E-Therapy in Youth Addiction Services: Using a computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) programme (SPARX-R) to enhance treatment for young people attending a community alcohol and other drug (AOD) service

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of SPARX-R computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT; an e-intervention designed to support adolescents with mild to moderate symptoms of depression). Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (SPARX-R) is an adjunct to usual alcohol and other drugs (AOD) counselling designed as a means to address co-existing mental health and substance-use problems in a group of young people attending a community AOD service in Auckland, New Zealand. In addition, this study will explore the acceptability and feasibility of using SPARX-R in Altered High Youth Services and will collect preliminary data on whether the addition of SPARX-R to usual community AOD treatment enhances treatment outcomes for clients. Clients and clinicians recruited for this study were asked about their feedback regarding its utility and acceptability in the context of an AOD treatment service for young people via a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. SPARX-R (cCBT) can be successfully incorporated into youth AOD treatment service and has promise as a way of providing evidence-based mental health interventions in this population to address co-existing mental health and substance-use problems. Moreover, the implementation of computerised CBT (SPARX-R) can be used to address a shortage of trained health professionals to deliver effective treatment for clients with co-existing mental health and substance use problems.