Anxiety disorders are common but many people with these disorders go untreated, despite the existence of effective psychological therapies. On-line therapy provides a potential solution to this problem. ARH has funded research into two pioneering e-therapy interventions, Panic Online and PTSD Online. Panic Online is an internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for panic disorder. In a randomized controlled trial, it was found to produce as good an effect as therapist-assisted CBT manual and better than an information-only control treatment (Klein et al., 2006). PTSD Online is a therapist-assisted CBT internet intervention. In a pilot study, it was found to produce major clinical improvement in people with PTSD and required far less therapist time than traditional face-to-face treatment (Klein et al., 2010). This pioneering work led to the development of Anxiety Online (www.anxietyonline.org.au) by the National eTherapy Centre at Swinburne University. This website is now funded by the Australian Government to provide free information, assessment, online diagnosis and treatment of a range of anxiety disorders.

Professor Britt Klein – Mental Health Grant (2006-2007)  Monash University, Vic.