaer, Claremont Graduate University, Evaluating the Effects of an ACT Behavioral Parent Training Program on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Parents; and Olivia Gratz, Western Michigan University, Using FAP to Develop Social Skills in Adolescents with High Functioning Autism.
2019 Developing Nations Scholarship Recipients: What They Learned at the World Conference
In 2019, ACBS awarded Developing Nations Scholarships to 4 members to attend the World Conference in Dublin. The scholarship recipients are pleased to share updates regarding how they have utilized what they learned at the conference. You can read more about the Developing Nations Scholarship here. (We need your help to continue to fund these scholarships!)
Over the past few weeks, the ACBS team has been researching options to best support science, dissemination and training, while remaining safe during this global health pandemic. We have considered ways in which to deliver pre-recorded sessions digitally, and our capacity to hold an entirely online conference, as it remains unclear whether or not we will be able to have an in-person event.
Regardless of how global events progress, we are pleased to announce that ACBS will host a robust online conference this July, with live and recorded access available afterwards. We will continue to monitor growing concerns, traveling capabilities, and contractual obligations. We will send complete details, including registration and programming information, as soon as possible.
Wishing you all health and safety,
ACBS Board of Directors
New Comparative Psychology SIG
We are pleased to announce the newest Special Interest Group! The study of behavior across human and nonhuman animals (Comparative Psychology) allows for looking at behaviors in ways that no other field offers. The Comparative Psychology SIG seeks to advance understanding of what comparative psychology offers for understanding behaviors from a contextual perspective. Click here to join the SIG.
Measuring occurrences of self and other discriminations in relation to mental health in adolescent textual responses
In JCBS Vol. 15, Orla Moran and Louise McHugh state that according to RFT there are three distinct self-discriminations, as well as three corresponding senses of other. The study investigates these self and other discriminations in adolescents. The findings indicate that different patterns of relating to the self and others were associated with better mental health. (ACBS members can readJCBS articles for free.)
Student Spotlight Award
It is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Clarissa Ong, a graduate student at Utah State University (USA). The Student Spotlight Program highlights students who are working in the CBS community. The spotlighted students will receive a discount off the ACBS World Conference student registration fee. The application deadline is May 10.
Founding Donors seed future ACBS Foundation Grants – Don’t miss your chance to join them!
The ACBS Foundation is still in its infancy. Your donations will help support the Foundation's first open call for grant proposals. All donors who contribute through June 2020 will be recognized in the Foundation’s inaugural annual report. There is still time to add your name to our list of Founding Donors. Please consider donating to the ACBS Foundation today.
New Filter Available in the ACT Therapist Directory: Online/Teletherapy
The Find an ACT Therapist Directory has a new filter for Online/Teletherapy. If you are an ACT therapist who offers Online/Teletherapy, then we want that information about you listed in the directory! To modify your settings: login to your ACBS Account; click on the "Edit" tab; click on the "Contact Information" tab; answer "Yes" to the Online/Teletherapy Available question; scroll to the bottom; and click save.
ACBS Updates and Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ACBS has a webpage to help keep our members informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The webpage contains messages from the ACBS Board of Directors, updates about the ACBS World Conference, a list of therapy resources for COVID-19, video/teleconferencing options for therapists who are now working remotely, and other helpful information. We will continue to update this webpage regularly.
We are excited to announce the ACBS ONLINE World Conference, July 16-19, 2020. Enjoy all the benefits of the conference - workshops, symposia, panels, posters, and more - from the comfort of your home. There will be access to live and recorded content. So, if there are multiple sessions you’d like to attend at the same time, you are able to watch one live and watch the others later.Registration is open.
Congratulations to the New ACBS Fellows
ACBS is pleased to announce our 2020 class of Fellows: Rikke Kjelgaard, MSc. (Denmark), Jenna LeJeune, Ph.D. (USA), Akihiko Masuda, Ph.D. (USA), Manuela O'Connell, MSc. (Argentina), Francisco J. Ruiz, Ph.D. (Colombia), and Shinji Tani, Ph.D. (Japan). Congratulations and thank you for your contributions to contextual behavioral science and to the ACBS community.
New Colombia Chapter
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the Colombia Chapter! The ACBS Colombia Chapter aims to foster the development of contextual behavioral science (CBS) in Colombia and to embrace a collaborative work among researchers, educators, students, and practitioners. ACBS members can join the Colombia Chapter and learn more about the chapter on the ACBS website.
ACBS Endorses Society of Behavioral Medicine Position Statement Calling for Equitable Healthcare during COVID-19 Pandemic
"A pandemic has no borders and should not disproportionately penalize vulnerable segments of the population. Addressing COVID-19 requires us to act swiftly, bridging geographic, social, and economic divisions, while increasing focus on those at greatest risk. We urge research on disparities in COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality outcomes." Read the full statement here.
Resources to help Children and Families Cope During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ACBS member Tamar Black created the Stay Here ebooklet - a tool for parents to help their family cope with being at home, and manage the stress, uncertainty and changes of not being able to attend school, work and social activities. This ebooklet is one of the many Resources for Helping Children (COVID-19 Therapy Resources) available on the ACBS website.
Past JCBS Articles Relevant to the COVID-19 Crisis
Thank you to the COVID-19 Workgroup members: Staci Martin Peron, Maria Karekla, Ronald Rogge, Caitlyn Loucas, and Stephanie Reda. They sorted through past issues of JCBS and found articles relevant to the current COVID-19 crisis. Topics include self-compassion, interpersonal connection, anxiety, insomnia, and the the use of e-health interventions. (ACBS members can readJCBS articles for free.)
2020 ACBS Foundation Student Scholars
Congratulations to the 2020 inaugural ACBS Foundation Student Scholars: Alison Stapleton, University College Dublin, Ireland and Nadina Pantea, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. The ACBS Foundation, founded in 2019, provides two full scholarships that cover the student conference registration fee for attending the annual ACBS World Conference.
2020 Student World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2020 Student World Conference Scholars: Rebeca Castellanos, University of South Carolina; Joseph Lavelle, University College Dublin; Huiyuan LI, the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Jill Loving, University of Denver; Marissa Sbrilli, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The ACBS Student SIG provides scholarships that subsidize the costs of attending the ACBS World Conference.
ACBS World Conference 2020 Online Program is Now Available
The ACBS World Conference 2020 Online program is now available. Enjoy all the benefits of the conference - workshops, symposia, panels, posters, and more - from the comfort of your home. There will be access to live sessions and networking, and recorded session access will be available after the conference. Register here today!
New ACT and Judaism SIG
We are pleased to announce the newest Special Interest Group! The ACT and Judaism SIG's mission is to create a community for anyone interested in incorporating Judaism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into their professional practice. ACBS members can join the ACT and Judaism SIG, hop onto the SIG listserv, and learn more on the SIG's webpage.
Q&A Session with the ACBS Foundation Board
Join the ACBS Foundation Board for a Q&A session at the ACBS World Conference 2020 Online. Foundation Board Members Jan Martz, Michaele Terena Saban-Bernauer, & Sonja Batten will be available on Saturday, July 18 at 11:45am CDT to share more about the work of the Foundation and plans for the future.
Our Common Fate Video
ACBS recently added an updated version of the video “Our Common Fate” to the ACBS Website. This video demonstrates our common humanity – that every one of us experience unwanted thoughts and feelings. Rikke Kjelgaard shared this valuable tool to use in trainings and with clients. A Portuguese translation of the video is also available on the website here.
We Are Now Offering ACBS Membership Scholarships!
ACBS is committed to outreach to scholars, practitioners, researchers, and other professionals who have an interest in ACT, RFT and CBS and who have difficulty affording membership in ACBS. For those who are interested in a membership scholarship, we ask that you read the description to learn if you are eligible, and apply here. (Applicants must reside in low and lower-middle income economies).
How much is enough in brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy? A randomized trial.
In JCBS Vol. 15, Emily B. Kroska, Anne I. Roche, and Michael W. O'Hara directly compared time-variant single-session ACT groups. The study states that all conditions reduced depressive symptoms from pre-intervention to follow-up. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars: Fady Safwat, Egypt; Desmond Bull, Sierra Leone; Nguyên Tran, Vietnam; and Sandi James, Australia. 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.
2020 Developing Nations World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2020 Developing Nations Scholars: Ceri Lan, Vietnam; Abu Onesimus Bockarie, Sierra Leone; and Emina Osmanovic Basic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 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.
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.
Community
2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars
2020 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion World Conference Scholars
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.
Community
2020 #7 Newsletter (July)
2020 #7 Newsletter (July)
ACBS World Conference ONLINE Reflections
We are thrilled to report that the 2020 ACBS World Conference ONLINE had our highest number of conference attendees ever. Thank you and welcome to our first time attendees! We had over 1,300 in attendance, with 112 oral presentations, over 100 posters, 21 Ignites, plus networking rooms and chats. It worked out to be a highly engaging event due in large part to our generous community. Read more.
Thank you to the Program Committee Chairs
Thank you to the World Conference Program Committee Chairs, Jennifer Gregg and Matt Boone, and the dozens of people who volunteered for the Program Committee. Their hard work and meticulous planning made the 2020 ACBS World Conference ONLINE an outstanding event!
Women of Color World Conference Scholarships
Please join us in congratulating the inaugural Women of Color Scholarship recipients! Because of generous donations to the Women in ACBS SIG, and because ACBS committed to funding additional scholarships, we were able to provide scholarships to 18 women. Nearly all of the recipients attended the ACBS World Conference for the first time! Click here to see the list of scholarship recipients.
New Climate Change and Action SIG
We are pleased to announce the newest Special Interest Group: Climate Change and Action SIG! The contextual behavioral sciences can join the call to take action by promoting the development of theory and practice of behaviour change relevant to our climate emergency. ACBS members can join the Climate Change and Action SIG, hop onto the SIG listserv, and learn more on the SIG's webpage.
The ACBS Grant Committee Needs Your Help
ACBS provides two $5,000 Research Development Grants for research that advances the field of CBS. The Grant Committee is looking for volunteers to help select the grant recipients. Each grant application will be reviewed by two reviewers, and the review of each application takes approximately 45 minutes. If you are available to be a grant reviewer during October 2020, then we encourage you to click here.
We Are Now Offering ACBS Membership Scholarships!
ACBS is committed to outreach to scholars, practitioners, researchers, and other professionals who have an interest in ACT, RFT and CBS and who have difficulty affording membership in ACBS. For those who are interested in a membership scholarship, we ask that you read the description to learn if you are eligible, and apply here. (Applicants must reside in low and lower-middle income economies).
Using acceptance and commitment training to enhance the effectiveness of behavioral skills training
In JCBS Vol. 16, Alexandra Little, Jonathan Tarbox, and Khaled Alzaabi investigate the use of acceptance and commitment training to enhance the effectiveness of BST used within a train-the-trainer model, in the context of an autism clinic. The study found the addition of ACT to be effective in enhancing the performance of staff trainers. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS Foundation Update
Are you interested in learning more about how the ACBS Foundation was started? What year was the ACBS Foundation founded? How many people were on the inaugural board for the Foundation? Click here to check out the Foundation’s History and read about the Foundation's current goals and activities.
2022 ACBS World Conference
We are very excited to announce that the ACBS World Conference will be in San Francisco, California, USA from June 14-19, 2022. This will be the first ACBS World Conference in the USA in 6 years! We look forward to visiting the city by the bay.
The Women of Color scholarship covers the full World Conference registration fee. Scholarships are funded by both the Women in ACBS Special Interest Group and ACBS.
Awarded by the Women in ACBS Special Interest Group. Read more about the Women in ACBS SIG. Biana R. Augustine –Norfolk, VA, USA Cortenee Boulard - Killeen, TX, USA Jasmine Burton – Glen Burnie, MD, USA Nancy Lee – Aurora, CO, USA Marla Martinez-Parker – San Diego, CA, USA Sehar Moughal - New Zealand Puveshini Rao - Malaysia Melody Sylvain- Marietta, GA, USA Rebecca Wright - Jamaica, NY, USA
Awarded by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. Rogéria Adriana de Bastos Antunes - Brasil Marquita Carter - South Orange, NJ, USA Amanda Casco - Buffalo, NY , USA Lexi Chavez – Arvada, CO, USA Aya Cheaito - Burlington, VT, USA Zelda Fleming - Fairburn, GA, USA Shana Harris – Coralville, IA, USA Jennifer Kuo - Vermillion, SD, USA Serena Wong - Bowling Green, OH, USA
Developing Nations World Conference Scholarships
ACBS is an international society but in many corners of the world it is difficult for professionals to attend ACBS conferences and trainings due simply to cost. The Developing Nations Fund helps disseminate CBS in the developing world and provides scholarships for attendees and presenters from developing nations to attend the world conference. We know that our members from diverse backgrounds contribute depth and richness to the organization and this program will lead to a better ACBS for all of us. Read more about the Developing Nations World Conference Scholarships.
Abu Onesimus Bockarie - Sierra Leone Ceri Lan - Vietnam Emina Osmanovic Basic - Bosnia and Herzegovina
Diversity World Conference Scholarship
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is aiming to bring increased diversity to our annual conferences by providing funds for individuals who come from diverse backgrounds and who would not be able to attend an ACBS conference without this added financial support. Both trainees and professionals were eligible for this competitive award. Read more about the Diversity World Conference Scholarship.
Desmond Bull - USA Fady Safwat - Egypt Nguyen Tran - USA Sandi James - Malaysia
ACBS Foundation Student Scholarship
A goal of the ACBS Foundation is to support existing activities within ACBS. The ACBS Foundation Student Scholarship enables students to attend the annual ACBS World Conference. The scholarship covers the full student conference registration fee. Read more about the ACBS Foundation.
Nadina Pantea - Romania Alison Stapleton - Ireland
Student World Conference Scholarships
The mission of the ACBS Student SIG is to work to support students of contextual behavioral science by advocating for their professional and personal development and facilitating their contribution to ACBS and the larger community. One step in moving towards this mission has been to create a Student World Conference Scholarship that will help subsidize the costs of attending the annual ACBS World Conference. Read more about the Student World Conference Scholarships.
Rebeca Castellanos - USA Joseph Lavelle - Ireland Huiyuan LI - Hong Kong Jill Loving - USA Marissa Sbrilli - USA
Junior Poster Investigator Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize and help develop junior investigators conducting research in Contextual Behavioral Science and who are presenting the results of this research at the Association's annual world conference. Read more about the Junior Poster Investigator Award.
Mindfulness, Culture, and Clinical Practice: Clinician Experiences Utilizing Mindfulness and Acceptance with Hispanics/Latinos
Rebeca Castellanos, M.A., Medical University of South Carolina
Understanding attitudes and perceived behavioral responsibility towards global climate change through psychological flexibility processes
Carter Davis, B.A., Utah State University
Comparison of Metacognitive and Psychological Inflexibility Models of Emotional Distress
Huan Quan, M.A., Wichita State University
Appraising Anxiety as Problematic Increases Odds of Misusing Meditation Strategies Above and Beyond Transdiagnostic Processes and Symptomatic Distress
Max Roberts, M.A., University at Albany, State University of New York
Eric Tifft, M.A., University at Albany, State University of New York
Shannon Underwood, B.S., University at Albany, State University of New York
John Forsyth, Ph.D., University at Albany, State University of New York
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award
This award is given to students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of Contextual Behavioral Science with children/adolescents. It was named for Michael J. Asher, Ph.D., ABPP, who passed away in 2016. He was a clinical psychologist at Behavior Therapy Associates, P.A. since 1988. He served as Coordinator of Consultation Services and was Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Asher was an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers Medical School where he supervised Psychiatric Fellows and taught Child Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and he was a field supervisor for the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. Dr. Asher co-authored several books on the topic of behavior disorders and children. He was passionate about his work, loved psychology, cognitive behavior therapy, and especially enjoyed learning about and practicing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Dr. Asher greatly impacted the lives of many and his contribution to the field of psychology and education was significant. Read more about the Michael J. Asher Student Disseration Award.
Using Functional Analytic Psychotherapy to Develop Social Skills in Adolescents with High Functioning Autism (First Prize)
Olivia Gratz, Western Michigan University
Evaluating the Effects of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Behavioral Parent Training Program on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Parents (Second Prize)
Caitlyn Gumaer, Claremont Graduate University
Community
2020 #8 Newsletter (August)
2020 #8 Newsletter (August)
Research Development Grants Application Deadline: October 1, 2020
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for a contextual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two Research Development Grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science. Projects eligible for the grant are relatively broad, as any topic within the array of CBS will be considered. The deadline to apply is October 1. Read more.
ACBS Membership Scholarships Application Deadline: September 30, 2020
ACBS is committed to outreach to scholars, practitioners, researchers, and other professionals who have an interest in CBS and who have difficulty affording membership to ACBS. For those who are interested in a membership scholarship, please read the description to learn if you are eligible and apply here. (Please forward this scholarship information to your eligible colleagues).
We are pleased to announce the newest Special Interest Group: ACT in Education SIG! The ACT in Education SIG's mission is to share and explore the ways in which ACT can service the users in various education settings. ACBS members can join the ACT in Education Special Interest Group, hop onto the SIG listserv, and learn more on the new SIG's webpage.
A quasi-experimental, multicenter study of acceptance and commitment therapy for antisocial youth in residential care
In JCBS Vol. 16, Fredrik Livheim, Anders Tengström, Gerhard Andersson, JoAnne Dahl, Caroline Björck, and Ingvar Rosendahl tested a brief, transdiagnostic, ACT group intervention for youth with comorbid problems in residential care. The study observed psychological flexibility mediated decreased anxiety. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS Foundation Needs Volunteers
Interested in learning more about the ACBS Foundation’s Development Plan? Check out the work in progress here. We NEED volunteer leaders to support the ACBS Foundation's work. Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities, the time commitments involved, and to indicate your interest.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Diane Dallal, a clinical psychology doctoral student at Drexel University (USA). Her clinical and research interests center around developing and improving treatments for individuals with obesity and eating disorders. Read more.
The ACBS Board has created a new, more formal process for identifying and selecting new committee chairs to replace current chairs who are due to rotate off. Part of that process involves putting out an open call to members who may be interested in becoming committee chairs. The new appointment process is outlined below and the application to be considered as a new chair is on the website: https://contextualscience.org/webform/acbs_committee_chair_application.
We are currently seeking applications for the Chapters and SIGs Committee Chair, currently co-chaired by Brian Pilecki and Mark Sisti. The term for the position will be three years. The person selected will shadow the current chair until their term ends in summer 2021. The Chapter and SIG Committee Chair application will close September 19, 2020.
Committee Charge
The Chapter and SIG Committee shall be responsible for advising and supporting chapters and special interest groups (SIGs). The committee facilitates the creation and continuation of chapters and SIGs; liaises chapters, SIGs, and the ACBS Board; and promotes collaborations among chapters and SIGs.
Appointment
Fourteen months* prior to the end of a current chair term, the Board of Directors will hold an open call for new committee chair applicants. Potential chairs may be nominated by the current/outgoing chair or may self-nominate in response to the open call. Potential chairs will complete an application which will be reviewed by the current chair, the committee liaison, and 2 additional members of the Board of Directors. Applicants will have one month from the open call to complete their applications. Applicants will be discussed, and a new chair selected by the current chair, the committee liaison, and two additional members of the Board of Directors. *We are a couple months behind in this process due to pandemic-related delays
Sincerely,
The ACBS Board
Community
2020 #9 Newsletter (September)
2020 #9 Newsletter (September)
ACT Exceeds 400 Randomized Controlled Trials
The 400 Randomized Controlled Trial milestone represents the culmination of more than 30 years of ACT research from this community. The ACBS Communications Committee maintains the list of RCTs on the ACT Randomized Controlled Trials webpage. It is a great resource with information about each study's trial area, trial conditions, sample size, and link to the full text of the study.
