Online rumination-focused cognitive behavioural therapy

Who is MindReSolve suitable for?

This module is for young people (aged 15-24) who fall into one of the following categories:

• They are experiencing elevated worry, rumination and stress and wish to reduce them;
• They are at elevated risk for anxiety and depression;

• They already have elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression at the mild-to-moderate level.

  

The intervention may be particularly useful as a transdiagnostic approach for clients with co-morbid anxiety and depression. The principles of the intervention are relevant to all age groups – however the specific examples and scenarios used are for young adults.

It is therefore suitable for use by young people being seen by mental health services, within school or university wellbeing services, or by young people seeking a useful intervention to improve wellbeing.

What is the module about?

The goal of the module is for the client to learn about the patterns of their worry, rumination, and overthinking and to find ways to tackle and reduce worry and rumination – as a means to reduce and prevent stress, anxiety and depression. The client learns about warning signs, and useful helpful alternative behaviours to disrupt worry and rumination. In addition, the client learns how to shift from unhelpful to helpful thinking when faced with difficulties and problems.

There are 6 sessions, which all include psycho-education and questionnaires to help the client to reflect on the ideas raised, exercises to practice, videos to watch and audio-recorded exercises to practice such as relaxation, compassion, absorption and being more specific. The content can be used in an entirely self-help format or in a guided self-help format supported by a therapist.

How has this module been developed?

This module is based on extensive theoretical, empirical and clinical research to understand and better treat worry and rumination. In particular, it is based on the rumination-focused cognitive behavioural therapy approach developed and tested by Professor Edward Watkins, University of Exeter, over the last 20 years, which has been proven to be effective in a number of randomized clinical trials published in leading journals to tackle residual and major depression in adults.

The specific intervention used in the module is very closely based on and licensed from a digital intervention that was shown to halve the rates of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder over one year in high worrying young people, with this beneficial effect replicated in highly stressed UK undergraduates in a further trial. For more detailed information on the trials mentioned and published results, please get in touch.