2023 ACTO CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Exploring Creative Solutions in a Global Context ONLINE CONFERENCE

PROGRAMME

4th November, 2023

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Welcome to the 2023 ACTO Online Conference: Exploring Creative Solutions in a Global Context We are delighted to be hosting our annual ACTO Conference – bringing together online counsellors, therapists, supervisors, and trainers from across the globe.

ACTO is a UK based organisation with members from across the world. The recent worldwide pandemic highlighted inequalities faced by millions of people who need access to safe good quality mental health services. Addressing these needs requires there to be a step change in the delivery of online counselling and therapy; and to do this, we must develop a more global perspective on ethics, best practices, ways of delivering online therapy and innovative technology that will challenge the status quo and how therapy is accessed by our clients.

This development calls on us to make global connections, which are inclusive of cultural and demographic differences, to pursue shared objectives and creative solutions for use in a global context. We, at ACTO wish to return to the original understanding of conference – which is to confer, and we aim with this exciting line of up speakers and a comedian to make our 4 November conference dynamic, exciting and a start of making many conversations and connections for many years to come.

We are part of an ever-growing online therapy community that works in the best interest of our clients and us, as practitioners. Please join us on this new journey.

Our programme of international speakers will give you a unique perspective on online therapy and counselling and the issues clients and practitioners face in various countries across the world: Mr Salman Kimangale: A Clinical Psychologist and School Counsellor and a member of Tanzanian Psychological Association (TAPA) and the Mental Health Associations of Tanzania (MEHATA), the Global Psychology Alliance (GPA) and the International Council of Psychologists (ICP). He will deliver a presentation on Tanzania’s School Mental Health programme to discuss corporal punishment and violence against children within aspects of Tanzanian society.

Dr Melissa Anderson is a Psychologist and Clinical Researcher, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, a Co-Director, DeafYES! Center for Deaf Empowerment and Recovery, a Deputy Director, Implementation Science & Practice Advances Research Center (iSPARC) UMass Chan Medical School. Melissa offers outpatient therapy to Deaf clients recovering from trauma, addiction, and comorbid disorders and conducts community-engaged research on best approaches for working with Deaf clients. Melissa will present her innovative work that will inspire participants to be more inclusive in their practice.

Dr John Piette is a Professor of Health Behaviour and Health Education, and of Internal Medicine Director, Center for Managing Chronic Disease Senior Research Career Scientist, VA Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research. John presents his brief intervention work in Honduras. John will also present his thought-provoking AI intervention therapeutic work. John is keen to open the space for discussion on AI and the impact on us as practitioners.

Lesley Simpson-Gray is a Cyber Psychotherapist, and Founder at Mycybertherapyspace VR® and Director of CYP Division of ACTO. Lesley will share her innovative work and research on transcultural therapy with a UK & Caribbean emphasis exploring non-euro centric therapeutic approaches.

Shiraz Farrand is an EMDR Consultant and CBT therapist with many years of experience in the NHS and private practice. She is the President of Trauma Aid UK which offers EMDR pro-bono training and supervision to underrepresented countries affected by conflict and natural disaster. Following the 2017 spate of UK terrorist attacks, Shiraz co-founded the Trauma Response Network a charity which provides pro-bono EMDR Early Intervention to UK people affected by a mass traumatic incident. As a Senior Group EMDR Trainer she has introduced this brief intervention into the UK’s NHS services and trained internationally including Bosnia, Ukraine, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt and most recently Serbia. Responding to the COVID19 pandemic, Shiraz developed a self-help website with EMDR informed exercises for frontline staff and the general public. www.1stcontact.net which has been translated into several languages. She is actively involved with the NGO Global Initiative for Stress and Trauma Training (GIST-T) (https://gist-t.org/) whose Traumatic Stress Relief (TSR) programme aims to train Para and Allied Professionals from Low and Middle Income countries to deliver low intensity evidence based trauma interventions. With her GIST colleagues she is co-author of a chapter on scaling up trauma treatment through Low Intensity task-sharing in the upcoming book on Group EMDR published by Springer.

