Category: Treatment - Mindfulness & Acceptance
Dimidjian, S., & Segal, Z. V. (2015). Prospects for a Clinical Science of Mindfulness-Based Intervention. The American Psychologist, 70(7), 593–620. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039589
Ferrari, M., Hunt, C., Harrysunker, A., Abbott, M. J., Beath, A. P., & Einstein, D. A. (2019). Self-compassion interventions and psychosocial Outcomes: A meta-analysis of RCTs. Mindfulness, 10(8), 1455–1473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01134-6
Goldberg, S. B., Riordan, K. M., Sun, S., & Davidson, R. J. (2022). The empirical status of mindfulness-based interventions: A systematic review of 44 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(1), 108–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620968771
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Rotheram-Borus, M. J., Swendeman, D., & Chorpita, B. F. (2012). Disruptive innovations for designing and diffusing evidence-based interventions. The American Psychologist, 67(6), 463–476. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028180
Eli Susman, B.A. (he/him/his)
University of California, Berkeley
El Cerrito, California
Joanna Arch, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Eli Susman, B.A. (he/him/his)
University of California, Berkeley
El Cerrito, California
Giovanni Ramos, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Graduate Student
University of California, Irvine
Los Angeles, California
Destiny Printz Pereira, M.S. (she/her/hers)
Doctoral Candidate
University of Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
Christine Bueno, B.A. (she/her/hers)
University of Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Shufang Sun, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
Brown University School of Public Health
Providence, Rhode Island
Mindfulness and self-compassion predict a variety of positive outcomes (Ferrari et al., 2019; Goldberg et al., 2022). Unfortunately, mindfulness and self-compassion interventions, although effective, can be time-intensive. For many, such time commitments are neither feasible nor affordable. Yet, over half of people with psychological disorders or symptoms in the U.S. go without treatment each year (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2020). Likewise, mindfulness and related practices are more often accessed by white, high-income, and college-educated people (Burke et al., 2017). More work is needed to increase access to these interventions.
Investigators have called for leveraging new technologies to broaden the reach of these interventions through “disruptive innovation”: to redesign them based on their most potent elements to help more people in less time at lower cost (Dimidjian & Segal, 2015). In this symposium, presenters will discuss research on cutting-edge adaptations and innovations to increase the accessibility of mindfulness and self-compassion interventions to a variety of populations. Aligned with this year’s theme of Cultivating Joy with CBT, and directly tied to ABCT’s strategic goal of innovation in the science of behavioral health, and conference goals of 1) improving access to evidence-based care through technological advances or other avenues, and 2) increasing inclusivity to combat systemic injustice and historical exclusion of minoritized populations, our symposium will explore innovative approaches to expanding the joyful experience of mindfulness and self-compassion to all.
Talks will highlight a variety of research relevant to boosting the accessibility of these interventions, beginning with results on a randomized controlled trial of self-compassionate touch showing how daily micropractice (≤20-seconds/day of practice) can augment single-session interventions and improve access. This will be followed by a talk on effectiveness data of a 4-week, self-guided app-based mindfulness program for people of color who experience race-related stress, and then a talk on a brief mobile mindfulness pilot intervention for Black and Latine Mothers. These talks will highlight both real-world and pilot data on novel mobile health approaches for making mindfulness more readily available to minoritized populations. The next talk will present data on how a brief, self-guided mindfulness and self-compassion intervention can be augmented by an adaptation targeting connectedness. The final talk will discuss pilot data on an innovative approach for systematically adapting mindfulness for queer-identifying individuals. These final two talks will shed light on how adaptations are developed to enhance fit for diverse clients. Finally, a leading expert in research on expanding access, scaling, and sustaining effective mindfulness and compassion programs will discuss the implications of these studies and actionable steps to better reach diverse populations.
Taken together, our goal for these talks is to equip attendees with knowledge and guidance on promising novel approaches and adaptations for increasing access that can be used both in research and in clinical work with clients.
