DEVELOPING AN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FOR EMOTION AND AFFECTIVE CHANGE EPLATFORM (AT-REACH) FOR PEOPLE RECOVERING FROM SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS 

Study Overview: The current proposal aims to create and test a novel web-based and smartphone accessible emotional regulation training for homeless recovering from substance use disorders that reside in residential treatment facilities. After creating the ePlatform training app using co-creation methods with stakeholders and computer scientists, researchers will test the hypothesis that a somatic avatar training practiced and reinforced daily across time (30 days) via the smartphone accessible ePlatform will produce greater improvements in emotion regulation skills as compared with a recall only control condition. This project will provide foundational evidence of a novel treatment paradigm applied to a marginalized population at high risk of relapse due to emotion dysregulation challenges.  

Biography: Dr. McChargue is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. McChargue received his doctoral training at Oklahoma State University with a clinical psychology internship at the Boston VAMC Consortium, which houses one of the National Centers for PTSD. He was later a postdoctoral fellow and research faculty member with a joint appointment at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Hines VAMC. Dr. McChargue’s primary expertise is in understanding biobehavioral mechanisms that bind substance use with mental illness and hinder recovery from substance use patterns.