Thoughts or images of feeling out of control, overwhelmed, embarrassed, in danger, or unable to cope with life’s stressors are the symptoms of anxiety and depression and can vary from person to person. These feelings can cause us to “feel blue” and withdraw from friends, have difficulty sleeping or concentrating at work, and lose interest in activities we normally enjoy.  On top of dealing with all of this, our busy lives can make it difficult to reach out and go get help.  Now, help can come to you through the Employee & Family Assistance Program’s 24/7 Beating the Blues online treatment program.

Beating the Blues (BTB) was developed in England as a new option for care and treatment of anxiety and depression.  BTB, a guided online self-help treatment program which uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), is an effective treatment method used successfully for many years to treat anxiety and depression.  Rather than focusing on what has happened in your past, CBT helps you focus on what is happening in your life here and now.  CBT is a ‘talking treatment’ used within psychological therapies to help people through current crises, and provide better coping strategies for the future.  CBT helps people to critically evaluate the way that their thoughts and behaviours can influence their mood and the way they feel.  By identifying where unjustified or disproportionate negative thoughts are causing low mood, people can begin to take an active role in managing their depression by using CBT.

Eight sessions

BTB is an eight-session program available through the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP). These sessions include assessment, treatment, and practical applications which can be accessed anytime at your convenience anywhere you have internet access.  Interactive modules, animations and voice-overs motivate and engage the user. The final BTB module looks at action planning and relapse prevention, imperative to meeting different challenges that life sometimes presents. Each session takes about an hour to complete and the program suggests users complete one session weekly before moving to the next module. An EFAP therapist will monitor your progress and will remain available for consultation if required.

Dr. Stacy Sprague, Registered Psychologist and Executive Director of EFAP, chose BTB when she explored online CBT because of its efficacy and accessibility: “Clients can access Beating the Blues 24/7. It’s confidential, interactive and completely on-line. BTB has been assessed through independent clinical randomized control trials, the results of which have been published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The studies demonstrate that BTB is an effective treatment for anxiety and depression. Nine out of ten clients surveyed in one study said they would recommend BTB to others and over half of the clients who utilized the program found it better than other treatment they had previously received. ”

More info

If you are feeling blue you can now get free confidential help using Beating the Blues.  Beating the Blues is available to VCH employees and family members – for more information about the program please contact BTB@efap.ca or visit www.efap.ca and click on “e-services.”