Home » ACT with NMOSD – Mental Health Treatment & Resources

ACT with NMOSD – Mental Health Treatment & Resources

ACT with NMOSD is a specialized mental health program designed to support individuals living with NMOSD in managing the psychological impact of the disease and improving overall quality of life.

This 6-week, telehealth-based program has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, while enhancing psychological flexibility, values-based living and sleep quality in adults with NMOSD. Benefits have been observed to persist for at least 3 months following completion of the program.

Delivered in weekly 1-hour sessions with a licensed mental health professional, ACT with NMOSD is an engaging, structured intervention developed through extensive research on the psychological burden of NMOSD, including patient interviews and focus groups.

Directory of Certified Clinicians (US only)

Building on the demonstrated benefits of ACT with NMOSD, colleagues at Thomas Jefferson University have trained 13 mental health providers across the United States in this specialized protocol. This certification process is highly rigorous and includes several days of live and recorded instruction, a written examination and adherence coding of all 6 ACT with NMOSD sessions. Certified providers continue to receive ongoing monthly consultation with the program’s developer, Dr. V. O’Hayer.

Below is a directory of clinicians certified in ACT with NMOSD. Please check which providers are licensed to practice in your state. If you are unable to find a provider licensed in your area, you may contact [email protected] to learn more about whether you or your loved one with NMOSD may be eligible to participate in the ongoing ACT with NMOSD clinical trial.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• Diagnosis of NMOSD
• Resident of the United States

SMART NMO Tool

Colleagues at Thomas Jefferson University have developed and validated a self-report measure designed to assess the specific psychological burden associated with NMOSD. This tool, known as SMART NMO (Systematic Mental Health Assessment & Response Tool for NMOSD), is available in two versions: one for individuals living with NMOSD and one for caregivers or loved ones.

• For the patient version, a score of 10 or higher may indicate that a referral to mental health support could be beneficial in helping cope with NMOSD, while a score of 18 or higher suggests a strong likelihood of benefit from such support.
• For caregivers or loved ones completing the caregiver version, a score of 5 or higher may indicate that the person living with NMOSD could benefit from a referral to mental health care to help them cope with the condition.

Below are links to the SMART NMO assessment tool, designed to help individuals with NMOSD and their loved ones better understand their psychological wellbeing. Completing this assessment may help determine whether you could benefit from a mental health program such as ACT with NMOSD.

Both the ACT with NMOSD study and the Psychological Burden of NMOSD study were supported by grants from Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease.