One of the pioneers in this space has been Australia’s MoodGYM, first launched in 2001. It now has over 1 million users around the world and has been the subject of over two dozen randomized clinical research trials showing that this inexpensive (or free!) intervention can work wonders on depression, for those who can stick with it. And online therapy has been available since 1996.

TAO Connect — the TAO stands for “therapist assisted online” — is something a little different than MoodGYM. Instead of simply walking a user through a serious of psychoeducational modules (which vary in their interactivity and information presentation), it uses multiple modalities and machine learning (a form of artificial intelligence) to try and help more effectively teach the techniques that can keep anxiety at bay for the rest of your life. It can be used for anxiety, depression, stress, and pain management, and can help a person with relationship problems and learning greater resiliency in dealing with stress.

TAO Connect is based on the Stepped Care model of treatment delivery, offering more intensive and more of a variety of treatment options depending upon the severity of mental illness a person presents with. It is a model used elsewhere in the world, but has traditionally not been used as often in the U.S. (except in resource-constrained clinics, like university counseling centers).

Today, TAO Connect is only available through a therapist whose practice subscribes to the service.

Source: PsychCentral