Cited by 61Digital Mental Health InterventionsTelemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationPsychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Development and evaluation of a scale assessing therapist fidelity to guidelines for delivering therapist-assisted Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy

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Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D., Schneider, Luke H., Klassen, Kristen, Dear, Blake F., Titov, Nickolai·2018·Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Abstract

Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is often accompanied by therapist emails, but there is limited research on the quality of this therapist-assistance. In this study, an ICBT Therapist Rating Scale (ICBT-TRS) was developed and evaluated to assess whether therapist emails showed fidelity to specific therapist behaviours. Using data from a previous ICBT trial for depression and anxiety, the ICBT-TRS was used to rate 706 emails sent by 39 therapists to 91 randomly selected patients. Emails were rated for adherence (absent/present) and quality (inadequate/competent) on the following behaviours: Builds Rapport, Seeks Feedback, Provides Symptom Feedback, Provides Psychoeducation, Facilitates Understanding, Praises Effort, Encourages Practice, Clarifies Administrative Procedures, and Communicates Effectively. Inter-rater reliability was high. Most behaviours were identified as present in 72-100% of emails, with the exception of Provides Symptom Feedback and Facilitating Understanding which were only present in 54 and 61% of emails. The majority of emails were rated as high quality (88-98% of messages). While not related to symptom improvement, ICBT-TRS ratings were higher when patients were more engaged in ICBT (e.g. log-ins) and among therapists who specialized in ICBT or had a background in Psychology. The ICBT-TRS has potential to facilitate ICBT research and clinical training.

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Crossref · 10.1080/16506073.2018.1457079

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Authors
Hadjistavropoulos, H. D., Schneider, L. H., Klassen, K., Dear, B. F., & Titov, N.
Affiliations
  • University of Regina (CA)
  • Macquarie University (AU)
Corresponding author
Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.
Venue
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Published
2018-04-25
Volume
47
Issue
6
Pages
447-461
ISSN
  • 1650-6073 (ISSN-L)
  • 1651-2316
OpenAlex
W2801784000
Cited by
61
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 3
FWCI
9.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (293379)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Keywords
internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy, therapist fidelity, scale development, depression, anxiety, patient engagement, psychoeducation, inter-rater reliability, therapist training
MeSH terms
Patient Health Questionnaire, Therapeutic Alliance, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorder, Feedback, Humans, Patient Education as Topic, Quality of Health Care, Psychotherapeutic Processes, Therapy, Computer-Assisted, Reproducibility of Results, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome, Process Assessment, Health Care, Guideline Adherence, Internet

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