Internet Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT)

Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 26 December 2025

Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Productivity, Cost Saving, Time Saving, Technology, Digital Health

About this Content

Aims

The aim of the Internet Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT) program is to address long waiting times and treatment barriers associated with traditional face-to-face Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) by providing a web-based e-mental health intervention for anxiety, depression (AD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Background

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is effective for mood and anxiety disorders, including OCD. Traditionally, CBT in Singapore has been administered face-to-face, requiring 8 to 17 sessions, each lasting 1-2 hours, resulting in long waiting times. ICBT offers a promising alternative by allowing therapy to be conducted remotely, which has been successfully implemented in other countries.

Methods

The ICBT program was delivered by two teams from the Department of Psychology for patients of the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). The program included outcome measures (PHQ-9 for ICBT for AD; Y-BOCS for ICBT for OCD) that patients completed at each time point from the pre-assessment session, after completing each module, and after completion of the ICBT program.
The ICBT program excludes patients who are severely depressed or actively suicidal, with protocols in place for suicide risk management. Future plans include scaling up ICBT nationally and developing local programs for different disorders.

Results

A total of 89 patients enrolled in the ICBT program (31 for AD and 58 for OCD). Significant improvements were observed in patients' scores, with a reduction in PHQ-9 scores for AD and Y-BOCS scores for OCD. Treatment satisfaction was high, with 54.2% of AD patients and 100% of OCD patients expressing satisfaction with the program.

Conclusion

ICBT is a promising approach for delivering CBT remotely, offering significant benefits in terms of cost, time, and accessibility. The program's success suggests potential for scaling up on a national level and adoption by other institutions.

Lessons Learnt

The implementation of ICBT demonstrated significant cost and time savings compared to face-to-face therapy. The program allowed one therapist to manage up to 20 patients concurrently, highlighting the scalability and efficiency of the ICBT approach.

Keywords

ICBT, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Innovators' Details

Connect with this contributor!

Cheok Cheng Soon - Chris_cheok@imh.com.sg

Project Attachment

664_IMH_NHIP_2024_Internet_Delivered_Cognitive_BehaviouralTherapy_ICBT.pdf