Initial outcomes of a real-world multi-site primary care psychotherapy program

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Primary Care Medicine
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Primary care settings frequently manage anxiety, mood, and adjustment disorders.
• Limited evidence exists on psychotherapy outcomes within primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the outcomes of a large-scale psychotherapy program implemented in primary care.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for common mental health disorders in a primary care context.

Main Methods:

• A multi-site primary care program involving 2772 patients utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
• Data collected via a tracking system on demographics, diagnoses, treatment course, symptoms (GAD-7, PHQ-9), and therapy techniques.
• Analysis of symptom changes, effect sizes, reliable change, response, and remission rates.

Main Results:

• Anxiety disorders were most prevalent, frequently comorbid with depression.
• Over two-thirds of patients received at least one CBT session.
• Significant improvements in anxiety and depressive symptoms (GAD-7, PHQ-9) with medium effect sizes (d=0.50-0.68).
• Reliable change, response, and remission rates were observed in moderate-severity cases.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders within primary care.
• Further research is needed to optimize therapy matching for improved patient outcomes.