January/February 2016

On-going OACBS Projects

Bylaws Revision

Last year, the Board spent several months revising the Bylaws so that they more accurately reflected our Chapter. The original Bylaws were adapted from the ACBS Bylaws and adopted in 2012. These Bylaws were developed before OACBS had a chance to develop its identity. OACBS has grown tremendously since its inception in 2012, and we wanted our Bylaws to more accurately reflect our values and membership, which is both local yet extends beyond the Oregon border. We also expanded and clarified procedures related to elections and for managing any potential problems with the Board or Members. Our proposed Bylaw amendments are not the most glamorous accomplishment, but we consider these changes vital in helping steer our Chapter as we continue to grow and expand.

The current Bylaws state that amendments may be made by a two-thirds vote of Members who reply to an email ballot sent to the total membership. Please vote on the amendments by clicking on the following link to cast your vote: VOTE ON BYLAW AMENDMENTS.

World Conference 14: Call for Volunteers

If you’d like to help organize a community-building get-together at the World Conference in Seattle for our Oregon Chapter, email C. David Maxey (David@CDM.name), OACBS President-Elect, to join the planning committee. We will have a brief phone conference to make a plan, organize the rest over email, and if needed, have another phone conference closer to the conference.

ACBS Updates

World Conference 14: Call for Submissions

The Call for Submissions is open for the annual ACBS World Conference, scheduled to take place in Seattle, Washington on June 14 – 19, 2016. The deadline for symposia, papers, panels, workshops, and ignite sessions is February 15, 2016. The deadline for posters is March 15, 2016. Use the following link for more information and to submit: WC14 Call for Submissions

ACT Recognized by PsychologyToday

Thanks in part to the work of several people in the ACBS community, PsychologyToday, the largest therapist directory in the country, is now listing ACT as one of the theoretical orientations therapists can select in their profile. This also means that clients can specifically look for ACT therapists using the PsychologyToday search. So if you have a profile on the site, you can add ACT as a your theoretical orientation by selecting the “treatment preferences” tab after you log in to your profile. This is good news for those looking for ACT therapists and a wonderful example of how our worldwide ACBS community can make a difference.

Upcoming Professional Training

The opportunities listed below may be of interest to OACBS members. Please note, these events are not necessarily endorsed by OACBS and the information is simply provided as a convenience to members. If you know of any CBS-related training events in our area that you’d like announced in the next newsletter, please e-mail that information to Member At Large, Meghan Marty.

  • ACT BootCamp
    February 25 – 28, 2016 (Marin County, CA)
    Steve Hayes, Robyn Walser, Kelly Wilson, Benji Schoendorff, & Marie-France Bolduc
    Offered by Praxis

BootCamp is an intensive 4-day training experience with some of the most experienced and well-respected ACT trainers around. OACBS Members can receive a $75 discount on registration by using code NW2016.

This training is for therapists who have at least a beginning understanding of ACT and it allows a chance to engage the material beyond the beginner level, something rare in workshops.

Drs. Strosahl and Robinson are both exceptionally experienced ACT clinicians and ACT peer-reviewed trainers who train folks around the world in FACT. FACT was developed for clinicians who work in settings that require brief interventions, such as hospitals, jails, primary care clinics, and mental health clinics.

The World Conference brings together clinicians and researchers to present cutting-edge research in ACT, RFT, and Contextual Behavioral Science, as well as experienced trainers to lead experiential workshops so that you can learn how to better serve your clients.

The World Conference is for psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, physicians, drug counselors, health researchers, language researchers, behavior analysts, students and more…. Anyone in a similarly related helping or research field is invited to attend.

Registration in the full conference is all-inclusive and includes lunch, coffee/tea breaks, open access to workshops, research symposia, posters, panel discussions, plenary sessions with CBS researchers and practitioners, and IGNITE sessions.

Member News

Aaron S. Luoma Portland Psychotherapy Behavioral Science Research Grant/Award

The Research Lab at Portland Psychotherapy is proud to announce they have developed and implemented the first cycle of an internal research grant program to support advances in contextual behavioral science and evidence-based psychotherapy. The first grant was dispersed in 2015 and named the Aaron S. Luoma Portland Psychotherapy Behavioral Science Research Grant/Award, in honor of Dr. Jason Luoma’s brother. Awardees included Drs. Paul Guinther, Brian Thompson, and Scott Rower. The grant has supported their ongoing work on RFT and perspective taking, ACT and OCD, and CBT-I and insomnia, respectively. A new grant cycle is underway in 2016 to continue supporting these researchers and Portland Psychotherapy’s mission of contributing to the wider community through scientific research, compassionate treatment, and effective training.

Publications by OACBS Members

Desmond, T. (2016). Self-compassion in psychotherapy: Mindfulness-based practices for healing and transformation. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Robb, H. (in press). Opening up (acceptance & defusion). In J. Nieuwsma, R. Walser & S. Hayes (Ed.) Act for clergy and pastoral counselors: Using acceptance and commitment therapy to bridge psychological and spiritual care. San Francisco, CA: New Harbinger.

Guinther, P. M. & Dougher, M. J. (2015). The clinical relevance of stimulus equivalence and relational frame theory in influencing the behavior of verbally competent adults. Current Opinion in Psychology, 2, 21-25.

LeJeune, J. T., & Luoma, J. B. (2015). The Integrated Scientist-Practitioner: A New Model for Combining Research and Clinical Practice in Fee-For-Service Settings. Professional Psychology Research & Practice 46(6), 421-428. Download here.

Levin, M.E., Luoma, J. B. & Haeger, J. (2015). Decoupling as a mechanism of action in mindfulness and acceptance: A literature review. Behavior Modification, 39(6), 870-911.

Luoma, J. B., & Platt, M. (2015). Stigma, Shame, Self-Criticism, and Compassion in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Current Opinion in Psychology, 2, 97-101. Download here.

Platt, M. & Freyd, J. J. (2015). Betray my trust, shame on me: Shame, dissociation, fear, and betrayal trauma. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 7(4) 398-404.

New OACBS Members

Welcome to our newest OACBS members. We look forward to your contribution to our community!

Sarah Alexander
Mollie Pleet
Jennifer Szolnoki
Erica Prince
Rebecca Hunter
Lue Williams
Irene Powch
Daniel Pinedo
Sandeep Kumar
Darina Yakimec
Roseann Getchell