Seeing a psychologist can be a daunting experience, and this can be especially challenging for those of us who experience social anxiety. Thankfully via online and telehealth intervention options, help can now be accessed from the comfort of home.

We’d like to share with you some interesting research on the efficacy of remote delivered CBT for social anxiety by Sydney-based psychologists and academics Halaina Winter, Dr Alice Norton, Jade Burley and Associate Professor Bethany Wooton recently published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

In their meta-analysis entitled Remote cognitive behaviour therapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis, Winter and colleagues provide a comprehensive summary of the available published evidence on the efficacy of remote cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for individuals experiencing social anxiety disorder (SAD).

In this paper, the researchers synthesise the data from various studies to offer a comprehensive overview of the effectiveness of remote CBT interventions for the treatment of SAD. Their analysis reports on diverse outcome measures, including the ability for remote delivered CBT to result in symptom reduction, functional improvement, and treatment adherence for people seeking support for social anxiety.

Winter and colleagues found promising evidence of the ability of remote-delivered CBT to successfully alleviate social anxiety symptoms. Across the reviewed studies, participants experienced significant reductions in anxiety levels post-intervention. And these benefits were sustained over time, underscoring the long-term impact of remote therapy for social anxiety.

Addressing concerns surrounding remote therapy delivery, Winter and colleagues highlight the accessibility and acceptability of teletherapy platforms. Despite the physical distance, therapeutic rapport remained intact, with no compromise in treatment outcomes observed. This is particularly important to improve access to treatment for those who are not able to attend a psychology clinic to access care either due to living in rural or remote areas or due to the severity of the social anxiety symptoms making attending sessions in-person especially challenging.

The findings of Winter et al.’s meta-analysis offers important insights about the role of remote delivered psychology interventions and emphasises the transformative potential of remote delivered CBT treatments. As telehealth and online delivered psychology treatments gain prominence, these findings underscore the importance of leveraging digital platforms to expand access to evidence-based treatments and improve mental health outcomes.

You can access the paper by following this link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102787

Reference and source:

Winter, H. R., Norton, A. R., Burley, J. L., & Wootton, B. M. (2023). Remote cognitive behaviour therapy for social anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 102787.