What is BEACON?
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A brief, technology-enhanced, transdiagnostic psychotherapy for psychosis spectrum disorders.
Incorporates evidence-based therapeutic elements of traditional face-to-face CBT, leveraging the accessibility of smartphones to provide effective care that is available to all communities, including minority and underserved populations experiencing symptoms of psychosis. |
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The Need for BEACON
- As of 2022, at least one-third of people in the US with serious mental illness (SMI) did not receive any mental health treatment in the past year, missing the target set by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion by 5%.
- While treatment rates for SMI have increased since 2001, they are still significantly lower compared to those with major depression and severe impairment.
- A small proportion of SMI patients receive evidence-based treatments, with only about 24% of the psychosis patient population currently receiving Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp).
- The need for better models of illness trajectory, enhancing treatments, and access to care for psychosis is a global priority, as outlined by NICE guidelines since 2014.
- The growing popularity of psychosocial interventions for psychosis includes the use of digital interventions, with many patients already using technology to manage their illness.
- Challenges in treating psychosis include limited availability of evidence-based treatments, cost, socioeconomic disadvantages, stigma, and poor treatment adherence.
The Unified Protocol: A Transdiagnostic Approach
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Evidence for Treatment
- UP has been shown to be helpful across multiple disorders with moderate to large effect
- Including Schizophrenia and UHRp (Peláez et al., 2023; 2024)
- New Emphasis on person-centered care and psychosocial interventions (Sauer-Zavala et al., 2017)
- Breif treatments for psychosis are effective and reccomended (Naeem et al., 2016)
- CBT for psychosis is the primary recommended psychotherapy, especially in brief format, as this can increase accessibility
- The UP is effective even when delivered online (Yan et al., 2022)
Addressing Core Processes
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Negative reactivity - interpret things in a more negative way (negative cognitive bias) ↓ Negative affect - the distress surrounding the emotion or event ↓ Avoidance - avoid the situation/emotion (reinforcing the negative bias, starting a positive feedback loop) |
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Treatment Timeline
BEACON Core Modules
understanding and monitoring emotions
GOALS of this session:
- To learn about the important and adaptive function of emotions in everyday life.
- To learn the components that make up an emotional experience and gain a greater awareness of emotional experiences.
- To learn how emotional experiences unfold, including triggers, responses, and consequences of emotions.
- To learn the ways emotions influence our actions and behaviors and learn the skills necessary to monitor emotional experiences.
mindful awareness
GOALS of this session:
- To learn about how reactions to emotions affect emotional experiences.
- To learn the concept of non-judgmental emotion awareness and how to look at your emotional experiences like an outside observer.
- To learn about the importance of present-focused awareness.
- To practice present-focused, nonjudgmental awareness using mindfulness exercises.
cognitive flexibility
GOALS of this session:
- Introduce cognitive appraisal, automatic appraisal
- Practice ways to evaluate and reevaluate thinking patterns (“thinking traps”)
- Increase flexibility in appraisal
countering avoidant and emotion-driven behaviors
GOALS of this session:
- To learn about emotion-driven behaviors (EDBs) and emotion avoidance
- To learn how our behaviors can influence our emotional experiences
- To learn how to identify our EDBs and counter them
exposure
GOALS of this session:
- To understand the purpose of emotion exposures
- To learn how to design effective emotion exposure exercises
- To develop an emotion exposure hierarchy
- To practice confronting strong emotions through emotion exposure exercises in and out of session
interpersonal effectiveness
GOALS of this module:
- To learn strategies for effective communication - i.e., DEARMAN.
- To learn how to express needs and wants in a way that is respectful of all parties involved.
- To practice these interpersonal skills in and out of session, in the hopes of increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes.
App-Integrated Care with MindLAMP
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MindLAMP is an app designed to collect patient data, and feed it back to patients via the Digital Navigator. This allows patients and clinicians to customize care to each person's unique situation based on individual correlations and trends.
Example of correlation matrix via Digital Navigator report
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Patient Interest
I am interested in the online therapy clinic for psychosis because it offers a groundbreaking, cost-free, and accessible treatment option for someone like me, aligning with my passion for increasing mental health accessibility. I think this is an interesting and innovative idea and look forward to the process.
This is something I've actually always thought trying out...I'm glad to be a part of it |
I love the virtual and digital angles of this clinic idea. |
BEACON Manual
BEACON support cases
Please note, the case examples presented here are fictional and for illustrative purposes only. They do not represent real patients or specific individuals.
Background: Maria, a 45-year-old woman, has been living with schizophrenia for over two decades. While her symptoms are mostly stable with medication, she experiences occasional episodes of paranoia and social withdrawal. Traditional therapy has been inconsistent due to transportation challenges and scheduling conflicts.
How Our BEACON Helps:
How Our BEACON Helps:
- Flexible Virtual Sessions: Maria can meet with her therapist from home, reducing the stress of traveling to appointments.
- Daily Symptom Monitoring: The mobile app allows her to log her symptoms and medication adherence, helping her care team track changes in real time.
- Integrated Care Coordination: Her therapist collaborates with her psychiatrist and primary care doctor to adjust treatment as needed.
Background: 16-year-old Sam recently started hearing voices and feeling disconnected from reality. Their parents are concerned but unsure if it’s psychosis or something else. They want to intervene early but are wary of hospitalization.
How Our BEACON Helps:
- Early Screening & Assessment: A digital intake process helps identify early warning signs and connect Sam with a specialized clinician.
- Engaging Youth-Friendly Support: Sam uses chat-based therapy and interactive coping tools designed for teens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
Care through BEACON is totally free!
What is the time commitment?
BEACON care consists of 7-8 teleheath appointments with a trained clinician and 9-10 brief online meetings with a Digital Navigator. Appointments with clinicians are about 45 minutes long and meetings with the Digital Navigator are about 20 minutes.
What is a Digital Navigator role?
The Digital Navigator is an integral part of BEACON. This peer role is here to help with the integration of technology-enhanced care. The Digital Navigator helps individuals with onboarding to the mindLAMP app, troubleshooting app issues, and interpreting results from the personalized data visualizations.
How do i know if i am eligible?
BEACON is here for individuals with psychosis spectrum symptoms. Not sure if you are eligible? Reach out to Victoria Lisowski ([email protected]) for more information.
Is there an in person option?
Unfortunately, BEACON is exclusively online, but we are open to feedback to best suit your needs.
Interested in BEACON?
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You are eligible to join BEACON if you are
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