New ACT in Perinatal SIG
We are pleased to announce the newest Special Interest Group: ACT in Perinatal SIG! The ACT in Perinatal SIG's mission is to share and explore ways that ACT can be applied to helping individuals in the perinatal period, conception through two years old. ACBS members can join the ACT in Perinatal SIG, hop onto the SIG listserv, and learn more on the ACT in Perinatal SIG's webpage.
New ACBS Committee Chairs
We are pleased to announce two new Committee Chairs! Victoria Follette is the new Training Committee Chair and Matthew Skinta is the new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committeee Chair. Thank you Victoria, Matthew, and all of the committee members for volunteering for ACBS. See the full list of ACBS Committees here. If you are interested in volunteering for a committee, please fill out this form.
1° Jornada del Chapter Argentino de la ACBS
As president of the Argentina Chapter, Germán Teti´s dreamed of organizing a conference that would bring the Argentine community together and include Spanish speakers. His dream became a reality when the chapter hosted its first congress "1° Jornada del Chapter Argentino de la ACBS." The congress was one of several activities the Argentina Chapter hosted this year. Read more.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG, it is our pleasure to introduce this month's Student Spotlight Award recipient: Adam Kuczynski! Adam is a 5th year graduate student at the University of Washington, USA, where he works on a variety of research projects that aim to improve relational functioning and decrease racism. He serves as the student representative for the ACBS FAP SIG. Read more.
Research Development Grants Application Deadline: October 1, 2020
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for a contextual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two Research Development Grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science. Projects eligible for the grant are relatively broad, as any topic within the array of CBS will be considered. The deadline to apply is October 1. Read more.
The moderating roles of psychological flexibility and inflexibility on the mental health impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Italy
In JCBS Vol. 17, K. Pakenham et. al. investigated the role of psychological flexibility in moderating the effects of COVID-19 risk factors on three mental health outcomes. The study supports the use of ACT-based interventions to promote psychological flexibility and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
Thank you to the ACBS Foundation's Founding Donors
The ACBS Foundation greatly thanks everyone who contributed in our first year. The list of ACBS members who donated as Founding Donors has been added to the website here. The generosity of the Founding Donors will help support the Foundation's first open call for grant proposals. Are you looking for another way to help? Add the Foundation as your AmazonSmile recipient (available in the US only).
ACBS Virtual World Conference: June 24-27, 2021
The ACBS World Conference 19 will be entirely online!
ACBS Virtual World Conference
June 24-27, 2021
Register your interest in the 2021 ACBS Virtual World Conference here.
How did you organize the "1° Jornada del Chapter Argentino de la ACBS" conference? When did you start planning it?
One of Germán Teti´s main dreams, as president of the ACBS Argentina Chapter, has been to organize a conference that would bring the Argentine community together and include Spanish speakers who would like to join it. The board started thinking how to make it possible in March. At that time, the Argentina Chapter had only 44 members. At present,we are 245, many of whom are active in the community. We deeply appreciate the international speakers' cooperation with this project. It is also important to highlight the great effort and work done by all the Chapter Board Members. Finally, we would like to congratulate all the local and Latin American colleagues who have shared this dream.
How many sessions were there? How many people attended?
A total of 210 attendees participated in the conference. We had 25 sessions in all, including 9 plenaries with international speakers (Emily Sandoz, PhD., Sonja Batten, PhD., Carmen Luciano, PhD., Benjamin Schoendorff, MSc. Mavis Tsai , PhD.; Robert Kohlenberg PhD., ABPP, Francisco Ruiz, PhD. & Matthieu Villatte, PhD.) and 2 local speakers (Germán Teti, M.D., and Fabián Olaz, PhD.). The conference was also a great opportunity for professionals interested in training their clinical skills and in updating their knowledge by participating in workshops (7), clinical roundtable discussions (3) and clinical and research meeting points (1).
One innovative experience we created and we are really proud of, in terms of the community that is growing, was the session called “My first presentation”. There were 5 presentations done by professionals willing to show their work and ideas for the first time.
What were some interesting research papers presented at the conference?
Argentina is a country without a long tradition in Clinical research in Psychology, maybe because of the long history of psychoanalysis and the relative absence of clinical research training in universities, and the “divorce” between practitioners and researchers. In fact, the first Randomized Control Trial of ACT was developed in our country last year (Olaz, Roberts, Altamirano & D'alessandro, in preparation). Taking that into consideration, our first meeting was more oriented to clinicians and practitioners, so we strategically invited speakers that have a long and strong tradition in research. Every session was a great opportunity to highlight the importance of EBPP and to encourage participants to be more committed with this point of view.
What other events has your chapter done in the past year?
The chapter began organizing a series of free webinars that took place on Sunday nights. Eight webinars given by Germán Teti, Fabián Olaz, Juan Pablo Coletti, Paula Quintero, Lucia Loureiro, Ariel Faust, David Marder, María José Lami Hernandez and Juan Alberto Gonzalez were held between April and June. These webinars were open to the public and they also offered an important space for contextual therapists of Argentina and Latin American countries. At the same time, supervision and research committees started working. Members decided what type of supervision they wanted. Consequently, a peer supervision process started. After that, six groups joined the peer supervision divided into two levels, beginners and intermediate, which are still meeting. The research committee organized a series of workshops to train our members on the basis of clinical research in CBS. The first one was led by Francisco Ruiz, who presented some basic ideas to start a research project with few economic resources. The second one will be presented by Fabián Olaz, about how to develop a research idea and to plan the research design.
The ACBS Brasil Chapter held the "I Encontro da ACBS Brasil" in August 2020. This 4 day online event was the first congress hosted by the chapter. The conference had 98 activities and 684 participants. Despite having to make many changes because of the pandemic, "I Encontro da ACBS Brasil" was a success because the volunteers were driven by love. Read more.
The ACBS Awards Committee, chaired by Staci Martin, is seeking 3 to 5 new members with diverse backgrounds. Each year the Committee develops and administers awards and recognition programs, including the Michael J. Asher Dissertation Awards and Junior Investigator Poster Awards. We are particularly interested in increasing our members from non-US countries. Please indicate your interest here.
In conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG, it is our pleasure to introduce this month's Student Spotlight Award recipient: Alison Stapleton! Alison is a 2nd year graduate student at the University College Dublin, Ireland, where she works to consolidate theoretical perspectives on rule-governed behavior, and using text-based conversational agents to promote flexible rule-following. Read more.
Student Spotlight Award: Application Deadline November 28, 2020
The Student Spotlight Program recognizes students in the CBS community, whether for research, clinical, or volunteer-humanitarian efforts. This program is a great way to highlight their achievements and let the ACBS community know about important work students are doing. The spotlighted students will receive a 30% discount off the ACBS World Conference student registration fee. Apply here.
ACBS Foundation Welcomes New Board Members
We are pleased to announce the new ACBS Foundation board members: Jessica Borushok, Louise Hayes, Louise McHugh, and Joann Wright. We also wish to thank Niloo Afari and Sonja Batten for their service, stewardship, and countless volunteer hours on the inaugural ACBS Foundation Board.
Coming Soon: an ACBS Foundation grant opportunity. Find more information.
ACBS Virtual World Conference: 24-27 June, 2021
The 2021 ACBS World Conference will be entirely online!
Register your interest in the 2021 ACBS Virtual World Conference here
Developing Nations Conference Scholarship is open. Apply here.
Submitting Dissertations to the ACBS Website
Do you have a dissertation on an ACT, RFT, or CBS topic? Then please email your dissertation and citation to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org and we will post it in the list of publications on on the ACBS website. We know you put a lot of work into your dissertation, so we encourage you to share your dissertation so that other ACBS members may read it!
The ACBS Brazil Chapter volunteers started organizing the congress in November 2019. We had to rethink the entire organization of the event when the pandemic struck our country in April. What seemed to be a threat to all of us actually made it possible to expand the congress, both in accessibility to different regions of Brazil and in getting a number of invaluable speakers to participate. The “First Meeting of ACBS Brasil” was held in August 2020. There were 98 activities, 96 Brazilian speakers, 24 international references, and 684 participants!
How was it done? Organizing this congress was an adventure and we had clear values to guide us:
- Dissemination of knowledge - our focus was to expand access to knowledge by inviting renowned speakers who generously and freely accepted our invitation. All foreign language activities were translated so that they were widely accessible to our Brazilian community.
- Diversity - our commission sought diversity in the types of Contextual Behavioral Therapies presented; the topics covered; and the nationalities, ethnicities and regions in Brazil the participants represented. Diversity brought a lot of beauty to the program and piqued interest in socially relevant themes related to ethnic, gender and sexuality prejudices.
- Equality - the work was done mostly by volunteers, with the goals of making the event more accessible and serving as a model of collaboration.
- Solidarity - the event funded 60 scholarship slots for attendees with financial need. Eleven more were donated by other event participants through a campaign that we conducted. In addition to the dissemination of knowledge, we wanted to enact the change that Contextual Science promotes where it was needed the most.
- Integration - all papers submitted to the congress were accepted and all activities were encouraged to be done collaboratively, either in pairs or in larger groups of speakers. One of the objectives of the event was to develop a network of people who study the same subject and to encourage them to work together.
- Joy – despite being an online event, we had several social activities, parties, time to share experiences, contests, sweepstakes and interviews during breaks. We sought to bring lightness and a little socializing in times of isolation.
The process of creating and organizing the congress was made possible by having an incredible group of people who were simply interested in helping and were willing to spend their Friday afternoons sharing ideas and dreaming about the best ways to carry out this event. It was extremely pleasant work and done with a lot of love from everyone involved. All ideas were welcomed, and we were excited to imagine new possibilities. As incredible as it may seem, there was no arguing or disagreement, and meetings were filled with laughter and joy. Decisions were made collectively and were guided by our shared values. Even when things went wrong, we would get together to collaborate and approach the problem in a novel way. It was a new milestone for everyone involved, both due to the experiences that we shared and the realization that it generated. We had a lot of help, too. We would like to express our gratitude to all the speakers that we had the honor to have with us, who reflect the essence of the ACBS community. Many thanks to the translators, sponsors and partners, and to all the participants who were together in this adventure.
ACBS World Conference - Call for Submissions is Open!
We are excited to invite you to join us for the Annual World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) 24-27 June, 2021. We are accepting submissions for symposia, papers, panels, workshops, ignites sessions, posters, and Chapter/SIG meetings. For more information about the call for submissions for the 2021 ACBS Virtual World Conference, please click here.
The Sounding Board - A blog from ACBS President Lisa Coyne
In her new Sounding Board blog, Lisa Coyne discusses recent tough decisions regarding our 2021 ACBS World Conference going online, the incredible work of the ACBS Polska Chapter for this event that will be put on hold at this time, and some thoughts about future directions and possible paths for CBS to make important contributions during these difficult times. Read the blog.
Free Webinar: Cultural Humility in Counseling and Clinical Supervision
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter: Arizona! The chapter aims to foster a transdisciplinary community of CBS scientists, practitioners, and students focused on advancing human well-being guided by the values of compassion, science, service and connection. ACBS members can join the Arizona Chapter and learn about the chapter on the ACBS website. Join the Arizona Chapter.
Student Spotlight Award: Application Deadline November 28, 2020
The Student Spotlight Program recognizes students in the CBS community, whether for research, clinical, or volunteer-humanitarian efforts. This program is a great way to highlight their achievements and let the ACBS community know about important work students are doing. The spotlighted students will receive a 30% discount off the ACBS World Conference student registration fee. Apply here.
A contextual behavioral approach for responding to moral dilemmas in the age of COVID-19
In JCBS Vol. 17, Lauren M. Borges et. al. offer case examples describing ACT for Moral Injury (ACT-MI) and Prosocial to highlight how these interventions might be applied to moral-dilemma-related concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. ACBS members can read the full paper for free in the JCBS member portal. (This paper is in the Special Issue on CBS Perspectives on COVID-19.)
ACBS Foundation Grant
The ACBS Foundation is proud to announce a new grant funding opportunity for CBS projects related to the environment, social justice, and behavior in real life contexts. This (first ever) call lends itself to pilot projects or preliminary phases of work. The application will open on January 15, 2021 and close on March 1, 2021. Read more about the ACBS Foundation Grant.
New Gender Categories on our Membership Form
Thank you to the Gender and Sexual Diversity SIG volunteers who created more flexible gender categories for our membership form. The new optional categories will be: Woman or feminine (cisgender woman, transfeminine, transgender woman); Man or masculine (cisgender man, transmasculine, transgender man); Gender non-binary, genderfluid, agender, not listed; and Prefer not to answer.
Volunteer Opportunities
Have you ever considered running for the ACBS Board of Directors? The call for Board nominations will open in January! Did you know that most Board members have previous experience volunteering for ACBS? Our 13 committees are staffed entirely with volunteers, such as the Communications Committee and the Awards Committee. If you are interested in volunteering click here.
ACBS Virtual World Conference: 24-27 June, 2021
The 2021 ACBS World Conference will be entirely online!
Developing Nations World Conference Scholarship is open. Apply here.
DEI World Conference Scholarship is open. Apply here.
Student World Conference Scholarship is open. Apply here.
Congratulations to Samuel Spencer, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (USA) and to Marianna Zacharia, University of Cyprus, ACTHEALTHY Lab (Cyprus) for being awarded the 2020 - 2021 Research Development Grants. Each were awarded approximately $5,000 to complete their research projects. Read a summary of their projects.
Thank You to the Grants Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Grants Committee Chair Megan Kelly and her committee members for the outstanding work they do. ACBS received 38 grant applications this year and the committee managed the process with excellence. Learn more about the ACBS Committees.
New Special Interest Groups, Chapters and Affiliates Created in 2020
In 2020, ACBS welcomed 2 new chapters, Arizona and Colombia; 3 new affiliates, Mexico City, Czech Republic, and New Mexico, USA; and 6 new SIGs: ACT Across Cultures, ACT in Education, ACT and Judaism, ACT in Perinatal, Climate Justice & Action, and Comparative Psychology. ACBS members are encouraged to explore and join our 45 chapters, 25 affiliates, and 40 SIGs. Explore here.
The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy: A review of meta-analyses
In JCBS Vol. 18, Andrew T. Gloster, Noemi Walder, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig, and Maria Karekla review the meta-analytic evidence on ACT. Results showed that ACT is efficacious for all conditions examined, including anxiety, depression, substance use, pain, and transdiagnostic groups. ACBS members can read the full text of the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award
The Awards Committee is accepting applications for the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards, which will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of CBS with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be two monetary awards of $750 USD to be used in support of research or to attend the ACBS World Conference. Apply here.
ACBS Foundation Grant
The ACBS Foundation is proud to announce a new funding mechanism for CBS projects related to the environment, social justice, and behavior in real life contexts. The ACBS Foundation Grant application period will open on January 15, 2021 and close on March 1, 2021. Read more. Apply here to be a grant reviewer!
ACBS Virtual World Conference: 24-27 June, 2021
The 2021 ACBS World Conference will be entirely online!
The RFT/Behavior Analysis track is accepting submissions. Read more
Awards and Scholarships applications are now open. Apply here.
This year, ACBS needs to elect four new members to the Board of Directors: President, two Members-at-large, and Student Representative. Submit your nominations here by February 1. In addition to the candidates' bios and platform statements, we are facilitating a brief question and answer opportunity with the candidates. This will be done in writing, and the selected questions and responses will be posted on the website. You can submit your questions here by February 10.
Interview with ACBS Member Michelle Maidenberg
Welcome to a new feature of the ACBS monthly newsletter where we learn more about the inspiring work of ACBS members. This month, we will learn about Michelle Maidenberg, the co-founder of "Thru My Eyes," a non-profit organization that creates “living” legacy videos for the children of people with life-threatening illnesses.
New Romania Chapter
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the Romania Chapter! The purpose of the ACBS Romania Chapter is to ensure and support the development and dissemination of contextual behavioral science and practice within Romania so as to alleviate human suffering and advance human well being. ACBS members can join the Romania Chapter and learn more about the chapter on the ACBS website.
New Physiotherapy SIG
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the Physiotherapy SIG! The new SIG will explore all aspects of Physiotherapy and ACT, share information, and facilitate Physiotherapists (PTs) to network with each other. ACBS members can join the new Physiotherapy SIG and learn more about the SIG on the ACBS website.
Awards Committee Needs Volunteers
The ACBS Awards Committee is seeking members with diverse backgrounds to join their team. Each year the Awards Committee develops and administers awards and recognition programs including the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards and ACBS Fellows. This committee also assists in selecting the Junior Investigator Poster Awards from the poster presentations at the World Conference. Please indicate your interest here to join the Awards Committee!
Feasibility of contextual behavioral speech analyses of US presidents: Inaugural addresses of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, 1993–2017
In JCBS Vol. 10, Jordan Belisle, Dana Paliliunas, Mark Dixon, & Jonathan Tarbox analyze relational frames within inaugural addresses of USA presidents. The paper explains the greatest between subject variance was observed in their use of coordinative and distinctive relations, with Donald Trump using the largest number of frames of distinction and Barack Obama using the largest number of frames of coordination. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS World Conference 17
Registration is now open
Join us in Dublin, Ireland, for the 17th World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) 27-30 June, 2019 with Pre-Conference Workshops on 25-26 June, 2019. Registration is now open! Early Registration Rates available until 7 April.
Call for Submissions Deadlines
The general Call for oral presentations (symposia, papers, panels, ignites, and workshops) is open until 15 February, 2019. Poster submissions will be accepted until 20 March, 2019. You can read more about the submission process on the ACBS website.
Scholarships Deadlines
We are pleased to inform you that the ACBS Diversity Committee, Developing Nations Committee, and Student SIG have scholarships available to help attend the 17th World Conference in Dublin.
- Developing Nations Conference Scholars - Deadline is 1 February, 2019.
- Diversity Conference Scholars - Deadline is 1 February, 2019.
- Student Conference Scholars - Deadline is 15 February, 2019.
Asher Dissertation Awards Deadline
The Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of Contextual Behavioral Science with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be monetary awards of $750 USD and $250 USD to be used in support of research and/or to facilitate travel to the ACBS annual conference. The deadline to apply is 1 February, 2019.
Community
2019 #2 Newsletter (February)
2019 #2 Newsletter (February)
New Clinical Behavior Analysis SIG
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the Clinical Behavior Analysis SIG! The new CBA SIG explores the ways in which behavior analysis can be applied to understanding, designing, and evaluating interventions that are primarily language-based with limited appeal to middle-level terms or treatment packages. ACBS members can join the CBA SIG, hop onto the CBA SIG listserv, and learn more about the CBA SIG on its webpage.
Thank you to the Conference Strategy Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Conference Strategy Committee Chair, Manuela O'Connell, and her committee members for the outstanding work that they do. The Conference Strategy Committee (CSC) is responsible for meeting the organization's research and training objectives as they relate to ACBS's World Conference. You can read more about the committee on the ACBS website.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Lynn Farrell, a Ph.D. student at University College Dublin (Ireland). She is conducting research into the nature and malleability of implicit gender bias in STEM fields using the IRAP. You can learn about Lynn and her work here.
A brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention for depression: A randomized controlled trial with 3-year follow-up for the intervention group
In JCBS Vol. 10, Heidi Maria Kyllönen, Joona Muotka, Anne Puolakanaho, Piia Astikainen, Katariina Keinonen, and Raimo Lappalainen examined the outcomes of a 6 session ACT intervention for depression delivered by novice therapists. The paper concluded a 6-h ACT intervention delivered by novice therapists can lead to improvement in approximately 60–70% of depressed clients. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS World Conference 17
Join us at the DCU Helix in Dublin, Ireland, for the 17th World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) 27-30 June, 2019. Pre-Conference Workshops will be held 25-26 June, 2019. Registration is open. Early Registration Rates available until 7 April. Poster submissions deadline is 20 March, 2019.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Using Relational Frame Theory to supercharge therapeutic (ACT) and educational (SMART) interventions for children and adolescents
Sarah Cassidy, Bryan Roche, Evelyn Gould, and Giovambattista Presti will be presenting the pre-conference workshopUsing Relational Frame Theory to supercharge therapeutic (ACT) and educational (SMART) interventions for children and adolescents on Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June. This workshop will focus on how an understanding of verbal processes allows us to better help children and adolescents suffering from educational and behavioral challenges.
Community
Conference Strategy Committee
Conference Strategy Committee
The ACBS Conference Strategy Committee is responsible for meeting the organization’s research and training objectives as they relate to ACBS's World Conference. The Conference Strategy Committee recommends future ACBS World Conference locations, evaluates venue proposals, and chooses future conference sites, with final approval reserved by the ACBS Board. The committee members are tasked with thematic determinations, plenary speaker recruitment, conference structure determination (timing, length, etc.), and other related conference decisions. The committee members act as a resource for the conference program chairs.
An important part of the Conference Strategy Committee’s job is determining the Pre-Conference Workshops. Each year, the Conference Strategy Committee spends about 4 months soliciting, evaluating, and selecting the 10 Pre-Conference Workshops to be held at the annual World Conference. The obligation is to balance - (1) diversity, (2) training level from basic to advanced, to cutting edge, (3) variety of models - ACT, RFT, CFT, FAP, DBT, etc., (4) client groups - adults, children, adolescents, organizations, health, etc., (5) organizational strategy and support for CBS vision, (6) mentoring new people, (7) past opportunities to present, (8) quality level, and (9) financial viability.
The committee is comprised of permanent members and rotating members. Each rotating member serves a 2 year term on the committee. The ACBS Board President, President-Elect, and the Program Chairs for the next two World Conferences serve as rotating committee members.
2019 ACBS Conference Strategy Committee permanent members:
Manuela O’Connell, Committee Chair
Sonja Batten
Aisling Leonard Curtin
Andrew Gloster
Louise Hayes, ACBS Board President
Steve Hayes
Louise McHugh, World Conference 17 Program Chair
Miguel Rodriguez Valverde
Robyn Walser
Rotating members:
David Gillanders, World Conference 17 Program Chair
Matt Bonne, World Conference 18 Program Chair
Jennifer Gregg, World Conference 18 Program Chair
Dennis Tirch, ACBS Board President-Elect
Community
2019 #3 Newsletter (March)
2019 #3 Newsletter (March)
New Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion SIG
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion SIG! The new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) SIG aims to help members with different backgrounds share their perspectives within the organization through different channels. ACBS members can join the DEI SIG, hop onto the DEI SIG listserv, and learn more about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion SIG on its webpage.
JCBS: Call for papers for special issue on Contextual Behavioral Science and the Psychedelic Renaissance
The aim of this special issue is to summarize the current state of the literature relating to psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, introduce how clinical interventions based on Contextual Behavioral Science could be used in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, and present new and innovative contributions from the Contextual Behavioral Science that can inform future research on psychedelics. Read more about this JCBS special issue here.
The evidence base of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in psychosis: A systematic review
In JCBS Vol. 10, Sarah Wakefield, Stephanie Roebuck, and Paul Boyden explore the evidence base for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for people experiencing psychosis, the quality of the evidence, and potential benefits of this intervention. The paper concludes ACT is a beneficial intervention for psychosis in various mental health settings. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award
We are pleased to announce the winner of the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award: Madeleine Ferrari, University of Sydney, Australia, for her dissertation Self-compassion: Promoting resilience and well-being in adolescent populations. The Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award award is given to a student based on their doctoral dissertation related to the use of Contextual Behavioral Science with children/adolescents.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG, it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipients! This month's featured students are Ethan Lester, an intern at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, USA, and Lauren B. Johnson, a third-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student at Drexel University, USA. You can learn about Ethan and Lauren on the ACBS website.
World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland
Join us at the DCU Helix in Dublin, Ireland, for the 17th World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) 27-30 June, 2019. Pre-Conference Workshops will be held 25-26 June, 2019. Registration is open. Early Registration Rates available until 7 April.
Pre-Conference Workshop: ACT Made Simple: A Quick Start Guide To ACT Basics and Beyond
Russ Harris will be presenting the pre-conference workshopACT Made Simple: A Quick Start Guide To ACT Basics and Beyond on Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June. Russ has a unique model for training, which he calls ‘ACT Made Simple’, because it covers so much material in a short space of time. He proudly proclaims each workshop a ‘jargon-free zone’ – and bases his training on three core values: simplicity, clarity, and having fun.
Community
2019 #4 Newsletter (April)
2019 #4 Newsletter (April)
ACBS Board of Directors for 2019 - 2020
It is our great pleasure to announce the 2019 - 2020 ACBS Board of Directors: President Dennis Tirch; President-Elect Lisa Coyne; Past-President Louise Hayes; Secretary-Treasurer Maria Karekla; Members-at-Large Miranda Morris, Diana Ferroni Bast, Lance McCracken, and Jill Stoddard; Student Representative Varsha Eswara Murthy.
Free Webinar on “Working with Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity" by Matthew Skinta
This free, 60 minute webinar will be offered by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee on Monday, April 29th at 1:00 pm EST. Click here to register for the webinar. There is a suggested donation of: $10 for students and $20 for professionals. All donations will be used to support the participation in ACBS activities of individuals who can demonstrate financial hardship. The webinar will also be available on the ACBS website after April 29.
ACBS Strategic Plan: 2019 - 2022
The ACBS Board of Director's strategic planning meeting was held 2-3 February, 2019. Based off of ACBS member focus group data and one-on-one interviews, a picture of the current state of the organization came into focus. The Board identified three main strategic imperatives: 1) Expanding and improving our digital presence 2) Centering science 3) Creating a culture of empowerment and productivity. Read more about it on the ACBS website.
A review of anger, hostility, and aggression from an ACT perspective
In JCBS Vol. 11, Olga V. Berkout, Diana Tinsley, and Maureen K. Flynn provide the first overview of research about anger, hostility, and aggression using the psychological flexibility model among both youth and adults. The paper concludes that ACT interventions for anger and aggression appear promising and that more extensive and methodologically stronger examinations would strengthen this area of study. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
CBS research supports raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes in the state of Washington
ACBS Board Member Jonathan Bricker, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, testified before the Washington state legislature in support of raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes and vaping products to 21 years old. On April 5, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed the state’s “Tobacco 21” law in a ceremony at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Thank you to all of the ACBS members across the world who use CBS to improve public health!
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG, it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Sérgio Andrade Carvalho, a third year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). You can learn about Sergio on the ACBS website.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Prosocial: Using CBS to improve relations within and between groups
Paul Atkins, David Sloan Wilson, Monique Silva, Lori Wiser, and Ian MacDonald will be presenting the pre-conference workshopProsocial: Using CBS to improve relations within and between groups on Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June. This workshop will provide you with an introduction to Prosocial, the basic science that underpins the approach and the practical tools that you can use to improve the groups you care about.
Developing Nations Committee Scholars
Congratulations to the 2019 Developing Nations Scholars: Khamisi Musanje (Uganda); Gabriel Sebastion Lizada (Philippines); Meryem Laamouri (Morocco); and Dario Lipovac (Bosnia/Herzegovina). 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.
Women in ACBS SIG Scholar
Congratulations to the 2019 Women in ACBS SIG Scholar: Burcak Kapar (Turkey). Kapar graduated from the department of Psychology at Yeditepe University in İstanbul and is currently enrolled in a Masters of Clinical Psychology program at SWPS University in Poland. The Women in ACBS SIG provides a scholarship to attend the ACBS World Conference to an ACBS member with significant financial hardship.
Community
2019 #5 Newsletter (May)
2019 #5 Newsletter (May)
Congratulations to the new ACBS Fellows
ACBS is pleased to announce our 2019 class of Fellows: Kenneth Fung, M.D. (Canada), Maria Karekla, Ph.D. (Cyprus), Michael Levin, Ph.D. (USA), Darrah Westrup, Ph.D. (USA), and Patricia Zurita Ona, Psy.D. (USA) Congratulations and thank you for your contributions to contextual behavioral science and to the ACBS community.
2019 Diversity World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2019 Diversity World Conference Scholars: Lais Nicolodi (Brazil), Taslim Tharani (UK), and Jan Topczewski (Poland). 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. The scholarships are financed by donations from ACBS members. To donate, please visit the DEI Fund page.
JCBS Special Issue on ACT Process Measurement
In the JCBS Vol. 12, Maria Karekla and Nuno Ferreira guest edit the Special Issue on ACT Process Measurement. The Special Issue contains 16 articles covering several ACT measures including the acceptance and action questionnaire for university students (AAQ-US), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), Open and Engaged State Questionnaire, and other measures. ACBS members can read the special issue for free in the JCBS member portal.
World Conference 17: Research Mentoring Lunch
We are happy to announce an ACBS Research Mentoring Lunch will be held on Thursday, 27 June at the upcoming ACBS World Conference in Dublin, Ireland! This lunch session is for early career researchers to have the opportunity to meet established researchers whose interests may align with theirs. All conference attendee researchers are welcome - no prior sign-up required.
World Conference 17 Plenary Speaker: Janet Helms
Janet Helms, Ph.D., is the Augustus Long Professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology and Director of the Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture at Boston College. Janet Helms will give her plenary addressThe Power Dynamics of White Racial Identity in Social Interactions at the ACBS World Conference in Dublin on Friday, 28 June.
New Hong Kong Chapter
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the Hong Kong Chapter! The ACBS-HK Chapter aims to serve as a scientific and professional reference group for those in Hong Kong who identify themselves as scientists, students, or practitioners in disciplines that embrace the principles and practices of contextual behavioral science. ACBS members can join the Hong Kong Chapter and learn more about the chapter on the ACBS website.
2019 Student World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2019 Student World Conference Scholars: Kate Barrett, University College Dublin (Ireland), Catriona Connelly, University College Dublin (Ireland), Lauren Johnson, Drexel University (USA), Stephen Richer, Bournemouth University (UK), and Eric Tifft, University at Albany, SUNY (USA). The ACBS Student SIG provides scholarships that help subsidize the costs of attending the annual ACBS World Conference.
Community
2019 #6 Newsletter (June)
2019 #6 Newsletter (June)
New ACBS Foundation
We are excited to announce the creation of a non-profit charitable foundation dedicated to contextual behavioral science and the shared mission of ACBS. The ACBS Foundation will support existing activities within ACBS and explore areas for future development, through scholarships, grants, foundation-managed programs, or special projects. You can find more information and donate to the foundation on the ACBS website.
JCBS Journal Impact Factor
The Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) received its second Journal Impact Factor in the 2019 release of the Journal Citations Report: 1.890! A 55% increase from our first Impact Factor of 1.216. This indicates that articles published by JCBS in 2016 and 2017 were cited an average of 1.8 times in 2018. Read more about the JCBS' Journal Impact Factor on the ACBS website.
The effect of brief mindfulness training on momentary impulsivity
In JCBS Vol. 11, Mark R. Dixon, Dana Paliliunas, Jordan Belisle, Ryan C. Speelman, Karl F. Gunnarsson, and Jordan L. Shaffer propose a contextual model of delay discounting. The paper concludes impulsivity is altered when exposed to mindfulness training and that these results have implications for applying mindfulness-based strategies that can reduce the probability of impulsive choice behavior. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
New Psychodynamic and CBS SIG
We are pleased to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the Psychodynamic and CBS SIG! The new Psychodynamic and CBS SIG includes all models of CBS and therapy, and all models of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic research and therapy, and as such, includes a broad and diverse range of therapeutic approaches. ACBS members can join the SIG and learn more about the new SIG on its webpage.
Three New Listservs for Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
ACBS recently created new listservs for three Special Interest Groups (SIGs): Social Work and ACT SIG, ACT in Primary Care SIG, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion SIG. Most SIGs have a dedicated listserv for ACBS members to share information that might be of interest to the other SIG members. We encourage you to stay connected with your colleagues by joining a SIG listserv today. You can see the full list of ACBS listservs on our website.
Early Career Research Paper Award
The Early Career Research Paper Award program recognizes a rising star researcher presenting a study at the ACBS World Conference. This year’s winner was Felicity Brown, Ph.D., MPsychClin. She contributed to an RCT (in partnership with HealthRight, Johns Hopkins University, the Ministry of Health Uganda, WHO, and UNHCR) to measure the effectiveness of an ACT-Based Guided Self-Help Intervention for South Sudanese Refugee Women in Uganda.
2020 ACBS World Conference: New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
July 14 - 19, 2020
Register your interest in the 2020 ACBS World Conference here.
Community
2019 #7 Newsletter (July)
2019 #7 Newsletter (July)
ACBS Foundation Matching Gift Opportunity
We are pleased to announce that all donations made to the ACBS Foundation before August 31, 2019, will be matched by the Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity up to $5,000 USD! You can find more information about the ACBS Foundation and the Luoma Fund on the ACBS website.
Volunteer for the ACBS Strategic Plan's "Strategy Team"
The Board identified four main strategic imperatives for the ACBS Strategic Plan 2019 - 2022 1) Expanding and improving our digital presence 2) Centering science 3) Creating a culture of empowerment and productivity 4) Building a culture of competency to support effective dissemination in ACBS. If you are interested in helping ACBS achieve our strategic goals, then please consider volunteering for the "Strategy Team."
The ACBS Grant Committee Needs Your Help
ACBS provides two $5,000 Research Development Grants for research that advances the field of CBS. The ACBS Grant Committee is looking for volunteers for the current grant cycle to help select the grant recipients. Each grant application will be reviewed by two reviewers, and the review of each application takes approximately 45 minutes. If you are available to be a grant reviewer during October 2019, then we encourage you to fill out a quick, 2-minute webform.
ACT for Sleep - Internet-delivered self-help ACT for sub-clinical and clinical insomnia: A randomized controlled trial
In JCBS Vol. 12, Päivi Lappalainen, Sitwat Langrial, Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Joona Muotka, and Raimo Lappalainen investigates the effects of a self-help ACT-based web-intervention for sleep disturbances. The paper concludes that unguided Internet-delivered ACT can be effective in treating symptoms of insomnia and offers a useful addition to existing treatment options. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
World Conference 17 Reflections
ACBS Student Representative Varsha Eswara Murthy expounds on her experiences at the ACBS World Conference which was held on her home ground of Dublin. In her blog, Varsha relates the highlights of her time at the conference, including Kelly Wilson’s pre-conference workshop, Janet Helms’ plenary speech, the poster session at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the numerous panels and symposia, Louise Hayes' plenary speech, and the Follies.
Thank You to the World Conference 17 Program Committee
Thank you to the World Conference 17 Program Committee Chairs, Louise McHugh and David Gillanders, and the dozens of people who volunteered for the Program Committee. Their hard work and meticulous planning made ACBS World Conference 17 an outstanding event!
2020 ACBS World Conference: New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
July 14 - 19, 2020
Register your interest in the 2020 ACBS World Conference here.
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for a contextual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two Research Development Grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science. Projects eligible for the grant are relatively broad, as any topic within the array of CBS will be considered. The deadline to apply is October 1.
Nominations for JCBS's next editor open until October 15
The new JCBS Editor will have wide latitude to phase in an editorial team and to structure its interaction. The Editor is expected to commission special issues and to solicit key articles; to work to increase the impact of the journal; and to monitor and improved the speed, efficiency, and helpfulness of the review process. If this sounds like the perfect fit for you or someone you know, please learn more here.
New India Chapter
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the India Chapter! The ACBS India Chapter aims to disseminate ACT, RFT, and CBS literature to professionals and the general public in India. ACBS members can join the India Chapter and learn more about the new chapter on the ACBS website.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) – A feasibility study
In JCBS Vol. 12, Martin A.Jonsjö, Rikard K. Wicksell, Linda Holmström, Anna Andreasson, and Gunnar L. Olsson present a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of an ACT-based behavior medicine treatment protocol for ME/CFS. The paper concludes ACT can be considered safe and preliminary effective. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
New ACBS Foundation - Matching Campaign Concluding
We are pleased to announce that all donations made to the ACBS Foundation before August 31, 2019, will be matched by the Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity up to $5,000 USD! You can find more information about the ACBS Foundation and the Luoma Fund on the ACBS website.
2020 ACBS World Conference: New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
July 14 - 19, 2020
Register your interest in the 2020 ACBS World Conference here.
The 300 Randomized Controlled Trial milestone represents the culmination of more than 30 years of ACT research from this community. The ACBS Communication Committee maintains the list of RCTs on the ACT Randomized Controlled Trials webpage. It is a great resource with information about each study's trial area, trial conditions, sample size, and link to the full text of the study.
How We Can Use CBS to Help Humanity
In her plenary speech presented at the 2019 ACBS World Conference, Louise Hayes describes how we might use contextual behavioural science in our own lives, in our work, in our communities, and in our efforts to change the world. We invite you to look through the videos we have available on our website, which includes lectures from previous World Conferences, workshops, TED talks, and more!
Nominations for JCBS's next editor open until October 15
The new JCBS Editor will have wide latitude to phase in an editorial team and to structure its interaction. The Editor is expected to commission special issues and to solicit key articles; to work to increase the impact of the journal; and to monitor and improve the speed, efficiency, and helpfulness of the review process. If this sounds like the perfect fit for someone you know, please click here to learn more.
ACBS Research Development Grant: Application Deadline October 1, 2019
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for a contextual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two Research Development Grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science. Projects eligible for the grant are relatively broad, as any topic within the array of CBS will be considered. The deadline to apply is October 1.
New Hawai'i Chapter
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the Hawai'i Chapter! The ACBS Hawai'i Chapter aims to advance the development of contextual behavioral science, and to create an impact within Hawai’i in an effort to alleviate human suffering and advance human well-being. ACBS members can join the Hawai'i Chapter and learn more about the new chapter on the ACBS website.
Patterns of relational responding and a healthy self in older adolescents
In JCBS Vol. 12, Orla Moran and Louise McHugh examine the relative contribution of self-as-distinction and self-as-hierarchy on depression, stress, and anxiety in a sample of 102 young people. The paper concludes higher self-as-hierarchy significantly predicts lower depression and stress. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS Foundation Update: We Did It!
Thank you to everyone who donated to the ACBS Foundation this summer. We are thrilled to announce that the ACBS Foundation successfully met the challenge to raise $5,000 by August 31st! The challenge stemmed from a matching gift challenge from the Aaron S. Luoma Fund for Global Equity. You can find more information about the ACBS Foundation and the Luoma Fund here.
2020 ACBS World Conference: New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
July 14 - 19, 2020
Register your interest in the 2020 ACBS World Conference here.
