Cognitive behaviour therapy is a well-documented first-line treatment for mild to
moderate depression. Primary healthcare providers have encountered several barriers
when trying to provide CBT in an office-based setting and as such, adoption of this
evidence-based treatment has been suboptimal. Primary healthcare nurse practitioners
(PHC NPs) have an in-depth knowledge of advanced nursing practice, and are
responsible for the assessment, diagnosis and management of patients with acute and
chronic conditions, such as depression. PHC NPs are also ideally situated in the health
care system to deliver CBT to their patients. The objectives of this project were to
develop a format for the delivery of brief CBT methods that was feasible in the PHC
setting, increase PHC providers’ confidence to implement CBT and ultimately increase
their adoption of CBT
