Exposure therapy is an effective first-line treatment for anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder; however, it remains underutilized in clinical practice. This study examined whether participation in an experiential semester-long course influenced psychology students’ beliefs about exposure therapy and their knowledge of its guideline-consistent implementation. We hypothesized that participation would promote more positive beliefs about exposure therapy and greater knowledge of its evidence-based implementation. We also examined whether these effects were moderated by students’ anxiety sensitivity, given evidence that higher therapist anxiety is associated with less frequent use of exposure therapy. Seventy-two students participated in a course combining theoretical instruction with experiential exercises, during which they conducted exposure exercises targeting their own subclinical fears. Questionnaires assessing negative beliefs about exposure therapy, knowledge of guideline-consistent exposure therapy, therapist safety behaviors, and reasons for excluding clients from exposure therapy, were administered at baseline, post-course, and at a 6-month follow-up. Participants reported significantly fewer negative beliefs about exposure therapy and increased adherence to guideline-consistent practices at both post-course and follow-up assessments. Anxiety sensitivity did not moderate these effects. These findings suggest that experiential training may promote more favorable beliefs about exposure therapy and facilitate adherence to evidence-based guidelines. Future research should examine the long-term persistence of these effects and whether they translate into therapists’ clinical practice.
Graduate and medical students experience elevated rates of depression, burnout, and suicidal ideation, yet face barriers to accessing evidence-based mental health care within campus settings. This program evaluation describes the adaptation and implementation of a comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy (C-DBT) program within a graduate and medical student mental health program. Participants (N = 11) met clinical criteria for C-DBT on the basis of chronic suicidal ideation, pervasive emotion dysregulation, and/or borderline personality disorder spectrum symptoms. Delivered via telemental health, the program maintained fidelity to the four standard C-DBT modes (individual psychotherapy, group skills training, phone coaching, and a therapist consultation team) while incorporating adaptations to the scheduling, confidentiality, and logistical demands of professional training. Emotion regulation was assessed before and after treatment using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–18 (DERS-18). Mean session attendance was 89.9%. Among treatment completers, paired-samples t-tests indicated significant improvement in overall emotion regulation, with significant gains in impulse control during negative affect and access to adaptive regulation strategies. Remaining exploratory subscale analyses were nonsignificant. Given the uncontrolled pre-post design, observed changes cannot be attributed causally to the program. These preliminary findings suggest that C-DBT can be feasibly adapted for virtual delivery within a campus program serving high-acuity graduate and medical students and inform campus mental health services.
Algorithms increasingly determine who gets interviewed, flagged, or passed over in hiring, often without explanation, consistency, or any mechanism for response. Yet the psychological mechanisms through which algorithm-supported decision-making shapes stress responses remain insufficiently specified. This article develops a theoretically grounded framework linking diminished perceived control to stress reactivity in algorithm-mediated decision-making contexts. Drawing on self-determination theory, decision-making process frameworks, and psychological safety, the manuscript integrates empirical evidence from research on AI hiring practices, including findings on Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals navigating applicant tracking systems. The framework identifies three primary mechanisms through which AI-supported decision-making may influence stress reactivity: limited transparency, inconsistent decision processes, and constrained opportunities for feedback. This work offers a foundation for empirical work on how technologically mediated environments shape cognitive appraisal, perceived control, and stress. These dynamics extend beyond hiring to any structured assessment context in applied behavioral and clinical settings.
Increasing rates of adolescent depression call for efficient and accessible interventions that are well received by adolescents. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a third-wave psychotherapy that has been shown to be effective in treating depression in adolescents, delivered both individually and in group settings. Group therapy can help address service provider shortages by enabling a single provider to treat multiple individuals at once. Additionally, telehealth allows greater access to care for individuals who cannot readily travel to a clinic. Telehealth-delivered group therapy combines these two strategies to facilitate adolescents’ access to mental health treatment. We piloted a 10-week group intervention, adapted from ACT for Adolescents with Depression, and explored its feasibility. Adolescent patients with depression (N = 10) ages 14 to 18 (M = 16; SD = 1.49 years), seeking mental health services, participated in the program and completed pre and post assessments. The majority identified as female (70%) and White (60%). The groups were well attended; only one patient dropped out, and one was discharged. The patients reported overwhelmingly overall positive experiences with the program. Group means for depression and anxiety scores in this sample decreased from baseline to end of treatment, psychological flexibility increased by the end of treatment, and no changes were observed in flourishing scores. Overall, the intervention was well accepted. Well-powered research studies with randomized allocation to telehealth delivered ACT and control groups are needed to test this protocol’s effectiveness in treating depression in adolescents as an independent treatment or as adjunct treatment to individual therapy.
Context: Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) can harm individuals and contribute to gambling disorder (GD). Empirically supported cognitive-behavioral interventions are effective yet associated with high relapse rates. One avenue for improvement is to target the urge to gamble through exposure. In the exposure approach based on the inhibitory learning model, the perceived self-efficacy (PSE) to refrain from gambling despite the urge serves as a proximal factor for change. The goal is to create a new learning association that overrides the pre-established link between gambling stimuli, urge to gamble, and PSE to refrain from gambling. Exposure can be done in virtual reality (VR) to promote self-control and reduce gambling behaviors. VR is a relevant exposure method because it allows reproduction of ecologically valid, realistic environments. Furthermore, researchers have more control over the course of the immersion experience than during exposure in vivo. Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of a VR exposure-based intervention for EGM players. Method:. The single-case, multiple-baseline experimental design includes six intervention sessions with VR exposure and daily journaling to measure PSE, urges, and gambling behaviors. This approach emphasizes building PSE to resist from gambling despite the urge. Four adult males who wanted to stop their gambling behavior participated in this study. Results: Statistical analyses demonstrate a significant increase in PSE across participants and a significant reduction in the urge to gamble in three of the four participants. This study highlights the potential benefits of using of such an exposure model. It provides grounds for a large-scale randomized controlled trial where exposure and its underlying clinical rational could be included in more traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy programs.
