Using single-case experimental designs in psychoeducation
One of the professional activities of psychoeducation, results assessment, involves the continuous monitoring of the effects of the intervention proposed by the psychoeducator. To implement this monitoring, single-case experimental designs are an option to favour because they allow (a) the assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention and (b) the demonstration that the intervention is responsible for the observed changes. Thus, the purpose of the current article is to guide psychoeducators in the selection and implementation of single-case experimental designs to assess the effects of interventions in applied settings. First, issues to consider when planning the assessment of the effectiveness of an intervention are presented. Then, reversal, multielement, multiple baseline, and changing criterion designs are described with an emphasis on their advantages and limitations. The selection and application of each design are also illustrated using examples. Finally, the challenges associated with the implementation of single-case experimental designs are examined by discussing environmental contingencies that may prevent and facilitate their adoption by psychoeducators in applied settings.