This talk is part of the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health's Research Seminar series.
Viviana Wuthrich is a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University and is a Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leader 2 Fellow (2021-2025). She is also a clinical psychologist, the Director of the Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre. Her research interests relate to developing and evaluating psychosocial interventions, with particular interest in older adult mental health. Her research includes the development and evaluation in clinical trials of psychological interventions to reduce anxiety, depression, loneliness and reduce risk for dementia, and translation of these programs into public and private mental health settings.
There are no rigorous evaluations of clinical effectiveness, cost savings, feasibility or acceptability of stepped care in older adult mental health services. Stepped care delivery of psychological services can potentially balance clinical outcomes and service costs. Stepped care relies on provision of low intensity (lower cost) services first, followed by higher intensity (higher cost) services only if needed. The use of remote delivery options (internet, telehealth, self-help) in the early steps offers the potential to increase access to psychological interventions in isolated participants, especially those living in rural and remote areas. This co-funded NHMRC-Beyond Blue multi-site clinical trial compared stepped care treatment approaches for anxiety and depression delivered through older adult mental health services to usual care.
