Using Telehealth to Provide Positive Psychology Interventions to Youth: A Noncontrolled Evaluation of an Implementation Innovation

Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) and telemental health services both gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet synchronous counselor-led virtual PPIs have been underexamined. Telehealth research has targeted psychopathology, and studies with PPIs have focused on school-based face-to-face or online self-administered formats. This project evaluated youth subjective well-being associated with the delivery of a counselor-led multi-component PPI implemented using telehealth, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During fall 2020-spring 2021, 124 counselor trainees from a southeastern state in the U.S. provided the PPI to 137 youth who resided primarily in the same state, using virtual individual counseling sessions, and assessed youth life satisfaction at pre- and post-intervention. Repeated measures analyses indicated significant growth in each aspect of life satisfaction among older children and adolescents ( n = 108; ages 9–18; M = 13.7 years old), with medium effects for self, family, and global life satisfaction ( d = 0.52– 0.58) and small effects for satisfaction with friends, school, and living environment ( d = 0.26 − 0.33). Younger children ( n = 29; ages 6–9; M = 7.9 years old) evidenced significant growth in two of five domains (self and living environment; d = 0.36 − 0.40), trends for increases in school and global life satisfaction ( d = 0.34), and no changes in satisfaction with family or friends. This project provides preliminary support for a counselor-led multi-component PPI delivered virtually, particularly among older children and adolescents.