We are absolutely delighted to introduce Sadia Azmat, a contemporary British Asian comedian who is pushing the limits with her clever wit, thought-stirring observations, and irresistible charisma. In the realm of comedy, Sadia Azmat is much more than just a performer, she is a comedic powerhouse reshaping convention. Get ready for a dose of levity and enlightenment.

Each presentation aims to inform, educate and to inspire you; providing you with practical ideas that will help you to build your knowledge and competencies as an online practitioner.

You will find further information about the programme and speakers in this booklet including contact details.

We hope that you enjoy the conference.

Basi Amodu Chair, ACTO

ACTO – The UK’s Leading Voice for Online Therapy

ACTO is the UK’s leading voice for online therapy and we champion the value and efficacy of online therapeutic practices.

As an ACTO member, you not only gain access to excellent training, ethical guidance, and networking opportunities, but also become part of a community committed to the highest standards in online therapy. ACTO membership will enhance your professional status, confidence, and you join a community at the forefront of online therapeutic innovation.

Our ACTO website also has a wealth of resources including a Directory of Online Therapists and Supervisors, a Directory of ACTO members, details of Online Training Providers as well as the latest news, research and Frequently Asked Questions.

Read on for further information about our CYP Network, regular webinars and workshops. If you would like to know more visit our website or contact us: info@acto-org.uk general information or admin@acto-org.uk for membership information

www.acto.org.uk Follow us on Social Media: Click the logos to connect

ACTO CYP Network ACTO has a vibrant network of online practitioners specialising in working with Children and Young People. Building on this year’s programme of free networking events for ACTO CYP members, we’re heading into 2024 with a focus on social media and online safety. Our next networking event will explore the impact that various platforms have on us as online practitioners as well as how it shapes our therapeutic relationships.

ACTO invites you to a space and place where we can share our concerns and find the resources to build your confidence in an area that is essential to the lives of many of our clients.

In other networking events, we’ll also hear more from key organisations we’re working with in partnership. We’ll be sharing some great news about member benefits and the added value of being part of a growing community of ACTO CYP practitioners.

ACTO Neurodiversity Interest Group for psychotherapists and counsellors working online The ACTO Neurodiversity Interest Group has been formed to draw colleagues together who are interested in working with neurodiversity and see some or all clients online. It offers a safe, inclusive place for ACTO members who are psychotherapists and counsellors to explore this issue with which we are faced. We are all learning and it is okay not to know. Every therapist is at their own level of understanding and skills regarding this issue.

Discussions are centred around understanding both the challenges that neurodivergent people face when seeking therapy and the concerns therapists have in confidently providing those services. As a group we will have an online secure asynchronous chat group, augmenting our bi-monthly video meet ups where we can explore these themes and share information for mutual support as we seek to clarify and deliver best practice in our work.

As therapists ourselves, we are diverse individuals, and some counsellors and psychotherapists may identify as belonging to a minority group, too. The group is affirming of difference in its process as well as in the content of the subject matter that it deals with.

If you are not yet an ACTO member but have an interest in neurodiversity, please click onto our website with details on how to join.

For further information including how to join please contact Vauna Beauvais. Details of future events will be published on the ACTO website.

ACTO Trauma Special Interest Group ACTO has established a Trauma Special Interest group - a community of practice for ACTO members working with trauma online.

For further information please email traumasig@acto-org.uk .

ACTO Member Online Webinars & Workshops ACTO is passionate about providing all its members with the knowledge to help practitioners upskill and gain in confidence working online. Organising monthly workshops and webinars are crucial ingredients of our services. In 2024 ACTO has an exciting programme of events lined up – and free to our members.

These sessions will include: Dyslexia: A two part dyslexia series delivered from a therapist and client perspective Auditory Processing difficulties: A session to help practitioners who work with clients experiencing auditory processing difficulties Safeguarding: A series to inform and support online therapists and supervisors keep up to date and safe whilst working online.

