Adapting the Unified Protocol for Emerging Adults with Anxiety & Depression
Around 70% of mental health disorders starting in adolescence continue into adulthood. Emerging adults often experience worsening symptoms, yet mental health service utilization often drops by 50-70%. To address this, a stepped care approach has been proposed, involving efficient and tailored interventions. Single session interventions (SSIs) and brief interventions (BIs) are gaining attention as options that align with the tendency of many emerging adults to drop out after a few sessions and can yield outcomes comparable to longer therapies, especially for specific symptoms like anxiety.
Evidence-based psychotherapies for mental health disorders in emerging adults are lacking, and many interventions are disorder-specific offered in subspecialty clinics. This doesn't align well with the evolving diagnoses and primary care-based mental health care for this age group. To address this, a transdiagnostic approach targeting emotional dysregulation is proposed. The Unified Protocol (UP), developed for children and adolescents, will be adapted for emerging adults in a staged care model, marking the first adaptation of UP for this age group and creating a tailored intervention for core skills.
This study aims to test the effectiveness of a flexible stepped-care approach for delivering mental health interventions to emerging adults with mood, anxiety, or OCD symptoms across different settings. This approach offers an engaging alternative to one-size-fits-all psychotherapy, catering to individual needs in various clinical contexts. The project also focuses on capacity building through training and mentorship for students and clinicians.
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The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).
