Draft:Online Therapy Unit

The Online Therapy Unit (OTU) is an online mental health clinic that operates out of  at the University of Regina.. The OTU supports the delivery and evaluation of free Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) throughout Saskatchewan and Canada. The OTU also serves as a training site and research facility for therapists and graduate students administering and studying ICBT.

History
The OTU was founded in 2010 by Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos, the OTU’s current Executive Director. The OTU was established in order to address the rising need for psychotherapeutic treatment access in the province, at which time the majority of primary healthcare practitioners had reported dissatisfaction with the treatment access they were able to provide to clients. Hadjistavropoulos originally assembled a team with experience in psychology, computer science, social work and medicine, and approached four community mental health clinics across southern Saskatchewan, an area with approximately 400,000 residents at the time spread over 147,000 square kilometers. The first goal of the OTU was to create an online therapy program specific to the Saskatchewan context. The OTU originally offered separate courses for anxiety, depression, and panic, all spanning 12 weeks in length. However, due to high comorbidity, dropout, and attrition, the program shifted to an 8-week, trans-diagnostic program. The OTU has grown in the past 10 years, and today serves clients across Saskatchewan, processing 5 times the number of clients per year. From the autumn of 2010 to the beginning of 2024, the OTU served over 13,000 clients.

Research
Since formation, the OTU has completed numerous clinical trials, publishing over 100 peer-reviewed research papers, and collaborating on over 50 student thesis/dissertation projects. Research at the OTU has nucleated around the reach, adoption, effectiveness, and implementation of ICBT, primarily in clients with anxiety, depression, chronic health conditions, and alcoholism. The OTU also works regularly with patient partners with lived experience, who provide insights to inform the OTU’s research and treatment services. Research from the OTU has contributed to a body of knowledge demonstrating that clients given ICBT produce similar results to those who seek CBT in a more traditional, face-to-face setting, with stable reduction in symptoms at follow-up. The OTU has also identified the diverse reach of ICBT across the province, although the service still remains underutilized in First Nations communities

Partners
The OTU’s primary contributors have been the eCenter at Macquarie University as well as the MindSpot Clinic in Sydney, Australia. The OTU has previously partnered with Swinburn University’s National eTherapy Centre in Australia to leverage the online therapy programs that were developed by their team. The OTU has also previously partnered with Sun Life Financial and The Co-operators to deliver therapy to individuals on mental health related disability claims.

Services
The OTU provides free ICBT for various mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, chronic health conditions, and alcohol use. Between 2010 and 2024, the OTU served 13,000 clients , many of whom live in rural/remote communities.

The OTU offers several courses which include:


 * The Wellbeing for Mental Health Course which aims to provide cognitive behavioural techniques for managing depression and/or anxiety.
 * The Wellbeing for Chronic Health Conditions Course is similar in nature to the Wellbeing for Mental Health Course, however, it takes a specific approach to focus efforts of reducing anxiety and/or depression in individuals with Chronic Health Conditions and Chronic Pain
 * The Alcohol Change Course is specifically designed for individuals wanting to quit or cut down on drinking, and for those who have previously quit and would like to maintain their progress.
 * The Things You Do Single Lesson focuses on helping individuals cultivate everyday behaviours to improve overall emotional wellbeing. This lesson is entirely self-guided and consists of one lesson and a worksheet for individuals to work through over the course of four weeks.

Funding
Programming at the OTU is currently funded by a variety of institutions, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research, the Craig Neilsen Foundation, and Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, with a total of 11.47 million dollars in direct funding as of January 2024. In 2023, an additional $400,000 of funding provided to the OTU is intended to increase reach to individuals who live in rural and remote areas of Saskatchewan.