ACT on Health Lab Projects

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Current Research Projects

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Preventing Persistent Post-Surgical Pain and Dysfunction in At-Risk Veterans: Effect of a Brief Behavioral Intervention #1 R01 NR017610-01

Grant funding from National Institute of Nursing Research (Feb. 1, 2019 - Jan. 30, 2023)
Preoperative Pain and Rehabilitation Education (‘PrePARE’), a multi-site, multi-PI study aims to compare the effectiveness of a pre-surgical therapeutic workshop (ACT) to Attention Control (AC) on pain and functioning among veterans who are at-risk for developing chronic pain post-orthopedic surgery.

Combination Outreach and Wellness Intervention for Distressed Out-Of-Care Rural Veterans

Grant funding from VA Office of Rural Health (Oct. 1, 2019 - Aug. 30, 2021)
Supportive Outreach and Reintegration (‘SOAR’) is building partnerships with Veteran-centered community organizations and VHA CBOCs in areas serving rural-dwelling veterans to identify distressed veterans who may not otherwise seek mental health care and deliver 1-day Acceptance and Commitment Training plus Education, Resources and Support (ACT+ERS) workshops in community-based settings.
Video: A one-day Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) Workshop for Veterans

One-day Life Skills Workshop for Veterans with TBI, Pain, and Psychopathology: Evaluating Efficacy and Mechanism of Change. #1 I01 RX003117-01A1

Grant Funding from VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (Feb. 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2023)
Support & Education for Returning veterans (‘SERVE’) is a randomized controlled trial for veterans returning from the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (OIF/OEF/OND) with polytrauma (mTBI, pain, psychopathology). The aims are to:
- Compare the efficacy of an ACT workshop to an active treatment comparison on symptoms of distress and social, occupational, and community reintegration.
- Examine mediators and moderators of treatment response to identify which ACT components are directly responsible for treatment effectiveness and whether treatment benefits are constrained by various personal factors.

Grant funding from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The goal of the project is to adapt, refine, and pilot an ACT intervention for out-of-care people with HIV (PWH) who present with avoidant coping. ‘Targeting HIV Retention and Improved Viral load through Engagement’ (‘THRIVE’) will aim to help out-of-care PWH overcome the cycle of avoidance coping which can keep PWH out of care and exacerbate/maintain stigma and comorbid mental health difficulties that are common in PWH.

Engaging out-of-care distressed rural veterans and their partners in outreach and an ACT-based intervention

Grant funding from VA Office of Rural Health (Oct. 1, 2021 -)
Building Relationships with Vitality and Engagement (“BRAVE) is identifying rural-dwelling distressed veterans with the help of veteran-centered community organizations and VHA CBOCs in rural areas and delivering a one-day evidence-based mental health workshop followed by a one-day couples’ workshop for veterans and their partners.