Effectiveness
There are many mental illnesses that have treatments but when it comes to adolescent different approaches need to be taken. A common disorder in children is anxiety disorders that have been shown that they can be treated effectively through cognitive behavior therapy (Spence, Donovan, March, Gamble, Anderson, Prosser, & Kenardy, 2011). One issue that seems to concern professionals is that young people account for 25% of people who are treated for clinical anxiety. Internet cognitive behavior therapy has been stated to be increasing in the access that patients with mental health problems can use and be evaluated for many different psychological disorders. Psychologists believe that young patients could benefit from computer-based therapies that are appropriate for their ages. With computer- based therapies, adolescents can access them at anytime and they have the privacy that adolescents highly value. There seems to be a preference when it comes to adolescents and how they communication online, they prefer to have a text-based counseling such as e-mail rather then having a talk-based (telephone) counseling (Spence et. al, 2011).
Adolescents have reported that they use the Internet to search of information that deals with worrying and unhappiness (Spence et. al, 2011). In the life of an adolescent e-mail, blogs and other online communication has become a huge part of their way of online communication (Spence et. al, 2011).
There is an issue though when it comes to computer-based therapy for adolescents. There have only been three trials of computer-based therapy actually constructed that were with children in Australia (Spence et. al, 2011). One of these trials that has been conducted is the MoodGYM (Calear, Christensen, Mackinnon, Griffiths, & O’Kearney, 2009, pg. 1022). This programs starts by aiming to help change the dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs that an adolescent may experience along with improvement of self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. In the program adolescents learn important life skills such as relaxation and problem solving (Calear et. al, 2009).
It is very important that cognitive behavior therapy be efficient for adolescents with anxiety disorders (Spence et. al, 2011). The cognitive behavior therapy is creditable to examining both youth and parental perceptions and their overall satisfaction of the approach towards online therapy. Considering that both the youth and the parents make the decision to use online therapy they know that it is a credible form of therapy that is effective. At the completion of the first session of treatment, both the parents and the youth give their feedback on the therapy (Spence et. al, 2011).
In the internet-based therapy come different components like content, length, and number that are used to replicate the version of the clinic-based therapy (Spence et. al, 2011). The sessions include strategies like psychoeducation, cognitive strategies of coping self-talk and cognitive restructuring, self-reinforcement. Parents are taught ways to empower their youth to help them with management skill and to effectively deal with their anxiety when the adolelscent becomes to anxious. Each session is designed to be full of engagement that is interactive and also age-appropriate, with lots to eye- catching graphics, games with sounds and quizzes to maintain the adolescents interest. The age-appropriate scenarios that the adolescents are faced with involve everyday scenarios that could occur such as exams in school, dating and job interviews. In the MoodGYM sessions they include helpful information, quizzes to test what they have learned, homework exercises and animated demonstrations (Calear et. al, 2009). In the case to limit the avoidance of not completing an activity, each exercise requires a response from either the adolescent or the parent before being able to move on (Spence et. al, 2011). At the end of each session a therapist e-mails with feedback regarding the results in the session and how the adolescent can improve. The therapist giving the feedback is supervised weekly by a experience clinical psychologist that provides feedback of the sessions as well (Spence et. al, 2011). In the one session it allows the youth to interact with information to design their hierarchy (Spence et. al, 2011, pg. 633).
When comparing the internet-based therapy to the clinic-based therapy treatment, there is a checklist that the clinicians are required to complete about what the client has completed in their sessions (Spence et. al, 2011, pg. 634).
Overall, parents and adolescent could see a change in the treatment throughout the sessions. The improvement made a difference in the way that adolescent had a better handle on their anxiety and knew how to control it when it was getting out of hand. Parents could see an improvement in their adolescent when it came time for exam scores and schoolwork to be returned and the adolescent was doing better.
Adolescents have reported that they use the Internet to search of information that deals with worrying and unhappiness (Spence et. al, 2011). In the life of an adolescent e-mail, blogs and other online communication has become a huge part of their way of online communication (Spence et. al, 2011).
There is an issue though when it comes to computer-based therapy for adolescents. There have only been three trials of computer-based therapy actually constructed that were with children in Australia (Spence et. al, 2011). One of these trials that has been conducted is the MoodGYM (Calear, Christensen, Mackinnon, Griffiths, & O’Kearney, 2009, pg. 1022). This programs starts by aiming to help change the dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs that an adolescent may experience along with improvement of self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. In the program adolescents learn important life skills such as relaxation and problem solving (Calear et. al, 2009).
It is very important that cognitive behavior therapy be efficient for adolescents with anxiety disorders (Spence et. al, 2011). The cognitive behavior therapy is creditable to examining both youth and parental perceptions and their overall satisfaction of the approach towards online therapy. Considering that both the youth and the parents make the decision to use online therapy they know that it is a credible form of therapy that is effective. At the completion of the first session of treatment, both the parents and the youth give their feedback on the therapy (Spence et. al, 2011).
In the internet-based therapy come different components like content, length, and number that are used to replicate the version of the clinic-based therapy (Spence et. al, 2011). The sessions include strategies like psychoeducation, cognitive strategies of coping self-talk and cognitive restructuring, self-reinforcement. Parents are taught ways to empower their youth to help them with management skill and to effectively deal with their anxiety when the adolelscent becomes to anxious. Each session is designed to be full of engagement that is interactive and also age-appropriate, with lots to eye- catching graphics, games with sounds and quizzes to maintain the adolescents interest. The age-appropriate scenarios that the adolescents are faced with involve everyday scenarios that could occur such as exams in school, dating and job interviews. In the MoodGYM sessions they include helpful information, quizzes to test what they have learned, homework exercises and animated demonstrations (Calear et. al, 2009). In the case to limit the avoidance of not completing an activity, each exercise requires a response from either the adolescent or the parent before being able to move on (Spence et. al, 2011). At the end of each session a therapist e-mails with feedback regarding the results in the session and how the adolescent can improve. The therapist giving the feedback is supervised weekly by a experience clinical psychologist that provides feedback of the sessions as well (Spence et. al, 2011). In the one session it allows the youth to interact with information to design their hierarchy (Spence et. al, 2011, pg. 633).
When comparing the internet-based therapy to the clinic-based therapy treatment, there is a checklist that the clinicians are required to complete about what the client has completed in their sessions (Spence et. al, 2011, pg. 634).
Overall, parents and adolescent could see a change in the treatment throughout the sessions. The improvement made a difference in the way that adolescent had a better handle on their anxiety and knew how to control it when it was getting out of hand. Parents could see an improvement in their adolescent when it came time for exam scores and schoolwork to be returned and the adolescent was doing better.