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Evaluation Video ViewAttendees 12

Mini Workshop

Telehealth/m-Health

Session: Enhancing engagement with digital mental health: Coaching 101

Mini Workshop 8 - Enhancing Engagement with Digital Mental Health: Coaching 101

Friday, November 17, 2023
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM PST
Location: Elwha A, Level 5
Earn 1.5 Credit
Recorded Session
Keywords: Technology / Mobile Health, CBT, Telehealth/m-Health
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Torous, J., Nicholas, J., Larsen, M. E., Firth, J., & Christensen, H. (2018). Clinical review of user engagement with mental health smartphone apps: evidence, theory and improvements. Evidence-based mental health, 21(3), 116-119.,   Mohr, D. C., Azocar, F., Bertagnolli, A., Choudhury, T., Chrisp, P., Frank, R., ... & Banbury Forum on Digital Mental Health. (2021). Banbury Forum Consensus Statement on the Path Forward for Digital Mental Health Treatment. Psychiatric Services, appi-ps.,   Mohr, D., Cuijpers, P., & Lehman, K. (2011). Supportive accountability: a model for providing human support to enhance adherence to eHealth interventions. Journal of medical Internet research, 13(1), e30.,   ,  
The field of Digital Mental Health (DMH) has grown exponentially and has become even more relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic. DMH includes a range of technology-related interventions, such as internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT), smartphone apps, and virtual reality. While DMH interventions have the potential to disrupt the current model of mental healthcare, providing access to treatment for many more people and augmenting treatment as usual, keeping users engaged is difficult. The evidence suggests that most people stop using DMH when they are delivered entirely on their own. However, there is support from meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials that human guided DMHs are effective. Bachelors-level coaches are a cost-effective strategy to enhance engagement by providing human support and accountability.

This Mini Workshop will introduce digital mental health coaching to researchers and clinicians. We will share evidence-based recommendations, as well as lessons learned from (1) supervising coaches for Mass General Brigham Healthcare’s primary care behavioral health on-line CBT, and (2) creating a digital CBT clinic during COVID-19 using three DMH CBT tools and bachelor-level coaches. Speakers will include two licensed clinical psychologists and two bachelor-level coaches. First, we will provide the rationale and evidence base for coaching, discussing the challenges of engaging users in DMH and the continuum of human support in behavioral intervention technologies (BITs). Second, we will describe the role of a coach, the supportive accountability model of coaching, and how a coach differs from a therapist. Our coaches will role-play a coaching telephone session and app messaging, and will share their experiences in a digital CBT clinic. Third, we will present the role of the licensed clinician, including training and supervision of coaches, safety monitoring, and study or clinic eligibility considerations. Finally, we will discuss sociocultural considerations for selecting DMH tools and for the relationship between coach and client.

Outline:
• Rationale and evidence base for coaching
• Challenges of engaging users in DMH and the continuum of human support in behavioral intervention technologies (BITs)
• Role of a coach & the supportive accountability model of coaching
• Role-play a coaching telephone session
• Role of the licensed clinician, including training and supervision of coaches, safety monitoring, and study or clinic eligibility considerations
• Sociocultural considerations for selecting DMH tools and for the relationship between coach and client.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
  • Describe the evidence supporting coaching to enhance engagement with digital mental health.
  • Describe the roles of a coach.
  • Describe the roles of a licensed supervisor.
  • Long-term goal: Facilitate attendee’s ability to create a digital mental health coaching clinical service or research project