Clinician perspectives about delivering a blended care treatment model for adolescent depression: A qualitative study

Background: The availability of psychological services for young people cannot keep up with growing demand. Integrating digital interventions with face-to-face care into a blended model may help address some access barriers. Blended care is an approach to psychological treatment that incorporates the benefits of both digital and face-to-face therapy modalities, aiming to optimise treatment efficiency and effectiveness. This study explored mental health professionals' perspectives on incorporating a CBT-based app (ClearlyMe®) into their clinical practice with adolescents experiencing depression. Methods: Semi-structured focus groups and interviews were conducted with 37 mental health professionals (psychologists, counsellors, social workers) working with adolescents in schools or private practices. ClearlyMe® is a self-directed, CBT-based smartphone app designed to address depressive symptoms among adolescents. Participants trialed the ClearlyMe® app for 10 minutes prior to focus groups and interviews. The interviews and focus groups explored how mental health professionals would prefer to integrate ClearlyMe® into their face-to-face therapy when working with adolescents with depression, as well as the training and support requirements for doing so. Data was analysed using a deductive thematic analysis approach. Results: Five key themes were identified: (1) optimal ways to integrate the app with therapy; (2) client suitability for blended care; (3) facilitators and barriers to implementation; (4) data and privacy considerations; and (5) clinician training and support needs. Conclusions: Clinicians were generally supportive of using ClearlyMe® in a blended format, provided it complemented their existing practice, supported by concise, flexible training. Future work will develop a blended care treatment framework and training resources for ClearlyMe®.