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Evaluation ViewAttendees 1

Category: Cognitive Science/ Cognitive Processes

Symposium 109 - Integrating Cognitive Remediation and Cognitive Bias Modification into Clinical Care: Challenges and Opportunities

Saturday, November 18, 2023
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM PST
Location: Skagit (603), Level 6
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Cognitive Biases / Distortions, Cognitive Processes, Neurocognitive Therapies
Level of Familiarity: Moderate
Recommended Readings: Bowie, C. R., Bell, M. D., Fiszdon, J. M., Johannesen, J. K., Lindenmayer, J. P., McGurk, S. R., ... & Wykes, T. (2020). Cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: an expert working group white paper on core techniques. Schizophrenia Research, 215, 49-53.,   Peckham, A. D. (2021). Why don’t cognitive training programs transfer to real life? Three possible explanations and recommendations for future research. the Behavior Therapist, 44 (7), 357-360.,   Siegle, G. J., Ghinassi, F., & Thase, M. E. (2007). Neurobehavioral therapies in the 21st century: Summary of an emerging field and an extended example of cognitive control training for depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 31, 235-262.,   ,  

The closely-related fields of cognitive remediation (CR) and cognitive bias modification (CBM) have matured significantly over the past two decades. Technology has rapidly enabled computerized cognitive interventions to develop in new ways, while advances in psychological theory and methods have led to an embrace of transdiagnostic mechanisms of change. Importantly, the fields of CR and CBM have also faced significant scrutiny regarding the validity and efficacy of these interventions (Peckham, 2021; Redick, 2019), leading some to question whether the initial promise of CR and CBM can realistically be translated into “real-world” clinical treatment programs. Yet, recent advances in understanding the “key ingredients” of CR/CBM approaches, along with increased standardization and rigor of treatment approaches, has led to clear guidelines for how to integrate CR and CBM into treatment for specific populations (i.e., Bowie et al., 2020). Despite these advances, computerized cognitive interventions  continue to face formidable barriers to implementation in actual treatment programs. In this symposium, we will highlight challenges, successes, and ongoing questions regarding the implementation of CR/CBM approaches into naturalistic clinical settings. Our goal in this symposium is to not only present novel data, but to facilitate a dialogue among presenters and audience members regarding the best practices for synthesizing CR/CBM into clinical care.

This symposium will begin with results of a recent clinical trial of Attention Bias Modification (ABM) as a treatment for depression, with a focus on implications for implementation in the clinic. The second presenter will describe a pilot clinical trial of a novel CBM for interpretation bias, tested in adults with OCD in a residential treatment program. Transitioning to CR, our third presenter will describe results of a clinical trial of transdiagnostic CR for impulsivity, deployed in an acute partial hospitalization program. Finally, our last speaker will describe results of a study assessing the deployment of CR in an early psychosis network, with a focus on implementation by community providers. These presentations will be followed by our Discussant (a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and Professor of Psychiatry at an Academic Medical Center, with expertise in development and implementation of translational cognitive interventions).

This symposium is strongly congruent with the 2023 Program Theme of Cultivating Joy with CBT, specifically with regard to Identifying facilitators of dissemination and/or implementation of interventions and Improving access to evidence-based care through technological advances or other avenues. Each presentation involves the integration of technologically-assisted treatments into clinical settings, with a focus specifically on understanding facilitators of implementing these treatments. Finally, our international symposium is intentionally comprised of presenters from geographically and scientifically diverse backgrounds, including two speakers from institutions outside the United States, and speakers selected from different career stages (advanced doctoral student to junior faculty to a full Professor).

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
  • Describe similarities and differences between the cognitive bias modification (CBM) and cognitive remediation (CR) approach.
  • List client, clinic, and provider-based barriers to implementing CR and CBM in clinical settings.
  • Discuss the rationale for integrating CR/CBM approaches into standard clinical care.
  • Compare transdiagnostic CR/CBM approaches to disorder-specific interventions.
  • Describe resources that clients can use to learn about CR/CBM approaches.