We are pleased to announce new Committee Chairs! Publications Committee: Rhonda Merwin; Developing Nations Committee: Sindhushri BS and Claudette Foley; Program Committee: Jennifer Gregg & Matt Boone; Awards Committee: Staci Martin; See the full list of committees here. If you are interested in volunteering for a committee, please fill out this form.
New Video: An Experiential Introduction to Relational Frame Theory
The ACBS video collection has grown to 111 titles! We recommend you view the video of Ryan Sharma's workshop "An Experiential Introduction to Relational Frame Theory" presented at the 2018 World Conference. This interactive presentation allows attendees to learn RFT by participating in replicated match-to-sample studies, thought experiments, and guided imagery. (You need to login to your ACBS account to view the full collection of videos).
New ACT for Health Special Interest Group Listserv
ACBS recently created a new listserv for the ACT for Health Special Interest Group (SIG). We encourage ACT for Health SIG members to stay connected with your colleagues by joining the new SIG listserv today. Most SIGs have a dedicated listserv for ACBS members to share information that might be of interest to the other SIG members. You can see the full list of ACBS listservs on our website.
Psychological flexibility-based interventions versus first-line psychosocial interventions for substance use disorders: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials
In JCBS Vol. 13, Toshitaka Ii, Hirofumi Sato, Norio Watanabe, Masaki Kondo, Akihiko Masuda, Steven C. Hayes, and Tatsuo Akechi examine 10 RCTs of Psychological flexibility (PF)-based interventions for substance use. The paper concludes PF interventions showed more substance discontinuation than first-line treatments. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
Internships and Postdoctoral Fellowships
Does your employer have an internship or postdoctoral fellowship that would be relevant to students interested in CBS? We would love to post it on the ACBS website. Please email your internship/fellowship information to community@contextualscience.org. (If your employer already has a posting on our website, this is a great opportunity to make sure the information is still current. Email any updates to us.)
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Joshua Schultz, a fourth year graduate student at Widener University's Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology (USA). You can learn about Joshua Schultz on the ACBS website.
Student Spotlight Award: Application Deadline November 28, 2019
The Student Spotlight Program highlights students who are doing important work in the CBS community, whether for research, clinical, or volunteer-humanitarian efforts. This program is a great way to highlight their achievements and let the ACBS community know about important work students are doing. The spotlighted students will receive a 30% discount off the ACBS World Conference student registration fee. The application deadline is November 28.
2020 ACBS World Conference: New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
July 14 - 19, 2020
Register your interest in the 2020 ACBS World Conference here.
ACBS World Conference - Call for Submissions Is Open!
We are excited to invite you to join us in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for the Annual World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) July 14-19, 2020. We are accepting submissions for symposia, papers, panels, workshops, ignites sessions, posters, and Chapter/SIG meetings. Please click here for more information about the Call for Submissions.
The ACBS Foundation – A Year in Review
It has been almost one year since the ACBS Foundation was established and its work began. Highlights include the Foundation receiving designation as a non-profit organization in the United States and the creation of the Aaron S. Luoma Fund, which aims to advance global health, reduce global disparities, and promote global equity. You can read more about the ACBS Foundation's first year here.
Compassion Focused Therapy for anger: A pilot study of a group intervention for veterans with PTSD
In JCBS Vol. 13, Jed Grodin, Joshua L. Clark, Russell Kolts, and Travis I. Lovejoy examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a manualized 12-session group CFT protocol. The paper's findings indicate that CFT shows promise for reducing anger, decreasing fears of compassion, and decreasing PTSD symptom severity. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
New Argentina Chapter
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Chapter, the Argentina Chapter! The ACBS Argentina Chapter aims to facilitate the development and dissemination of CBS in Argentina and to build a collaborative community of practitioners, researchers and students in the country. ACBS members can join the Argentina Chapter and learn more about the new chapter on the ACBS website.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards: Deadline February 1, 2020
The Awards Committee is now accepting applications for the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards. These awards will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of CBS with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be monetary awards of $750 USD (first place) and $250 USD (second place) to be used in support of research and/or to facilitate travel to the ACBS annual conference.
Student Spotlight Award: Application Deadline November 28, 2019
The Student Spotlight Program highlights students who are doing important work in the CBS community, whether for research, clinical, or volunteer-humanitarian efforts. This program is a great way to highlight their achievements and let the ACBS community know about important work students are doing. The spotlighted students will receive a 30% discount off the ACBS World Conference student registration fee. The application deadline is November 28.
ACBS World Conference Scholarships
ACBS World Conference Scholarships are now open:
- Developing Nations Conference Scholars - Deadline is February 1, 2020
- Diversity Conference Scholars - Deadline is February 1, 2020
- Student Conference Scholars - Deadline is February 15, 2020
Congratulations to Jessica Kingston, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK and to Clarissa Ong, Utah State University, USA for being awarded the 2019 - 2020 ACBS Research Development Grants. Read more about their projects on the ACBS website.
Thank You to the Grants Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank Grants Committee Chair Megan Kelly and her committee members for the outstanding work they do. ACBS received 39 grant applications this year and the committee managed the process with excellence.
Psychological inflexibility mediates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and mental health outcomes
In JCBS Vol. 14, Helen Makriyianis, Emily Adams, Leslie Lozano, Taylor Mooney, Chloe Morton, and Miriam Liss investigated psychological flexibility and inflexibility as possible mediators in the relationship between ACEs and depression and anxiety. The paper found Self as Content and Inaction mediated for depression and anxiety. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS World Conference 17 Audio Recordings Are Now Available
The audio recordings from ACBS World Conference 17 are now available on the ACBS website. You can listen to a variety of recorded symposia, panel discussions, and lectures that were presented at the June 2019 conference in Dublin, Ireland. (While you are on the ACBS website, ACBS members can also listen to other great sessions from the past decade of ACBS World Conferences.)
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards: Application Deadline February 1, 2020
The Awards Committee is accepting applications for the Asher Student Dissertation Awards, which will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of CBS with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be monetary awards of $750 USD (first place) and $250 USD (second place) to be used in support of research or to travel to the ACBS World Conference.
ACBS World Conference: RFT and Behavior Analysis Track Call for Submissions
We are excited to invite you to join us in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for the Annual World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) July 14-19, 2020. The RFT and Behavior Analysis track is accepting submissions for symposia, papers, panels, and workshops. Please click here for more information about the Call for Submissions.
ACBS World Conference: Scholarship Application Deadlines
ACBS World Conference Scholarships are now open:
- Developing Nations Conference Scholars - application deadline is February 1, 2020
- Diversity Conference Scholars - application deadline is February 1, 2020
- Student Conference Scholars - application deadline is February 15, 2020
The Journey From Pain to Change! The ACBS Turkey Chapter Hosts Its First Congress
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Ahmet Nalbant, M.D., the president of the ACBS Turkey Chapter, examines how the organizing and hosting of their first ACT Congress reinforced the chapter's values. The Turkey chapter was formed in 2013 and four years later the chapter held the first ACT congress in the region. Hundreds of people attended the congress in Istanbul in September 2017. You can read about the ACBS Turkey Chapter's journey here.
Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Trainings for Fostering Self-Care and Reducing Stress in Mental Health Professionals: A Systematic Review
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 4, Myriam Rudaz, Michael Twohig, Clarissa Ong, and Michael Levin review the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to foster self-care and reduce stress in mental health professionals. The paper explains that most studies support the benefit of these trainings to change process variables. ACBS members can read it for free in the member portal.
Call for Nominations: Board of Directors
It's time again for elections to the ACBS Board of Directors! Being on the ACBS Board is a fun and rewarding experience, and an opportunity to help shape a vibrant, creative, and collaborative contextual behavioral community. This year, we will need to elect 5 new members to the board: President, Secretary-Treasurer, Student Representative, and 2 Members-at-large. If you would like to nominate someone, please submit them here by February 2, 2018.
New Chapters and Affiliates
In 2017, ACBS members formed a new chapter (Brazil) and three new affiliates (Romania; Albuquerque & Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Louisiana & Mississippi). Chapters and Affiliates are membership groups associated with ACBS through their interest in the dissemination and growth of ACBS values. Affiliates are smaller & simpler than chapters; however, both types of groups can do most of the same activities, such as workshops or peer supervision groups. See the full list of 60+ chapters and affiliates on the ACBS website.
See you in Montréal, Canada, at the 16th ACBS World Conference!
July 24-29, 2018. Click here for more information.
Community
2018 # 2 Newsletter (February)
2018 # 2 Newsletter (February)
ACBS Newsletter
February 2018
ACBS Research Development Grants
Congratulations to Karoly Schlosser, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK and to Elena Ballantyne, Psy.D., McMaster University, Canada for being awarded the 2017 - 2018 ACBS Research Development Grants. You can read about their projects on the ACBS website.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG, it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent student spotlight award recipient! This month's featured student is Joanna Kaye, a fourth year graduate student studying at Drexel University. You can learn about Joanna and her work here.
Thank You to the Chapter and SIG Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Chapter and SIG Committee chairs Mark Sisti and Brian Pilecki and their committee members for the stellar work that they do. The primary function of the Chapter and SIG Committee is to advise and support existing ACBS chapters, affiliates, and SIGs, as well as to promote the development and organization of new ones.
The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Matrix Mobile App: A Pilot Randomized Trial on Health Behaviors
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 3, Michael Levin, Benjamin Pierce, and Benjamin Schoendorff evaluated an ACT-based app for health behaviors based on the matrix approach. The paper explains that participants who adhered to the app improved more on health behaviors and the rate of reported valued actions increased over days using the app. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
World Conference 16: Poster Submission Deadline
During the poster session at ACBS World Conference 16, attendees will have the opportunity to examine posters and interact with presenters. Posters usually report empirical research and will be organized into one or more sessions. The Call for Submissions deadline for poster presentations is March 20, 2018.
World Conference 16 Pre-Conference Workshop: Connecting Across Cultural Differences in Moments that Matter: A CBS Skills Based Approach
Jonathan Kanter, Daniel Rosen, and Mary Plummer Loudon will be presenting the pre-conference workshop "Connecting across Cultural Differences in Moments that Matter: A CBS Skills Based Approach" on Tuesday July 24 and Wednesday July 25. You can read more about the workshop here. Kanter, Rosen, and Loudon are donating the speaker proceeds for this workshop to the ACBS Diversity Committee Scholarhip Fund.
Submitting Items to the Newsletter
Do you have something newsworthy for ACBS to share? If you have any ideas for articles or Q&A sessions that you would like to see included in the next ACBS newsletter, please submit them via e-mail to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org. We would love to share your community projects, research findings, outreach programs and other relevant news to the ACBS community!
We are pleased to announce the winners of the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award: Samuel Faulkner, East Carolina University, for his dissertation focusing on using psychological flexibility with youth from a disadvantaged area in order to target health-related behaviors; and second place winner Yuen-yu Chong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, for her randomized control study which examined the effects of a parent training program using ACT therapy for managing children with asthma.
ACBS Board of Directors for 2018 - 2019
It is our great pleasure to announce the 2018 - 2019 ACBS Board of Directors:
President Louise Hayes; President-Elect Dennis Tirch; Past-President Nanni Presti; Secretary-Treasurer Maria Karekla; Members-at-Large Miranda Morris, Lisa Coyne, Amy Murrell, and Jonathan Bricker;Student Representative Sonia Singh.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent student spotlight award recipient! This month's featured student is Inês A. Trindade, a graduate student studying at University of Coimbra, Portugal. You can learn about Inês and her work here.
Thank You to the Awards Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Awards Committee Chair Joann Wright and her committee members for the stellar work that they do. The Awards Committee recognizes the important works of those who have excelled in various aspects in the field of contextual behavioral science.
Conceptual Advances in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning: Implications for Relational Frame Theory
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 3, Nigel A. Vahey, Marc Bennett, and Robert Whelan state that cognitive neuroscience has developed many approaches to the study of learning that might be useful to functionally oriented researchers. The paper explains how cognitive neuroscience can foster conceptual and empirical development in Relational Frame Theory (RFT). ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
Submitting Dissertations to the ACBS Website
Do you have a CBS dissertation? Then please email your dissertation and citation to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org and we will post it on the ACBS website. We know you put alot of work into your dissertation, so we encourage you to share your dissertation so that other ACBS members may read it!
ACBS Annual World Conference 16
See you in Montréal, Canada!
July 24-29, 2018
Click here for more information.
World Conference 16: Pre-Conference Workshop Débuter et approfondir sa pratique de la thérapie d’acceptation et d’engagement (ACT): un atelier de mise en pratique
Frédérick Dionne, Jana Grand, and Jean-Christophe Seznec will be presenting the pre-conference workshop Débuter et approfondir sa pratique de la thérapie d’acceptation et d’engagement (ACT): un atelier de mise en pratique on Tuesday July 24 and Wednesday July 25, 2018 in Montréal. You can read more about the workshop here.
World Conference 16: Invited Speaker Susan David
Susan David, Ph.D., a Harvard Medical School psychologist, studies emotional agility. She recently delivered the TedTalk "The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage" at the official TedWomen Conference. Susan David will give an invited talk at the ACBS World Conference 16 in July 2018 in Montréal. We are excited to listen to her speak to the ACBS community!
Community
2018 # 4 Newsletter (April)
2018 # 4 Newsletter (April)
ACBS Newsletter
May 2018
2018 Diversity Committee Scholars Announced
Congratulations to 2018 Diversity Committee Scholars Gillian Grannum, Emily Munoz, Paola Ricardo, and Margaret McLauchlan. The Diversity Committee provides scholarships to attend the ACBS World Conference to ACBS members who are from varied backgrounds and who would not be able to attend without this added financial support. The scholarships are financed by money raised from the ACBS community. To donate, please visit the Diversity Committee Fund page.
Thank you to the Diversity Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Diversity Committee Co-Chairs Khashayar Farhadi Langroudi and Sandra Georgescu and their committee members for the valuable work that they do. The Diversity Committee is dedicated to creating a more inclusive ACBS community that is sensitive to diverse personal and professional backgrounds and their perspectives, experiences, and insights.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent student spotlight award recipient! This month's featured student is Kevin Davies, a graduate student studying at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA. You can learn about Kevin and his work here.
What is the evidence for the efficacy of self-help acceptance and commitment therapy? A systematic review and meta-analysis
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 4, Kate French, Nima Golijani-Moghaddam, and Thomas Schröder identified and reviewed thirteen peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials totaling 2580 participants. The paper concludes that greater clinician guidance is seen to improve outcomes of ACT self-help and that psychological flexibility is a likely moderator of depression and anxiety outcomes. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
Submitting Academic Training and Research Labs to the ACBS Website
Do you work in an Academic Training and Research Lab? Then please email information about your CBS lab to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org and we will post it on the ACBS website. If your lab is already on the list, please make sure your lab's information is up-to-date. You can email any corrections to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org.
ACBS Annual World Conference 16
Montréal, Canada
July 24-29, 2018
Early Registration Rates end on Friday May 4, 2018. Register now to get the discounted Early Registration rate.
World Conference 16 Pre-Conference Workshop: A Functional Contextualist Approach to Early Language Training: Using Relational Frame Theory to Promote Linguistic Generativity
Siri Ming, Ian Stewart, John McElwee, and Diana Ferroni-Bast will be presenting the pre-conference workshop A Functional Contextualist Approach to Early Language Training: Using Relational Frame Theory to Promote Linguistic Generativity on Tuesday July 24 and Wednesday July 25, 2018 in Montréal. You can read more about the workshop here.
World Conference 16 Invited Speaker: Christopher Martell
Christopher Martell, University of Massachusetts Amherst, is the co-author of eight books, he has published widely on behavioral treatments for depression, couples therapy, and issues affecting gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals. He is first author of Behavioral Activation for Depression: A Clinician's Guide, and Depression in Context: Strategies for Guided Action. Christopher Martell will give an invited talk at the ACBS World Conference 16 in Montréal in July 2018.
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Publications Committee Chair Steve Hayes and the committee members Dermot Barnes-Holmes, Lance McCracken, Rhonda Merwin, and Todd Kashdan. The purpose of the Publications Committee is to help develop the quality and impact of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) and to improve the oversight and management of ACBS over JCBS.
An investigation into the relationship between the three selves (Self-as-Content, Self-as-Process and Self-as-Context) and mental health in adolescents
In JCBS Vol. 7 Issue 1, Orla Moran, Priscilla Almada, and Louise McHugh tested the self model based on predictions from Contextual Behavioral Science. The paper states a significant model emerged indicating that the three selves model is predictive of mental health in adolescents. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Jessica Stark, a graduate student studying at Antioch University, Seattle, USA. You can learn about Jessica and her work here.
Submitting Internships to the ACBS Website
Does your organization have internships in ACT or CBS? Then please email information about the internship to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org and we will post it on the ACBS website. If your internship is already on the list, please make sure the information is up-to-date. You can email any corrections to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org.
Alert: "Counselor Needed" Scam
ACBS has received reports that 3 ACBS members received the same scam email requesting psychological services. The ACBS website has safeguards in place to help limit the quantity of emails that can be sent, as well as the timing, so as to help stop scam emails from coming through. However, depending on how the messages are sent, we unfortunately can’t stop all of them. To protect yourself, please read how this scam works here.
ACBS Annual World Conference 16
Montréal, Canada
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel
July 24-29, 2018
World Conference 16 Pre-Conference Workshop: Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT as a Brief Intervention
Patricia Robinson will be presenting the pre-conference workshop Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT as a Brief Intervention on Tuesday July 24 and Wednesday July 25, 2018 in Montréal. You can read more about Patricia Robinson's workshop here.
World Conference 16 Invited Speaker: Lisa Coyne
Lisa Coyne is the Founder and Director of the McLean OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents at McLean Hospital, and is on the Faculty of Harvard Medical School. She is also a Research Associate Professor in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. Lisa Coyne will give a plenary address at the ACBS World Conference in Montréal on Thursday July 26.
World Conference 16 Opening Ceremony: Elder, Otsi’tsaken:ra (Speckled Flower, Bear Clan), from the Kanien’keha:ka Community of Kahnawake Otsi’tsaken:ra
The ACBS World Conference 16 opening and closing ceremonies will be led by Elder, Otsi’tsaken:ra (Speckled Flower, Bear Clan), from the Kanien’keha:ka Community of Kahnawake. The opening ceremony will be at 8:40am on Thursday July 26 and the closing ceremony will be at 12:10pm on Sunday July 29. Read more on the ACBS website.
We want to notify you that ACBS has received a few reports from members of a scam that is being emailed through our website. We’ve also learned that we’re not the only psychology association in this situation.
The ACBS website has safeguards in place to help limit the quantity of emails that can be sent, as well as the timing, so as to help stop scam emails from coming through. However, depending on how they are sent, we unfortunately can’t stop all of them. In case you are unaware of these scams, we just wanted to explain how some of them work. The person often requests services very soon and attempts to push things through quickly. They then want to pre-pay, often with a credit card or check, but sometimes through other means. The payment will be for the amount due, or for too much money. They will then cancel and request a refund typically in a different way (like they pay by credit card, and ask for the refund as a check or bank transfer). Assuming that the money is stolen (stolen credit card), you have now “refunded” to a different account. When the credit card company or bank follows up with you on the unauthorized charge, you no longer have the funds, but they will still be taken back from you by the credit card company or bank.
