Draft:Online Therapy Unit
Submission declined on 25 September 2026 by Medievalfran (talk).
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Submission declined on 9 May 2024 by ToadetteEdit (talk). This draft's references do not show that the subject meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for organizations and companies. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
Declined by ToadetteEdit 2 years ago.
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Submission declined on 19 September 2023 by OlifanofmrTennant (talk). This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources.
Declined by OlifanofmrTennant 3 years ago.
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Submission declined on 10 November 2022 by Compusolus (talk). This draft reads like an advertisement. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a platform for promotion or marketing. Drafts that are exclusively promotional may be deleted without notice.
Declined by Compusolus 3 years ago.Wikipedia articles must be written neutrally in a formal, impersonal, and dispassionate way. They should not read like a blog post, advertisement, or fan page. Rewrite the draft to remove:
Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. If you have a conflict of interest (e.g. you are the subject, an employee, or a relative) or are being paid to edit, you must disclose this to comply with Wikipedia's Terms of Use. | |
This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources.
This draft reads like an advertisement. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a platform for promotion or marketing. Drafts that are exclusively promotional may be deleted without notice.
Declined by S0091 3 years ago.Wikipedia articles must be written neutrally in a formal, impersonal, and dispassionate way. They should not read like a blog post, advertisement, or fan page. Rewrite the draft to remove:
Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. If you have a conflict of interest (e.g. you are the subject, an employee, or a relative) or are being paid to edit, you must disclose this to comply with Wikipedia's Terms of Use. | |
Comment: All of the comments previously left still stand. While there are not superficially a number of sources, they are linked to funders or affiliates of the programme and so cannot be said to be independent. Medievalfran (talk) 12:35, 25 September 2026 (UTC)
- Comment: Their website or those of their affiliates are not independent sources and external links do not belong in the body so those need to removed (or cited. Also see the notability and sourcing guidelines for organizations. S0091 (talk) 20:20, 8 November 2022 (UTC)
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| 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 | |
| Funding |
|
| Website | www |
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
[edit]The OTU was founded in 2010 by Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos, the OTU’s current Executive Director.[9][10][11][12] The OTU was established in order to address the rising need for psychotherapeutic treatment access in Saskatchewan, at which time the majority of primary healthcare practitioners reported dissatisfaction with the treatment access they were able to provide to clients,[13][14] partly due to the rural nature of the province.[15] The OTU originally offered separate courses for anxiety, depression, and panic, all spanning 12 weeks in length. However, this diagnosis-specific treatment model was discontinued as many clients exhibited multiple mental health conditions at any given time, and many dropped out before completing the course; thus, the program was shortened to 8 weeks and began admitting clients with multiple co-occurring conditions.[16] The OTU treated approximately 13,000 clients between 2010 and 2023, [17] and approximately 14,000 by 2025. [18]
Research
[edit]Research at the OTU centres around the use and effectiveness of ICBT for mental health issues, primarily in clients with anxiety, depression, chronic health conditions, and problematic alcohol use. The OTU also works with patient partners with lived experience, who provide insights to inform the OTU’s research and treatment services.[19][20] 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.[21] The OTU has also found that ICBT has been applied to diverse clients across Saskatchewan, but that the service still remains underutilized in First Nations communities.[22]
Partners
[edit]The OTU’s primary contributors have been the eCentreClinic at Macquarie University as well as the MindSpot Clinic in Sydney, Australia.[23] 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.[24]
Funding
[edit]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,[25] 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.[26]
References
[edit]- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 Cite error: The named reference
CJME_2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ↑ 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 | News and Media". Government of Saskatchewan. March 24, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ↑ 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 (March 2, 2021). "Connecting rural communities to mental health". Grainews. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ↑ "Meet #CAMH #DifferenceMaker Dr. Hadjistavropoulos". Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ↑ "The Online Therapy Unit shows the advantages of emailing your therapist". Canadian Institute of Health Research. May 9, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
- ↑ Clatney, Lisa; MacDonald, Heather; Shah, Syed (June 2008). "Mental health care in the primary care setting" (PDF). Canadian Family Physician. 54.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 "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.
- ↑ "Service Delivery Outcomes". onlinetherapyunit.ca. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Saskatchewan Mental Health Innovation Highlighted In National Podcast | News and Media". Government of Saskatchewan.
- ↑ "Accessible Support: The U of R Online Therapy Unit". February 26, 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. PMID 33840264.
- ↑ 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. 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. PMID 32014840.
- ↑ "Current Grants". Wellbeing Innovation.
- ↑ Mandryk, Hallee (May 15, 2023). "400K bump in funding announced for U of R cognitive behaviour therapy program". CTV News.
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