Study Finds Group Course Could Become Standard of Care for Anxiety and Depression

A first-of-its-kind trial of an innovative group approach to anxiety and depression has been shown to be as effective as the one-on-one sessions thousands of people receive daily on the NHS.

The trial compared a take-control course designed by researchers at the University of Manchester for up to 20 people to standard talking therapy. Both were conducted in 6 sessions per week.

The research is published in the journal cognitive behavioral therapy.

Based on Perceptual Control Theory, this course follows a precise program that teaches participants the importance of control in their lives: when to seek it, when to let it go, and how to balance conflicting priorities.

They learn how to use their strengths to face long-standing fears and anxieties, and to see the bigger picture and long-term goals.

Participants are not required to discuss their mental health, but are welcome to do so if they wish.

Conducted by a team led by the University of Manchester, the randomized controlled trial involved 156 people recruited from the NHS’s Improved Access to Psychotherapy (IAPT) service.

They were offered either a take control course or one of six established one-on-one sessions offered by the IAPT.

Participants were primarily referred by primary care physicians and recruited from a low-intensity IAPT service, Salford Six Degrees Social Enterprise.

After six months of follow-up, there was no evidence of a difference in mental health outcomes between the two interventions. There was not.

Measures used by researchers included the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, and other psychological tools.

This course has been offered by Six Degrees and adapted for use in high schools at Manchester Healthy School over the past eight years, but this is the first time it has been evaluated by a randomized trial. It is also distributed online.

Lydia Morris, Clinical Lecturer at the University of Manchester, is the lead author, in collaboration with Warren Mansell, Honorary Reader at the University of Manchester and Professor of Mental Health at Curtin University, Perth. “There are many effective talk therapies for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression,” he said. Some people like it.

“The success of one-on-one talk therapy is often dependent on the chemistry between therapist and client. However, Take Control courses are always delivered in exactly the same format.”

Dr. Morris co-developed this course as part of his PhD. research. She said, “This trial demonstrates that take-control courses are an efficient alternative to one-on-one treatment for common mental health problems and provide an evidence-based alternative for people who do not want individualized treatment.” We have shown that we can deliver.”

Co-author Tanya Wallwork has worked with Salford Six Degrees for the past decade and was also the co-author of the manual used by the course facilitators. she said: “As soon as I came across this course, I knew how useful it was. , the results are consistently good.

“This course really shined when we started offering it via Zoom during COVID. increase.”

One of the course participants said, “Looking at my goals and understanding what’s important to me has really helped me. Especially when I think it’s a small thing that I’m worrying too much about. Using techniques to understand why it matters, it really helped me see the big picture instead of focusing on the little things.”

The 6 sessions include:

• Life is about control, and we discuss what we want more control over and what we have less control over.
• What keeps us out of control? Worry, rumination, even self-criticism only matter to the extent that they get in the way of important life goals.
• Control over your life and short-term control.Goals are organized hierarchically
• Control what’s around you.A flexible way to find common ground with people despite disagreements
• Build on strengths, qualities, and resources. Encourage participants to remember the strengths, qualities, and resources they have. Especially when things are hard.
• Moving forward: What keeps me stuck? What helps? Fill out the worksheet for the symptoms you have.