The vast majority of the emails you might receive via the ACBS website (via your personal contact form) are from legitimate members or legitimate potential clients. However, the emails are not previously vetted for their veracity. If you would prefer to NEVER receive an email via the ACBS website from a member of the public or another ACBS member, please login at https://contextualscience.org/user then click on “My Account” at the top of the page, then click on “Edit”, then uncheck the “Personal contact form” check box at the bottom of the page and click “Save”. Changing your account this way does not change your ability to receive ACBS listserv posts, newsletters, or other direct communications from ACBS.
If you have questions or need help, please contact ACBS staff at acbsstaff@contextualscience.org
Thank you,
Emily Rodrigues, Executive Director
(This webpage was updated on May 25, 2018)
Community
2018 # 6 Newsletter (June)
2018 # 6 Newsletter (June)
ACBS Newsletter
June 2018
International Collaboration Made "III Poznańska Konferencja ACT i CBS" a Success
The ACBS Poland Chapter held the "III Poznańska Konferencja ACT i CBS" in May 2018 in the city of Poznań. This 2 day conference was the first ACBS regional conference to have only European trainers and presenters. Click here to read more about how international collaboration made the Polish conference a success.
Congratulations to the new ACBS Fellows
ACBS is pleased to announce our 2018 class of Fellows:
Paul Atkins, Ph.D., Andrew Gloster, Ph.D., Eric Morris, Ph.D., Graciela Rovner, Ph.D., Ross White, Ph.D., and Joann Wright, Ph.D.
Congratulations and thank you for your contributions to contextual behavioral science and to the ACBS community.
Developing Nations Scholars
Congratulations to the 2018 Developing Nations Scholars: Iqbalzada Abdul Hadi (Afghanistan), Fresia Hernandez (Mexico), and Kizito Wamala (Uganda). 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.
Thank you to the Developing Nations Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Developing Nations Committee Chair, Rosco Kasujja, Ph.D., and the committee members. The ACBS Developing Nations Committee links ACBS members from developing nations to the bigger ACBS Community. The committee also selects the recipients of the Developing Nations Scholarship and conducts fundraising for the Developing Nations Training Fund.
Psychological inflexibility and stigma: A meta-analytic review
In JCBS Vol. 7, Jennifer Krafft, Jillian Ferrell, Michael E. Levin, and Michael P. Twohig did a systematic review of interventions, identifying 15 studies on ACT interventions for stigma. Initial findings indicate consistent reductions in stigma following ACT interventions, as well as improved outcomes relative to active controls. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
The ACBS Grant Committee Needs Your Help!
ACBS provides two $5,000 grants for research that advances the field of CBS through Research Development Grants approved by the ACBS Grant Committee. We are looking for volunteers for the current grant cycle to help us select the grant recipients. Each grant application will be reviewed by two reviewers, and the review of each application takes approximately 45 minutes. If you are available to be a grant reviewer during October 2018, then we encourage you to fill out a quick, 2-minute webform.
ACBS Annual World Conference 16
Montréal, Canada
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel
July 24-29, 2018
World Conference 16 Pre-Conference Workshop: ACT therapists’ use of self: Working with self; working with stuckness
Helen Bolderston and David Gillanders will be presenting the pre-conference workshop ACT therapists’ use of self: Working with self; working with stuckness on Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25, 2018 in Montréal. You can read more about their workshop here.
World Conference 16 Invited Speaker: Sue Johnson
Sue Johnson, Ed.D. is the leading developer of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). She is a Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa, the Distinguished Research Professor in the Marital & Family Therapy Program at Alliant University in San Diego, Director of the ICEEFT and Director of the Ottawa Couple and Family Institute Inc. Sue Johnson will be presenting her plenary address "EFT: The science and soul of couple therapy" on Thursday, July 26, 2018 in Montréal.
ACBS Joins Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations
The ACBS Board of Directors voted to join the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Association for Positive Behavior Support, Evolution Institute, National Prevention Science Coalition, and Society of Behavioral Medicine in forming a new Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations, with Dr. Emily Sandoz as ACBS’ representative to the Coalition. Read more about the Coalition on the ACBS website.
Student World Conference Scholars
Congratulations to the 2018 Student World Conference Scholars: Karoly Schlosser (UK), Benjamin Ramos (UK), Zülal ÇELİK (Turkey), Merve Terzioglu (Turkey), and Michael McGlenn (USA). The ACBS Student SIG provides scholarships that help subsidize the costs of attending the annual ACBS World Conference.
JCBS: Journal Impact Factor
The Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) received its first Clarivate Analytics (formerly of Thomson Reuters) Journal Impact Factor in the 2018 release of the Journal Citations Report. The impact was estimated at 1.216. Read more about the JCBS' Journal Impact Factor on the ACBS website.
List Your ACT Postdoctoral Fellowship on the ACBS Website
Does your organization have Postdoctoral Fellowships in ACT or CBS? Then please email information about the fellowship to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org and we will post it on the ACBS website. If your fellowship is already on the website, please make sure the information is up-to-date. You can email any corrections to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org.
ACBS World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland
ACBS World Conference 17
Dublin, Ireland
June 25 - 30, 2019
Where in the world will ACBS World Conference 18 be?
We are proud to announce the ACBS World Conference 18 will be held in
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA from July 14-19, 2020!
ACBS Research Development Grant: Application Deadline October 1, 2018
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for any contexual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two Research Development Grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science. The deadline to apply is October 1, 2018.
Interview with ACBS Member Alison Benedict
Welcome to a new feature of the ACBS monthly newsletter where we learn more about the inspiring work of ACBS members. In our first installment, we will learn about Alison Kiawenniserathe Benedict, MSW, RSW, a social worker practicing as a Provincial Aboriginal Training Coordinator in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Evaluating the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training on the overt behavior of parents of children with autism
In JCBS Vol. 7, Evelyn R. Gould, Jonathan Tarbox, and Lisa Coyne studied the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training on values-directed overt behavior in parents of children with ASD. Exploratory data suggested decreases in parental experiential avoidance and increases in self-compassion. ACBS members can read the paper for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS World Conference 16 Recap
ACBS Student Representative Sonia Singh attended her fourth ACBS World Conference. In her blog, you can read why she keeps coming back year after year; her reflections and insights about the annual conference; and some highlights and photos from this year's conference in Montreal, Canada.
Thank You to the World Conference 16 Program Committee
Thank you to the World Conference 16 Program Committee Chairs Aisling Leonard-Curtin and Frédérick Dionne and the dozens of people who volunteered for the Program Committee. Their hardwork and meticulous planning made ACBS World Conference 16 an outstanding event!
Early Career Research Paper Award
At the World Conference 16, ACBS piloted the Early Career Research Paper Award program to recognize a rising star researcher presenting a study at the conference. This year's winner was Yuen-yu Chong, Ph.D. She conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of an ACT program to help parents respond more effectively to their young children's asthma behaviors.
World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland
ACBS World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland, June 25 - 30, 2018. Register your interest in the ACBS World Conference 17 on the website and we will send you notifications when items such as the Call for Submissions, Registration, and the program are available.
ACBS Research Development Grant: Application Deadline October 1, 2018
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for any contexual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two Research Development Grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science. The deadline to apply is October 1, 2018.
ACBS Diversity in Publishing Survey: Deadline October 10, 2018
Members of the Women in ACBS SIG and Diversity Committee have created a brief survey about facilitators and barriers to publication. The survey takes 5 – 10 minutes to complete. The survey closes October 10, 2018. (As a bonus, the ACBS Board has agreed to provide 2-year ACBS memberships to four survey respondents, to be chosen randomly through a raffle.)
ACBS Chapters Host Regional Conferences
Are you excited for the ACBS World Conference in Dublin but don't want to wait until June to connect with other ACBS members? Then consider attending a regional conference hosted by one of the ACBS Chapters around the globe. Thanks to volunteer leadership, a number of these chapters are working hard to offer access to local research and training at their own conferences. Find more information about upcoming regional conferences on the ACBS website.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Raul Vaz Manzione, a RFT-researcher at Centro Paradigma de Ciências do Comportamento, Brazil. You can learn about Raul and his work here.
New ACBS Committee Chairs
We are pleased to announce new Committee Chairs! Program Committee: Louise McHugh & David Gillanders; Grants: Megan Kelly; Communications: Emanuele Rossi; Conference Strategy: Manuela O'Connell; Membership: Margharita Gurrieri; Training: Patricia Bach; See the full list of Committees here. If you are interested in volunteering for a committee, please fill out this form.
Using conceptual developments in RFT to direct case formulation and clinical intervention: Two case summaries
In JCBS Vol. 7, Y. Barnes-Holmes, J. Boorman, J. E.Oliver, M. Thompson, C. McEnteggart, and C. Coulter outline two broad areas in which they believe the basic theory is showing increasingly direct application to therapy. The paper is part of an ongoing effort to better connect RFT with the complexities of clinical phenomena. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland
ACBS World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland, June 25 - 30, 2018. Register your interest in the ACBS World Conference 17 on the website and we will send you notifications when items such as the Call for Submissions, registration, and the program are available.
The 250 Randomized Controlled Trial milestone represents the culmination of more than 30 years of ACT research from this community. The ACBS Communication Committee maintains the list of RCTs on the ACT Randomized Controlled Trials page. It is a great resource with information about each study's trial area, trial conditions, sample size, and link to the full text of the study.
Featured Video: Carmen Luciano's Plenary Address from ACBS World Conference 15
The ACBS video collection has grown to 100 titles! We recommend you view the video of Carmen Luciano's plenary address presented at the ACBS World Conference 15 in Seville, Spain: The Self and Responding to the one's own Behavior: Implications of Coherence and Hierarchical Framing. (You need to login to your ACBS account to view the full collection of videos).
New ACT for Military Personnel Special Interest Group
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the ACT for Military Personnel SIG! The new SIG’s mission is to promote clinical practice, clinical training, and research of ACT and other CBS consistent therapies for active duty military members and their families. You can join the SIG listserv and learn more about the ACT for Military Personnel SIG here.
Student Spotlight Award: Application Deadline November 23, 2018
The ACBS Student Spotlight Program highlights students who are doing important work in the CBS community, whether for research, clinical, and/or volunteer-humanitarian efforts. This program is a great way to highlight their achievements and let the ACBS community know about important work students are doing. The application deadline is November 23, 2018.
World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland
June 25 - 30, 2019
Reserve your room now!
Click here for information about World Conference 17 accommodations.
News from the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science
JCBS VOLUME 8 AND 9: JCBS Volume 8 and 9 are now available on the ACBS website. ACBS members can access the full text version of every article from all nine volumes of the journal.
JCBS STUDENT EDITORIAL BOARD: JCBS plans to seat a student editorial board (SEB), comprised of graduate students interested in CBS. Once appointed, SEB members will review JCBS articles, gaining invaluable experience in the peer-review process and helping to steer the content of JCBS.
NEW JCBS ZOTERO GROUP: Are you a Zotero user who loves JCBS? Now you can access a public Zotero group with complete abstract and citation information for every article ever published in JCBS (current through volume 9.) Search easily through the publications by author, keyword, tag, and more. Happy researching!
NEW CASE STUDY: According to PlumX Metrics, Juan M. Flujas-Contreras and Inmaculada Gómez's article in JCBS Volume 8 has been shared and liked 128 times on social media! This paper describes a case study of ACT applied to the problems in a mother's interaction with her family. The effects of her treatment are reflected in her son, suggesting two-way psychological flexibility between mother and son.
The ACT in Context Podcast is back! Our goal with the podcast is to have a series of conversations with some of the interesting members of our CBS community. Produced by Marcel Tasara, hosted by Joanne Steinwachs and Tim Gordon, ACT in Context is being offered as both a traditional podcast with audio and as a video podcast. You can listen to the new podcast episodes on the ACBS website.
New Occupational Therapy and ACT Special Interest Group
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the Occupational Therapy and ACT SIG! The new SIG will explore all aspects of Occupational Engagement and ACT and will share, discuss, and support current developments between ACT and Occupational Therapy. ACBS members can join the SIG listserv and learn more about the Occupational Therapy and ACT SIG here.
Thank you to the Continuing Education Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the CE Committee Chair Hank Robb and his committee members for the stellar work that they do. The Continuing Education (CE) committee is responsible for staying abreast of industry guidelines on Continuing Education. The committee also evaluates ACBS events and co-sponsor training events for CE suitability and approval.
Student Spotlight Award
In conjunction with the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), it is our pleasure to introduce the most recent Student Spotlight Award recipient! This month's featured student is Amanda Rhodes, a 4th year doctoral candidate in Combined Clinical and School Psychology at Kean University, New Jersey, USA. You can learn about Amanda and her work here.
A multiple-baseline evaluation of a brief acceptance and commitment therapy protocol focused on repetitive negative thinking for moderate emotional disorders
In JCBS Vol. 9, Francisco J. Ruiz et al., state that repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is an experiential avoidance strategy. RNT is usually the first response to aversive private experiences. The paper concludes that ACT protocols focused on disrupting RNT can be very effective. ACBS members can read it for free in the JCBS member portal.
ACBS World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland June 25 -30, 2019
The Call for Submissions is now open. We are accepting submissions for symposia, papers, panels, workshops, ignite sessions, posters, and chapter/SIG meetings. Please click here for more information about the Call for Submissions.
Reserve your room now! Click here for information about World Conference 17 accommodations.
Add your name to the World Conference 17 mailing list and we will send you notifications when items such as the program and registration are available.
The Continuing Education (CE) committee shall be responsible for staying abreast of industry guidelines on Continuing Education. The committee also evaluates ACBS events and co-sponsor training events for CE suitability and approval.
ACBS is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. We offer the opportunity for non-profit associations and the general public to hold training events where they are able to offer CEs for Psychologists through ACBS. In order to do so, an organization or individual must complete the Co-Sponsor Application Form and then be approved by the Continuing Education Committee of ACBS. You can read about CE co-sponsorship on the ACBS website. https://contextualscience.org/acbs_CE_co-sponsorship
The 2018 ACBS CE Committee
Hank Robb – Chair
Zachary Isoma
Sandra Georgescu
Jonathan Williams
Community
2018 #12 Newsletter (December)
2018 #12 Newsletter (December)
ACBS Newsletter
December 2018
ACBS Research Development Grants
Congratulations to Mary Lally, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, USA and to Nima Golijani Moghaddam, University of Lincoln, UK for being awarded the 2018 - 2019 ACBS Research Development Grants. You can read about their projects on the ACBS website.
Thank you to the Grants Committee
ACBS committees are staffed entirely by volunteers. We want to thank the Grants Committee Chair Megan Kelly and her committee members for the outstanding work that they do. ACBS received 44 grant applications this year and the committee managed the process smoothly and professionally.
Joshua Pritchard Appointed Representative to the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations
We are pleased to announce the ACBS Board of Directors has appointed Joshua Pritchard to be the ACBS representative to the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations. You can read more about the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations on the ACBS website.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards
The Asher Dissertation Awards will be given to two students based on their doctoral dissertation proposal related to the use of Contextual Behavioral Science with children/adolescents. Accompanying this honor will be monetary awards of $750 USD and $250 USD to be used in support of research and/or to facilitate travel to the ACBS annual conference. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2019.
Four New Listservs for Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
From receiving our first Impact Factor score of 1.216 to sharing 79,523 full-text downloads with readers like you, 2018 was an amazing year for JCBS. Spend some of your holiday downtime catching up on what your colleagues have been up to this year with JCBS, the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to contextual behavioral science. ACBS members can read it for free in theJCBS member portal.
ACBS World Conference 17: Dublin, Ireland 25-30 June, 2019
It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses an "I": Webinar with Louise McHugh, PhD and Priscilla Almada, Ph.D.
Relational Frame Theory can be a daunting area of research to comprehend, but is crucial in establishing the theoretical underpinnings of ACT. However, the ACBS Student SIG have partnered up with Louise McHugh and Priscilla Almada to provide a free webinar for ACBS members walking through the relational frames associated with identifying self in the context of others (i.e., deictic relational frames). This accessible, experiential, and empirically grounded workshop guides viewers through a brief primer on RFT, the self/others as conceptualized by RFT and ACT, and the ways in which disruptions in self-other framing can lead to psychological problems. The workshop also introduces the flexible connectedness model that integrates deictic framing, difficulties in empathizing, and experiential avoidance in order to predict socially maladaptive behaviors. The video is available on for watching here, and you can catch up on other webinars on the Student SIG Webinar page. Student ACBS members who are interested in getting connected with others should visit the Student SIG page for information about the SIG and instructions on how to join!
Student Spotlight Winner
We are happy to announce the first student spotlight winner, in conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG! This month's featured student, Corinna Stewart, is currently in her final year of her Ph.D. at NUI Galway, where she has been studying paranoia from a CBS perspective using the IRAP and other RFT-based methods. She is also currently serving as the research team leader with commit and act, a non-governmental organization utilizing ACT, PROSOCIAL, and CBS principles to bring psychotherapeutic support to Sierra Leone. To learn more about Corinna, please visit her Student Spotlight Award Winner page.
The purpose of the Student Spotlight 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 the important work students are doing, and to provide a platform for mentoring, collaboration, professional development, and other conversations around highlighted areas.
TED Talks Translations
One of the most important tasks given to researchers, scientists, and academics is the need to disseminate our theories and findings to the community at large. In the modern era, an effective way of doing so is by using the TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) platform to film and share talks to reach a wider audience. However, this resource is often limited in scope to English-speaking populations. However, thanks to the commitment of members within the ACBS community, they have created and compiled a list of translated TEDx Talks across 20 languages.
Links to the videos are available on our TedTalk Translation page. We encourage members to share these videos to the international community at large to help spread contextual science ideas on a global scale. And of course, a heartfelt thanks to those who contributed their time and effort to transcribe these videos!
Learn and ACT: Changing Prejudice Towards Mental Illness
One of the most problematic issues facing clients is the stigma that they feel from others for their struggle with mental illness. In a study published in JCBS, Kenny & Bizumic compared an ACT-based intervention to an educational intervention in reducing stigmatizing attiudes towards people with mental illness. Though both interventions were effective at reducing stigma, participants who were given the ACT-based intervention demonstrated greater improvements. The authors also developed a new measure for Prejudice towards People with Mental Illness (PPMI), consisting of four factors (fear/avoidance, malevolence, authoritarianism, and unpredictability) and found the measure to demonstrate reliability, divergent validity, and convergent validity. These findings have implications on the design of future stigma reduction interventions, and the development of new methods to target malevolent attitudes towards mental illness.
To read the full study, or any other studies published in JCBS, please visit the ACBS member portal to JCBShere. If you would like to contribute to JCBS please see our submission information page. If you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our JCBS reference sharing pagewhich includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.
2017 Annual Conference Registration and Scholarships Open
ACBS is pleased to announce that registration for our 15th annual conference, held on June 22-25 in Seville, Spain, is officially open! Make sure to register as soon as possible, as early registration rates end on April 7th. We are also collaborating with oneworld® to provide discounted airfare prices for travel - more details can be found on our Travel/Flight Information page.
The Call for Submissions closes February 15 (March 15 for posters) so be sure to submit your best work!
Estamos aceptando presentaciones para conferencias. Se aceptan presentaciones en Inglés o Español.
In addition, ACBS is offering a limited number of travel and/or registration fee awards and scholarships and awards. We urge you to visit our scholarship page to see if you qualify for any of these scholarships! Please note that you will need to be logged into your account in order to access and submit these applications.
