World first in online mental health treatment!

Below is information about a new online service that might be of benefit to you - check it out!

21 October 2009
For immediate release

World first in online mental
health treatment
Australia’s mental health services will receive a boost with the launch of the world’s first online assessment and treatment clinic for people with anxiety disorders.

With over a quarter of Australia’s population affected by anxiety disorders, it is hoped that Anxiety Online will greatly improve the accessibility of mental health treatments, particularly for Australians in rural and remote areas.

The online clinic, developed by Swinburne University’s National eTherapy Centre and based in Melbourne, is the first of its kind in the world.

“Anxiety Online is the first full-service online psychology clinic in the world,” Associate Professor David Austin, Co-Director of the National eTherapy Centre said. “It is the first to offer a complete service online, from assessment through to clinical treatment, in the convenience of a person’s own home.”

Treatment programs via the internet have traditionally been self-guided or linked the user to a face-to-face therapist.

The service includes free online psychological assessments, diagnoses, referrals and educational information on anxiety disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Social Phobia.

“We expect the service to be used by a high proportion of people from remote and regional Australia, people who don’t have a choice in regards to accessing face-to-face psych services because they simply don’t exist,” Austin said.

Austin also expects the online treatment service will appeal to people who aren’t comfortable visiting a therapist face-to-face.

“Our experiences to date suggest people participate in online treatment services for a number of reasons. It helps people avoid the social stigma associated with many anxiety disorders, and it is often more convenient and accessible,” he said.

Users are given a unique login and password and after an initial online assessment can access a free 12-week self-directed program based on their diagnosed disorder. By paying $120 over 12 weeks, users can also access a low cost therapist-assisted program where a trained ‘eTherapist’ will conduct email sessions with the client on a weekly basis.

The program will be officially launched on Friday 23 October at the State Library of Victoria.

The keynote speaker at the launch will be former ACCC Chairman, Professor Allan Fels. Professor Fels is a long time patron of the Swinburne Psychology Clinic and a supporter of mental health reforms. He chairs the Haven Foundation which supports accommodation for the long term mentally ill. He is also a Patron of the Mental Health Council of Australia and a member of the National Mental Health Advisory Council.

Those attending the launch will have the opportunity to trial the program at http://www.anxietyonline.org.au

Anxiety Online is provided by the National eTherapy Centre at Swinburne University of Technology and is funded by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing.