Feasibility of an acceptance and commitment therapy adjunctive web-based program for counseling centers.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Digital Mental Health

Background:

• College counseling centers face increasing demand for student mental health services.
• Web-based adjunctive tools offer a scalable solution to supplement traditional care.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles are being adapted for digital delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test an initial web-based ACT prototype as an adjunctive tool in college counseling centers.
• To evaluate counselor and student satisfaction and usability of the ACT tool.
• To assess the impact of the ACT tool on student mental health outcomes and ACT-specific processes.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post open trial involving 30 counselors and 82 student clients across 4 university counseling centers.
• Students utilized a web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) prototype.
• Outcome measures assessed mental health and ACT process variables; satisfaction and usability were also measured.

Main Results:

• High satisfaction and usability ratings were reported by both counselors and students.
• A majority of students engaged with at least a portion of the ACT program.
• Significant improvements were observed in most student outcome and ACT process measures.

Conclusions:

• The ACT web-based tool shows promise as a viable adjunctive resource for college mental health services.
• Student outcome improvements were linked to reductions in psychological inflexibility and counselor engagement with the tool.
• Findings support the further development of flexible, adjunctive ACT programs for counseling centers.