A Single Session Workshop using Principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Promoting Psychological Help-Seeking in Students of Higher Education Institutions

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a single-session workshop based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing stigma associated with seeking psychological help and promoting help-seeking behavior among higher education students. Objectives include assessing the workshop’s impact on reducing self-stigma, increasing intentions to seek help, and investigating psychological flexibility as a mediator. Pre- and post-workshop comparisons will determine the specific effects of the intervention. The hypotheses test for significant differences in self-stigma, help-seeking intentions, and psychological flexibility. A prospective exploratory trial with a pretest-posttest design will be used, involving 400 participants from higher education institutions in eastern India, aged 18-30, who meet inclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria include chronic medical/neurological illnesses and severe psychological distress. Tools include informed consent, demographic data sheets, and several scales to measure stigma, psychological flexibility, and help-seeking attitudes. The intervention consists of a 90-minute ACT workshop conducted by a trained therapist, featuring psychoeducation, cognitive defusion exercises, values clarification, and commitment exercises.