+34 96 091 45 45 aitanacongress@cevents.es

Speaker

Presentation in Spanish

INMACULADA GÓMEZ BECERRA

UNIVERSITY OF ALMERIA. SPAIN

Dr. Inmaculada Gómez Becerra, Full Professor at the University of Almería (Spain), has 4 six-year periods of research, 1 six-year period of knowledge transfer, and 5 five-year teaching periods (with special mention of the Teaching Excellence Award). 

Her research focuses on analyzing risk and protective factors for psychological problems in childhood and adolescence, with an emphasis on education and emotional regulation, as well as parental educational styles. She also focuses on intervention with families using third-generation therapies, and the role of ICTs in promoting emotional well-being in children, adolescents, and families. She has authored over 175 publications, participated in more than 210 congresses, and led 17 research projects. She has supervised 7 doctoral theses, serves as a reviewer for national and international journals, and is a member of various scientific committees. She heads the research group “Advances in research and epidemiology with children, adolescents, and families.”

She has conducted and/or coordinated various training activities for professionals from diverse fields (education, psychology, medicine) and has organized numerous family schools. She has taught in numerous professional training courses, convened by both public and private entities, always focusing on clinical and educational intervention in various psychological disorders in childhood, adolescence, and their families. She has been accredited as a Clinical Psychologist since 2014 and has collaborated as a Family Therapist and Adolescent Psychotherapist since 2013, through the University of Almería’s OTRI Commission Services, at the Institute of Child Neurorehabilitation Inpaula (Spin-Off of UAL), currently the Unstoppable Neurorehabilitation and Autonomy Center. 

Emotional regulation and psychological flexibility in adolescents and families: a contextual perspective

Adolescents have been identified as particularly vulnerable in terms of mental health. Epidemiological data indicate that half of all adolescents experience mental health problems before the age of 14, and 110 million of them suffer from emotional issues (WHO, 2016). Emotional difficulties are associated with various affective and socio-emotional problems, including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation, as well as dysfunctional behaviors such as aggression, substance abuse, antisocial attitudes and behaviors, socio-moral competence in cases of bullying, interpersonal relationship issues, poor social skills, low academic performance, and family relationship problems. Additionally, emotional regulation (ER) is closely linked to psychological flexibility (PF), which in turn relates to value clarification and actions directed toward them. Psychological flexibility refers to the ability to remain fully and consciously present, even in the face of aversive private events or discomfort, while adapting or persisting in behavior that aligns with one’s values.  

In recent decades, increasing efforts have been made to provide evidence supporting contextual therapies in psychology. These approaches have demonstrated positive outcomes in treating chronic behavioral issues, affective disorders, and emotional regulation difficulties in adolescents and their families. Furthermore, preventive intervention from a transdiagnostic perspective fosters the development of core skills and competencies that underlie various forms of psychopathology. In this regard, third-wave therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), focus on the functional analysis of problems, mindful attention to emotions, and behavior activation based on acceptance and commitment to values, aligning with this perspective.  

This symposium will feature four presentations exploring the psychological phenomena of ER and PF in childhood and adolescence from a contextual perspective, addressing conceptual aspects, advances in intervention and assessment, and applications in both adolescents and families. Specifically:  

  • The first presentation will define PF in adolescents, its relationship with parental PF, its connections with other psychological variables, and recent intervention developments for youth and families.  
  • The second presentation will introduce a study validating the FEEL K-J instrument in Spanish adolescents (ages 9–16) for assessing ER across specific emotions.  
  • The third presentation will describe a case series study applying an ACT-based intervention protocol in an educational setting, using both group and individual formats for adolescents with emotional dysregulation and self-injurious behaviors.  
  • The fourth presentation will present an intervention protocol targeting childhood behavioral problems within the family context by enhancing parental PF. The protocol, based on ACT, incorporates experiential exercises, mindfulness, and metaphors to promote values-based parenting, psychological acceptance, and cognitive defusion. 

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