CLINICIAN PRACTICE - Therapist Perspectives on the Essential Elements of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Adults Experiencing Anxiety or Depression

Project Title: Understanding What Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Practices are Essential When Working with Adult Clients with Anxiety or Depression

Dr Joshua Bishop
Email: joshua.bishop@mccg.org.au

Ms Amy Wiles
Email: amy.wiles@mccg.org.au

Project Aim: The aim of this research project is to understand which practices Australian health practitioners consider essential when provide CBT interventions to adults with anxiety or depressive disorders.

Benefits of the Project: This project seeks to benefit practitioners and clients by exploring which CBT skills are essential to providing effective CBT to adults suffering from anxiety and depression. The feedback from this research will contribute to the design of a framework for practitioners to use to enhance their CBT practice. This project will also inform areas of future research which seek to explore the skills necessary to deliver effective CBT for anxiety and depression.

General Outline of the Project: This study is a 15-minute survey of Australian health practitioners who have delivered cognitive behavioural therapy interventions. Participants are not required to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy as their main modality.

1. Holding registration as a health practitioner aged 18 years or older.

2. Currently practicing in Australia.

3. Having used a CBT intervention within the last 5 years of clinical practice (even if this is not their main modality) when working with adults with anxiety or depression.

4. Being willing to complete an online survey of approximately 15 minutes without monetary compensation.

Participation in the research is voluntary and participants may, without any penalty, decline to take part or withdraw at any time during the survey without providing an explanation. Once participants have submitted their response, they will be unable to change their responses as their response will not be identifiable.

Confidentiality: Only the researcher/s will have access to the individual information provided by participants. Privacy and confidentiality will be assured at all times. The research outcomes may be presented at conferences and written up for publication. However, in all these publications, the privacy and confidentiality of individuals will be protected. Individual information collected in interviews will not be shared with anyone outside the research team within Marymead-Catholiccare.

Anonymity: All reports and publications of the research will contain no information that can identify any individual and all information will be kept in the strictest confidence.

Data Storage: The information collected will be stored securely on a password protected computer throughout the project and then stored at Marymead Catholiccare for the required five-year period after which it will be destroyed according to research protocols.

Ethics Committee Clearance: The project has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of ACT Health (2025/ETH00782).

Queries or concerns regarding the research can be directed to the researcher and/or supervisor. Their contact details are at the top of this form. You can also contact the ACT Health Ethics committee if you have any questions or concerns. You can contact ACT Health Ethics via phone (02) 5124 7968 or email ethics@act.gov.au