Stigma is known to have major impacts on the physical and psychological health of many groups. Psychological inflexibility is a psychological process that may help explain the impact of stigma on both self and others. Accordingly, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which targets psychological inflexibility, has been researched as a potential treatment for stigma. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of these issues, this paper offers a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between psychological inflexibility and stigma, as well as a systematic review of ACT interventions for stigma. The results of the meta-analysis showed a positive, medium-to-large association between psychological inflexibility and stigma measures aggregating across 16 studies. The systematic review of interventions identified 15 studies on ACT interventions for stigma. Initial findings indicate consistent reductions in stigma following ACT interventions, as well as improved outcomes relative to active controls. Data on mediation and moderation, as well as long-term outcomes, are also presented. Implications for conceptualizing and treating stigma, and limitations of the research, are discussed.

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An emotional support animal (ESA) is a type of legally recognized assistance animal that purports to provide emotional support to individuals with mental and emotional disabilities. Due to their no-cost access to housing that is ordinarily not pet-friendly (and previously no-cost access to airline travel), ESAs have increased in popularity, reflected in media attention highlighting problems that occur when individuals obtain ESA verification fraudulently, or without critical thought and legal considerations. Given recent legal clarifications by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD; 2020), ESAs should be considered an accommodation and adjunct to ongoing treatment for chronic mental health disorders. The present article approaches ESA decision issues from a human-animal bond research and positive ethics perspective and introduces an ESA Decision-Making Framework. The framework provides clinicianfriendly overview of welfare, clinical, and legal aspects of ESA decisions and potential ESA selection. The framework can structure beneficial conversations about ESAs between providers and clients in order to facilitate collaborative treatment planning and to strengthen therapeutic alliances regardless of the outcome of the ESA decision. Public Significance StatementEmotional Support Animals (ESAs) should be considered an accommodation and adjunct to ongoing treatment for chronic mental health disorders. The present article provides a clinician-friendly overview of welfare, clinical, and legal aspects of ESA decisions and potential ESA selection from a humananimal bond research perspective.

This study tested the extent to which professors could be trained to help enhance students’ experiences of spirituality in their classes. Three areas of focus that may be important to incorporating spirituality into the classroom were identified in the integration of faith and learning literature: 1) Professor Self-Disclosure, 2) Intellectual Connections, and 3) Interpersonal Connections. In a quasi-experimental design, two professors were trained to incorporate these focus areas into four experimental conditions. A sample of 203 student participants attended different teaching conditions and rated their perception of the teaching quality. Statistical tests revealed that professor ratings on General Teaching Skills and Spirituality greatly improved after training; however, ratings also depended on the professor. Results indicated that applying such a pedagogical training can be a useful tool in educating faculty to successfully incorporate spirituality in the classroom and improve student perceptions of their general teaching skills.

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