Enhancing Role Functioning in Clinical High Risk for Psychosis: An Open Trial of "InVEST" (Individualised Vocational...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Clinical Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• School and vocational functioning are key treatment targets for individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P).
• Current evidence-based interventions do not adequately address role functioning difficulties in the CHR-P population.
• There is a need for accessible and effective support for CHR-P youth to improve their daily functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot test the Individualised Vocational and Educational Support and Training (InVEST) coaching program.
• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of InVEST for enhancing role functioning in youth at CHR-P.
• To gather participant feedback for iterative manual development in preparation for a randomized controlled trial.

Main Methods:

• InVEST is a flexible, low-intensity, 4-month individual coaching program delivered by bachelor's and undergraduate-level coaches.
• The intervention targets organisation, task initiation, and distress resilience.
• A small open trial (N=5) was conducted, including baseline and follow-up assessments after 16 weeks of coaching.

Main Results:

• All 5 participants completed the program, reporting high satisfaction.
• Participant feedback informed the iterative development of the InVEST manual.
• Preliminary improvements were observed in role functioning (4/5), organisation (4/5), and task initiation (3/5).

Conclusions:

• The pilot study suggests InVEST is a feasible and acceptable intervention for youth at CHR-P.
• The positive results support the need for further investigation through a randomized controlled trial.
• InVEST shows promise as a novel approach to improve role functioning in this vulnerable population.