Please contact Karen Frodsham if you wish to find out more or you would like to suggest a theme for a future webinar or workshop. Booking details will be available soon.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

PROGRAMME (GMT)

Click the presenters names for more info

09:30 - 09:45

Caz Binstead - Introduction/Welcome

09:45 - 10:00

Basi Amodu - Overview from the Chair of ACTO

10:00 - 10:30

Lesley Simpson-Gray - An Online Journey to the Globalized Self

10:30 - 11:00

Shiraz Farrand - Bridging the mental health gap: Globalising Trauma Treatment with Digital EMDR

11:00 - 11:15

Morning break

11:15 - 12:15

Shiraz Farrand - Group EMDR Protocols and experiential EMDR informed exercise

12:15 - 12:35

Saldin Kimangale - Violence Against Children, Digitalization and Mental Health in Tanzania: A call for Action

12:35 - 13:35

Lunch

13:35 - 14:05

Sadia Azmat - British Stand-Up Comedian, Writer and Published Author

14:05 - 14:55

Dr John Piette - Artificial Intelligence (AI) doesn’t have to be a threat to effective, compassionate care: Using AI to serve more people with personalized counseling at a distance

14:55 - 15:05

Afternoon break

15:05 - 15:35

Dr Melissa Anderson - Leveraging Technology to Address Deaf Mental Health

15:35 - 16:30

Facilitated discussion - Guest speaker panel

16:30 - 16:45

Kristín Einarsdóttir Scobie - Member Benefits: Kara Connect

16:45 - 17:00

Ruth Simmonds & Julian Rose - Member Benefits: TAC Access

17:10 - 17:30

Caz Binstead & Basi Amudo - Close

Conference Host

Caz Binstead

Caz Binstead is an experienced therapist, supervisor and facilitator, working full-time in private practice.

She specialises in the growth and maintenance of both ethical, and, thriving practice, and was instrumental in the creation of the Private practice Toolkit, at the BACP, in which she acted as the private practice executive divisional lead for. She is currently co-authoring a book in this area, with a counselling psychologist colleague (due to be published by Routledge).

She is co-lead for #TherapistsConnect - an open community of therapists from across the world, whose main aim is to broaden conversations around therapy, and build greater connections between therapists.

She has hosted numerous large-scale therapy events for both Onlinevents and other organisations, including the BACP. Caz’ professional website is: cazbinstead.com And you can find her on social media too: @cazbinny @night_owl_counsellor

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CONFERENCE PRESENTERS

An Online Journey to the Globalized Self

Lesley Simpson-Gray In this workshop Lesley examines how her creative journey combining the arts, technology and traditional Ghanaian frameworks of well-being has informed her own process of healing. She explores how this holistic experience underpins her transcultural practice and how it supports her clients who both embrace and displace aspects of their cultural identity.

Lesley guides you through a therapeutic experience using an immersive visualization and 3D tools as you reflect on ways to adapt your frameworks and enrich your online practice.

Lesley is an experienced Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and certified CyberTherapist. She has used her long-held passion for imagery, music and the creative arts to underpin her professional training at the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education.

She has run her private psychotherapy practice since 2017 and she moved from ‘inperson’ therapy to a 3D virtual playroom in 2020. Her therapeutic framework combines neuroscience, digital creative arts, and a blend of the physical and virtual worlds to deliver playful, immersive interventions.

Lesley’s lived experience as a black, British professional has led to her special interest in working with globalized families and especially with care-experienced children and young people with a cultural connection to the African diaspora. For several years she worked for a national UK charity as a young people’s advocate and independent mental health advocate.

Lesley designs and delivers her own series of cyber-creativity workshops and training programmes. Her goal is to help mental health professionals to gain IT skills and confidence for online creative arts therapy.

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Bridging the Mental Health Gap: Globalising Trauma Treatment with Digital EMDR

Shiraz Farrand EMDR is an evidence based trauma intervention recommended by the World Health Organisation for the treatment of PTSD. Although the past 30 years has seen thousands of licenced mental health therapists trained in this powerful approach, access to quality training and supervision has not been equitable. The treatment gap is greatest in specific communities amongst higher income countries as well as low and middle income countries, arguably where the need is greatest.