Building Bridges
The ancient capital city of Edinburgh in Scotland played host to the most modern advances in Contextual Behavioural Science, ACT, & RFT in late November 2016. This was the third conference, jointly hosted by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ACT Special Interest Group and the UK & Ireland ACBS chapter. There were two days of preconference workshops, at an introductory (Joe Oliver and Richard Bennet) and advanced (Robyn Walser) level as well as one day preconference workshops on adapting ACT for people who have been diagnosed with personality disorder (Helen Bolderston) and on creating psychological flexibility in communities and organisations (Ross White). Click here to read more about this exciting conference!
Get Acquainted with ACBS
We are pleased to announce the creation of a new Special Interest Group dedicated to Women in ACBS. Thanks to the efforts of Robyn Walser, Sandra Georgescu, and many others, our members have developed this SIG to address gender biases that exist in and outside of ACBS, providing a safe space in which individuals may speak from or share women's perspectives. Please join us in celebrating and applauding this commitment to diversity, and consider becoming a member of the SIG!
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you at the Seville, Spain World Conference!
To be held June 20-25, 2017. Go here for more information.
Community
2017 #2 Newsletter (March)
2017 #2 Newsletter (March)
ACBS Newsletter - March 2017
Pre-Conference PROSOCIAL Workshop Highlight
Some of the most significant problems facing the human race - climate change, poverty, discrimination - are ones that can only be realistically tackled at the group level. ACBS is pleased to present "Igniting change in your groups: the 8 PROSOCIAL principles in action", a pre-conference workshop focused on improving the effectiveness of groups, across contexts, in order to bring about real, meaningful, social change.
We had a chance to catch up with one of the speakers for the event, Paul Atkins, Ph.D., to briefly speak about his research, his work, and some of the different challenges associated with bringing about change at the individual level compared to the group level. Please check out the interview on the ACBS website here.
If you'd like to know more about PROSOCIAL or the pre-conference workshop, we encourage you to visit the PROSOCIAL workshop page. To learn more about the other pre-conference workshops, you can see a list of what's being offered here. Make sure to register for the conference and pre-conference workshops by 7 April in order to qualify for the early registration rates!
2017 Annual Conference Early Registration rates end 7 April!
Just a reminder that the early registration rates for our annual conference end on April 7th! Make sure to register before then as the money you save could easily be put toward exploring the beautiful city of Seville! Check out our Things to Do and Traveling Tips page to see some of the wonderful things Seville has to offer, and to start planning some fun events to do while you're there!
Make sure to book a room as soon as possible - we have negotiated a group block rate at the Melia Seville, as well as at the nearby Hotel NH Collection Seville, but spaces are limited. To check out our block rates, and to reserve your room at the block rates, please visit our conference hotel page!
We are also collaborating with oneworld® to provide discounted airfare prices for travel - more details can be found on our Travel/Flight Information page.
This year we also have our first ever additional Tours exploring Southern Spain. Bring your partners, guests and spouses!
Looking for ways to connect to and become involved with other local and regional members of the ACBS community? Though joining an ACBS Chapter is possibly one of the best ways to get connected, individuals also have the option of joining or starting an ACBS Affiliate. Affiliates are a quicker, smaller, and simpler way to coordinate a local ACBS group. Additionally, in high population areas, Affiliates provide members with a way to get connected at a smaller, more tightly-knit level.
The North Central New Jersey Affiliate, for example, holds an annual lunch event with an invited speaker: this year, the lunch was held at the Roots Steakhouse with featured speaker Jonathan Fader, Ph.D., author of "Life As Sport: What Top Athletes Can Teach You About How To Win In Life.” To read more about the event, and for some simple advice on how to host a well-attended event, please check out our news article. To find out if there is an ACBS Affiliate near you, or for more information on how to start an ACBS Affilitae, visit our ACBS Affiliates page on our website.
15 in 15 Podcast with Richard Bennett
We are very excited to share that ACBS member and ACT Peer-Reviewed trainer Richard Bennett is hosting an ACBS Annual Conference podcast series entitled "15 in 15". Join Dr. Bennett as he does 15 minute interviews with some of our fascinating ACBS colleagues, as well as some of the key contributors to our annual conference, including leading Relational Frame Theory researcher, Yvonne Barnes-Holmes; current ACBS President D.J. Moran; and co-founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Steven Hayes. You can also check out the podcast on iTunes or on the ACBS website. More episodes will be coming very soon, so stay tuned!
Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC-ACBS) Graduate Training Program
One of the most important goals of ACBS is that of dissemination: to inform others and spread contextual behavioral science to places where it is lacking. Though this can be as dramatic as providing outreach and crisis intervention services to individuals residing in Sierra Leone, it can also happen in our own backyards, as evidenced by the recent work of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter(MAC) of ACBS. In an effort to spread CBS principles, the MAC leadership elected to reach out at the local level and contact graduate university programs in the area. Out of the 30-40 programs contacted, 3 invited the MAC to provide training for their graduate students, resulting in a positive student response and invitations to come back for subsequent trainings. To learn more about this experience, please visit the news page, and check out the MAC Chapter to learn more about the chapter. And join us in thanking Miranda Morris, Chris Wemple, and Staci Martin for volunteering their time to conduct these trainings! You guys rock!
2017 Student Spotlight Winners
We are happy to announce the second and third student spotlight winners, in conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG! This month's first featured student is Cainã Gomes. He is currently finishing up his master's degree at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo working on experimental research exploring rule-governed behavior and the transformation of stimulus functions under the supervision of Willia Perez, Roberta Kova, Julio de Rose, and Dermot Barnes-Holmes. Cainã also volunteers at the Universidade de São Paulo hospital, working with children with severe symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cainã states that he hopes to strengthen ties between basic laboratory research and the clinical applied settings, which is particularly important given the prevalence of conservative behavior analysts in Brazil.
Our next featured student is Victoria Ameral, a 5th year graduate student at Clark University under the supervision of Kathleen Palm Reed. Victoria is currently exploring the effects of values clarification in opioid use disorder as her dissertation research. More specifically, she is evaluating whether engaging in a values clarification exercise increases motivation for abstinence, and if this increase is mediated by improvements in the ability to delay gratification. Victoria also did her master's thesis on the differential impact of negative and positive reinforcement process on quality of life within the context of depression. Though her research and clinical work have been focused on the area of substance abuse, Victoria is also interested more broadly in any research that utilizes transdiagnostic, CBS-informed processes. Victoria hopes to continue her research career by continuing to bridge the gap between clinical science and practice in substance abuse treatment, with an emphasis on values and motivation-related processes.
To learn more about our student spotlight award winners, please visit the Student Spotlight Award Winner page. If you would like to apply for an award, please send in an application by March 31.
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you at the Seville, Spain World Conference!
To be held June 20-25, 2017. Go here for more information.
Community
2017 #3 Newsletter (May)
2017 #3 Newsletter (May)
ACBS Newsletter - May 2017
Interview with Nanni Presti
The ACBS Chapter and SIG Committee Co-Chairs Mark Sisti and Brian Pilecki interviewed Nanni Presti, as part of the commitee's Chapter Roundtable series.
Giovambattista "Nanni" Presti, Ph.D., M.D., a professor at University Kore, Enna, Italiy, is the incoming President of ACBS. He previously served for three years on the ACBS Board of Directors as the President-Elect and as a member-at-large. Nanni Presti will officially assume his duties as ACBS President in June at the conclusion of the the ACBS World Conference 15 at Seville, Spain.
In the interview, Nanni graciously shared his personal background in CBS, including being a medical doctor with doctoral training in behavior analysis, and how being exposed to functional contextual thinking has impacted his work. Nanni also provided some insights and observations that arise from his international identity. He then concluded by elaborating on his vision for the future of CBS.
You can watch Nanni's interview at here. A special thanks to Mark Sisti and Brian Pilecki for hosting this interview, and to Nanni for taking time out of his day to speak with us!
The ACBS Grant Committee Needs Your Help!
ACBS provides two $5,000 grants for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science through Research Development Grant applications approved by the ACBS Grant Committee. We are looking for volunteers, for both the current grant cycle, as well as standing members of the Grant Committee to help us select and award grant applicants. Each grant will be reviewed by two reviewers, and the review of each application takes approximately 30 minutes. If you are willing to be a grant reviewer and help further high-quality, innovative research projects that expand the field of CBS, we encourage you to fill out a quick, 2-minute webform. You can learn more about the call for reviewers, including specific areas of expertise that we are looking for, on our news page. To learn more about previous research that has been awarded the ACBS Research Development Grant, please check out our most recent winners here. The call for Grant applications will open September 1, 2017.
ACT recognized by Swedish Medical Community!
To our knowledge, Sweden is the first country to recognize ACT in a medical profession - The Swedish Association of Physiotherapy (Physical Therapy) has officially recognized acknowledged ACT as a theory and practice in the reviewed version of the professional competencies. The reference is a book given by the Swedish University Press (Studentlitteratur) where Graciela Rovner, a physiotherapist who also works as an ACT peer-reviewed trainer, wrote a chapter about using ACT in the context of physiotherapy and pain rehabilitation.
The clinical model developed for applying ACT within interdisciplinary, group-based rehab-interventions contexts (ACTiveRehab) will be introduced during our annual conference on Sunday June 25th from 9.30-12-30. The workshop is being sponsored by the Pain SIG, and we hope to see you there! Be sure to check our conference program for more information on this workshop, as well as all the other offerings this year!
ACBS Fellows
ACBS is pleased to announce our 2017 class of Fellows. Niloofar Afari, Ph.D. - Beate Ebert, Dipl.-Psych. - David Gillanders, Ph.D. D.J. Moran, Ph.D. - Jacqueline Pistorello, Ph.D. - Emily Sandoz, Ph.D. Rainer Sonntag, M.D. - Matthieu Villatte, Ph.D. - David Sloan Wilson, Ph.D. - Zhu Zhouhong, Ph.D. Congratulations and thank you for your contributions to CBS and the community.
Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award Winner
It is our great pleasure to announce the winner of the new Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award, Danielle Moyer, a Ph.D. student at the University of North Texas, studying under Dr. Amy Murrell, won the award to support her dissertation proposal examining the role of empathy and perspective taking in predicting and influencing bullying behaviors among middle-school aged teenagers. More specifically, Danielle hopes to replicate previous research showing how an RFT-based model of empathy in young children, and uncover what role perspective-taking deficits play in the expression of peer aggression. Danielle also seeks to elucidate the common ground between deictic framing and theory of mind, and promote the prevention and intervention of bullying behaviors using RFT-based tasks. Join us in congratulating Danielle on her award, and wishing her the best of luck on her dissertation project!
The Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Award is awarded to dissertation proposals related to the use of Contextual Behavioral Science with children/adolescents. To learn more about this award, please visit this page.
Reflections on the Atlantic Canada Chapter's First Year
Starting and maintaining a regional ACBS chapter can be a daunting experience. However, help can sometimes come from unexpected places, as Atlantic Canada Chapter president, Susie McAfee, found out. She has kindly provided us with her own reflections of the first year of the Atlantic Canada Chapter's existence, providing some insight and experience into some of the ups-and-downs associated with starting a new chapter. Dr. McAfee also elaborates on some of the perks that come with chapter membership. To learn more about this experience, please visit our news page, and check out the Atlantic Canada Chapter webpage to learn more about the chapter. We also encourage you to check out our list of affiliated chapters, and consider joining the chapter associated with your region!
Student Spotlight Award Winners
It is our pleasure to introduce our most recent student spotlight award recipient, in conjunction with the ACBS Student SIG! This month's first featured student is Sonia Singh, a third year graduate student studying at Bowling Green State University under Dr. Bill O'Brien. Sonia has been involved in several research studies, including using FAP to improve quality-of-life for nursing home residents, and ACT to decrease workplace stress, assault, injury, and abuse for nurses and nurse aides in long-term healthcare settings. Sonia plans to continue her academic work beyond her student career, and plans to utilize contextual behavioral therapies with underserved and stigmatized populations. You can learn more about Sonia and her work here.
Our next featured student is Wang Fenfen, a 2nd year Masters student at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. under the supervision of Dr. Zhu Zhuohong. Wang has been involved in disseminating contextual science to lay populations, having published over 30 popular science articles on ACT and RFT across Chinese social media websites. Wang has also investigated the use of multiple exemplar training to teach relational framing skills for children with autism spectrum disorders. Wang hopes to continue studying the assessment and training of derived relational responding among autism spectrum disordered individuals. Find out more about Wang's experiences here!
The purpose of the Student Spotlight 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 the important work students are doing, and to provide a platform for mentoring, collaboration, professional development, and other conversations around highlighted areas.
Get Acquainted with ACBS - Many Congratulations!
Please join us in welcoming and congratulating our newly elected board members! This year, we are welcoming Louise Hayes, Ph.D., President-Elect Amy Murrell, Ph.D., Member-at-Large Jonathan Bricker, Ph.D., Joseph Graddy, Student Representative
And a special thanks to the board members rotating out: Mike Twohig, Ph.D., as our Past President, Nic Hooper, Ph.D., and Niloo Afari, Ph.D., as our Members-at-Large, and Houyuan Lou as our Student Representative! To learn more about our newest and existing board members, please visit our Board Members page.
We'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our 2017 conference scholarship award winners: Developing Nations: Fatema Ahmadi, Afghanistan -- Edmond Brandon, Sierra Leone -- Racheal Nuwagaba, Uganda Diversity: Gordon Nyabade, Kenya -- Sara Che Runga, New Zealand -- Lea Stephany, France -- Claire Turner, New Zealand Student: Charikleia Karatza, Greece -- Sumin Na, Canada -- Nikolija Rakočević, Serbia -- Aline Simões, Brazil -- Gloria Mª Torres Fernández, Spain
ACBS provides different scholarships to encourage attendance to the ACBS World Conference for those from varied backgrounds. The scholarships are financed by money raised from the ACBS community as well as support from ACBS. To donate, please visit the Diversity fund and Developing Nations Fund pages. Even a small donation can go a long way in supporting these individuals!
Taking CBS to the Commoners
From Dr. Paul Atkins: If you read the title of this piece, you probably thought I was talking about poor people, the dispossessed or maybe that I was hopelessly elitist. But by "commoners" I mean users of the commons. A commons is a shared resource, combined with an interested community and a set of social agreements and norms that the community use to manage the resource. The internet has made cooperation possible with lots of unexpected forms of the commons: knowledge (e.g. Wikipedia or ACT therapy techniques), cultural products (such as stories and songs) or even experiences (riding the waves at your favorite surf beach). Anytime humans gather together and cooperate, and where a system of agreements has developed that is contextually appropriate and 'owned' by the community can be seen as a commons. The commons is a huge idea - it is the 'third way' in the sense that it complements the activities of markets and states, perhaps allowing us to live closer to our values through empowerment and authenticity. So why am I talking about all this? Because ACT and CBS are being used to build a new commons called PROSOCIAL - a process that helps people build psychological flexibility, perspective taking and consensus-oriented, purposeful and equitable decision making in the service of a new vision of society. The PROSOCIAL initiative has been primarily driven by David Sloan Wilson, an evolutionary biologist, and ACT co-founder Steve Hayes. When we first started articulating the PROSOCIAL process, I think we had a sense of its transformative power. But the more we work with it, the more we see that it is not just another management model, it is a whole new way of implementing the vision of ACBS. We are now using the model with public service agencies, corporations, schools, community groups and other not-for-profit groups. If you are interested in learning more, you can come to our preconference workshop in Seville or email me for more information. ACT co-founder Steve Hayes has been a driving force in this effort. Evolutionary ideas are changing his thinking about therapy as he continues to advance ACT work in clinical settings. Interested in cutting edge ACT for your own practice? To be the first to hear some of Steve's latest methods join him for a one-time live event online:
ACT at the cutting edge: A live-only event with Steve Hayes
In this live-only online session, June 8/9, ACT co-founder Steve Hayes will share his latest methods to advance ACT work in clinical settings. Few if any of these tips have yet been written about -- he will cover methods large and small that will help you refine and accelerate your ACT work. Steve will talk about such topics as how to focus on values quickly, how to foster self-as-context naturally, how to get unstuck, and how best to use ACT methods to empower other evidence-based methods.
No recording of the event is permitted and none will later be made available. Steve is donating his time to help the ACT ANZ chapter, and we are deliberately setting the cost a bit high for that reason, but we are offering this one-time live event with a money back guarantee: if these ideas do not clearly advance your ACT work, your registration fee will be returned to you.
Seats are limited!
Find out more and book to save your seat at: http://bit.ly/YTSteveHayesLandingPage
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Community
2017 #4 Newsletter (September)
2017 #4 Newsletter (September)
ACBS Newsletter, September 2017
ACBS Grant Applications Accepted Ending October 15th
Are you a researcher or student searching for a funding source for any contexual behavioral science-related project? ACBS provides two grants, up to $5,000 USD, for research that advances the field of contextual behavioral science through Research Development Grant applications approved by the ACBS Grant Committee, chaired by JoAnne Dahl, Ph.D. Projects eligible for the grant are relatively broad, as any topic within the array of CBS will be considered. To learn more about previous research that has been awarded the ACBS Research Development Grant, please check out our most recent winners here. The call for Grant applications will be open September 1 - October 15, 2017, and awards will be announced on November 30th. Best of luck!
New Version of the IRAP Software Available
For those of you interested in conducting basic RFT research, we are delighted to announce that a new version of the IRAP has been made available to researchers! The Ghent-Odysseus Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (GO-IRAP) has been designed to be both easy to install and user-friendly for setting up. The program includes features such as training and testing IRAPs, options for using text or images as labels, targets, and response options, and support for traditional (label + target) and natural language (sentence-based) IRAP formats. The GO-IRAP software and manual are freely available to download for ACBS members here. Please note that bug-testing for the software is still ongoing, and any errors in the program or inaccuracies in the procedure should be sent to the appropriate parties (included in the IRAP instructions). Special thanks to Dermot Barnes-Holmes and the rest of the team at Ghent University for all of their tireless work!
ACBS and the Aging Population
Many of us are aware of the growing numbers of geriatric populations across cultures worldwide, and the shortage of health care workers in the geratric sectors. Moreover, care needs of geriatric individuals are often greater than younger cohorts, and many individuals over the age of 80 experience symptoms of cognitive decline, and are marginialized both economically and socially. In this talk presented at the 14th annual ACBS conference, Susan McCurry describes how psychological and behavioral interventions for older adults have changed over time, and discusses how the focus on contextual factors underscored by contextual behavioral science places the ACBS community in a unique position to revolutionize geriatric and dementia mental health care, both at the individual level of care delivery and the societal level via policy and community-based interventions.
We also invite you to look through some of the other videos we have available on our Videos page, which includes talks from previous ACBS conferences, interviews with fellow ACBS members, TED talks, and more!
Changes in Valued Behaviors and Functioning through ACT
A key component in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is to get clients to become more aware of their values, and to change their behaviors such that they are able to live in directions consistent with said values in spite of barriers that may come up along the way. In this recent study of treatment-resistant panic disordered individuals, Hanna Wersebe and colleagues found that the difference in participants' self-reported importance of various values domains and their engagement in values-relevant behaviors decreased through treatment, suggesting that this discrepancy may be an important point to monitor and target. Moreover, the researchers compared changes in social and non-social values domains and found significantly higher activity in social domains in their sample. Decreased valued living discrepancy in social domains was a significant predictor of post-treatment functioning.
To read the full study, or any other studies published in JCBS, please visit the ACBS member portal to JCBS here. If you would like to contribute to JCBS, please see our submission information page. If you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our JCBS reference sharing page which includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.
