Online Group Metacognitive Therapy for Repetitive Negative Thinking: A Pilot Study

Group metacognitive therapy (MCT) for anxiety and depression has been shown to be effective, but access could be increased if delivered via telehealth. This pilot study compared outcomes for individuals with anxiety disorders and depression who received group MCT via telehealth (N = 23) to historical controls that received face-to-face (F2F) MCT (N = 52). Patients received six weekly, 2-hour group sessions plus a 1-month follow-up of MCT in a community mental health clinic and completed measures of repetitive negative thinking (RNT), metacognitive beliefs (positive and negative), and symptoms (anxiety, depression) at pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up. Group MCT via telehealth achieved medium to very large effects on all outcomes to posttreatment and follow-up. The telehealth and F2F MCT groups did not significantly differ on any demographic or clinical variable at pretreatment. Between-group effect sizes, rates of reliable and clinically significant change, and participant evaluations of treatment acceptability and satisfaction were similar for the two modes of delivery at posttreatment and/or follow-up. Overall, these preliminary findings indicate that telehealth-delivered group MCT is a promising transdiagnostic intervention for anxiety disorders and depression.