Seeking mental health assistance can be challenging, and many individuals discontinue after the initial session. Research indicates that "the most common number of sessions people access is one," as noted by Jessica Schleider, associate professor at Northwestern University. This phenomenon has led to the exploration of single-session interventions (SSIs), which aim to provide meaningful support in a single meeting.
A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine investigators, led by Schleider, revealed that SSIs significantly enhance mental health outcomes for both youth and adults. These interventions are prevalent in various countries but not widely adopted in the U.S. An SSI is structured to deliver support or treatment during one session, acknowledging that many patients may not return for follow-ups.
Schleider emphasizes the potential impact of SSIs: "People can also have meaningful moments or turning points within one session." The review analyzed 24 systematic reviews encompassing 415 clinical trials and found that 83% reported positive effects on issues like anxiety, depression, substance use, and more.
These findings were published in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. At Northwestern's Lab for Scalable Mental Health, four digital SSIs called Project Yes! are available in nine languages. They focus on self-compassion, change empowerment, action-taking, and coping with minority stress.
While Schleider does not advocate replacing existing mental health services with SSIs, she sees them as filling gaps left unaddressed by traditional high-intensity treatments. A previous meta-analysis involving 50 randomized-controlled trials showed SSIs effectively reduced problems such as depression and anxiety among 10,000 youth participants.
"Ever since that meta-analysis," Schleider stated, "I’ve been dead set on figuring out how we can optimize and make the most of the first...clinical encounter." The recent umbrella review aimed to assess if SSIs could also boost engagement with other mental health services.
The team hopes their work will integrate SSIs into mainstream mental health care and influence new public policies. One proposal involves creating reimbursement codes for clinics offering these interventions under insurance plans.
Contributors to this research include Juan Zapata and Erica Szkody from Northwestern's medical social sciences department. Funding came from several organizations including the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director and the National Institute of Mental Health.