61 - Digital Mental Health Interventions: Investigations of the Use of Coaching, Text Messaging, and Patterns of Engagement

Chair(s)

• MM

  Meaghan McCallum, Ph.D.

  Noom, Inc.
  New York, New York

Discussant(s)

• 

  Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D.

  Professor, Chief of Psychology
  Harvard Medical School
  Boston, MA

Presenter(s)

• 

  Emily Bernstein, Ph.D.

  Clinical Psychologist
  Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  Somerville, Massachusetts
• KL

  Kirsten Langdon, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Warren Alpert medical School of Brown University
  Providence, Rhode Island
• 

  Hilary Weingarden, Ph.D.

  Psychologist/Assistant Professor
  Massachusetts General Hospital
  Boston, Massachusetts
• MM

  Meaghan McCallum, Ph.D.

  Noom, Inc.
  New York, New York

Recently, there has been a rapid proliferation of digital mental health interventions. Given the demand for mental health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital interventions have received particular interest because of their abilities to improve accessibility, cost-effectiveness, personalization, and attractiveness to individuals across clinical and subclinical ranges of mental health concerns. Further increasing their attractiveness, these interventions also can be implemented as either standalone programs or in combination with other treatment modalities. Prior evidence suggests that human support is effective in reinforcing adherence to digital mental health programs and improving clinical outcomes, although there is a great deal of variability in the implementation of human coaching in such interventions.

In this symposium, panelists will present a range of digital mental health programs that utilize web-based sessions, text messaging, and CBT-based smartphone applications. Additionally, the panelists will discuss digital interventions that incorporate human coaching via individualized messages. Given the lack of research investigating the role of coaching on program engagement and outcomes, this symposium contributes to the emerging understanding of coaching across a variety of digital programs that treat or prevent clinical or subclinical problems. Panelists will comment on the state of coaching in existing interventions as well as novel programs recently developed. Finally, the panelists will comment on quantifying digital program engagement and associations between engagement and program effectiveness. Findings from this symposium will inform digital intervention program development, engagement optimization, and predictors of program efficacy.

Presentations:

• (Sym 61) Zooming in on the Guides in Guided App-based Therapy: The State and Future of Human Support in Digital Mental Healthcare
  

  Presenter: Emily E. Bernstein, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Hilary Weingarden, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Emma C. Wolfe, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Margaret D. Hall, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Ivar Snorrason, PhD – Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School

  Co-author: Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School
• (Sym 61) Enhancing Distress Tolerance to Uplift Motivation in Recovery (iENDURE): Results from an Open Development Trial
  

  Presenter: Kirsten Langdon, Ph.D. – Alpert Medical School of Brown University
• (Sym 61) Naturalistic Engagement Patterns with Smartphone CBT: What Can We Learn About Optimizing Treatment?
  

  Presenter: Hilary Weingarden, Ph.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Aleksandar Matic, PhD – Koa Health

  Co-author: Jennifer Greenberg, PsyD – Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School

  Co-author: Roger Garriga Calleja, MS – Koa Health

  Co-author: Susanne Hoeppner, Ph.D., M.Ap.Stat. – Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Oliver Harrison, MA, MBBS, MPH – Koa Health

  Co-author: Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School
• (Sym 61) Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Outcomes of a Cbt-based Mobile Wellbeing Program
  

  Presenter: Meaghan McCallum, Ph.D. – Noom, Inc.

  Co-author: Annabell Ho, PhD – Noom, Inc

  Co-author: E. Siobhan Mitchell, PhD – Noom, Inc.

  Co-author: Christine May, Ph.D. – Noom, Inc

  Co-author: Heather Behr, PhD – Noom, Inc

  Co-author: Lorie A. Ritschel, Ph.D. – UNC School of Medicine; Triangle Area Psychology Clinic

  Co-author: Kirk D. Mochrie, Ph.D. – Triangle Area Psychology (TAP) Clinic

  Co-author: Andreas Michaelides, PhD – Noom, Inc