Online courses for anxiety and depression CLINICIAN USER GUIDE. Frequently Asked Questions. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.

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1 Online courses for anxiety and depression CLINICIAN USER GUIDE Frequently Asked Questions thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 1

2 Contents Who Are We?... 3 What is CBT?... 4 What is icbt?... 4 Why Use THIS WAY UP?... 5 What Clinicians Have Said About THIS WAY UP... 6 What Does a Course Contain?... 7 Getting started... 8 How You Could Incorporate This Way Up s icbt Courses In Your Clinical Practice Who Is Suitable For A THIS WAY UP Course? What If It Would Be Awkward For Me To Treat This Patient? Can I Choose Which Course my Patient Will Complete? Are There Any Costs Involved? How Can I View My Patient s Progress? What Are The Technical Requirements? Where Can I Get More Information? thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 2

3 Who Are We? THIS WAY UP was jointly designed and developed by Professor Gavin Andrews from the University of New South Wales, and his team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, at St Vincent s Hospital, Sydney. As a non-profit initiative, THIS WAY UP is sponsored by the Australian Government and the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression (CRUfAD) at St Vincent s Hospital, Sydney. THIS WAY UP offers internet-based courses for anxiety and depression for patients that can be prescribed by a GP or other health professional, or suggested as self-help courses. Our courses are based on the effective CBT model. We offer a range of courses that can be prescribed or suggested as self-help including: thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 3

4 Of the listed courses, two are free learning courses which can be only suggested as self-help: Intro to Mindfulness Coping With Stress What is CBT? CBT is the gold-standard psychological intervention for treating anxiety and depression, and emphasises the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours in creating change. The evidence-based CBT treatment courses that we offer have been developed from a large amount of research, which indicates that CBT is effective in treating anxiety and depression. You can read more about CBT on our website page about CBT: We also have a free training course for clinicians where you can learn about CBT principles and practices What is icbt? icbt is CBT that is delivered via the internet. It is also known as internet-delivered CBT, online CBT, computerised CBT, CCBT, or ecbt. THIS WAY UP icbt courses have the same content as therapy with a clinician (face-to-face). However, there are some major differences between icbt and its traditional counterpart, including; CBT icbt Face-to-face 5-20 sessions on average Structured around the expectations and needs of the client (low fidelity) Considerable out of pocket cost Ongoing clinical support Limited geographical availability May require referrals and recommendations Potential for long waiting times Online 4-10 lessons on average Clinically proven structure to optimise treatment (high fidelity) Low, fixed cost Option of clinical support, or selfmotivated therapy Available in all internet connected areas Easily prescribed Immediate access thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 4

5 Why Use THIS WAY UP? This Way Up is the only icbt system in Australia that helps clinicians to keep track of their patient s progress with immediate feedback after a patient completes online questionnaires and lessons. When you login to your account, you would be able to review the patients distress scores and see if they are improving. Supported by a wealth of research, our evidence-based courses have been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety and depression. For a list of all our published research, please go to our website. Our courses offer many benefits to your patients, including; Convenience: our courses can be completed from home and outside of working hours. Low-cost: the entire course costs less than one visit to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Immediate-access: There are no waiting periods. Patients can get started straight away. Effective: 80% of people who complete a course will benefit substantially, 50% to the point of no longer being troubled by anxiety or depression. However, 20% will not respond and should be reassessed or referred for a second opinion. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 5

6 What Clinicians Have Said About THIS WAY UP The automated administration and scoring of standardised measures throughout treatment means I can easily track client progress in a much more time-efficient way than administering and scoring the measures myself. The online clinician view lets me see all my client s scores in one place, all at once. Psychologist I loved receiving an from a patient who could not afford, or find the time, to see a professional; she was amazed that just from a few simple online lessons, she had learnt the tools to overcome her anxiety. Clinical Psychologist THIS WAY UP s online services have been hugely useful for my clients and for myself as a clinician. Clients find the material logical, easy to follow and practical; and they appreciate the 24/7 web access. Clinical Psychologist It s really like having an intern in the practice. General Practitioner My patients tell me they no longer feel they are weird or suffering alone. This Way Up courses have a tremendous normalising effect.. Clinical Psychologist It s wonderful! Thanks so much. This gives me more time to work with clients in implementing and learning the skills they need to manage anxiety and depression. Clinical Psychologist thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 6

7 What Does a Course Contain? Each course follows the story of a fictional character (or characters) that experiences the symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Throughout the course, the stories will help the patient learn about their own symptoms and the steps required to help them recover. THIS WAY UP courses involve: 6 lessons in an easy-to-read comic-based story format Homework exercises to complete after every lesson Extra Resources and descriptions of other peoples experiences Online questionnaires before each lesson Each lesson takes about 20 minutes to read and will generally require the patient to take 3-4 hours in between lessons to complete the suggested homework activities. The courses are self-paced, but designed to be completed within 3 months, at most. It is best to do one lesson every week or two to allow time to practice between lessons. The system won t allow less than 5 or more than 25 days between lessons. Most people take weeks to complete the course. Initially the patient will be granted 90 days access, and upon completion of the course, they will be granted an extra 90 days access for practice purposes. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 7

8 Getting started. This Way Up Clinic is accessed via our website and requires a This Way Up account for login purposes. You will first need to register for an account. 1. Register: Clinicians need to register at All required fields must be filled in. Terms and conditions, and privacy policy must also be accepted. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 8

9 2. Sign in at using your registered address and password. 3. Prescribe a course to a patient using our Quickscript system. Once you login you can see our prescription system on the left-hand side of your dashboard. Your patient will receive an from us with a link and instructions on how to sign up for a course, supervised by you. 4. Motivate and remind patients to continue their progress. Our system will also send automatic reminders and alerts to you and your patient. Patients need to be aware that they will get the most benefit if they complete the entire course and set aside time to complete the homework activities. Of course, patients do not always do what their doctor or psychologist suggests, even when they know that it will be beneficial to them. This may be because they don t understand what they need to do. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 9

10 As the prescribing clinician, there are three important roles you can play: 1. Convey to patients that This Way Up Clinic icbt courses are a very good treatment option. 2. Stress the importance of completing the program according to schedule complete the lessons, practice the homework tasks and regularly implement the skills in their daily life. 3. Take an interest in their progress through telephone or face-to-face follow-up, this will help with keeping them engaged in therapy as well. How You Could Incorporate This Way Up s icbt Courses In Your Clinical Practice As a preparation for face-to-face treatment Patients learn the key CBT skills before their treatment icbt can inform them about what therapy involves and set positive and realistic expectations for treatment As a stand-alone intervention icbt has been proven effective as a stand-alone intervention for anxiety disorders and comorbid depression and anxiety As an adjunct to face-to-face treatment sessions Patients can do an icbt lesson either before or immediately after a face-to-face session, or in between sessions As a relapse prevention tool When face-to-face treatment has been completed, icbt can be prescribed to ensure patients are regularly practicing CBT skills a useful way of monitoring the patient s for a possible relapse * Adapted from Newby, J. (2016). How to integrate internet cognitive behavioural therapy within your clinical practice: a practical guide for clinicians. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 10

11 Who Is Suitable For A THIS WAY UP Course? Patients who have moderate to severe anxiety and depressive disorder are suitable for a THIS WAY UP course. Please note that THIS WAY UP will not accept clinical responsibility for individuals who: Have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or drug or alcohol dependence Are suicidal Are taking benzodiazepines and/or atypical antipsychotics. What If It Would Be Awkward For Me To Treat This Patient? There are two options if the clinician does not want to treat this person for whatever reason. Clinicians can assess the patient as likely to benefit from a This Way Up Clinic course and refer the patient asking that we assess, prescribe and supervise the patient doing the course. This Way Up staff will take clinical responsibility for the patient as they complete the course and return the patient to the care of the clinician. Simply contact@thiswayupclinic.org with the patients address and name. We ll be in touch. Clinicians can suggest that the patient logon to and register to do a self- help course. The cost and content of these courses are identical to the prescribed courses and while automated reminders are active there is no supervision. Can I Choose Which Course My Patient Will Complete? Yes. You are able to recommend a course for your patient when you prescribe. Are There Any Costs Involved? Each This Way Up icbt course cost patients AUD$59.00 for 90 days access to their course (a course contains 6 lessons). There are no costs to prescribing clinicians. thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 11

12 How Can I View My Patient s Progress? Your patient s progress will be ed to you. However, you can access their progress at any time by logging onto your clinician account. To log in: 1. Go to 2. In the login box enter your address and password Once logged in you will able to view your patient s progress scores. If you want to review the course content that you have prescribed to your patient (e.g. view lesson, view homework, testimonials and additional resources). Click and select the patient in the drop down box. What Are The Technical Requirements? In order to use This Way Up you will need updated standard web browsing software. We recommend using the latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox Where Can I Get More Information? To find out more about This Way Up, please browse our website and download the Information Flyer for Clinicians from the Resources section. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the This Way Up team on (02) or send us an via our contact page. Warm wishes, The team from THIS WAY UP, The Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression Level 4, The O Brien Centre, St Vincent s Hospital, Sydney Website: thiswayup.org.au contact@thiswayupclinic.org Telephone: +61 (02) thiswayup.org.au clinician user guide v2.2 12