This presentation will focus on the efforts by the EMDR international community, inspired by its founder Francine Shapiro, to address these issues through their Humanitarian Assistance Programmes, group and task sharing interventions all of which have adapted well to digital opportunities post the global Covid pandemic.

This will be followed by a one hour workshop which will introduce several Group EMDR protocols and an experiential EMDR informed exercise for self-care.

Shiraz Farrand is an EMDR Consultant and CBT therapist with many years of experience in the NHS and private practice. She is the President of Trauma Aid UK which offers EMDR pro-bono training and supervision to underrepresented countries affected by conflict and natural disaster.

Following the 2017 spate of UK terrorist attacks, Shiraz co-founded the Trauma Response Network a charity which provides pro-bono EMDR Early Intervention to UK people affected by a mass traumatic incident.

As a Senior Group EMDR Trainer she has introduced this brief intervention into the UK’s NHS services and trained internationally including Bosnia, Ukraine, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt and most recently Serbia. Responding to the COVID19 pandemic, Shiraz developed a self-help website with EMDR informed exercises for frontline

staff and the general public. www.1stcontact.net which has been translated into several languages.

She is actively involved with the NGO Global Initiative for Stress and Trauma Training (GIST-T) (https://gist-t.org/) whose Traumatic Stress Relief (TSR) programme aims to train Para and Allied Professionals from Low and Middle Income countries to deliver low intensity evidence based trauma interventions. With her GIST colleagues she is co-author of a chapter on scaling up trauma treatment through Low Intensity task-sharing in the upcoming book on Group EMDR published by Springer.

Farrand, S., Bizouerne, C., Pupat, A. (October, 2023), Scaling Up Trauma Treatment: Low Intensity AIP Informed Group Interventions, In R. Morrow Robinson, S. Kemal Kaptan (Eds), EMDR Group Therapy: Emerging Principles and Protocols to Treat Trauma and Beyond. New York, NY. Springer Publishing.

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Violence Against Children, Digitalization and Mental Health in Tanzania: A call for Action

Saldin Kimangale Violence against children in Tanzania is still a topic of discussion, as three-quarters of Tanzanian girls and boys have experienced physical abuse prior to age 18, let alone emotional, verbal and sexual abuses. Violence are widely happening in homes, and in school settings, where protection and safety of the children are highly expected. The interventions on violence against children is a multi-sectoral task, consisting of government ministries and social welfare, the police and legal system, education and health care sectors and civil society. School Mental Health Program and positive parenting might play a role as preventive measures.

Mental health services are increasingly digitalised globally but not in Tanzania and more specifically not with children in Tanzania. Children and youth people suffering from violence and poor mental health are at greater risks of digital and, therefore, social exclusion. This suggests that children and youths’ mental health cannot be discussed thoroughly without addressing digitalisation, and vice versa. It is important to foster more equitable access to Internet services and to develop young people’s digital skills so as to ensure they can access mental health services from well- equipped mental health services providers on their pace and space.

Saldin H. Kimangale, (BEGC, MSc. Clinical Psychology), a practicing clinical psychologist residingin Dar es Salaam – Tanzania. Interested in Early Childhood Adversities and Trauma. Saldin is advocating for child protection, School Health Program and Climate change. Currently, he is coordinating a Clinical supervision and mentorship program between Tanzania Psychological Association (TAPA) members and U.S Colleagues

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British Stand-Up Comedian, Writer and Published Author

Sadia Azmat

Sadia Azmat is a British stand-up comedian, writer and published author of Sex Bomb.

In 2018 Sadia launched her critically acclaimed BBC podcast ‘No Country For Young Women’ which was named as one of the ‘Best Audio 2018’ by the Observer and Apple’s Top picks 2018.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) doesn’t have to be a threat to effective, compassionate care: Using AI to serve more people with personalized counseling at a distance

Dr John Piette Psychotherapists and other counselors are understandably worried that the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) may mean that mental health care is less personalized and effective, while dedicated therapists struggle to compete with AI bots. While these concerns are justified, we have found that AI tools can support therapists while increasing access to personalized mental health services.

