Introduction
On Friday May 9, 2025, Dr. Michael Twohig delivered a half-day workshop on ACT-Based Behavior Therapy (A-EBT) for trichotillomania.
Content
This workshop will focus on ACT-Based Behavior Therapy (A-EBT) for trichotillomania. AEBT has been supported many clinical trials with adults and adolescents when used in person, over Zoom, or as a web-based treatment. There is a publicly available treatment manual that therapists and clients may follow as they learn to implement AEBT (Woods and Twohig, 2023).
Participants will learn how to diagnose trichotillomania and be aware of common clinical presentations. They will also learn how to use standard psychological assessments commonly used in the treatment of trichotillomania. The workshop will provide an in-depth understanding of the theoretical basis and principles of Stimulus Control, Habit Reversal, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Participants will learn how to apply ACT principles to help clients manage difficult emotions and thoughts that can trigger hair-pulling behavior. The workshop will also address common clinical issues that occur in the treatment of trichotillomania, such as resistance to treatment, relapse, and lack of motivation. Participants will learn how to implement strategies to overcome these obstacles and promote long-term recovery.
Overall, this workshop will equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective treatment for trichotillomania using Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of trichotillomania, evidence-based interventions, and strategies for promoting long-term recovery.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will learn to:
• Diagnose trichotillomania and be aware of common clinical presentations.
Use the standard psychological assessments used in the treatment of trichotillomania.
• Understand the theoretical basis and principles of stimulus control, habit reversal and, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and how they can be applied to trichotillomania treatment.
• Implement stimulus control, habit reversal and, ACT for trichotillomania.
• Address common comorbid issues that present with trichotillomania.
• Use strategies to address common clinical issues that occur in the treatment of trichotillomania.
Training Modalities
Didactic content, Q&A, and role plays
Key References
Woods, D. W., Ely, L. J., Bauer, C. C., Twohig, M. P., Saunders, S. M., Compton, S. N., ... & Franklin, M. E. (2022). Acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy for trichotillomania in adults: A randomized clinical trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 158, 104187.
Twohig, M. P., Petersen, J. M., Fruge, J., Ong, C. W., Barney, J. L., Krafft, J., ... & Levin, M. E. (2021). A pilot randomized controlled trial of online-delivered ACT-enhanced behavior therapy for trichotillomania in adolescents. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 28(4), 653-668.
Capel, L. K., Petersen, J. M., Becker, M. R., Levin, M. E., & Twohig, M. P. (2023). The efficacy and feasibility of a fully automated, web-based acceptance-enhanced behavioral treatment for trichotillomania in adults: A randomized waitlist-controlled trial. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 37, 100800.
Twohig, M. P., Capel, L. K., & Levin, M. E. (2024). A Review of Research on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Psychiatric Clinics.
Capel, L. K., Woolley, M. G., & Twohig, M. P. (2024). Psychosocial Treatment of Trichotillomania: A Review. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.
About the presenter
Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University, where he co-runs the ACT Research Group (with Dr. Levin). He received his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. 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 peer-reviewed papers, many book chapters, and 13 books, with the most recent being the Anxious Perfectionist (with Ong) and Trichotillomania: An ACT-Enhanced Behavior Therapy Approach (2nd Ed.; with Woods). His research has been funded through multiple sources including the National Institute of Mental Health and the IOCDF. In 2022 and 2024, he was rated as the most productive author on ACT and that USU was the most productive institution in the world.
Who should attend
This workshop can be helpful to clinicians at all levels of training.
Low Intensity clinical contact hours survey - BABCP Low Intensity Special Interest Group
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