Table 1 Overview of COMP and COMP-MST training techniques

Description

Aim

Prospective memory education

To develop participants’ understanding of what PM is and the impact of TBI on PM ability

Use of a memory aid

E.g., diary or organizational device

To assist participants in identifying and learning to use a portable compensatory aid that meets their individual needs and preferences

Time management and environmental organization techniques

To maximize organization and time management within participants’ existing routines and home environments

Writing reminders, appointments, note-taking

To demonstrate basic note-taking skills for recording reminders

Family/friend training

To involve significant others in participants’ memory aid training in order to increase others’ understanding of PM strategies and reinforce the use of memory aids outside of the training environment

Strategy generation practice

E.g., video scenarios of everyday memory failures

To encourage self-generation of a range of suitable strategies for use within the context of “real-life” PM failures that impact on independent living, community integration, and social relationships

Future memory aid agreement

To reinforce use of the memory aid and note-taking skills, and devise a plan for maintenance of strategy use in the future

Description

Aim

Cognitive activity

E.g., workbook exercises, attention tasks

To provide an active control or filler task for metacognitive skills training, i.e., a similar amount of therapy time allocated to tasks unrelated to PM or self-awareness

Description

Aim

Role modeling

E.g., watching a video of someone else discussing their PM difficulties and demonstrating ways they overcame their PM failure

To allow participants to identify similarities between the PM problems being modeled and their own experience, to increase self-awareness of personal challenges and potential usefulness of strategies

Timely feedback

E.g., verbal, video, experiential and written feedback

To provide an opportunity for participants to gain insight into their PM performance, self-reflect on their performance, and generate strategies for future use

Self-reflection activities

E.g., self-prediction of PM performance prior to performance and self-evaluation following performance; journal of PM failures and strategy use in everyday life; discussion of impact of TBI

To encourage participants to self-monitor their performance, gain insight into how to self-correct errors, and practice generating strategies for future use