The BRIEF intervention project was developed by Dr. Douglas Mennin and research staff in the READ Laboratory at the City University of New York- Hunter College. Broadly, this work aims to understand how a propensity for engaging in past- and future-oriented thinking relates to cognitive and emotional functioning. Taking an affect science approach, Dr. Mennin's (CUNY-Hunter College) research focuses on assessing and treating complex forms of emotional disorders that implicate a central role for emotion regulation. This has led to the development of an integrative yet mechanism-driven treatment called Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) with his colleague Dr. David Fresco (Kent State University). Drawing from treatments related to each core mechanism of ERT, the BRIEF examines implications of different kinds of cognitive training on worry and rumination, and it's therapeutic efficacy using a range of approaches (biological, subjective, behavioral and ecological). This web platform permits the boundaries of the READ Lab's research to extend beyond traditional settings into the individual's environment where these processes most naturally unfold. Through this service, participant's can educate themselves on empirically-supported practices drawn from ERT, practice implementing these strategies and report on their experience of this process at their convenience. In turn, this information can be used to map the nature of mental processes in greater detail and refine our understanding and treatment of perseverative cognition.
Our attention training platform is accessible across any desktop, tablet and mobile device for both iOS and Android.
Training occurs over 14 days, each day entails psychoeducation, 10 minutes of audio training, experiential sharing, and 'on-the-spot' text reminders for real-world skills practice.