Technology dRiven Enhancement to Engage & Connect

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 50-80

• Capacity to provide consent for research assessment and treatment.

• Significant depression, i.e., PHQ-9 ≥ 7 (mild-moderate severity of symptoms)

• Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) equal or greater than a score of 23.

• Off antidepressants or on stable dose for 8 weeks and do not intend to change thedose in the next 10 weeks, without individual psychotherapy services during thestudy period.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Intent or plan to commit suicide in the near future.

• Inability to communicate in English.

• History or presence of psychiatric diagnoses other than major depressive disorderwithout psychotic features, generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, orantisocial or borderline personality disorder.

• Neurological disorders (dementias, amnestic and multidomain Mild CognitiveImpairment, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, etc.).

• Acute or severe medical illness in the past 3 months (metastatic cancer, multiplesclerosis, decompensated cardiac, liver or kidney failure, major surgery, stroke ormyocardial infarction, cardiac, renal, or respiratory failure; severe chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, etc.) that may be the primary cause depressivesymptoms, influence brain systems of interest, or impact ability to participate inthe study.

• For MRI only: Contraindications to MRI scanning including cardiac pacemaker, heartvalve replacement, vascular stent, insulin pump, cochlear implant, any othermetallic biomedical implant contraindicating to MRI, and claustrophobia.