The S3 Center Specializes 

The S3 Center specializes in evidence-based SINGLE-SESSION INTERVENTIONS (SSIs) for mental health. Our research has pioneered and formalized a new subfield within clinical psychology–the study of single-session interventions (SSIs) for mental health–opening paths toward reducing mental illness at scale, especially for those without access to traditional forms of care (i.e., weekly therapy).

The Proof is in the Research

The LSMH led the first-ever meta-analysis of single-session interventions (SSIs) for youth mental health problems. We found 50 clinical trials of SSIs, including 10,508 youths, that demonstrated a significant beneficial effect–even for self-guided interventions (i.e., SSIs without a therapist; Schleider & Weisz, 2017).

If you’re interested in learning more about the LSMH’s research or SSI research overall, please check out our lab’s research webpage! You can read updates and descriptions of the LSMH’s current projects, recent publications, and more. Click here to visit!

Our Single-Session Interventions

Personality Can Change & Grow Through Belief & Practice

This SSI, Project Personality, teaches users about a growth mindset of personality, or the belief that one’s personality is malleable–it can be changed, molded, and transformed. This is in contrast to a fixed personality mindset, or the belief that one’s personality is fixed and unchangeable. The primary goal of this SSI is to empower users to strengthen self-perceptions of control over emotions and behaviors, while also reducing hopelessness in believing in a positive future change. To read about the randomized-controlled trial testing whether this SSI reduced known risk factors for anxiety and depression, click here. The S3 Center offers an adapted version of this SSI that has been tailored to the needs of healthcare workers.

Take Action NOW to Improve Mood & Feel Accomplished

This SSI, the Action Brings Change (ABC) Project, is modeled after behavioral activation interventions used to target depression, which teach users that engaging in valued activities that powerfully influence one’s mood, regardless of the current state of mood. In other words, doing an activity you value, even when you don’t feel like it, can help you change and improve your mood. SSIs using behavioral activation have been demonstrated to significantly improve depressive symptoms; read one example here. We ran an open access study of online SSIs that included this SSI to test their acceptability and effectiveness for adolescent mental health which you can read more about here. The S3 Center offers an adapted version of this SSI that has been tailored to the needs of healthcare workers.
Problem-Solving Session for Goal-Oriented Success
This SSI, the Single-Session Consultation (SSC) service, draws from principles of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) to focus on identifying and mobilizing a patient’s present goals, hopes, and strengths. The SSC was originally tested as a provider-delivered SSI, that is, delivered as an intervention by a trained provider; you can read more about our open trial testing the acceptability and short-term effects of the SSC in-person here.  We then conducted a second open trial testing the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of the SSC delivered solely through telehealth (i.e., Zoom); read about our telehealth open trial here. The S3 Center offers the SSC via telehealth and in a self-guided, digital version.