Internet-Delivered Value Based Counseling (VBC) Aimed at the Reduction of Post-Migration Psychosocial Stress - A Pilot Study

Abstract Internet-based delivery of evidenced-based Value Based Counseling (VBC) fulfills the demand for a low threshold, culturally-sensitive and short-term intervention located at a level below specialized mental health care which can help those who do not require such specialized care to activate their resources and to regain their everyday functioning quickly. A pretest–posttest design with a historical control group was used to investigate the efficacy of internet-delivered VBC in comparison with in-person VBC provided to 102 help-seeking clients, who included refugees residing mainly in Germany. Intention-to-treat analyses concluded that internet-delivered VBC, comparable to in-person VBC, resulted in a significant reduction of depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, perceived stress, somatic complaints, and daily functioning impairment at the post-test.