MENTAL HEALTH
Elaine Bousfield, director of Xenzone, explains how online talking therapies are benefiting both commissioners and users. T
he mental health of the nation has been the focus of much attention since
the cross government mental health strat- egy was launched in February.
Improving access to ‘talking’ therapies
through the IAPT programme is at the centre of the drive to effectively tackle the rise of mental health problems and address them with the same urgency and focus as physical illnesses.
That’s not surprising given that one in four people in the UK will go through a mental health crisis at some time in their lives and the annual cost to the economy is rising – £105bn is the latest figure.
Accessible choices
Online mental health therapy is now being increasingly accepted and adopted by com- missioners as an effective approach that sits alongside and complements other services.
Elaine Bousfield, director of Xenzone, the pioneers of online mental health therapy in the UK, says: “Providing more person- alised services tailored to the individual’s needs is crucial for both adults and young people. Giving people the choice when to access therapy that is free of stigma, quick- ly available and accessible, has been the driving force behind creating our online service model.”
A great success story is the young people’s service
Kooth.com, which was launched in 2004. Since then more than half a million users have benefited from counselling and therapy.
“The e-therapy service has certainly struck a chord with young users,” says Bousfield. “It’s a medium they’re very comfortable with and it’s completely anonymous which is hugely important to them.”
It has been a preventative lifeline for many children and young adults who might oth- erwise have gone into care or developed more serious mental health problems.
Online mental health counselling is now widely acknowledged as being just as ef- fective as face-to-face therapy and offers many of the benefits that the Government’s strategy has highlighted.
Bousfield explained: “It’s a very cost-effec- tive service that offers treatment, freedom of choice and support at times that best suit the user. This is especially useful for people living in rural communities and those who really can’t face disclosing their problems in the more traditional way. These are of- ten the most vulnerable people who could otherwise just slip through the net.”
New service for adults
Following the success of
Kooth.com, a ser- vice that is tailored specifically for adults is now also available.
Qwellcounselling.com works on the same principle, although users must be referred, usually through a GP.
“We have responded to the need for a flex- ible and very accessible service that offers real benefits to commissioners and users. It certainly takes the pressure off GPs and means patients will normally have their first appointment with a counsellor within a week rather than waiting months,” com- ments Bousfield.
Statistics show that GP’s are spending around 30% of their surgery time on deal- ing with primary care level mental health problems and most of them feel they lack the necessary skills to commission the right services.
Qwellcounselling.com is an online commu- nity where one-to-one therapy services are delivered in ‘real time’ by professionally
qualified counsellors, therapists and sup- port workers. GPs only pay for the hours used and as the drop-out rate is very low, it is proving to be an extremely cost-effective solution, especially when working along- side other services.
Commissioners’ benefits
Commissioners who are already using on- line mental health services have found that the detailed reporting and measurement of goal-based outcomes which are CORE scored are particularly beneficial.
“Because all results are recorded online, we can provide a very accurate picture of mental health with detailed geographic and demographic data in any given area,” says Bousfield. “We are also committed to ongoing research into the benefits of online counselling.”
For users, it’s all about choice, ease of ac- cess and a speedy response that can give them quick access to a counsellor when they need it most and if necessary, local- ised pathways into other services.
“There are profound benefits to psycholog- ical therapies and we believe that providing them online delivers on so many positive levels,” Bousfield concluded.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Elaine Bousfield T: 0845 330 7090 E:
Elaine@xenzone.com W:
www.xenzone.com
national health executive Nov/Dec 11 | 51
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