Ecological Momentary Interventions for Mental Health (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Marriage & Family Therapists

Course By: Ken Springer, PhD

Content By:  Balaskas, A., Schueller, S. M., Cox, A. L., & Doherty, G. (2021). Ecological momentary interventions for mental health: A scoping review. PLoS One, 16(3).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248152

Course Description: Ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) rely on technologies such as smartphones to deliver brief interventions in natural, everyday contexts. In this article, the authors reviewed how EMIs have been defined, categorized, implemented and studied from 2009 through 2020. The authors examined many definitions of EMIs, including some that incorporate concepts such as ecological momentary assessments and just-in-time interventions. Mobile applications were found to be the most common medium for EMI delivery. These apps often include sensors that gather data on mental health states and facilitate just-in-time support, and they differ on dimensions such as information delivery, on-demand support, prompts for interaction, feedback, tailoring to individual needs, and extent of training and human support provided. The authors recommended greater tailoring of EMIs to fit individual needs, as well as a clearer rationale for the designs of specific EMIs and EMI components. Overall, this review has practical implications for the use and further development of EMIs in support of mental health.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the rationale for conducting this review, the questions that guided the review, and the methods by which studies were chosen and reviewed
2. Summarize the definitions, characteristics, and applications of EMIs that were reviewed
3. Integrate the strengths and limitations of this review, and summarize the authors' conclusions with respect to the use of EMIs to support mental health

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Ecological momentary interventions for mental health: A scoping review
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Understand the need for an updated review of studies on the use of EMIs
• Identify the three questions that guided the review, and summarize the criteria by which studies were included or excluded
• Analyze the definitions of EMIs that have been proposed as well as the different approaches used to categorize dimensions of EMIs
• Distinguish among the various functionalities of EMIs
• Integrate the review's key findings, strengths, limitations, and practical implications
• Work through the post-test questions, using the article as the sole basis for your answers
• Revisit the article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the current use of EMIs to support mental health

Approvals: