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Evaluation ViewAttendees 1

Treatment - CBT
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 1 - The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program: Insights from a large scale publicly funded CBT program

Friday, November 21, 2025
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CST
Location: Imperial 11, Level 4
CE: 1.5

Keywords: CBT, Treatment, Treatment/ Program Design
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Tasca, G. A., Town, J. M., Abbass, A., & Clarke, J. (2018). Will publicly funded psychotherapy in Canada be evidence based? A review of what makes psychotherapy work and a proposal. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 59(4), 293.,   Vasiliadis, H. M., Spagnolo, J., & Lesage, A. (2021). Public funding of evidence-based psychotherapy for common mental disorders: increasing calls for action in Canadian provinces. Healthcare Policy, 16(3), 16.,   Oparina, E., Krekel, C., & Srisuma, S. (2024). Talking Therapy: Impacts of a Nationwide Mental Health Service in England (No. 16839). IZA Discussion Papers.,   https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2017/10/ontario-improving-mental-health-services-for-people-across-the-province.html,  

The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program (OSP) provides free evidence-based cognitive-behavioural therapy to adults in Ontario experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessions and compulsions, and post-traumatic stress. The OSP program utilizes a stepped care model and is based on the Talking Therapies program in the United Kingdom. Clients receive either low intensity services (self-guided, contact with a coach) and/or higher intensity services (weekly 1:1 or group therapy), depending on need.
The symposium will include five presentations on core initiatives and elements of the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program.
First, we will set the stage by having the provincial clinical lead of the program provide an overview of the goals, mission, and structure of the program, as well as present provincial level demographics and outcome data on reliable improvement.
Second, we will describe and present data on our intake and triage process, including how we are utilizing technology to help automate and streamline decision making. We will discuss how the use of technology allows us to efficiently determine the appropriate length of assessment for each client and help guide low vs. high intensity decision making, ultimately helping reduce wait times for services.
Third, we will introduce two of our lower intensity self-guided services, Clinician-Assisted Bibliotherapy (CAB) and BounceBack, which offer treatment for a variety of problems and conditions. We will discuss how the models serve our clients, and present data on reliable improvement.
Fourth, we will provide data on our higher-intensity services, which include individual and group therapy. We present effectiveness outcomes using hierarchical linear modelling to demonstrate clinical improvement in an intent-to-treat sample. We compare improvements across different problem areas.
Lastly, we will discuss a special offering within OSP focused on helping our indigenous populations. Minookmii addresses the unique needs of Indigenous populations by bridging western CBT principles with Indigenous perspectives, and was developed in collaboration with Indigenous leadership. The program is a community-led approach to service delivery, involving Indigenous voices in all aspects of care, and employing Indigenous healthcare practitioners. This presentation explores how Minookmii integrates culturally adapted CBT with relational healing and illustrates its effectiveness in balancing CBT techniques with the therapeutic relationship as parallel interventions. Minookmii offers a culturally responsive, evidence-based model bridging mainstream psychotherapy with Indigenous healing frameworks.
The aim of the symposium is to share data and insights from a large-scale provincial program that is delivering evidence-based treatment across a large geographical area. Our discussant, the provincial clinical lead of the Anxiety and Depression program within the Centre for Excellence in Ontario, will reflect on the challenges and successes of OSP and provide insights to attendees that may inform their own large-scale programs.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe stepped care model of treatment.
  2. Articulate pros and cons of lower vs. higher intensity services within a stepped care model.
  3. Describe an indigenous adaptation of CBT and list at least three cultural adaptations.

Presentations:

  • 10:05 AM - 10:22 AM CST
    (SYM 1) Evaluation of a Provincial Stepped-care Program Offering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Related Disorders

    Speaker: Karen Rowa, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – McMaster University

    Co-author: Randi McCabe, Ph.D. – Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University

    Co-author: Renée Behrooz, MSc (she/her/hers) – DATIS

  • 10:22 AM - 10:39 AM CST
    (SYM 1) Intake and Triage - The Intersection of Technology and Clinical Strategy

    Speaker: Karen Roberts, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences

    Co-author: Lyndall A. Schumann, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Canadian Mental Health Association, York region, South Simcoe

  • 10:39 AM - 10:56 AM CST
    (SYM 1) The High Impact of Low Intensity in a Stepped Care Psychotherapy Model

    Speaker: Lyndall A. Schumann, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Canadian Mental Health Association, York region, South Simcoe

  • 10:56 AM - 11:13 AM CST
    (SYM 1) High Intensity Service Outcomes: Towards Meaningful Change

    Speaker: Katie E. Stewart, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences

    Co-author: Karen Roberts, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences

  • 11:13 AM - 11:30 AM CST
    (SYM 1) Minookmii - Sacred Tracks upon the Earth

    Speaker: Melissa A. Parrett, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Yorkville University

    Co-author: Tejas Srinivas, PhD – Waypoint