ACBS Developing Nations Training Fund Recognition
The ACBS Developing Nations Training Fund received a surprise acknowledgement in a recent issue of the Associations Now online magazine, published by the ASAE. In particular, they different funding methods and scholarship programs implemented by associations to improve access and conference attendance, and highlighted the Developing Nations Training Fund as an example that other organizations could implement. The complete article can be freely accessed here.
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 39,000 association executives and industry partners representing more than 7,400 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies, and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world.
We at ACBS are proud to be leaders in promoting diversity within our organization, and extend a heartfelt thank you to the Developing Nations Committee, and to all the generous donors who have made this program possible. To keep these important scholarships a part of our ACBS programming, please consider donating here.
Submitting Items to the Newsletter and Social Media!
Do you have something newsworthy for ACBS to share? If you have any ideas for articles or Q&A sessions that you would like to see included in the next ACBS newsletter or on our social media, please submit them via e-mail to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org. We would love to share your community projects, research findings, outreach programs, and other relevant news to the ACBS member base!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you at the Montreal, Canada, World Conference!
To be helf July 24-29, 2018. Go here for more information.
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Community
2017 #5 Newsletter (October)
2017 #5 Newsletter (October)
ACBS Newsletter - October 2017
ACT Online Peer Supervision Group: Connect Online and Learn from Your Peers
Do you want to learn to become more skilled as an ACT practitioner and gain support from other ACBS members online? The ACT Online Peer Supervision Group is a global forum that aims to provide supervision between colleagues on the experiential practice of ACT in a supported and safe group environment. The ACT Peer Supervision Group meets every two weeks and is hosted by Peer Facilitators. The ACT Online Supervision Group is free to all ACBS members.
Finding the Door to the CBS House: How a Teacher Discovered ACT and Now Uses CBS in Her Classroom
Lauren Porosoff is a sixth grade school teacher in the Bronx, New York (USA). After discovering ACT five years ago, she has been applying CBS concepts and processes to help students connect their assignments and interactions to their values, and build more satisfying learning experiences and communities. You can read about Lauren's ACT journey here.
Linguistic Mindfulness at the ACBS World Conference
This summer Jacqulyn Kowalsky joined us in Spain for her first ACBS World Conference. In this article Jacqulyn Kowalsky reflects on her conference experience and provides wonderful insight on how we can improve understanding in international settings. Read the full article on the ACBS website here.
Adding a Functional Utility Score to the Evaluation of Behavioral Health Screens in Integrated Care Settings: What's All the FUS About?
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 2, Alexandros Maragakis and colleagues reflect on current deficits in creating new behavioral health screens for primary care. The paper provides a justification and framework for examining the concept of a "Functional Utility Score" (FUS), which assesses a screen's ability to be useful within its intended system of care. ACBS members can read it for free (or other articles published in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science) on the ACBS member portal to JCBS.
ACBS Fellow James Herbert Inaugurated as President of The University of New England
Congratulations to ACBS Fellow James D. Herbert, Ph.D. for being inaugurated as the new President of the University of New England. Herbert was inaugurated on Saturday, September 9, 2017 at the university's Biddeford, Maine (USA) campus. Herbert was inducted as an ACBS fellow in 2014 and has published several articles in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.
ACBS Student Spotlight Program: Applications due November 24
The ACBS Student Spotlight Program highlights students who are doing important work in the CBS community, whether for research, clinical, and/or volunteer-humanitarian efforts. This program is a great way to highlight their achievements and let the ACBS community know about important work students are doing. Six students are selected annually. The application deadline is November 24, 2017. Learn more about the program here.
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you in Montréal, Canada, at the
16th ACBS World Conference!
July 24-29, 2018. Click here for more information.
Community
Finding the Door to the CBS House
Finding the Door to the CBS House
Community
By Lauren Porosoff
I joined ACBS kicking and screaming. My husband, Jonathan Weinstein, tried to get me interested, but I said, “This is for psychologists. I’m a middle school teacher.” He told me I was unworkably fused with my content, and I didn’t get the joke.
At the 2012 World Conference in Washington, DC, Jonathan went to talks while I chased our 8-month-old son around the hotel. Eventually I got bored and found the conference bookstore. While many titles had familiar psychology words like “depression” and “anxiety,” others said stuff about values and commitment. I was reluctantly curious.
From my earliest days of teaching, I’ve been trying to help my students find meaning and fulfillment in school. I’m not interested in making students happier. I’m interested in students learning things that matter, to them and in the world. I’m interested in their working hard and being miserable, not because I hate children and revel in their misery, but because any meaningful work will sometimes entail frustration, embarrassment, boredom, worry, and other kinds of pain. What if teachers like me could learn to help students accept those feelings in the service of doing meaningful work and having meaningful relationships at school? What if we could learn to design curriculum and assignments that reflect students’ values?
Maybe there was something to this ACT stuff.
Jonathan told me to learn about basic science and relational frame theory, but they were written in a language I didn’t speak. Even the ACT book, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, was impenetrable. I felt stupid. But then, I read Russ Harris’s ACT Made Simple. And I understood it! I also read Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life and The Joy of Parenting, because they’re written for a lay audience. And I understood them too. When I then tried Acceptance and Commitment Therapy again, I could understand the terms because I had a sense of the underlying processes. I did FoxyLearning and read Learning RFT (and bugged Jonathan with questions about the difference between a discriminative stimulus and an establishing operation), but I didn’t get how a dime being physically smaller than a nickel had anything to do with helping someone with anxiety take her kids to the playground. Then I took one of Matthieu’s courses, and that’s what helped me see the interconnections between ACT (and other therapies) and RFT.
After that, I read everything I could get my hands on, and not only did I understand it; I could see the applications for teaching. Mindfulness for Two could replace “therapist” with “teacher” and “client” with “student” and be about education. Mindfulness & Acceptance in Multicultural Competency is a gold mine for teachers willing to look past the fact that it’s a book for clinicians. I branched out beyond ACT and read The Self and Perspective Taking, Motivational Interviewing, the spectacular CFT Made Simple, and even Relational Frame Theory, the “purple book.”
I like to tell people that I learned CBS upside-down. If CBS is a house, I couldn’t find the door. So I landed on the roof, went down the chimney, and made my way from floor to floor until I discovered the basic behavior science in the basement.
My work has been to apply CBS concepts and processes to help students connect their assignments and interactions to their values, and build more satisfying learning experiences and communities. This work involves “translating” CBS so teachers won’t have to use terms like “self as context” and “transformation of stimulus function.” Some teachers who come to my workshops like to hear about the science, but mostly they want practical tools to help students make school meaningful, in language they already understand. (I imagine some mental health practitioners feel the same way.) So instead of saying “transformation of stimulus function” we say “choosing what school means.” Instead of using basic or even midlevel terms, we use words teachers already know: Exploration, Motivation, Participation, Openness, Willingness, Empathy, Resilience. These terms don’t exactly map onto ACT processes, but they’re more accessible to our audience. Plus, they spell EMPOWER.
EMPOWER is our own little addition to the CBS house, with bricks from MI, CFT, RFT, and ACT. Our wing has a separate entrance for teachers and is a place where they can feel at home. Rather than insisting on compliance with a protocol, we encourage teachers to adapt our activities and strategies so they work in their contexts. We want to honor the diversity among students and subjects, and the creativity and expertise that teachers bring.
Contextual behavioral science had an immediate, profound, and lasting effect on my practice—and almost didn’t. If I weren’t married to Jonathan, if he were a little less persistent, and if we lacked the financial resources to buy all those books and attend conferences, none of our work would exist. I don’t want my story to be some weird anomaly because I happened to marry an ACBS psychologist.
Teachers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, first responders, clergy, government representatives, nonprofit workers, activists—they’d all benefit from contextual behavioral practices. But they all have their own conferences, their own journals, their own books, their own professional standards, and their own terms that already make sense to them. My experiences have left me wondering how we might welcome a more professionally diverse membership into the CBS house, and support them in developing work to take back to their own houses.
One way ACBS could diversify its membership might be to give new audiences a reason to come to our conferences. We could ask presenters to offer non-therapeutic examples and applications, even when their focus is clinical. We could create a “beyond mental health” track, so people like me have somewhere to go, while encouraging everyone to attend events outside their tracks and see what they end up learning and who they end up talking to. Regional chapters could collaborate with other organizations to offer joint professional events. For example, NY-ACBS and the New York State Association of Independent Schools could team up to offer a workshop for New York teachers and therapists on compassion-focused practice.
But maybe instead of changing what we offer, we want to change how we offer it. What if ACBS clinicians wanted to reach out to people in professions beyond mental health? I’d imagine that you could draw upon your clinical skills to have these conversations. You could:
Ask us to tell our stories. I get lots of “Wow, you’re a middle school teacher? You must be a saint!” and some “Do you ever think about teaching at the college level?” I hardly ever get, “What did you do in class today?” or “Who are some of your most interesting students?” Get us talking about what matters to us and what obstacles stand in our way.
Use hierarchical rather than conditional framing to get us curious about new repertoires. In helping professions we often focus on outcomes, such as getting a student to do her homework or a getting a congressional representative to sign a clean energy bill. While of course outcomes are important (sometimes critically so, as in the case of a first responder), we sometimes have narrow repertoires to move toward that outcome. Noticing what kind of life our actions contribute to—as opposed to what they succeed or fail to cause—might help us see new possibilities.
Work with us on metaphors to help the people we serve. My sixth graders wouldn’t necessarily understand the chessboard metaphor, but they can totally imagine their struggles as food on a plate. In the course of these conversations, you could gently suggest some light reading or viewing: “If that metaphor doesn’t work, there’s this whole book of metaphors I sometimes use. It’s called The Big Book of ACT Metaphors.”
ACBS clinicians can also attend professional events outside the mental health field—sort of like how I attended ACBS as an outsider. Some of my best teaching ideas have come out of ACBS events, not just because I got to listen to brilliant scientists like Louise McHugh and Amy Murrell, but because I had to make my own connections between their work and mine. I recently designed a lesson where 6th graders will use Jonathan Kanter’s ACL case conceptualization to understand the relationship between two characters in the book they’re reading. I wouldn’t have discovered ACL at a workshop for English teachers, and precisely because ACL was designed for clinicians and not teachers, I had to think creatively about how I might use it in class.
Imagine if a few FAP clinicians went to a teaching workshop, or if some ACT psychologists checked out a nursing conference, or if some CFT therapists went to an activist training. Maybe they’d learn something they could creatively apply to their practice—while also meeting new people who might eventually want to come to ACBS. Maybe eventually, more ACBS clinicians and non-clinicians will work together to develop more culturally responsive therapies, and more diverse behavioral interventions beyond therapy.
Watching Out for Self-Righteousness Within: A CBS Account of Diversity and Promotion of Diversity
On December 11, 2017, at 4:30 EST/1:30 PST, Akihiko Masuda, Ph.D. will conduct a webinar about how the CBS perspective of diversity states that even our genuine efforts to promote diversity unintentionally and paradoxically causes divisions among us. Aki's webinar will present a way to promote diversity that is inclusive to everyone. Register for the webinar here. This webinar is sponsored by the ACBS Diversity Committee and is an attempt to promote the implication of CBS to diversity.
New Special Interest Group: Asian Culture and CBS SIG
We are excited to announce the newest ACBS Special Interest Group (SIG), the Asian Culture and CBS SIG! The Asian Culture and CBS SIG connects CBS researchers and practitioners who work in Asia or work with clients who have Asian cultural heritage. You can join the SIG listserv and learn more about the Asian Culture and CBS SIG here.
Metaphors For Life Podcast
The Metaphors for Life Podcast by James Hardie is an invitation to consider your own experience of relating to thoughts, feelings and actions from a different perspective. Encouraging psychological flexibility with content inspired by the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). You can listen to the Metaphors For Life Podcast and other recordings on the ACT Audio page on the ACBS website.
Carrying the Baton: Evolution Science and a Contextual Behavioral Anaylsis of Language and Cognition
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 3, Steven C. Hayes, Brandon T. Sanford, and Frederick Chin examine the 30-year history of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) research in the light of modern evolution science concepts. This article states RFT research has been done in many of the areas key to an evolutionary account. CBS researchers are positioned to carry the evolution science baton and to use it to help advance a natural science of behavior. ACBS members can read the entire article for free on the member portal.
JCBS Call for Papers: ACT for Autism and Related Disorders
The Journal of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) is soliciting manuscript submissions for a special issue on the topic of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Autism and Developmental Disorders. Empirical Treatment evaluations, conceptual papers, and review/discussion papers are appropriate for submission. Please visit the JCBS Call for Papers webpage for more information. The submission deadline is January 1, 2018.
ACBS World Conference - Call for Submissions Is Open!
We are excited to invite you to join us in Montréal, Canada for the 16th Annual World Conference of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) July 24-29, 2018. We are accepting submissions for symposia, papers, panels, workshops, ignites sessions, posters, and Chapter/SIG meetings. Please click here for more information.
Nous acceptons les présentations pour les conférences. Les présentations sont acceptées en anglais ou en français.
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you in Montréal, Canada, at the 16th ACBS World Conference!
July 24-29, 2018. Click here for more information.
Community
2017 #7 Newsletter (December)
2017 #7 Newsletter (December)
ACBS Newsletter - December 2017
New Video Search Features on ACBS Website
The ACBS video collection has grown to 86 titles! We added search features to help you find videos easier. Now, members can search videos by presenter, year, keyword, and language. We recommend you view the video of Lisa Diamond's presentation at the ACBS World Conference 14 titled: Taking Context Seriously in the Lifespan Development of Sexuality and Sexual Orientation. (You need to login to your ACBS account to view the full collection of videos).
Contextual Behavioral Science and Global Mental Health: Synergies and Opportunities
In JCBS Vol. 6 Issue 3, Ross G. White, Jennifer Gregg, Sonja Batten, Louise Hayes, & Rosco Kasujja reflect on the important contribution that Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS) can make to Global Mental Health. The paper explains how ‘Therapist-free’ interventions are an important GMH strategy. CBS can help promote mental health across the globe and PROSOCIAL approaches can build ‘communities of support’ for enhancing wellbeing. ACBS members can read it for free on the member portal.
JCBS Student Initiative
The JCBS Student Initiative is a joint effort between the ACBS Student SIG and the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. This program is a great opportunity for students interested in receiving training in and experience completing reviews of manuscripts submitted to JCBS. Read more about the JCBS Student Initiative here.
Asher Award: Application Deadline is February 1, 2018
Applications are now being accepted for the Michael J. Asher Student Dissertation Awards. These awards are for dissertation research in the area of Contextual Behavioral Science with children/adolescents. There are two awards available ($750USD and $250USD) this year. This money can be used in support of research (e.g., to pay participants, to purchase testing equipment) and/or to facilitate travel to the ACBS annual conference. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2018. Please go here for more information and to apply.
World Conference 16 Call for Submissions: RFT Track
At the ACBS World Conference 16, an RFT Track will be organized for submissions of RFT data, as well as conceptual and clinically-relevant submissions to address the needs of those interested in RFT across experience levels. Learn more about the RFT Track here. The Call for Submissions deadline for oral presentations is February 15, 2018.
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you in Montréal, Canada, at the 16th ACBS World Conference!
July 24-29, 2018. Click here for more information.
Community
2016
2016
Community
2016 #1 Newsletter (March)
2016 #1 Newsletter (March)
ACBS Newsletter - March 2016
Chapters and Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Are you looking for opportunities to be more involved with other members of the ACBS community? Do you have specific interests in topics, treatments, populations, and agendas that you feel deserve more detailed discussion? Would you like to connect with and collaborate with other ACBS members in the same geographic area as you? If so, consider joining an ACBS Chapter or SIG! Chapters are self-governed membership organizations within geographic regions, countries, localities, or language communities that promote CBS values within that area. A list of currently established chapters can be found here. In contrast, SIGs are groups formed to promote more specialized agendas within ACBS, as listed here. To join a Chapter or SIG, log into your ACBS account and access your dashboard. Next, select the "edit your profile" link and add the Chapter or SIG you would like to join. Additionally, we'd like to take this moment to recognize our newest SIG, ACT for the Christian Client, and our newest Chapters based out of Atlantic Canada, Alberta and Hungary.
Methods for Selecting Idiographic Values-Relevant Stimuli
According to many third-wave contextual therapies, an important step toward psychological flexibility is the articulation and clarification of values. However, in both experimental and applied contexts, it can sometimes be difficult to efficiently and effectively identify values that are idiographically relevant to the participant/client. In a recent study, Sandoz and Hebert (2015) evaluated four different methods for selecting values-relevant stimuli, and compared these methods to one another in the extent to which they produced stimulie that were meaningful, evocative, and reminiscent of something of importance to the individual. Of the methods evaluated, the authors concluded that participants writing about their most deeply held values, and circling the ten words in the writing sample that were most representative of their held values was the most effective means of identifying salient values-related stimuli. To read the full published account of the study and learn more about the intervention used, visit the ACBS member portal to JCBS here. If you would like to contribute to JCBS please see our submission information page. If you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our JCBS reference sharing pagewhich includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.
World Conference 2016 Pre-Conference Workshops Announced
The official schedule for the pre-conference workshops at World Con in Seattle has been finalized and posted. These workshops will take place June 14-15, and offer clinicians and researchers alike a great opportunity to brush up on their skills. Examples of offerings this year include workshops on utilizing ACT and RFT to enhance therapy with autism, engaging in values work as a means toward self-care and self-compassion, and utilizing language and cognition as a means toward enhancing clincial inventions. Members of all skill levels and research/practice interests will be able to find a workshop that suits their needs. CE credits are also available. Expect therapy role-plays, case presentations, and experiential exercises to supplement the didactic training offered. For more information on the workshop offerings this year, including links to in-depth descriptions of the workshops, learning objectives and presenters, please visit our list of pre-conference workshops. To register for pre-conference workshops, visit our registration page. We look forward to seeing you there!
Posting Articles to the ACBS Website
Did you know that you can upload your recent journal articles to the ACBS website? Doing so is a great way to contribute to the dissemination of CBS research and principles, while also providing an opportunity to put your work in a visible place where other like-minded individuals can easily access them. Step-by-step instructions for posting your journal articles to the ACBS website can be found here. To check if your article has already been posted on the site, or to peruse the available articles (which are freely accessible to ACBS members), check our article database.
Submitting Items to the Newsletter
Do you have something newsworthy for ACBS to share? If you have any ideas for articles or Q&A sessions that you would like to see included in the next ACBS newsletter, please submit them via e-mail to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org. We would love to share your community projects, research findings, outreach programs and other relevant news to the ACBS member base!
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you at the Seattle World Conference!
to be held June 14-19, 2016. Go here for more information.
Community
2016 #2 Newsletter (July)
2016 #2 Newsletter (July)
ACBS Newsletter - July 2016
ACBS Research Development Grant Awardees
It is our pleasure to announce the 2016-2017 ACBS Research Development Grant Awardees. Primary researchers Ahmet Nalbant, M.D., Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Mental Health, Bakirkoy/Istanbul, Turkey, on Do Antipsychotics Have Any Effect on Perspective Taking in Schizophrenia? and Thomas Szabo, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Commit & Act, LLC, Florida Institute of Techology on DARE to Connect: A Pilot Study Using ACT to Foster New Intra-Familial Relationship Skills in Men, were each awarded approximately $5,000 to complete their research projects. Go here to read a summary of their projects.
Largest Conference Yet!
