Trichotillomania Therapist Training Study
The ACT Research Group at Utah State University is seeking mental healthcare providers (psychologists, therapists, counselors, etc.) in the United States to participate in a trial looking at the impact of therapist training for the treatment of trichotillomania.
Your participation could involve attending a virtual workshop lead by Dr. Michael Twohig and six subsequent months of group consultation that could enhance your clinical ability to address symptoms of trichotillomania using an evidenced-based behavioral intervention.
You may be compensated 12 CEs for attending the one-day workshop and six months of consultation and up to $50 for any surveys you complete during the study. You may also receive a comprehensive treatment manual to supplement your training.
To be eligible you must be 18 years or older, live in the United States, actively working full-time as a behavioral health professional, and speak English.
Please note that this is a randomized waitlist-controlled trial which involves being randomized to receive an immediate training this fall (virtual workshop held Saturday, October 7th, 2023) or delayed training in the spring (virtual workshop held Saturday, May 4th, 2024). Randomization will occur once recruitment is complete.
To be eligible you must be:
Your participation could involve attending a virtual workshop lead by Dr. Michael Twohig and six subsequent months of group consultation that could enhance your clinical ability to address symptoms of trichotillomania using an evidenced-based behavioral intervention.
You may be compensated 12 CEs for attending the one-day workshop and six months of consultation and up to $50 for any surveys you complete during the study. You may also receive a comprehensive treatment manual to supplement your training.
To be eligible you must be 18 years or older, live in the United States, actively working full-time as a behavioral health professional, and speak English.
Please note that this is a randomized waitlist-controlled trial which involves being randomized to receive an immediate training this fall (virtual workshop held Saturday, October 7th, 2023) or delayed training in the spring (virtual workshop held Saturday, May 4th, 2024). Randomization will occur once recruitment is complete.
To be eligible you must be:
- Providing mental health services as a full-time clinician
- Licensed or working under the license of a licensed supervisor
- Working in a setting where it’s at least somewhat likely you would treat an individual with trichotillomania (e.g., working in an emergency department or residential eating disorder center would not count)
More about this Training
The training is intended for therapists of many different levels of training and is designed to be applicable for a variety of context in which you may provide treatment to a client presenting with trichotillomania. The training is designed to be an introductory to stimulus control and ACT, and it will therefore be accessible to psychologist and therapists’ new to the field.
Location and Time
Those allocated to the initial training will attend the workshop via Zoom on Saturday October 7th, 2023, @ 9:00am to 4:00pm MST. This group will attend “booster” consultation groups via Zoom from November 2023 through April 2024. We will hold three groups each month and ask that therapists attend at least one per month in order to earn the 12 CE credits. Partial credit is not available for this training. All scheduled consultation sessions from November to April can be found here. Those allocated to the delayed training group will receive the workshop on May 4th, 2023.
Workshop Learning Objectives
“Booster” Consultation Groups Learning Objectives
Group Session One
Training Facilitators
Michael Twohig, PhD
Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University, where he co-runs the ACT Research Group He received his PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed his clinical internship at the University of British Columbia Hospital. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the organization most associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 200 scholarly works including 5 books, with the most recent being Innovations in ACT and ACT in Steps.
Kate Morrison, PhD
Kate Morrison, PhD is a licensed psychologist who provides services through in Utah and PSYPACT states (https://psypact.org/page/psypactmap). She specializes in assessment and behavioral treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and related disorders. She provides evidence-based treatment for these concerns and experiences that can accompany them. Treatment of OCD and related disorders is the majority of Dr. Morrison’s practice, and she has been treating these concerns since 2011. She studied under and learned from leaders in the areas of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure therapies, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. She has authored peer reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics. She stays up to date on the research in these areas and it is reflected in her clinical work.
The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Funding for Continuing Education Credit is Supported by the Huntsman Foundation.
CEs are awarded contingent on timely post-event paperwork submission by event organizers.
The training is intended for therapists of many different levels of training and is designed to be applicable for a variety of context in which you may provide treatment to a client presenting with trichotillomania. The training is designed to be an introductory to stimulus control and ACT, and it will therefore be accessible to psychologist and therapists’ new to the field.
Location and Time
Those allocated to the initial training will attend the workshop via Zoom on Saturday October 7th, 2023, @ 9:00am to 4:00pm MST. This group will attend “booster” consultation groups via Zoom from November 2023 through April 2024. We will hold three groups each month and ask that therapists attend at least one per month in order to earn the 12 CE credits. Partial credit is not available for this training. All scheduled consultation sessions from November to April can be found here. Those allocated to the delayed training group will receive the workshop on May 4th, 2023.
Workshop Learning Objectives
- Describe trichotillomania diagnosis, common presentations, and its empirically based treatments
- Implement habit reversal training and stimulus control assessment
- Explain the philosophy and theory of ACT
- Apply values clarification to increase motivation
- Explain acceptance inner experiences related to pulling
- Explain defusion techniques
- Assess client progress
- List therapist and client resources
“Booster” Consultation Groups Learning Objectives
Group Session One
- Conduct habit reversal training and stimulus control
- Discuss current cases and how to effectively implement Acceptance Enhance Behavior Therapy (AEBT) with clients
- Conduct values assessment
- Discuss current cases and how to effectively implement AEBT with clients
- Implement strategies to promote acceptance of inner experiences related to pulling
- Discuss current cases and how to effectively implement AEBT with clients
- Use defusion to manage urges and inner experiences
- Discuss current cases and how to effectively implement AEBT with clients
- Use assessments to evaluate client progress
- Discuss current cases and how to effectively implement AEBT with clients
- Implement strategies to help clients maintain and list available resources
- Discuss current cases and how to effectively implement AEBT with clients
Training Facilitators
Michael Twohig, PhD
Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University, where he co-runs the ACT Research Group He received his PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed his clinical internship at the University of British Columbia Hospital. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the organization most associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 200 scholarly works including 5 books, with the most recent being Innovations in ACT and ACT in Steps.
Kate Morrison, PhD
Kate Morrison, PhD is a licensed psychologist who provides services through in Utah and PSYPACT states (https://psypact.org/page/psypactmap). She specializes in assessment and behavioral treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and related disorders. She provides evidence-based treatment for these concerns and experiences that can accompany them. Treatment of OCD and related disorders is the majority of Dr. Morrison’s practice, and she has been treating these concerns since 2011. She studied under and learned from leaders in the areas of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure therapies, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. She has authored peer reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics. She stays up to date on the research in these areas and it is reflected in her clinical work.
The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Funding for Continuing Education Credit is Supported by the Huntsman Foundation.
CEs are awarded contingent on timely post-event paperwork submission by event organizers.
This study is USU IRB #13542 and the principal investigator is Dr. Michael Twohig (Michael.twohig@usu.edu). If you have any questions, please contact the study coordinator at Mercedes.Woolley @usu.edu or (385) 955-1049.
