Open Trial of an Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy Intervention to Engage Newly Diagnosed HIV Patients in Care: Rationale and Evidence of Feasibility and Acceptability.

Moitra et al. (2015) ran an open pilot with adults who had just learned they were HIV-positive.

Each person met for two 20-minute sessions of acceptance-based behavior therapy, or ABBT.

The team then tracked how willing clients were to tell others about their status and how much shame they felt.

After one month clients said it was easier to disclose their diagnosis to partners and friends.

They also reported feeling less stigma and a bit more acceptance of their new reality.

The gains were small, but every participant finished both sessions and said the help felt useful.

Goodwin et al. (2012) tried the same ABBT package earlier with heart patients, using four 90-minute groups instead of two short visits. Both studies saw positive changes, showing the model can flex to fit time-pressed medical settings.

Lillis et al. (2007) packed acceptance ideas into a single college class and saw students’ bias drop within a week. Together these papers suggest brief acceptance work can shift both health behaviors and social attitudes.

Gormley et al. (2019) and Bhaumik et al. (2008) trained staff with short BST workshops and lifted knowledge, but they did not target patient stigma. The HIV pilot fills that gap by aiming the acceptance tools directly at the people who need them most.

If you work in medical clinics or community health, you can copy this two-session script. A short acceptance conversation right after diagnosis may help clients speak up about their status and feel less shame. No extra staff or long groups are needed—just you, a quiet room, and 40 minutes split over two visits.