Nicole Nehrig

VA New York Harbor Healthcare System Manhattan Campus · Psychotherapy Research & Development Program

In this paper, the authors describe how patients and therapists may, paradoxically, perceive a greater sense of closeness as a result of the physical distance inherent in conducting psychotherapy over synchronous video telehealth. Case material is used to illustrate ways in which tele-psychotherapy facilitated engagement, strengthened the alliance,...

A significant proportion of veterans continue to experience depression or anxiety following treatment with the empirically supported psychotherapies offered by the Veterans Health Administration. Continued development and testing of new treatments may be useful. Brief dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) is a short-term psychodynamic therapy develop...

Telemental health refers to the use of information and technology to provide mental health services when providers and patients are separated geographically. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Telemental Health Hub (TMH) initiative started in 2002 to address the mental health needs of rural Veterans and has been increasingly used since t...

Objectives: This paper aimed to synthesize empirical findings of patient extratherapeutic interpersonal variables associated with individual psychotherapy treatment outcomes in adult outpatients with depression. Methods: A systematic search strategy was used to identify relevant studies. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes in...

This study used qualitative methods to understand dementia caregivers’ experience of personal and therapeutic factors contributing to outcome following REACH VA, a behavioral intervention designed to alleviate caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Caregivers and their interventionists were queried about their experiences of the treatment in sem...

Objectives: This paper explores the ways empirically supported treatments (ESTs) help patients, therapists, and institutional administrators contain anxiety regarding complex human problems. Method: The authors synthesized relevant literature with their experience as clinicians and psychotherapy researchers. Results: ESTs may manage patient an...

Objective:: This article aims to articulate the use of trauma-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (TFPP) for a 33-year-old U.S. Army veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a Veterans Affairs (VA) setting. Methods:: The patient was treated with TFPP, a manualized brief psychotherapy provided as part of a pilot study. TFPP differs fr...

Meeting the mental health needs of our current veteran population is one of the primary challenges facing the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA). Particularly for veterans residing in rural areas, the lack of providers, high provider turnover, and the burden of traveling long distances to VHA facilities may contribute to difficulties accessing m...

Resources for Enhancing All Caregivers Health (REACH VA) is a behavioral intervention for caregivers of individuals with dementia disseminated in the VA. Although shown to improve caregiver and care recipient outcomes, some caregivers continue to experience depression or caregiver burden following the intervention. Factors that predict symptom remi...

Objective: This study used qualitative methods to understand how to further alleviate symptoms of depression and caregiver burden and address the needs of non-responders following a course of Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health in VA (REACH VA). Methods: Semi-structured interviews with caregivers and interventionists post-treatm...

This study used qualitative methods to understand reasons for treatment nonresponse following a behavioral intervention for family caregivers of people with dementia. Caregivers and interventionists completed semistructured interviews about their experience of the treatment after completing a course of Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver...

This study reevaluates the factor structure of the Selfobject Needs Inventory (SONI) using a sample of 738 students at an ethnically diverse urban university. The original SONI comprises 5 factors corresponding to approach and avoidance of Kohut’s selfobject needs for mirroring, idealization, and twinship. The current factor analysis revealed 4 fac...

Background: Given increasing mental health needs in the VA, identifying strategies to deliver new services is critical. Aims: This paper describes the process of navigating provider, patient and systems barriers of an initiative to increase choice, access and quality of psychotherapy at the VA by incorporating an evidence-based short-term, psychody...