Maximizing benefits from evidence-based psychological treatments: Memory support and habit formation as key strategies

Evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPTs) aim to reverse psychological processes that contribute to the development and/or maintenance of mental illness. Developed and rigorously tested through scientific research, EBPTs effectively address a broad range of mental health challenges, often as front-line treatments. However, there is potential to further improve outcomes. This paper examines two strategies for maximizing the benefits of EBPTs. The first addresses the concerning and well replicated finding that patients accurately recall only about one-third of the treatment points discussed during a session. This poor memory for treatment negatively impacts adherence to the EBPT and outcomes from the EBPT. The process of developing and testing the Memory Support Intervention (MSI), to improve patient memory for treatment, is described. The latter involved leveraging findings from cognitive psychology and education to develop memory support strategies to add to EBPTs, with the goal of improving EBPT outcomes. The second strategy for maximizing the benefits of EBPTs highlights the potential of habit formation principles to enhance EBPTs. While a core goal of EBPTs is to reduce unhelpful habits and encourage adaptive ones, the science of habit formation has not been fully integrated. The Habit-based Intervention (HABITs) was developed to explicitly incorporate habit formation elements into EBPTs. Both the MSI and HABITs are designed as adjunctive interventions, enhancing EBPTs without increasing the number or duration of sessions. This paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of leveraging insights from diverse fields of basic science to uncover new strategies for improving both the short- and long-term outcomes of EBPTs.