Approach · Mental health, Improving wellbeing
Group talk therapy for depression
Group therapy for depression, led by trained lay counsellors rather than doctors, which keeps the cost low.
How strong is the evidence?
Low to moderate
Strength of evidence, as rated by Happier Lives Institute
HLI rates quality of evidence low–moderate (using a standard evidence-grading method): meta-analysis of 84 psychotherapy randomized trials, one StrongMinds-related randomized trial (limited relevance), and monitoring data pre-post data.
This is the Happier Lives Institute's own rating of the quality of the evidence.
What evaluators are unsure about
- Limited relevance of Baird et al. randomized trial to StrongMinds’ current adult partner-delivered model.
- Monitoring data pre-post uses synthetic control; potential substantial bias.
- Publication bias and inconsistency in general psychotherapy literature.
Published figures for charities doing this
| Charity | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| StrongMindsWELLBYs per $1,000 | 40.37 WELLBYs per $1,000 donatedpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| StrongMindsCost per person treated | $44.56 per person treatedpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| StrongMindsCost per WELLBY | $24.77 per WELLBYpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| StrongMindsEffect per person | 1.8 WELLBYs per person treatedpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| StrongMindsCompared with cash transfers | 5.3× the wellbeing per dollar of cash transfers (GiveDirectly)published comparison | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| Happier Lives FundAllocation to charities | 90% of donations go to recommended charitiespublished page | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| Shamiri InstituteWELLBYs per $1,000 | 32.93 WELLBYs per $1,000 donatedHLI honourable | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| Shamiri InstituteCost per WELLBY | $30.37 per WELLBYHLI honourable | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
Modeled, not guaranteed. Figures in different units measure different kinds of good and should not be compared directly.
Charities doing this work
StrongMinds
Runs group talk therapy for people with depression, led by trained lay counsellors, in countries including Uganda and Zambia.
40.37 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated
Happier Lives Institute, published table
Happier Lives Fund
Pools donations for the Happier Lives Institute's recommended wellbeing charities, with a smaller share supporting the Institute's research.
90% of donations go to recommended charities
Happier Lives Institute, published page
Shamiri Institute
Runs low-cost group mental-health programs delivered by trained lay providers.
32.93 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated
Happier Lives Institute, HLI honourable
Sources
Questions donors ask
- Does group talk therapy for depression work?
Happier Lives Institute rates the evidence as low to moderate. See the sources on this page for the full reasoning.
- How cost-effective is it?
It depends on the charity and the setting. The table on this page lists each published figure with its source. All are modeled, not guaranteed.