Online Therapies - Ilajnafsy

Web and smartphone-based therapies

Our project, “Ilajnafsy”, offers various forms of web and smartphone-based therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Web-based written therapies

We offer two different web-based treatments; one for post-traumatic stress disorders and one for depression.
Both treatments provide the patient with a one-to-one therapist, with whom they maintain written contact over a secure internet portal. All of our therapists are native Arabic speakers who have received psychosocial training and work within a supervised structure.

Course of therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder

For clients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the present course of therapy utilises an internet-based treatment manual, translated into Arabic and culturally adapted. The treatment consists of structured written assignments, based on the cognitive-behavioural approach and on a written disclosure procedure. The course of treatment comprises different phases: (a) self-confrontation or (b) cognitive reappraisal and (c) social sharing. Clients complete two 45-minute written assignments per week over a 3 to 5-week period.

Course of therapy for depression

The web-based treatment of depressive symptoms course takes a total of 4-6 weeks to complete. The treatment is based on cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal therapeutic principles, which have proven effective when utilised in conventional face-to-face therapy. Current practice involves the provision of several written tasks and of short practice drills to be carried out at home. The web-based treatment of depression course includes several modules, e.g. modules focussing on the development of activities, cognitive restructuring or relationship analysis.

When undertaking either of the above treatments, the therapists provide individual written feedback and instructions on the next written assignment within one working day. All communication between therapist and patient takes place in written form; contact by telephone occurs only in the case of crisis intervention.

Self-help app

The self-help app is now available from the app store.
Those suffering from mild depressive symptoms may wish to make use of our self-help app, SMILERS. This app can be used without the need for any direct contact with our therapists.

Patients using the S.M.I.L.E.R.S. app run through a total of seven different modules over the course of seven weeks. Most of the modules take the form of a picture story, for example portraying the treatment of a fictional person. This app contains important information about depressive conditions and how to deal with them, as well as some short practical exercises.

Alternatives

As well as our various “Ilajnafsy” written therapies and the SMILERS self-help app, we also offer a range of other therapeutic possibilities for the treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression.
A web or smartphone-based course of therapy is not suitable for every patient.
Using a thorough diagnostic process, consisting of self-diagnosis questionnaires and individual consultations as a precursor to therapy, we assess whether a course of web-based written therapy can be applied to the particular complaint and how we can best assist each individual patient.

In some particular cases a patient may respond better to other modes of treatment, such as traditional face-to-face therapy and consultation.