Grant: Team Grant: Mental Wellness in Public Safety Team Grants - LOI

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the best-validated psychotherapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). CBT is frequently integrated with mindfulness meditation (MM), following strong evidence on the increased combined efficacy for depression. While MM efficacy has been separately observed in PTSD treatment, more in-depth efficacy investigation, when combined with CBT, is appropriate. In this project, we evaluate an online CBT-Mindfulness intervention based on a 9-year evolution of online interventions with demonstrated psychometric and neurophysiological benefits in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). This intervention is now being tested in a RCT with a diagnosed major depressive disorder population at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and has, thus far, been demonstrated to be safe and effective. Our aim, through further testing and modification of this online CBT-mindfulness intervention, is the capacity to deliver evidence-based online group and individual CBT-MM to Public Safety Personnel (PSP) affected by PTSD, using programming more accessible for under-served PSP in rural and remote communities. To enable innovation, evidence is needed from direct evaluations and comparisons of office-based CBT-MM with online CBT-MM, where the predicted non-inferiority, lower costs and increased access (of online versions) can be directly assessed. Fortunately, the Work Stress and Health Program (WSHP) at CAMH is a health care clinic optimally situated for this research as 700 patients are seen annually who have endured traumatic workplace injury. The office-based CBT-MM with online CBT-MM treatment program comparison fits well with the clinic's mandate, leadership and capacities.