News: The therapist will ring you now - Los Angeles Times

This LA Times article (22 September 2008) refers to a study from Northwestern University which found that people with depression continued seeing their telephone counsellor for longer than those who consulted an office-based therapist.

The study's author, David Mohr, comments that only 20% of those people who say they want therapy actually turn up and 50% drop out of treatment: "One of the symptoms of depression is people lose motivation. It's hard for them to do the things they are supposed to do. Showing up for appointments is one of those things."

It's not clear from this article whether the study measures efficacy. The fact that people remained with treatment for longer via telephone does not necessarily equate with clinical effectiveness of course, although it's interesting to see how the therapy world is changing to accommodate client need.