STOP Procrastination: development and expert evaluation of a new acceptance and compassion-based group intervention

Backgound: Procrastination has been characterized as a deliberate delay of an intended course of action despite anticipating negative consequences. Literature has found associations between psychopathological symptoms and impaired functioning, particularly in academic contexts. Goals: The present work aimed to develop and characterize an experts’ panel evaluation of a new psychotherapeutic group intervention named “STOP Procrastination: Sensitize, Transform, Organize, Produce” based on the combination of traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy and contextual behavioral approaches. Methods: STOP is a 10-session group intervention aimed at helping people reduce their levels of procrastination by fostering more adaptive emotional regulation skills. Results: Results show that experts found STOP highly acceptable, adequate to the target population, and viable for implementation. Discussion: Qualitative suggestions regarding sessions were considered for STOP improvement. With further study, STOP has the potential to help individuals to better manage their procrastination.