Psy. D., Antioch University, 2017, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

Computerized Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CCBT) is an empirically supported therapeutic modality used in the treatment of anxiety and depression. It is an important area of research considering there is much research lacking in this area, especially regarding trainee and qualified psychology clinicians' attitudes which are informative in terms of uptake and adherence. This study examined trainee and qualified psychology clinicians' attitudes towards CCBT for use in their future clinical practice, with regard treating those suffering from anxiety and depression. Overall, 31 participants took part in the research, which resulted in 31 completed informed consent forms and questionnaires being returned to the researcher. This data was gathered using an email-based survey and a convenience, voluntary sample, which was comprised of 31 participants with varying employment statuses, who had achieved a minimum of a Masters degree in the counseling/ psychology fields. The survey consisted of quantitative questions such as Credibility and Expectancy Scales (Borkovec & Mathews, 1988) to measure participant's perceptions of CCBT and how likely they were to recommend CCBT to a client, and qualitative questions were used to gather more details regarding their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of CCBT. All participation was voluntary. This mixed-methods survey found results that suggested that participant's attitudes towards CCBT were less than favorable; specifically, results showed low ratings of the logical nature of CCBT, its potential to facilitate successful client outcomes and low rates of probable referral of a client to CCBT. Participants also indicated a lack of knowledge surrounding such programs and their implementation. Qualitative results found that attitudes towards CCBT were less than favorable, and that clinicians' had a lack of information and knowledge about such programs. Further research should examine if these results would be maintained among (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ron Pilato PsyD (Committee Chair); Bella DePaulo PhD (Committee Member); Kate Cavanagh DPhil, DClinPsych (Other) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Cognitive Therapy; Counseling Psychology; Information Technology; Mental Health; Neurosciences; Psychology