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Evaluation ViewAttendees 1

Research Methods and Statistics
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 6 - Advancing Idiographic Methods Toward Practice: Moving Beyond Concepts to Implementation, Feasibility, and Trial Insights

Friday, November 21, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CST
Location: Celestin H, Level 3
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Implementation, Treatment, Research Methods
Level of Familiarity: Moderate
Recommended Readings: Ong, C. W., Hayes, S. C., & Hofmann, S. G. (2022). A process-based approach to cognitive behavioral therapy: A theory-based case illustration. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1002849,   Deisenhofer, A. K., Barkham, M., Beierl, E. T., Schwartz, B., Aafjes-van Doorn, K., Beevers, C. G., Berwian, I. M., Blackwell, S. E., Bockting, C. L., Brakemeier, E. L., Brown, G., Buckman, J. E. J., Castonguay, L. G., Cusack, C. E., Dalgleish, T., de Jong, K., Delgadillo, J., DeRubeis, R. J., Driessen, E., Ehrenreich-May, J., … Cohen, Z. D. (2024). Implementing precision methods in personalizing psychological therapies: Barriers and possible ways forward. Behaviour research and therapy, 172, 104443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2023.104443
Hofmann, S. G., & Hayes, S. C. (2019). The future of intervention science: Process-based therapy. Clinical Psychological Science, 7, 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 2167702618772296,   Hofmann, S. G., & Hayes, S. C. (2019). The future of intervention science: Process-based therapy. Clinical Psychological Science, 7, 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 2167702618772296,   Levinson, C. A., Williams, B. M., Christian, C., Hunt, R. A., Keshishian, A. C., Brosof, L. C., Vanzhula, I. A., Davis, G. G., Brown, M. L., Bridges-Curry, Z., Sandoval-Araujo, L. E., & Ralph-Nearman, C. (2023). Personalizing eating disorder treatment using idiographic models: An open series trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 91(1), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000785,   Woolley, M. G., Sahdra, B. K., Bowers, E. M., Capel, L. K., Twohig, M. P., & Levin, M. E. (2025). An idionomic network analysis of Trichotillomania Treatment Processes: Gathering group-level and individual-level insights to inform a personalized therapeutic framework. Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2025.01.006

Despite the promise of data-driven, idiographic approaches in psychological treatment, their effective implementation in clinical practice remains an ongoing question. Precision mental health care methods, including idiographic network modeling and subgroup identification, have been proposed as ways to improve treatment matching, enhance intervention specificity, and optimize outcomes (Cohen & DeRubeis, 2018). However, many researchers and clinicians are still grappling with how to implement these methods while maintaining methodological rigor and feasibility within clinical practice (Deisenhofer et al., 2024). While some are paving the way forward (e.g., Ong et al., 2022; Levinson et al., 2023; Stangier et al. 2024), there remains a pressing need to apply and refine them to better understand their impact on therapy outcomes in real-world and research contexts. This symposium brings together researchers actively testing and implementing idiographic and network-informed interventions across different clinical populations. One presentation will demonstrate how process-based therapy (PBT; Hofmann & Hayes, 2019) can be individualized through idiographic network modeling, with empirical data on its feasibility and treatment effects. A second presentation will then examine how network-derived subgroups predict treatment response in eating disorders, offering insights into the role of network dynamics as treatment moderators. Next, a third presenter will report on findings from a modular, personalized intervention for eating disorders, demonstrating that a targeted module on regular eating reduces food restriction. Finally, another presentation will highlight a network-informed case series on trichotillomania, illustrating how personalized, data-driven decisions combined with client feedback and preference can shape personalized interventions. This symposium situates idiographic and network-based methods at the intersection of research and clinical application, tackling implementation challenges while presenting novel empirical insights. Our discussant will synthesize key takeaways, addressing barriers to implementation, statistical and methodological challenges, and opportunities for integrating idiographic precision methods into standard care.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Explain how data-driven process-based therapy and personalized methods are applied and evaluate their feasibility in clinical practice.
  2. Discuss the role of network-derived subgroups in predicting treatment response and guiding personalized interventions.
  3. Explain how modular, personalized treatment can effectively target specific eating disorder symptoms.
  4. Identify challenges and future directions for implementing idiographic and network-informed interventions in clinical practice and research.

Presentations:

  • 5:05 PM - 5:27 PM CST
    (SYM 6) Applying Network-informed Process-based Therapy for Trichotillomania: Insights from Real-world Clinical Applications

    Speaker: Mercedes Woolley, M.S. – Utah State University

    Co-author: Michael E. Levin, Ph.D. – Utah State University

    Co-author: Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Utah State University

  • 5:27 PM - 5:48 PM CST
    (SYM 6) An Idiographic Examination of Personalized Treatment Informed by Process-based Therapy

    Speaker: Kate Sheehan, M.A. (she/her/hers) – University of Toledo

    Co-author: Adam J. Mann, M.S. – University of Toledo

    Co-author: Clarissa Ong, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Louisville

  • 5:48 PM - 6:09 PM CST
    (SYM 6) Examining the Relationship Between Network-based Subgroups and Treatment Outcomes Among Individuals with Eating Disorders

    Speaker: Clarissa Ong, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Louisville

    Co-author: Claire Cusack, M.S. (they/she) – University of Louisville

    Co-author: Cheri A. Levinson, Ph.D. – University of Louisville

  • 6:09 PM - 6:30 PM CST
    (SYM 6) Regular Eating Within Personalized Treatment Reduces Food Restriction Behaviors in an Eating Disorder Sample: Evidence That Modular Personalized Treatment Impacts Intended

    Speaker: Savannah Hooper, B.A. – The University of Louisville

    Co-author: Lauren Harris, Ph.D. – Auburn University

    Co-author: Irina A. Vanzhula, Ph.D. – University of Louisville