Anxiety Online: new mental health service
Victoria’s Swinburne University’s National eTherapy Centre has launched Anxiety Online, 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, Anxiety Online will greatly improve the accessibility of mental health treatments, particularly for Australians in rural and remote areas.
“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,” he said.
He 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,” said Associate Proferssor Austin.
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.
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.
Visit http://www.anxietyonline.org.au/ for more information.
