Training health visitors (NHS East of England)

Project

Target group: Women with postnatal depression recruited as part of a large funded RCT (funded by NIHR HTA)

Settings: Sheffield and other centres in the UK

Intervention: Health visitors were trained to either deliver support using standardised person centred counselling or a series of five areas worksheets (modified from the Overcoming depression and low mood book)

Support offered: Health visitor support (trained in delivering both interventions)

Outcomes: Following the training health visitors were found to be effective in identifying depressive symptoms and in providing an appropriate psychological intervention. The training was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms compared with a third treatment as usual arm

What else?

The worksheets are available in the book Overcoming Postnatal Depression: A Five Areas Approach.