Cited by 21Telemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationDigital Mental Health InterventionsCOVID-19 and Mental Health

Delivering Transdiagnostic Treatment Over Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Application of the Unified Protocol

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Cassiello-Robbins, Clair, Rosenthal, M. Zachary, Ammirati, Rachel J.·2021·Cognitive and Behavioral Practice

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated an abrupt transition to remote delivery of psychology services at a time when patients and practicing clinicians are experiencing an increase in life stressors (e.g., job loss, social isolation, need to adapt to telehealth practice), which can exacerbate mental health concerns and contribute to clinician burnout. Because the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting diverse individuals in myriad ways, these circumstances can elicit a wide range of emotions and emotional responses. Thus, treatment during this time must be able to address heterogeneous presenting problems while placing minimal burden on clinicians who are adjusting to continuously changing circumstances. Transdiagnostic, emotion-focused, cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT), such as the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), may be particularly well suited to address the challenges faced by practicing psychologists, and their patients, in the current COVID-19 pandemic. This paper discusses the applicability and adaptability of transdiagnostic treatments to telehealth, focusing primarily on the UP in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, while many CBT skills (e.g., mindfulness) can be easily translated to tele-delivery, other skills, such as exposure, can be more difficult to implement remotely, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Thus, this paper also provides practical suggestions for clinicians with regard to implementing the UP remotely.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cbpra.2021.04.007

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  • UP modules encompass coping skills that have shown beneficial effects on COVID-19-related stress, including mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and behavioral activation.

    “UP modules encompass coping skills that exhibited salutary effects on COVID-19-related stress, including mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and behavioral activation (Cassiello-Robbins et al., 2021;Mohajerin et al., 2023)”

    From RESILIENCE, COPING, AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ACROSS THE GLOBE – AN UPDATE: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? (2023) · cites this paper as Cassiello-Robbins et al., 2021

    The Module 3 (Mindful Emotion Awareness), Module 4 (Cognitive Flexibility), and Module 5 (Countering Emotional Behaviors) sections describe mindfulness, alternative appraisals, and changing ineffective behaviors. The paper proposes that these skills may help people cope during COVID-19, but it does not report that the skills exhibited beneficial effects on COVID-19-related stress; nor does it explicitly identify Module 5 as behavioral activation. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  1. Ehrenreich-May, J., Kennedy, S. M., Sherman, J. A., Bilek, E. L., Buzzella, B. A., Bennett, S. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2018). Unified protocols for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in children and adolescents: Therapist guide. Oxford University Press. psyh (2018-08980-000). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2018-08980-000&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

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Authors
Cassiello-Robbins, C., Rosenthal, M. Z., & Ammirati, R. J.
Affiliations
  • Duke Medical Center (US)
  • Emory University (US)
Corresponding author
Cassiello-Robbins, Clair
Venue
Cognitive and Behavioral Practice
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-11
Volume
28
Issue
4
Pages
555-572
ISSN
1077-7229 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3166238433
Cited by
20
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8
FWCI
3.90
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Keywords
transdiagnostic treatment, telemedicine, COVID-19 pandemic, Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders, emotion-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, clinician burnout, exposure therapy, mindfulness

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