Since 2012, the Online Therapy Unit has been offering Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT). ICBT represents a convenient method for individuals to access care for depression and anxiety. In ICBT, clients receive access to standardized lessons that provide the same information and skills as traditional face-to-face CBT. ICBT courses often span 6-12 weeks. There is now growing evidence that clients with symptoms of depression and anxiety can benefit from a single session brief intervention that offers practical strategies for improving mental health, but the investigators are uncertain about the interest in such a lesson among those seeking online mental health care. The Things You Do Course, therefore, is designed to provide clients with 5 key actions that clients can take to improve their emotional wellbeing.
In this study, the Online Therapy Unit (OTU) is examining how effective the Things You Do Course is in helping clients manage their symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve their emotional wellbeing. The OTU is also exploring the extent to which clients are satisfied with the course, and what factors contribute to improvements in symptoms, as measured by a number of questionnaires. The research will ultimately be used to improve how the OTU will deliver ICBT and to inform whether to include the single session course within existing online mental health service options.
Canadian resident;
Aged 18 years or older;
Seeking services for mental health concerns
Living outside of Canada
Unable to read and understand English
This observational pilot trial explores aspects of the TYD course within an online routine care setting, a first-of-its-kind in Canada. Prospective participants will self-refer after learning about the course from advertisements, information on the Online Therapy Unit website, or from healthcare providers, community organizations, or others.
Cohort
Prospective
Things You Do Course
BehavioralParticipants receiving the brief psychological intervention ('Things You Do' Course) will have access to a single online lesson that includes course materials and printable materials (i.e., an activity guide and planner) that can be retained for longer-term use. The course materials include an introduction to the purpose and content of the course, education about factors that impact mental health, and information about the 'Big Five' things participants can do to improve their mental health. Participants will also receive automated no-reply emails (5 days/week) through the intervention platform to remind them to practice the skills from the course.
The Things You Do Questionnaire - 21 item (TYD-Q)
A 21-item questionnaire that includes five scales (Realistic Thinking, Meaningful Activities, Goals and Plans, Healthy Habits, and Social Connections) to measure everyday behaviours that are linked to emotional wellbeing. Scores range from 0 to 84.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
9-item measure of depression symptoms. Higher total scores indicate greater severity of depression. Scores range from 0 to 27.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7)
7-item measure of anxiety symptoms. Higher total scores indicate greater severity of anxiety. Scores range from 0 to 21.
Days out of role - 1 item
The functional impairment item from the longer Kessler Psychological Distress - 10 item Plus (K10+) scale to measure disability. Respondents are asked how many days they have been unable to work at all in the previous 4 weeks. Scores range from 0 to 28
Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS)
5-item measure of life satisfaction. Participants indicate how much they agree or disagree with each of the 5 items using a 7-point scale that ranges from 7 strongly agree to 1 strongly disagree. Scores range from 5 to 35
Feedback questions
Closed-ended questions about treatment satisfaction; open-ended questions regarding suggestions of how to improve the intervention
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