The Evidence for Single-Session Interventions

Written By Closegap Team
Why one short session can still make a real difference

If you’re new to our rollout, start with Intro to SSIs and SSIs in Schools.

Research Highlights

  • One session can help. Across dozens of randomized trials with 10,000+ youth, single-session programs show small-to-moderate improvements in common mental-health challenges.

  • Digital SSIs work for teens. Brief, self-guided online modules have reduced depressive symptoms for secondary students for up to 3 months in several studies.

  • Low stigma, high reach. Mindset-focused digital SSIs have lowered anxiety and depression in randomized trials, meaning more students from more backgrounds can access a scalable, secure on-ramp towards care.

  • Beyond mood. One-session brief interventions have also reduced violence and alcohol-related harms in adolescent studies. The potential here is large.

“Access shouldn’t hinge on an adult’s calendar. SSIs offer a fast, dignified first step, and still keep adults in the loop.” 

— Rachel Miller, Closegap Founder & CEO

Why this matters for secondary school students

  • Short on time, short format. Schools are notoriously busy places where instructional minutes are crunched. Simultaneously, students report shorter and shorter attention spans. SSIs on Closegap are purposefully scaffolded as single items on single pages, engaging options for student input, and humorous GIFs reinforcing accessibility and approachability. A 7–10 minute, student-guided module fits within advisory times in secondary school, and still piques student interest.

  • Trust & privacy. For students hesitant to disclose, digital SSIs lower the barrier to starting. It just takes a click for a student to start reflecting and growing their skills on Closegap.

“Stigma, long waitlists, and high costs keep too many teens, especially those in marginalized communities, out of therapy. Digital SSIs turn something out-of-reach for many into an actual on-ramp to care.

— Jared B. Fries, Closegap Director

  • Fairness. The average counselor caseload is too high at around 400-1. That means the US is short over 65,000 counselors to reach a still-to-high ratio of 250-1 recommended by ASCA. When staffing is tight, SSIs can deliver helpful, therapeutic practice without a therapy appointment, freeing human time for students who need overburdened staff the most.

  • What it isn’t: A replacement for counseling, evaluation, or emergency care. Crisis alerts still route to staff in real time; Self-Harm and Safety Plan will be teacher-recommended only.

How Closegap measures impact (and shares back)

We pair RCT-tested content from organizations like Koko with educator-created SSIs rooted in lived experience. Then we do the most important part: ask students, listen, iterate—and publish what we learn so the whole field gets better, not just Closegap.

Each SSI includes:

  • Pre/Post Mood (0–10) and Self-Efficacy (Likert) inside the module.

  • Progress monitoring and intervention tracking so educators can see how individual students are progressing on their needs, and what other interventions are used in school.

  • Check-in trend analysis following completion, to see if student move is improving weeks (and months) later as part of a school’s consistent check-in routine.

We plan to report aggregate, de-identified learnings so the whole field benefits. Note: we do not share or sell student or staff PII with partners or advertisers - ever. However, we will be able to share the collective impact of which SSIs work to improve student mood and confidence, and for whom it best works. This evolution of resources makes Closegap a compelling innovation hub for researchers and content developers eager to impact student wellbeing.

If you are eager to partner with us in researching and delivering impact on student wellbeing, contact us at info@closegap.org.

Where to go next

Closegap Team
Next

Single Session Interventions (SSIs) in Schools