In one comparative effectiveness trial, we found that an AI-supported program of therapist-delivered pain CBT achieved equal or possibly better outcomes than standard telephone-delivered pain CBT, but with less than half the therapist time. In this session we will review these applications of AI, and as time permits, discuss some of the ways AI researchers are working to create algorithm that reflect community values, both in industrialized countries as well as in our work in low- and middle-income countries of Latin America.

John Piette is a Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, and a Senior Research Career Scientist in the US Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. His research focuses on developing and evaluating novel strategies for using patient-facing health technology to improve the accessibility and quality of care for people with mood disorders, substance use disorders, chronic pain, and medical illnesses such as diabetes. Dr. Piette and his colleagues were recently awarded “paper of the year” by the VA Healthcare System for their paper describing outcomes among patients with chronic pain treated by telehealth CBT versus CBT supported by artificial intelligence. Dr. Piette has twice been awarded a United States Fulbright Faculty Scholarship for his research and teaching on mental health and telehealth in Latin America. His transdiagnostic CBT program has recently been adopted as a foundation of community-based mental health services in the country of Honduras.

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Leveraging Technology to Address Deaf Mental Health

Dr Melissa Anderson The U.S. Deaf community – more than 500,000 Americans who communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) – experiences heightened rates of mental health conditions compared to those from the general population. Hearing individuals have access to dozens of validated mental health treatments, yet there are no evidencebased treatments to treat any mental health condition with Deaf clients. Available mental health treatments fail to meet Deaf clients’ unique language access needs.

Leveraging extensive community engagement to address these barriers, Dr. Anderson has led teams of Deaf and hearing researchers, clinicians, filmmakers, actors, artists, and Deaf people in recovery to develop and evaluate innovative treatment adaptations that are uniquely and expertly tailored for Deaf signing people.

This presentation will outline our process of community-engaged intervention development, as well as showcase examples of completed interventions and interventions currently in the works.

Melissa Anderson is a Gallaudet University-trained psychologist and clinical researcher who strives to provide accessible behavioral healthcare to members of the U.S. Deaf community. She is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. She founded the DeafYES! Center for Deaf Empowerment and Recovery at UMass Chan, where she has continually provided outpatient therapy and conducted research on Deaf mental health since 2011.

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Member Benefits: Kara Connect Kristin E Scobie Kara Connect is revolutionising the EAP market with our effective new approach. We connect employees in need of support with the best mental health and personal wellbeing professionals. Our solution, created by professionals for professionals, offers best-in-class software designed for counsellors, coaches, and therapists. It allows them to manage various aspects of their practice, including running video sessions, managing client records, scheduling, taking payments, and more. All of this is available in one place.

By using Kara Connect, you not only receive a fully functional tool to manage your practice, but you also become a preferred partner to our business clients. This allows you to support their employees and their families. www.karaconnect.com

Kristin works with Kara Connect as an Innovative Health & Wellbeing Consultant. She uses her expertise as a Social Change Strategist and Health Advocate, to drive transformational changes within Employee Health and to create a digital ecosystem with access to multidisciplinary and collaborative professional wellbeing and support services through Kara Connect. Her background is in therapy, and public and global health with race, ethnicity and conflict as expertise. Kristin holds extensive health and welfare sector experience and expertise in innovative digital health transformation. www.linkedin.com/in/kristineinarsdottir

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Member Benefits: TAC Access Ruth Simmonds & Julian Rose

TAC Access is an innovative online platform that connects therapists with children and young people quickly and efficiently. It was conceived and devised by two teachers who were determined that young people should have a voice in choosing therapists and that those therapists should be supported and properly paid for the vital work that they do.

The initial concept was launched in March 2022 and has rapidly evolved with support and feedback from users and stakeholders. It now offers a one stop solution to the provision and commissioning of counselling and therapy for children and young people.

Therapists have access to parents, schools, colleges and other commissioning groups throughout the UK. Latest developments mean that everything from bookings through to payment can be handled through the platform taking care of the day to day admin hassles and leaving you free to do what you do best.

Ruth Simmonds and Julian Rose join us to tell us more about how TAC Access works and to answer your questions. www.tacaccess.com

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