Table 1 The 'behavioral change techniques' (BCTs) contained within Breaking Free Online

Baseline and progress check assessments

Monitor behavior to provide feedback about progress towards goals; Encourage new behaviors via positive feedback

Goal setting; self-monitoring

Self-monitoring of behavior (2.3); Feedback on outcome(s) of behavior (2.7)

Lifestyle Balance Model

Generic formulation; Idiosyncratic formulation; Personalized feedback; Case formulation—understand the links between situations, thoughts, emotions, behaviors, physical sensations, and lifestyle

Node-link mapping (International Treatment Effectiveness Project (ITEP); Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Information about antecedents (4.2); Information about health consequences (5.1); Salience of consequences (5.2); Information about social and environmental consequences (5.3); Information about emotional consequences (5.6)

Difficult situations domain of LBM

Assessment; Self-monitoring; Standardized measures; Psycho-education on impact of problematic situations; Intervention to help people in distress access support; Recognize–avoid–cope; Relapse prevention for coping with environmental/situational/emotional triggers; Creating action plans on how to avoid or cope in high risk situations

All structured therapeutic approaches; Psychoeducation; Guided self-help; Relapse prevention; Refusal skills

Social support (unspecified) (3.1); Reduce negative emotions (11.2); Problem solving (1.2); Action planning (1.4); Instruction on how to perform the behavior (4.1); behavioral practice/rehearsal (8.1); behavior substitution (8.2); Avoidance/reducing exposure to cues for the behavior (12.3); Goal setting (behavior) (1.1)

Negative thoughts domain of LBM

Psychoeducation on impact on negative thoughts; Mind traps; Cognitive restructuring; Challenge thoughts that may be unhelpful

Psychoeducation; Guided self-help; International Treatment Effectiveness Project (ITEP); Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Information about antecedents (4.2); Information about health consequences (5.1); Salience of consequences (5.2); Information about social and environmental consequences (5.3); Information about emotional consequences (5.6); Re-attribution (4.3); Framing-reframing (13.2)

Emotions domain of LBM

Psychoeducation on impact on emotions; Attention narrowing; Attention switching; Emotional regulation; Recognize/understand/normalize emotions; Developing more appropriate coping strategies

Psychoeducation; Guided self-help; Coping strategy enhancement (CSE); Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

Information about antecedents (4.2); Information about health consequences (5.1); Salience of consequences (5.2); Information about social and environmental consequences (5.3); Information about emotional consequences (5.6); behavioral practice/rehearsal (8.1); Reduce negative emotions (11.2); Problem solving (1.2); Social support (unspecified) (3.1); behavioral practice/rehearsal (8.1); Distraction (12.4)

Physical sensations domain of LBM

Psychoeducation on impact of physical sensations; Urge surfing; Body scanning; Relapse prevention-based techniques

Psychoeducation; Guided self-help; Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

Information about antecedents (4.2); Information about health consequences (5.1); Salience of consequences (5.2); Information about social and environmental consequences (5.3); Information about emotional consequences (5.6); Instruction on how to perform a behavior (4.1); behavioral practice/rehearsal (8.1); Reduce negative emotions (11.2)

Unhelpful behaviors domain of LBM

Psychoeducation on impact of destructive behaviors; Activity scheduling; Behavioral activation; Encourage new behaviors via positive feedback; Increase activity to increase energy levels and relieve boredom

Psychoeducation; Guided self-help; Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Information about antecedents (4.2); Information about health consequences (5.1); Salience of consequences (5.2); Information about social and environmental consequences (5.3); Information about emotional consequences (5.6); Non-specific reward (10.3); Non-specific incentive (10.6); Reward approximation (14.4); Rewarding completion (14.5); Goal setting (behavior) (1.1); Action planning (1.4)

Lifestyle domain of LBM

Psychoeducation on impact of lifestyle; Creating SMART goals for recovery; Goalsetting

Increase treatment engagement and retention. Increase readiness to change behavior

Psychoeducation; Guided self-help; Motivational enhancement therapy (MET); Implementation intentions

Goal setting (behavior) (1.1); Problem solving (1.2); Goal setting (outcome) (1.3); Action planning (1.4); Non-specific reward (10.3); Focus on past success (15.3)