Research theme: evaluating psychological interventions

Psychological treatments are helpful for people living with depression and anxiety-related disorders, but population demand is outstripping supply.

We need to be able to deliver effective, evidence-based treatments in a more efficient and accessible way, while still responding to requests for patient choice.

We have developed new and innovative ways of delivering psychological interventions such as guided self-help books and telephone-delivered BT. We are committed to testing these treatments using the best scientific methods. Our profile of work includes systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and in-depth qualitative work with patients.

We work with multiple stakeholders to undertake research that is immediately useful to service users, carers, health professionals and policy and decision makers. Our research has contributed to NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) treatment recommendations for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and transformed mental health services for people with common mental health problems.

As a result of our work, guided self-help and telephone-mediated support are now available nationally as part of the NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) initiative.