Online Therapy Unit
| Abbreviation | OTU |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2010 |
| Founded at | Regina, Canada |
| Type | Mental Health Research Unit |
Region served | Saskatchewan; Canada |
| Services | Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy interventions for the treatment of anxiety, depression, chronic health conditions, and alcohol misuse. |
Executive Director | Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos |
Operations Director | Marcie Nugent |
| Affiliations | University of Regina, MindSpot Clinic, Macquarie University, Saskatchewan Health Authority |
| Website | https://www.onlinetherapyuser.ca/ |
The Online Therapy Unit (OTU) is an online mental health clinic that operates out of the University of Regina.[1][2][3][4] The OTU supports the delivery and evaluation of free Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) throughout Saskatchewan and Canada.[5][6][7][4] The OTU also serves as a training site and research facility for therapists and graduate students administering and studying ICBT.[8]
History
The OTU was founded in 2010 by Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos, the OTU’s current Executive Director.[9][10][11][12] The OTU was established 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.[13][14] 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 spread over 147,000 square kilometers.[15] 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.[16] The OTU has grown in the past 10 years, and today serves clients across Saskatchewan, treating over 13,000 clients by 2023, [17] and over 14,000 by 2025. [18]
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.[19] 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 problematic alcohol use. The OTU also works regularly with patient partners with lived experience, who provide insights to inform the OTU’s research and treatment services.[20][21] 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 reductions in symptoms at follow-up.[22] The OTU has also identified the diverse reach of ICBT across the province, although the service still remains underutilized in First Nations communities.[23]
Partners
The OTU’s primary contributors have been the eCentreClinic at Macquarie University and the MindSpot Clinic in Sydney, Australia.[24] The OTU has previously partnered with Swinburne University of Technology’s National eTherapy Centre in Australia to leverage the online therapy programs that were developed by their team.[15] 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.[25]
Services
The OTU provides free ICBT for various mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, chronic health conditions, and alcohol use.[26][27][28][29] [30] Between 2010 and 2024, the OTU served 13,000 clients,[31] many of whom live in rural/remote communities.[32]
The OTU offers several courses, including:
- 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 Wellbeing Course for Students is also similar to the courses listed above, however, it specifically aims to reduce anxiety and/or depression in students attending postsecondary institutions.
- 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 Sleep Course focuses on improving sleep quality by learning how sleep works and how to successfully change sleeping patterns. The course includes information and skills to help individuals achieve their sleep-related goals.
- The Wellbeing Course for New and Expecting Parents is designed to assist new and expecting parents in managing diverse thoughts, behaviours and emotions related to depression and anxiety.
Funding
Programming at the OTU has received funding from a variety of sources, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, and Saskatchewan Ministry of Health,[33] with a total of 11.47 million dollars in direct funding as of January 2024.[16] In 2023, an additional $400,000 of funding was provided to the OTU to increase reach to individuals living in rural and remote areas of Saskatchewan.[34]
References
- ↑ Szklarski, Cassandra (September 29, 2016). "Online program tackles anxiety and depression of cancer survivors". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Carr, Jacob (May 8, 2025). "New online course offered in Sask. designed to help new and expecting parents through challenging times". CTV News. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Mandes, Jeanelle (May 15, 2023). "Sask. residents can access mental health, addictions treatment through online resource". Global News. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 CJME News (2023-05-15). "Gov't puts another $400K into online program to address mental health, addictions issues". 980 CJME. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- ↑ Coleman, Cory (January 17, 2019). "Sask. online therapy program for mental health, pain management expands after $600K funding increase". CBC News. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Cairns, John (May 15, 2023). "Funding for Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy". Sask Today. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Saskatchewan Mental Health Innovation Highlighted In National Podcast". Government of Saskatchewan. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ↑ Baker, Jordan (January 11, 2012). "Therapy on the comfort of your own couch". Sask Today. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Baker, Jordan (January 11, 2012). "Therapy on the comfort of your own couch". Sask Today. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Massie, Gillian (May 7, 2025). "Sask. offering new online therapy course to help parents with mental health". 980 CJME. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Smith Thomas, Heather (2021-03-02). "Connecting rural communities to mental health". Grainews. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ↑ "Meet #CAMH #DifferenceMaker Dr. Hadjistavropoulos". Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ↑ "The Online Therapy Unit shows the advantages of emailing your therapist". Canadian Institute of Health Research. May 9, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
|Authors list=missing|1=(help) - ↑ https://www.cfp.ca/content/cfp/54/6/884.full.pdf
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.; Thompson, Maureen; Ivanov, Max; Drost, Christina; Butz, Cory J.; Klein, Britt; Austin, David W. (December 2011). "Considerations in the development of a therapist-assisted internet cognitive behavior therapy service". Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 42 (6): 463–471. doi:10.1037/a0026176.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Research – OnlineTherapyUser".
- ↑ "University of Regina's Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Program Receives Funding Boost". The Government of Saskatchewan. May 15, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
|Authors list=missing|1=(help) - ↑ "Service Delivery Outcomes". onlinetherapyunit.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Heather D. Hadjistavropoulos". MediFind.
- ↑ "Saskatchewan Mental Health Innovation Highlighted In National Podcast | News and Media". Government of Saskatchewan.
- ↑ "Accessible Support: The U of R Online Therapy Unit". 26 February 2020 – via www.youtube.com.
- ↑ Online therapy gets funding boost in Sask.
- ↑ Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.; Peynenburg, Vanessa; Thiessen, David L.; Nugent, Marcie; Karin, Eyal; Staples, Lauren; Dear, Blake F.; Titov, Nickolai (March 26, 2022). "Utilization, Patient Characteristics, and Longitudinal Improvements among Patients from a Provincially Funded Transdiagnostic Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Program: Observational Study of Trends over 6 Years". The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 67 (3): 192–206. doi:10.1177/07067437211006873. PMC 8935601 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 33840264 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Titov, Nickolai; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.; Nielssen, Olav; Mohr, David C.; Andersson, Gerhard; Dear, Blake F. (August 17, 2019). "From Research to Practice: Ten Lessons in Delivering Digital Mental Health Services". Journal of Clinical Medicine. 8 (8): 1239. doi:10.3390/jcm8081239. PMC 6722769 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 31426460. - ↑ Hadjistavropoulos, Heather D.; Peynenburg, Vanessa; Mehta, Swati; Adlam, Kelly; Nugent, Marcie; Gullickson, Kirsten M.; Titov, Nickolai; Dear, Blake (2020). "An Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Among Clients Referred and Funded by Insurance Companies Compared with Those Who Are Publicly Funded: Longitudinal Observational Study". JMIR Mental Health. 7 (2): e16005. doi:10.2196/16005. PMC 7058169 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 32014840 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Mandes, Jeanelle (May 15, 2023). "Sask. residents can access mental health, addictions treatment through online resource". Global News. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Cairns, John (May 15, 2023). "Funding for Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy". Sask Today. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Szklarski, Cassandra (September 29, 2016). "Online program tackles anxiety and depression of cancer survivors". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/
- ↑ "Help is just a click away: Improving mental health through Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy - CIHR". cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
- ↑ "Gov't puts another $400K into online program to address mental health, addictions issues". CJME News.,
- ↑ "Saskatchewan population distribution, by rural/urban type 2016". Statista.
- ↑ "Current Grants". Wellbeing Innovation.
- ↑ "400K bump in funding announced for U of R cognitive behaviour therapy program". Regina. May 15, 2023.
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