With looking after mental health and wellbeing more important now than ever, many are turning to mental health services for support.
One such service is a guided five-week online program, ‘Be Well Plan’, which is proving to be an effective alternative to other services, according to a recent rigorous assessment
The ‘Be Well Plan’ is a live-facilitated online intervention that was developed by experts at Flinders University and the SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). It has been found to offer significant benefits in improving participants’ mental wellbeing, resilience, anxiety and depression.
“The ‘Be Well Plan’ program doesn’t target specific symptoms or target groups,” says Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing Dr Dan Fassnacht, a co-author of the evaluation published in JIMR Mental Health.
“Participants who want to work on their mental health can experiment and tailor the content to their own needs, and actively find ways to make positive changes and develop better habits that work for them.”
The ‘Be Well Plan’ can be delivered in-person or online and comes with a train-the-trainer framework, for which people can apply and become trained facilitators, thereby allowing for the program’s use across the community as a sustainable solution, researchers say.
The latest assessment of the program evaluates results from a randomised controlled trial of more than 200 university students in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, from August 2020 to July 2021.
Of the 49 intervention group participants who completed the postintervention assessment, 47 (95.9%) were either very satisfied (n=31, 66%) or satisfied (n=16, 34%).
The research suggests university students and other members of the public who access the free program can benefit from this evidence-based program, which encourages individuals to develop a tailored plan and take active steps to improve their mental health and prevent anxiety and depression.
To learn more about the ‘Be Well Plan’, visit: bewellco.io/bwp
