INTER-E Youth
Summary
Mental disorders are becoming increasingly common not only worldwide, but also in Switzerland. Emotion regulation, or the ability to deal with short- and long-term negative feelings (emotions) such as frustration, anger, sadness, stress, and anxiety, plays an important role in the development and maintenance of mental disorders. The concept of emotion regulation involves the ability to recognize emotions in oneself and others and to interpret them correctly in the context of the situation.
The ability to endure short- and long-term stressful emotions, which can be described as emotional tolerance, plays a particularly important role in many mental disorders. These steps are a prerequisite for processes such as analyzing the reasons for emotions experienced in oneself or others. If emotions can be correctly recognized, named, and tolerated, analyzing their causes can provide clues as to how to deal with them in a meaningful way or how to actually regulate the emotions experienced.
With beneficial (functional) emotion regulation, psychological stress decreases over time if the person succeeds in using other beneficial strategies in addition to tolerating negative emotions in the short term, such as refraining from rash actions, comparing the emotions experienced with reality, and making a balanced assessment of the manageability of the situation. Research on depressive disorders, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for example, has shown that the use of dysfunctional (unfavorable) emotion regulation strategies (such as not allowing or avoiding emotions, ruminating, or self-sabotage) increases psychological stress, which can contribute to the development and maintenance of psychological stress or mental disorders.
Intended Use
INTER-E supports experts in conducting training on how to deal with stressful emotions in order to either prevent mental disorders, prepare for disorder-specific treatment, or increase the effectiveness of disorder-specific treatment for conditions such as depressive disorders, eating disorders, or anxiety disorders.
Information for Practitioners
INTER-E supports experts in conducting training on how to deal with stressful emotions in order to either prevent mental disorders, prepare for disorder-specific treatment, or increase the effectiveness of disorder-specific treatment for conditions such as depressive disorders, eating disorders or anxiety disorders.
Key Data
Age group: from 14 years
Languages: German (Swiss), French (Swiss)
Duration: 6 - 12 weeks
Structure: 2 introductory session, 6 therapy sessions
Screeners: Emotionregulation Weekly Questionnaire (EWQ), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), Working Alliance Inventory (WAI)
General Content Structure and Automations
Chapters: The intervention is designed as structured learning paths. Each session unlocks sequentially, guiding patients step by step through their therapeutic journey. Progress determines access — once a session is completed, the next becomes available, ensuring a clear and motivating rhythm.
Exercises: Linked exercises are automatically deployed as patients advance. These practical activities are tied directly to the session content, helping translate learning into daily practice and reinforcing progress between appointments.
Reminders: Integrated time-based reminders keep participants on track. Notifications can prompt users to continue sessions, complete exercises, or reflect on progress — supporting regular engagement without overwhelming the experience.
Together, these smart functions create a personalized, continuous flow that blends structure with flexibility — for therapy that truly stays in motion.
Chapters
Chapter 0.1: Welcome to INTER-E treatment
Chapter 1: Understanding feelings and emotions better
Chapter 2: Feeling emotions in the body
Chapter 3: Accepting and enduring emotions
Chapter 4: Supporting yourself better
Chapter 5: Harming yourself less
Chapter 6: Drawing the right conclusions
Exercises
Exercise 1: The emotion model
Exercise 2: Muscle and breathing relaxation
Exercise 3: Perceiving and enduring emotions
Exersice 4.1: Self-care diary
Exercise 4.2: Self-supporting thoughts
Exersice 5.1: Brooding less
Exersice 5.2: Suppressing feelings less
Exersice 5.3: Addressing feelings appropriately
Exercise 6: Drawing the right conclusions
Authors
Prof. Dr. phil. Simone Munsch — Researcher and psychotherapist, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Prof. Dr. phil. Nadine Messerli-Bürgy — Researcher and psychotherapist, Professor of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Scientific References
Peter, C., Tuch, A. & Schuler, D. (2023). Psychische Gesundheit – Erhebung Herbst 2022. Wie geht es der Bevölkerung in der Schweiz? Sucht sie bei psychischen Problemen Hilfe? (Obsan Bereicht 03 / 2023). Neuchâtel: Schweizerisches Gesundheitsobservatorium.
Berking, M., Wupperman, P., Reichardt, A., Pejic, T., Dippel, A., & Znoj, H. (2008). Emotion-regulation skills as a treatment target in psychotherapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46(11), 1230–1237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2008.08.0058
Berking, M., Wupperman, P., Reichardt, A., Pejic, T., Dippel, A., & Znoj, H. (2008). Emotion-regulation skills as a treatment target in psychotherapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46(11), 1230–1237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2008.08.005
Berking, M., Ebert, D., Cuijpers, P., & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Emotion regulation skills training enhances the efficacy of inpatient cognitive behavioral therapy for major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 82(4), 234–245. https://doi.org/10.1159/000348448
Munsch, S., Forrer, F., Naas, A., Müller, V., Rubo, M., Hannoun, F., & Mugellini, E. (2021). Correlates of interpersonal emotion regulation problems in loss of Control Eating (loc) in youth: Study protocol of the combined online and app based questionnaire, laboratory and randomized controlled online intervention I-beat trial. BMC Psychology, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00690-8
Herrero R, Vara MD, Miragall M, Botella C, García-Palacios A, Riper H, Kleiboer A, Baños RM. Working Alliance Inventory for Online Interventions-Short Form (WAI-TECH-SF): The Role of the Therapeutic Alliance between Patient and Online Program in Therapeutic Outcomes. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Aug 25;17(17):6169. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17176169.
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Löwe B. (2009). An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: the PHQ-4. Psychosomatics, 50(6):613-21.https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.50.6.613
Copyright
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