Research so far on this course ...
We have conducted > 2 trials of this course
More than 300 participants have enrolled in this course
We have published > 2 studies evaluating this course
Wellbeing Neuro Course
Background
The Wellbeing Neuro Course is our free online and internet-based treatment course designed to help people manage the impacts of neurological conditions on their mental health and day-to-day activities.
We developed the Wellbeing Neuro Course because we know that many people with neurological conditions experience significant difficulties with both their emotional wellbeing (e.g., stress, anxiety, low mood) and cognitive wellbeing (e.g., planning, memory, attention). But, many people have limited access to help for managing these difficulties.
The Wellbeing Neuro Course is designed to provide good information and teach practical skills for managing the impact of neurological conditions. However, different to our other courses, it is carefully designed for people experiencing cognitive difficulties as a result of having a neurological condition - that is, difficulties with attention, memory, planning, etc.
We hope the Course will help people to limit the impact their neurological conditions have on their day-to-day lives and to maintain good wellbeing despite their neurological conditions.
To learn more about neurological conditions, please click here.
What conditions have previous participants had?
Some of the neurological conditions of previous participants include:
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
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Epilepsy
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Parkinson's Disease
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Stroke
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
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Acquired brain injury (ABI)
Who is the course suitable for?
The course is suitable for:
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Adults aged 18 and older.
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Living in Australia
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Diagnosed with a neurological disorder
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Who want to learn information and skills to manage the impact of their neurological condition
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Who have at least 4 hours per week to spend working on the course and practicing the skills taught
Unfortunately, we cannot include people experiencing very severe cognitive difficulties with day-to-day memory, attention and ability to learn basic information. We also cannot include people who are currently suicidal, do not have access to the Internet or who are not living in Australia. We also strongly recommend people discuss their participation in this Course with their GP and other doctors. Maintaining a good working relationship with your doctors is essential when you have a neurological condition and they can help you decide whether this program is going to be suitable.
What does the course involve?
The course involves:
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6 online lessons that provide information and teach practical self-management skills.
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Worksheets to help understand and practice those skills.
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Lots of Additional Resources and Case Stories and examples from others.
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Brief weekly contact with a clinician via email and telephone (not available in every course).
The Course aims to provide the information and skills that you would normally receive from a Clinical Psychologist, if you attend a specialist treatment facility. However, because many people cannot access these facilities, we are developing and testing this internet-delivered Course. Our goal is to make the Wellbeing Neuro Course as helpful as possible and to make it freely and widely available.
Please note that the course is not designed to 'treat' or 'cure' neurological conditions. However, the information and skills covered have been found in 100s of research trials to be essential for people with significant chronic health conditions.
What have we found so far?
We have now had a lot of people complete this course. Participants are reporting improvements in:
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Low mood and depression
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Stress and anxiety
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Cognitive difficulties
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Day-to-day activity levels and confidence
Although the Course is hard work, more than 90% of participants are also reporting the course is worth their time and that they'd recommend it to others.
Some of the key papers we have published on this course are:
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Gandy M, Karin E, McDonald S, Meares S, Scott AJ, Titov N, Dear BF. (2020). A feasibility trial of an internet-delivered psychological intervention to manage mental health and functional outcomes in neurological disorders. Journal of psychosomatic research, 136, 110173.
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Gandy M, Heriseanu A, Balakumar T, Karin E, Walker J, Hathway T, Bisby MA, Scott AJ, Dudeney J, Fisher A, Titov N, Dear BF. (2023). The wellbeing neuro course: A randomised controlled trial of an internet-delivered transdiagnostic psychological intervention for adults with neurological disorders. Psychological Medicine, 1-11.
What is the current trial or study looking at?
Every time we offer a course, we offer it as a part of a trial or study. This means that participants are helping us to answer an important research question while they participate in our courses.
The purpose of our current trial is to compare the helpfulness of delivering the Course with or without guidance from a clinician. The trial we are currently offering is specifically for adults with epilepsy.
You can read more about the current trial by reading the Participant Information and Consent Form Statement.
When is the next course being offered?
We are pleased that are currently taking assessment applications for the Wellbeing Neuro Course from Australian adults diagnosed with epilepsy.
Our next two groups of the course will be starting the week of the:
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20th of May, 2024
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4th of November, 2024
Participants will be randomised to start on one of these two dates - so they need to be available to start at either date..
To apply to participate in one of our next two groups, please click the 'Apply Now' button below and follow the prompts.
Don't have epilepsy, or living outside of Australia?
Please consider registering your interest below? We will then let you know when the course is next available.