Less Pulling, More Living

Michael P. Twohig, PhD, is a psychologist and professor at Utah State University, where he co-runs the ACT Research Group. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science and winner of the 2025 D. Wynn Thorne career research award. His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on OCD and trichotillomania disorders. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers, many book chapters, and 13 books. In 2022, 2024, and 2025 he was rated as the most productive author on ACT in the world.

Julie M. Petersen, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Lab for Youth Mental Health at Harvard University. She earned her doctorate in clinical and counseling psychology from Utah State University in 2024. She completed her predoctoral internship in child/adolescent psychology at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her research is centralized around increasing the effectiveness and accessibility of transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapies for youths, especially ACT. She has published more than 50 book chapters and peer-reviewed papers.

Leila K. Capel, MS, is a sixth-year doctoral student in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology program at Utah State University. She is currently completing her predoctoral internship in adult clinical psychology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology at Smith College and her master's in clinical/counselling psychology at USU. Her research primarily focuses on ACT for obsessive-compulsive and related disorders with adults. She has published more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters.

Michael E. Levin, PhD, is the co-director of the USU ACT Research Group and a professor in the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology PhD program at Utah State University. His research primarily focuses on the delivery of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) through self-guided technologies for a wide range of problem areas including depression, anxiety, weight-related concerns, and coping with chronic health conditions. He has conducted more than 40 clinical trials evaluating digital ACT programs, several of which are available to the public through the USU ACT Guide service suite.