Sarah Bateup
Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for common mental health disorders. Technology is increasingly being used to deliver CBT. Technology enables patients to access treatment with a qualified therapist from home, via an Internet enabled device, at any time of the day. One method of delivering CBT via a computer issynchronous, written (typed) communication. This method is known as IECBT. Over 7000 patients have had IECBT in the United Kingdom�s NHS. IECBT has been bench marked against face-to-face CBT demonstrating that patients have an equal chance of recovery. The researcher is undertaking a RCT in order to understand the longer term differences between face-to face CBT and IECBT. This will be very important for the development of services in the future as, for the first time ever, it is possible to understand therapist behaviour in terms of fidelity to the CBT model and adherence to evidence based treatment protocols. Recovery rates in CBT have stagnated and it has been hypothesised that this is because therapists are not following the evidence base. IECBT gives clinicians explicit insight into how we can increase recovery rates, improve services and help people stay better for longer. Review of the clinical work of 180 CBT therapists has demonstrated that the most effective therapists are those that demonstrate fidelity to the CBT model and adherence to the evidence based protocols.
Email: sarahbateup@mac.com
