Mini Workshop 22 - Using Acceptance-based Behavioral Interventions to Address Stress and Cultivate Well-being and Empowerment Across Contexts

Acceptance-based behavioral therapy (ABBT) is an umbrella term that encompasses mindfulness-, acceptance-, and contextual-based cognitive therapies (Roemer & Orsillo, 2020). ABBT’s principles and strategies have been adapted to effectively address Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) by reducing GAD, worry, depressive symptoms, and comorbid diagnoses, while also increasing quality of life (e.g., Roemer, Orsillo, & Salter-Pedneault, 2008; Hayes-Skelton, Roemer, & Orsillo, 2013). Further, preliminary studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ABBT’s central elements (i.e., mindfulness and decentering skills, acceptance-based strategies, and values clarification and values-based action) in addressing distress in various contexts, including acculturative and racism-related stress.
As a result, we have developed a range of adapted ABBT programs to promote well-being with specific populations. In this workshop, we will present a brief overview of the central principles of ABBT as a foundation for adaptations. We will highlight examples of adaptations to illustrate how these principles may be adapted for use in specific contexts and with specific populations. First, we will discuss adaptations for university students and the way we took ABBT out of therapy room and into in person workshops and online. Then we will share adaptions we made to align with the Latinx student experience. Lastly, we will focus on the ways ABBT can be adapted to address racism-related stress and increase values-based living. We will then engage in a group activity to develop new adaptations that audience members’ can use in their own contexts. This workshop is open to clinicians across all experience levels, including students and trainees.