Blended Psychotherapy: Treatment Concept and Case Report for the Integration of Internet- and Mobile-Based Interventions into Brief Psychotherapy of Depressive Disorders

Background: Blended psychotherapy (bPT) is a treatment that integrates internet-and mobile-based interventions into out-/inpatient psychotherapy. It can enrich the therapy by using online-based treatment modules as therapeutic extension that patients use time-and location-independently between face-to-face sessions. It could potentially improve the efficacy of psychotherapy and increase the number of treated persons through saved therapist time. The case report aims to facilitate the understanding of the blended treatment components. Case Report: A 4-month short-time depression treatment with six face-to-face therapy sessions, six online lessons, and app ratings of a 48-year-old female patient is presented based on the CARE guidelines and quantitative and qualitative measures (treatment documentation). Depressive symptoms were clinically significantly reduced (PHQ-9, 0-27: T0 = 17; T1 = 7) from a moderately-severe to a sub-clinical- mild degree, and no diagnostic criteria were met in the 12-month follow-up diagnostic interview. The patient showed a maximum treatment satisfaction (ZUF-8, 8-32: T1 = 32) and adherence and rated the therapeutic working alliance (WAI, 12-60: T1 = 57) highly positive. Conclusion: bPT reduced depressive symptoms for this patient. Strengths of the treatment were the facilitated use of the internet-based elements with a full-time job and the individualization within the face-to-face sessions through the therapist. Treatment success was limited by the predetermined six sessions, which hindered addressing all topics and conducting relapse prevention. (c) 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel