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Evaluation ViewAttendees 5

Technology/Digital Health
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 52 - Advancing Digital ACT Interventions: Evidence-Based Strategies for Expanding Access to Care

Friday, November 21, 2025
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM CST
Location: Bolden 6, Level 2
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Technology / Mobile Health, ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy), Randomized Controlled Trial
Level of Familiarity: All
Recommended Readings: Ong, C. W., Lee, E. B., Levin, M. E., & Twohig, M. P. (2022). Online process-based training for perfectionism: A randomized trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 156, 104152.,   Arch, J. J., Mitchell, J. L., Schmiege, S. J., Levin, M. E., Genung, S. R., Nealis, M. S., Fink, R. M., Bright, E. E., Andorsky, D. J., & Kutner, J. S. (2022). A randomized controlled trial of a multi-modal palliative care intervention to promote advance care planning and psychological well-being among adults with advanced cancer: study protocol. BMC palliative care, 21(1), 198. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-022-01087-z,   Bowers, E. M., Capel, L. K., Woolley, M. G., Barnes, A., Twohig, M. P., & Levin, M. E. (2024). Efficacy and feasibility of web-based ACT-Enhanced behavioral treatment for skin picking in adults: A randomized waitlist-controlled trial. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 43, 100909.,   Donahue, M. L., & Levin, M. E. (2024). Pilot evaluation of a prototype online acceptance and commitment therapy program for adults living with a chronic health condition. International Journal of Mental Health, 53(4), 397–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207411.2024.2321432,   Klimczak, K. S., San Miguel, G. G., Mukasa, M. N., Twohig, M. P., & Levin, M. E. (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of self-guided online acceptance and commitment therapy as a transdiagnostic self-help intervention. Cognitive behaviour therapy, 52(3), 269–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2023.2178498

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) offer scalable solutions to expand access to mental health care by reducing barriers such as geographic limitations, provider shortages, financial constraints, and stigma. By allowing individuals to access evidence-based treatment from their own homes, DMHIs remove logistical obstacles and extend care to often underserved populations, including individuals living in rural areas or those facing mobility concerns. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a transdiagnostic intervention that has demonstrated effectiveness across a wide range of clinical populations (Gloster et al., 2020). DMHIs provide an opportunity to broaden the reach of ACT, making it more accessible to individuals who might not otherwise receive specialized care. This symposium presents four studies evaluating ACT DMHIs across diverse clinical populations, emphasizing their effectiveness, user engagement, and mechanisms of change.
The first presentation examines a transdiagnostic digital ACT program designed to improve psychological flexibility and quality of life in adults with chronic health conditions. Findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) highlight its feasibility and impact across a broad range of conditions. The second study evaluates a multi-modal ACT intervention for adults with advanced cancer, integrating virtual group sessions and self-paced ACT modules to improve well-being and advance care planning. The third presentation explores a brief, self-guided online intervention for clinical perfectionism, comparing its efficacy to a self-help book and providing insights into the scalability of digital interventions. The final study investigates an automated self-help program for skin picking disorder, examining mediators and moderators of treatment response, with a focus on psychological flexibility as a key mechanism of change.
Findings across these studies highlight the potential of DMHIs to extend care beyond traditional in-person therapy settings, improve engagement, and identify key factors influencing treatment effectiveness across different clinical populations. The discussant will synthesize key insights, addressing challenges related to engagement, adherence, and real-world implementation. This symposium directly aligns with ABCT’s 2025 theme, Bridging the Divide, by showcasing how digital interventions can reduce barriers to care and expand the reach of evidence-based treatment.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe how digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) improve accessibility and mental health outcomes across diverse populations.
  2. Identify transdiagnostic processes, such as psychological flexibility, that mediate treatment effects in DMHIs.
  3. Compare the effectiveness of fully automated, self-guided, and clinician-supported digital ACT interventions.
  4. Evaluate key factors influencing engagement, adherence, and treatment response in ACT DMHIs.
  5. Discuss how DMHIs address mental health needs in individuals with chronic health conditions, cancer, perfectionism, and skin picking disorder.

Presentations:

  • 3:06 PM - 3:27 PM CST
    (SYM 52) Evaluating Digital Acceptance & Commitment Therapy as a Transdiagnostic Mental Health Resource for Adults with Chronic Health Conditions

    Speaker: Michael E. Levin, Ph.D. – Utah State University

    Co-author: Ty Aller, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Utah State University

    Co-author: Francesca M. Knudsen, B.S. – Utah State University

    Co-author: Korena Klimczak, M.S. (she/her/hers) – Utah State University

    Co-author: Marissa Donahue, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Utah State University

  • 3:27 PM - 3:48 PM CST
    (SYM 52) Randomized Trial of a Multi-modal ACT Intervention to Increase Psychological Well-being and Advance Care Planning in Anxious and Depressed Adults with Likely Incurable Cancer

    Speaker: Joanna Arch, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Colorado Boulder

    Co-author: Joanna Arch, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Colorado Boulder

    Co-author: Jill Mitchell, PhD, MSW, LCSW – Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers

    Co-author: Sarah Genung, BA – University of Colorado Boulder

    Co-author: Madeline Nealis, MPH – University of Colorado Boulder

    Co-author: Sarah Schmiege, PhD (she/her/hers) – Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    Co-author: Michael E. Levin, Ph.D. – Utah State University

    Co-author: David Andorsky, MD – Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers

    Co-author: Regina Fink, PhD (she/her/hers) – Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine

    Co-author: Jean Kutner, MD, MPH/MSPH – University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine

  • 3:48 PM - 4:09 PM CST
    (SYM 52) A Good Enough Intervention: Testing Brief Online Self-help Treatment Modules for Clinical Perfectionism

    Speaker: Clarissa Ong, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Louisville

    Co-author: Clarissa Ong, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Louisville

    Co-author: Eric Lee, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Southern Illinois University

    Co-author: Andrew Kurtz, B.A. – Florida State University

    Co-author: Jacob S. Avendano, M.S. – University of Toledo

    Co-author: Kate Sheehan, M.A. (she/her/hers) – University of Toledo

    Co-author: Estella Fox, B.A. – University of Toledo

    Co-author: Andrew Wall, B.A. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale

    Co-author: Hannah Myers Johnson, B.A. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale

    Co-author: Alexa M. Skolnik, M.A. – University of Toledo

  • 4:09 PM - 4:30 PM CST
    (SYM 52) Mediators and Moderators for Adults with Skin Picking Disorder in an Digital A-EBT Intervention

    Speaker: Emily M. Bowers, M.S. (she/her/hers) – Utah State University

    Co-author: Emily M. Bowers, M.S. (she/her/hers) – Utah State University

    Co-author: Leila Capel, M.S. (she/her/hers) – Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

    Co-author: Mercedes Woolley, M.S. – Utah State University

    Co-author: Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Utah State University

    Co-author: Michael E. Levin, Ph.D. – Utah State University