Allison Harvey knew she’d have to study hard when she enrolled in an 11-week course on parenting techniques earlier this year. A UC Berkeley professor of psychology who researches memory, habits and sleep, Harvey printed her notes and meticulously completed each week’s homework. She engaged with the instructors, who were also well-respected clinical psychologists. And she was far more engaged than her classmates, including her husband.
Yet, when the class ended, Harvey was confronted with a familiar reality: Despite studying hard, she’d forgotten many of the lessons she was supposed to have learned and put into practice.
“I was far short of where you’d want a patient to be at the end of 11 sessions,” she said.
Frustrating as it was, Harvey said her experience was a personal window into the shortcomings of what are called evidence-based psychological treatments. These treatments, which include various forms of counseling, trauma interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy, are rooted in science and used widely to treat an array of mental health challenges.
But as Harvey describes in a recent paper in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy, these treatments often fall short because of humans’ flawed memories and difficulties creating new, healthier habits. Her research explores how subtle treatment changes could significantly improve patient outcomes — both mentally and physically.