A big thank you to all our members for making our Annual Conference in Seattle such a success! This year's conference was our largest to date, with 992 participants. Let's see if we can top the 1000 milestone next year in Seville, Spain (June 20-25, 2017)! If you'd like to access powerpoints and handouts from the presentations, workshops, panels, and symposia, make sure to visit our powerpoints and handouts page. Or if you're interested in reviewing some of the posters from our poster sessions, please visit our posters page. We are updating these pages as presenters submit their materials, so if you've presented but haven't submitted your materials yet, please email it to: acbsstaff@contextualscience.org with the title of the session and authors in the body of the email.
Committed Action and Procrastination in College Students
Many of us can relate to occasionally procrastinating, putting off work until a later time. A recent study published in JCBS by Gagnon, Dionne, and Pychyl assessed the utility of psychological flexibility processes in predicting the degree to which university students engage in procrastination behaviors. They found that committed action appears to be a robust predictor of procrastinating, accounting for a greater proportion of variance than acceptance, cognitive fusion, present moment awareness, and genral psychological distress. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating behavioral engagement when treating problems associated with procrastination, while also suggesting that helping students identify concrete goals linked to personal values may be critical in overcoming procrastination.
To read the full study, or any other studies published in JCBS, please visit the ACBS member portal to JCBS here. If you would like to contribute to JCBS please see our submission information page. If you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our JCBS reference sharing page which includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) Webinar with Jonathan Kanter, Ph.D.
Thanks to the ACBS Student Special Interest Group (SIG), we have a recorded free webinar available for members who are interested in learning about Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). This webinar, conducted by Jonathan Kanter, is approximately an hour long, and introduces viewers to the basic principles and processes core to FAP. The webinar also includes transcripts of an early FAP session to help give viewers a sense of how a therapist might get started with a client. A special thanks to Dr. Kanter and the Student SIG for putting this fantastic video together! And for student ACBS members who are interested in getting connected with others, please visit the Student SIG page for information about the SIG and instructions on how to join!
2018 Annual Conference Location and Dates Announced
For those who were unable to attend this year's conference, we have officially announced the 2018 annual conference will be held in Montreal, Quebec! The conference itself will be held from July 24-29, 2018, with the pre-conference workshops taking place July 24-25. Make sure to mark your calendars! (While you're marking your calendar, make sure that Seville, Spain, June 20-25, 2017 is in there as well.)
ACBS website hint of the month
Looking for something to read? Then check out the ACBS professional bookstore! Here you can find classic ACT and RFT titles, as well as the latest releases. All purchases made via the ACBS website help to support our organization.
Get Acquainted With ACBS
Did you know that there are 319 ACBS members who are employed as coaches? We are home to the ACBS Coaching SIG. This SIG is open to anyone interested networking within this Coaching community.
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See you at the Seville, Spain World Conference!
To be held June 20-25, 2017. Go here for more information.
Community
2016 #3 Newsletter (October)
2016 #3 Newsletter (October)
ACBS Newsletter - October 2016
Newly Funded NIH Grants using ACT
We're excited to announce a pair of NIH funded grants on ACT for substance abuse related projects. Angela Stotts at the McGovern Medical School in Houston, TX, has received an R34 treatment development grant on Facilitating Treatment Entry and Family Planning in Substance-Using NICU Mothers, assessing the effects of a combined Motivational Interviewing-ACT program in reducing substance abuse and preventing future substance-exposed pregnancies in new mothers with at-risk infants. Secondly, Joy Schmitz, also at the McGovern Medical School, and Angela have received an R01 grant on Developing Adaptive Interventions for Cocaine Cessation and Relapse Prevention, evaluating the effects of combining ACT with contingency management procedures in promoting abstinence from cocaine and preventing relapse. Please join us in congratulating Angela and Joy on landing the grants!
ACT Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning Webinar with Tim Gordon, MSW
For those of us that are new to therapy, formulating case conceptualizations within an ACT framework can feel like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, through the efforts of the ACBS Student SIG and Tim Gordon, we've posted a free webinar for ACBS members detailing the process of assessing a clinical case within the ACT model. The video provides an example case, and how a therapist might use an ACT conceptualization to inform their treatment. Beyond introducing viewers to the six core processes of ACT, the webinar also provides interesting insights regarding how the ACT model relates to other treatment approaches. If you're interested in watching this, or would like to see the other videos available, head on over to the Student SIG Webinar page. And for student ACBS members who are interested in getting connected with others, please visit the Student SIG page for information about the SIG and instructions on how to join!
Rule-Following and Twister
In ACT, we often urge our clients to be more flexible around the rules they create. But what about those cases when following rules can be helpful? In a study published in JCBS, Dixon, Speelman, Rowsey, and Belisle provided developmentally-disabled children with rules about the names of body parts using words that were and were not familiar to the children (e.g., "head is the same as noggin"). The children then played Twister, and were able to place the correct body part on the appropriate spaces with minimal training. This line of research has important implications on how RFT principles can be used to promote language training among developmentally disabled children.
To read the full study, or any other studies published in JCBS, please visit the ACBS member portal to JCBShere. If you would like to contribute to JCBS please see our submission information pageIf you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our JCBS reference sharing pagewhich includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.
New Publication Search Fields
Speaking of publications, we've added some new and exciting functions to our publication database. In addition to the existing APA Citation and Keyword search fields, members can now specify the type of publication that they are looking for (e.g., books, journal articles, dissertations), as well as language! The latter function is especially exciting, as it speaks to the global growth and international presence of our community. In order to build out our database, we are interested in collecting more materials that may be relevant to our members: If you have an article to post (and especially if you have an article written in a non-English language), you can post it onto our website using the instructions found here.
2017 Annual Conference Call for Submissions - Opening 1 November
ACBS is happy to announce the the Call for Submissions for the ACBS World Conference 15 will open on 1 November. ACBS will proudly accept submssions in Spanish as well as English for the conference in Seville, Spain, June 20-25, 2017. ACBSinvita a presentarenespañoloIngléspara el ACBS World Conference 15 (en español) . Invitamos asuspresentacionesa partir del 1noviembre.
ACBS Website Hint of the Month
Do you have a question regarding a particularly difficult therapy case? Does learning about RFT make your mind want to explode? Are you looking for pointers or suggestions on a research project? Do you just feel like you're not as connected to the ACBS community as you'd like to be? Consider joining one of our e-mail listservs! The listservs are communities of like-minded individuals who are more than happy to "talk shop" about a broad number of topics, and are a great source of information. For instructions on how to join a listserv, please visit our listserv FAQ page.
Get Acquainted With ACBS
Did you know that ACBS is the proud home to 1,928 student members? Student members are invited to join the ACBS Student SIG. This SIG is open to students in fields related to contextual behavioral science.
Renew Your Membership in ACBS Today!
Connect. Share. Grow.
See you at the Seville, Spain World Conference!
To be held June 20-25, 2017. Go here for more information.
Community
2015
2015
Community
2015 #1 Newsletter (February)
2015 #1 Newsletter (February)
ACBS Newsletter - February 2015
ACBS World Conference 13 in Berlin registration now open!
Registration for the ACBS World Conference 13 in Berlin is now open! This is your chance to participate in cutting-edge ACT, RFT, and CBS training and research in our rapidly growing and vibrant community. Use our members-only discounted rates, and register early for both the main conference, and the pre-conference workshops. The World Conference will be held in exciting Berlin, Germany, at the Estrel Hotel Berlin, 16-19 July, 2015 (pre-conference workshops 14-15 July). Don't forget to reserve your room for only €88 per night. Have something to present? Our call for submissions is open until 15 February, or 21 March for posters. We hope to see you there!
BBC Interview with Nic Hooper
ACBS researcher and blogger Nic Hooper appears on BBC Radio Bristol with Phil Hammond. Dr. Hammond is a general practitioner who has written or presented several medical problems for the BBC including “Trust Me, I'm a Doctor” on BBC Two where he highlighted medical disparity in the national health service. Our own Nic Hooper appears on a recent episode of Phil Hammond's radio program where he is joined by folk singer Norma Waters. The interaction between the three provides a great context for introducing ACT to a more general audience. Other topics discussed include the CBS approach to suffering, the differences between traditional CBT and ACT, and the various applications of ACT both in terms of clinical presentations and modality of treatment. Click here to listen to the interview, Nic Hooper comes on at the 1:07 mark. Listen soon as the episode is only available until February 15th. You can also visit Nic's blog here for more discussion of CBS topics written for a broad audience. .
Q&A with Jill Stoddard and Niloofar Afari authors of The Big Book of ACT Metaphors
In this Q&A Jill Stoddard and Niloofar Afari discuss their new Big Book of ACT Metaphors: A Practitioner’s Guide to Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In particular they talk about the utility of metaphors within the ACT model, give examples of metaphors and exercises which target different processes, and briefly discuss how clinicians can build their own powerful metaphors in session. “In contrast to some other therapies, ACT focuses not on changing the content of internal experiences (i.e., thoughts and feelings) but rather on one’s relationship to them. Changing that relationship cannot be accomplished by using the very cognitive processes that resulted in psychological inflexibility in the first place. ... Metaphors and exercises, while comprised of language, are not critical, rigid, or literal; they are subtle stories that listeners can connect to their personal experiences to achieve a better understanding of the self.” Click here for the full Q&A.
JCBS article examines the utility of ACT processes in improving children's healthy food choice
Given the dramatic trend toward increasing childhood obesity and the subsequent rise in type II diabetes among younger demographics it follows that interventions which impact on the dietary decision making of children are highly important. Additionally the authors note the tendency among children to choose sweet or fatty foods and avoid novel foods which contributes to over 60% of American children do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains to satisfy nutritional guidelines, putting them at risk for nutritional deficiencies. An ACT-based intervention was designed which primarily focused on practicing mindfulness, present moment awareness, and defusion in a way that would engage with the 3 to 5 year old children and promote healthy food choice. Additionally, there was an ACT PLUS condition which constituted “the inclusion of an added emphasis on committed action and values via the addition of a reward contingency for eating any amount of the target food/s.” This proved to be necessary in order to increase consumption of low-preference health foods. This investigation suggests future directions in which the effects of removing the reward system are tested, the impact of the ACT alone condition in contributing to effects of the ACT PLUS reward condition are tested, and the role of choice in reinforcer effectiveness. Improving novel food choices in preschool children using acceptance and commitment therapy can be found in Volume3, Issue 4 of JCBS. ACBS members have complete access to JCBS by logging into the website and following this link. Simply click the ACBS Member JCBS Access button.
Chronic Pain in Maine: An integrated approach
A recent article from Maine’s NPR news source highlights a new ACT-based chronic pain treatment group that was designed and developed by Stephen Hull, MD, long-term pain specialist and physiatrist on the pain unit at Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine. He has been interested in ACT for some time and currently President of the Pain Sig. The program was designed with multiple purposes in mind including to encourage a more behavioral and psychosocial approach to pain. Steve is current on the science of medical pain treatment and is well aware of the concerning data about long-term use of opioid pain medications, their poor record of effectiveness for chronic pain, and risks for both chemical dependency and hyperalgesia. Thus, the program was designed, in part, to permit a "soft landing" for patients tapering off of pain medications and to give them a set of tools for coping and support as they pursued another path forward. The groups, which were presented in detail at last year’s ACBS conference, focus on the ACT Matrix, differentiating hurt vs. harm, education about chronic pain, coping both with pain and lots of other comorbid and related conditions. Unique to this program are several adaptations of the ACT Matrix including a values card sorting task and relapse preparedness using the Matrix to envision what a return to previous patterns of coping might look like and then rehearse how to respond by Noticing and responding more from values and using the Toward moves and effective coping they have learned. The NPR article does a wonderful job of illustrating the journey many chronic pain patients follow before they end up being referred to behavioral treatment. Click here to read the full article and if you have an aligned interest in the domain, click here to join the Pain Special Interest Group.
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Community
2015 #2 Newsletter (August)
2015 #2 Newsletter (August)
ACBS Newsletter - August 2015
World Conference 13 in Berlin is the biggest yet!
This year’s world conference held in Berlin, Germany from July 14th-19th has been our biggest yet with over 970 attendees during the conference. If you missed the conference and want to catch up, or if you want to find materials from the talks and poster sessions you attended please visit our PowerPoints & Handouts and Posters pages. These pages are being updated as we receive more materials so check back often. If you presented this year and would like to have your materials posted, please email the files to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org.
Help with the creation of ACT mobile apps
Researchers are looking for help from the ACBS community to create a guide for using ACT mobile apps in clinical work and for developing new apps. Drs. Michael Levin and Michael Twohig at Utah State University are asking ACBS members to complete an online survey of their uses, preferences, barriers and needs when it comes to ACT apps.
There has been a recent proliferation of mental health apps, including several ACT apps. With this comes a need to better understand what practitioners look for in an ACT app and what challenges they might encounter. “We are looking forward to sharing what we find with ACBS members” says Levin. “This survey will help characterize current uses of ACT mobile apps, barriers to overcome, and preferred features to guide future app development.” These results will also inform a set of app rating criteria, which will be used to create reviews of ACT mobile apps available in the marketplace. “With all of the apps out there, we want to create more of a review guide to help practitioners pick the right apps for their clients’ needs and goals” said Levin. Give your input on ACT mobile apps by taking the survey using the link below: https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4J8lHQWOQpQMoT3
Q&A with J.T. Blackledge
In this interview, J. T. Blackledge discusses defusion and its role in modern psychotherapy. He starts by providing a clear definition with functional implications, in part he says “Defusion, then, basically involves learning how to not take those misleading, problematic thoughts so seriously—to experience them simply as words, not binding realities.” Blackledge goes on to describe some common difficulties clinicians face when using defusion. He also provides examples of ways to integrate defusion techniques when working with clients on the acceptance of aversive private experiences as well as a number of other similarly important topics. To read the full interview click here.
Supporting the needs of people in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal
Chhori Maharjan is a PsyD candidate and is program manager and principle counselor at Ankur Counseling and Training Center. She was the recipient on an ACBS Developing Nation Scholarship which allowed her to attend the World Conference in 2012. In this short piece Maharjan reflects on her recent return to her native Nepal where she worked to support people there in the aftermath of the earthquakes that affected the population there. Click here for the full article and use the following link if you are interested in learning more about, or donating to, the Developing Nations Fund so that the ACBS community can continue to make this kind of impact around the world.
Interview with Steven Hayes about ACT challenges in our local communities
In an interview with BeNe, the Dutch-Speaking Chapter of ACBS, Dr. Hayes answers questions about dealing with local treatment guidelines, the state of the evidence base and current research strategies, the relationship between CBT and ACT, the role of the DSM in the context of local healthcare systems, and a number of other questions about adapting ACT to specific local requirements. The interview is well structured and asked a series of in-depth questions about how ACT can be best utilized within specific healthcare settings. Click here to see the interview.
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Community
2015 #3 Newsletter (November)
2015 #3 Newsletter (November)
ACBS Newsletter - November 2015
Happy 10th Birthday, ACBS!
On October 16th, ACBS celebrated its 10th birthday! From our origins as a small group of individuals with dreams of making a difference in the world, we have become an organization of over 7,600 members, with well over 100 research studies on ACT with over 10,000 participants. Let's take this moment to reflect on our goals as an organization and to celebrate this landmark achievement. Congratulations, ACBS!
Perspective taking reduces the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)
The fundamental attribution error (FAE) refers to the predisposition for people to attribute the behavior of others to dispositional characteristics, rather than situational causes external to the individual. The current study aimed to investigate whether pre-experimental perspective taking (PT) training could reduce the FAE. Participants were randomly assigned to either receive PT training, or to receive no training, before completing a typical attitude attribution task. This task required participants to watch a video clip of an actor reading an essay for or against capital punishment and then to infer the attitude of the actor. Results indicated that participants in the perspective taking condition experienced a significant reduction in the FAE compared to participants in the control condition. To read the published account of the study and learn more about the intervention used visit the ACBS member portal to JCBS here. If you would like to contribute to JCBS please see our updated submission information page. If you would like a better resource to cite JCBS content, see our new JCBS reference sharing page which includes a downloadable Endnote file for all published and in-press JCBS articles.
Q&A with Dennis Tirch, Ph.D., and Laura Silberstein, Psy.D.
In this interview, Dennis Tirch and Laura Silberstein discuss their book, The ACT Practitioner's Guide to the Science of Compassion, co-authored with Benjamin Schoendorff. Dennis and Laura touch on the initial inspirations for the book, particularly around how mindfulness is being integrated into cognitive and behavioral therapies that transcend specific theoretical approaches. The authors go on to describe the role of compassion within the ACT model, and the interrelation between compassion, mindfulness, and acceptance. They also provide examples of how other members of the ACT community are researching and implementing compassion, and offer a discussion on why utilizing compassion in therapy may be theoretically important in ways that cut across specific, formal characteristics of disorders. To read the full interview click here.
World Conference 13 Powerpoints, Handouts, and Posters!
We have received materials from the majority of talks and poster sessions from World Conference 13. If you missed the conference and want to catch up, or if you want to find materials from talks you were unable to attend, please visit our PowerPoints & Handouts and Posters pages. These pages are continue to be updated as we receive more materials so check back often. If you presented this year and would like your materials posted, please email the files to acbsstaff@contextualscience.org.
Join us in Seattle for World Conference 14!
The next World Conference will be held in Seattle from June 14th - 19th. The program is already shaping up to be an exciting one, with Kristin Neff, Marsha Linehan, Lisa Diamond, James Coan, Michael Twohig and Sue McCurry confirmed as plenary speakers. The call for submissions for symposia, workshops, poster sessions, and the like will open in November, and we look forward to receiving your materials! To register your interest in the conference and receive notifications for when the Call for Submissions, Registration, and Program schedule are available, click here. For more general information about World Conference 14, click here. Moreover, for those of you who were unable to attend World Conference 13 in Berlin, the 2017 World Conference will be taking place in Seville, Spain.
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Connect. Share. Grow.
See you at the Seattle World Conference!
to be held June 14-19, 2016. Go here for more information.
Community
2014
2014
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Brandon Sanford
2013
2013
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2012
2012
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2011
2011
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Given the dramatic trend toward increasing childhood obesity and the subsequent rise in type II diabetes among younger demographics it follows that interventions which impact on the dietary decision making of children are highly important. Additionally the authors note the tendency among children to choose sweet or fatty foods and avoid novel foods which contributes to over 60% of American children do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains to satisfy nutritional guidelines, putting them at risk for nutritional deficiencies. An ACT-based intervention was designed which primarily focused on practicing mindfulness, present moment awareness, and defusion in a way that would engage with the 3 to 5 year old children and promote healthy food choice. Additionally, there was an ACT PLUS condition which constituted “the inclusion of an added emphasis on committed action and values via the addition of a reward contingency for eating any amount of the target food/s.” This proved to be necessary in order to increase consumption of low-preference health foods. This investigation suggests future directions in which the effects of removing the reward system are tested, the impact of the ACT alone condition in contributing to effects of the ACT PLUS reward condition are tested, and the role of choice in reinforcer effectiveness. Improving novel food choices in preschool children using acceptance and commitment therapy can be found in Volume3, Issue 4 of JCBS. ACBS members have complete access to JCBS by logging into the website and following 
Chhori Maharjan is a PsyD candidate and is program manager and principle counselor at Ankur Counseling and Training Center. She was the recipient on an ACBS Developing Nation Scholarship which allowed her to attend the World Conference in 2012. In this short piece Maharjan reflects on her recent return to her native Nepal where she worked to support people there in the aftermath of the earthquakes that affected the population there. 
