Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Tele-Counselling Program With Care Partners of Persons Living With Dementia: A Pilot Feasibility RCT

Sep 28, 2026

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We evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effect of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) tele-counselling program delivered by a non-profit for care partners of persons with dementia. In a bilingual rural province, 30 enrolled participants and 1 withdrew. The intervention group (n=14) received 6–8 individual sessions by telephone, videoconference, or text; the control group (n=15) received two general support calls. Results showed limited recruitment and adherence, but high acceptability and usability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages12

Reading Time30 min

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Abstract

What this paper adds

Applications of study findings

Introduction

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Tele-Counselling Program With Care Partners of Persons Living With Dementia: A Pilot Feasibility RCT Journal of Applied Gerontology 2026, Vol. 45(2) 225–236 © The Author(s) 2025 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions) [DOI: 10.1177/07334648251338303](DOI: 10.1177/07334648251338303)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/07334648251338303)[journals.sagepub.com/home/jag](journals.sagepub.com/home/jag) Pamela Durepos 1 􀀁, Nicole Ricketts2 􀀁, Janine V. Olthuis3 􀀁, Odette N. Gould4 􀀁 , Sheila A. Boamah5 􀀁, Rose McCloskey6 􀀁, Makayla Lanteigne7, Emma R. Giberson3, Katelyn Caverhill 1, Karrie Pickford 1, Chandra MacBean2, and Sharon Kaasalainen5 􀀁 Abstract We evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effect of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) telecounselling program offered by a non-proﬁt organization for care partners of persons with dementia (PWD) in a bilingual rural province. Thirty participants enrolled and one withdrew. Intervention group participants (n = 14) received 6–8 individual counselling sessions via telephone, videoconference, or text. Control group participants (n = 15) received two general support telephone calls from Alzheimer Society staff. Results indicated limited recruitment and adherence (completion) feasibility, although acceptability and usability were high. Signiﬁcant within-group reductions in anxiety and stress symptoms (DASS-21) and burden (ZBI-12) in the intervention group were demonstrated, although the groups were not signiﬁcantly different post-intervention. ACT tele-counselling may increase care partner access to mental health services, improve symptoms, and alleviate strain on Alzheimer Society staff, though a larger trial is needed with a longer duration, multiple ACT therapists, and additional recruitment efforts. Protocol registered at [https://clinicaltrials.gov/](https://clinicaltrials.gov/)[ ](https://clinicaltrials.gov/)study/NCT05385458 . Keywords access to care, caregiving, dementia, feasibility, mental health, psychotherapy, randomized control trial What this paper adds • A tailored ACT tele-counselling (phone modality) intervention demonstrates acceptability and preliminary efﬁcacy at reducing anxiety, stress, and burden among Anglophone and Francophone care partners of persons with dementia. • Tele-counselling at no cost increases access for care partners of persons with dementia in rural areas. • Feasibility is limited by short study timelines (12 months or less) and lack of staff in minority-language, remote communities, and single-therapist availability. Applications of study ﬁndings • Therapists working with care partners should consider offering ACT remotely to increase service availability. • Having a structured, therapist-led program within care partner organizations may increase accessibility for care partners and reduce emotional strain on staff. • Future studies should include multiple ACT-trained therapists and extend study timelines to 2–3 years and ensure staff are embedded in local communities to promote recruitment and enable program completion. Introduction There is a critical need for effective and accessible mental health services for care partners of persons living with dementia (PWD) . Healthcare systems worldwide continue to rely heavily on family/friend care partners to provide unpaid care, although up to 75% of care partners experience depression or anxiety, and 44% experience distress related to caregiving (Omranifard et al., 2018) . Unfortunately, barriers can make accessing mental health services difﬁcult for care partners, particularly in rural and minority-language communities. Policymakers in Canada are calling on researchers and clinicians to leverage technology to improve equitable access to mental health services within urban and rural areas. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has shown promising results in improving menta

FAQs

What intervention did participants in the ACT group receive?

The intervention group received 6–8 individual counselling sessions delivered by telephone, videoconference, or text.

How did the control group receive support?

The control group received two general support telephone calls from Alzheimer Society staff.

Did the program show effects on anxiety, stress, and burden?

Within-group reductions were found in anxiety and stress symptoms (DASS-21) and burden (ZBI-12) for the intervention group, but post-intervention differences between groups were not significant.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr