Referral resource
It’s widely accepted that regular exercise can play a crucial role in managing mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Mood Active is a not-for-profit organisation that provides structured, evidence-based exercise programs designed to support mental wellbeing.
Our programs are tailored for individuals experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges, offering a supportive and social environment to help build motivation, resilience, and confidence. We work alongside mental health professionals to complement clinical treatment, making exercise an accessible and sustainable part of a holistic care plan.
Our 2-Day Wellbeing Program
This foundation of our services is a two-day workshop including education sessions and group physical activity facilitated by trained personnel. The 2-Day Wellbeing program is currently held in Sydney, and participants are charged a nominal nominal fee for each class as this has been proven to support their commitment to attendance. The program is specifically designed using evidence-based medicine and science to support people with mental health challenges to understand and use exercise independently as a tool for health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Our educational sessions do not directly target an individual participant’s thoughts and feelings. They use well-understood techniques to embed positive behaviour changes through a group learning experience, helping with their social confidence along the way.
The 2-Day Wellbeing Program has two modules – each delivered in a 2-hour group learning session, followed by an hour of exercise where the participants try out and practice what they have just learned. The participants attend each session across one week, spaced out by a few days.
The Mood Active journey
We have developed a Mood Active journey that describes the path that our participants take in order to achieve a sustainable balance of exercise in their lives – improving their mental health as they learn and practice.
Start
Potential Mood Active participants are usually facing mild to moderate mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD, or bipolar, along with other mental health challenges. They may also experience social isolation, economic stress, poor physical health, or low fitness levels, making it harder to build a regular exercise routine.
Initial mood assessment*
Participants complete an initial mood assessment to set a baseline measurement, assess program suitability, and gauge current physical activity levels. This also helps us understand their support network to ensure they receive the right level of guidance. *Please note: This program may not be suitable for individuals in the acute phase of mental illness.
2-Day Wellbeing Program
Participants learn how to start and sustain an exercise routine through two 3-hour sessions over one week, combining 2 hours of education with 1 hour of supported exercise. Sessions are available online or face-to-face and are enhanced with short animation videos for additional guidance.
Post-program mood assessment
Participants self-report their current mood and activity levels, providing valuable insight into their progress and the impact of the program. This reflective process helps individuals recognise their achievements, track changes in their wellbeing, and stay motivated to maintain their exercise routine. We also this data to update our program performance database, allowing us to continuously refine and improve our approach.
Graduation
Participants graduate from the program when they feel ready, having gained the skills, confidence, and motivation to exercise independently beyond Mood Active. By this stage, they have successfully integrated exercise into their daily routine, developed greater social confidence, and experienced positive changes in mood and overall wellbeing.
Who to refer
People suffering from mild to moderate anxiety, depression, and similar mood disorders are suitable for referral to a Mood Active program.
We may accommodate people who fall outside these parameters once our psychologist has assessed their ability to gain benefit from our program. We cannot accept people whose conditions mean they are unable to participate in group learning.
During the assessment process, we will discuss our findings and recommendations with the person’s treating doctor. We always strive to set up a pathway to Mood Active services if they are likely to be appropriate in the future.
To refer your patient to Mood Active, simply direct your patient to the 2-Day Wellbeing Program information on our website. Once they have completed the expression of interest form, they will be emailed a link to a full registration questionnaire where they provide us with your details along with information on their physical and mental health. You may want to do this with the patient, however, it is designed so that they can complete the process without any further assistance. Please note that this questionnaire contains a DASS21 survey, which is our primary screening test.
If you wish to have a more comprehensive discussion with our clinical team, please email us at info@moodactive.org.au and we will set up an appointment.
Clinical Evidence
Exercise refers to a form of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful with an objective of improvement or maintenance of one or more components of physical fitness. Physical inactivity is a major health problem. Sedentary behavior is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Regular exercise has been shown to improve physical, functional and psychological health conditions. It improves sleep and reduces stress, anxiety and depression.
In one meta-analysis, regular exercise (defined variably across studies) was shown to have small beneficial effects of total sleep duration, small-to-medium beneficial effects on ability to fall asleep faster, and moderate beneficial effects on sleep quality (Kredlow, et al., 2015).
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and low-intensity training (LIT) have been found to be effective as a complement to first-line treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). (Plag, et al., 2020).
A 16-month randomized trial involving 74 outpatients with panic disorder, GAD, or social anxiety disorder compared the combination of CBT and exercise (assigned, at-home walking) with CBT combined with additional education-based sessions. A comparison of symptom levels before and after the 16-month intervention found reductions in subject-reported depression, anxiety, and stress in subjects assigned to CBT/exercise compared with CBT/education. (Merom, et al., 2008)
References
- Kredlow, M. A., Capozzoli, M. C., Hearon, B. A., Calkins, A. W., & Otto, M. W. (2015). The effects of physical activity on sleep: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38(3), 427–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9617-6
- Merom, D., Phongsavan, P., Wagner, R., Chey, T., Marnane, C., Steel, Z., Silove, D., & Bauman, A. (2008). Promoting walking as an adjunct intervention to group cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders—A pilot group randomized trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(6), 959–968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.09.010
- Plag, J., Schmidt-Hellinger, P., Klippstein, T., Mumm, J. L. M., Wolfarth, B., Petzold, M. B., & Ströhle, A. (2020). Working out the worries: A randomized controlled trial of high intensity interval training in generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 76, 102311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102311
In several clinical trials, the practice of yoga has been found to reduce anxiety levels:
- Jeter, P. E., Slutsky, J., Singh, N., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2015). Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention: A Bibliometric Analysis of Published Research Studies from 1967 to 2013. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21(10), 586–592. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2015.0057
- Kirkwood, G. (2005). Yoga for anxiety: a systematic review of the research evidence * Commentary. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 39(12), 884–891. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.018069
- Pilkington, K., Kirkwood, G., Rampes, H., & Richardson, J. (2005). Yoga for depression: The research evidence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 89(1-3), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2005.08.013
- Simon, N. M., Hofmann, S. G., Rosenfield, D., Hoeppner, S. S., Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., & Khalsa, S. B. S. (2020). Efficacy of yoga vs cognitive behavioral therapy vs stress education for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(1), 13–20. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2496
Clinical trials suggest that exercise may decrease anxiety in patients with anxiety symptoms or disorders:
- Broocks, A., Bandelow, B., Pekrun, G., George, A., Meyer, T., Bartmann, U., Hillmer-Vogel, U., & Rüther, E. (1998). Comparison of Aerobic Exercise, Clomipramine, and Placebo in the Treatment of Panic Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155(5), 603–609. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.155.5.603
- Chen, H-M., Tsai, C-M., Wu, Y-C., Lin, K-C., & Lin, C-C. (2014). Randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of home-based walking exercise on anxiety, depression and cancer-related symptoms in patients with lung cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 112(3), 438–445. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2014.612
- Ensari, I., Greenlee, T. A., Motl, R. W., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2015). META-ANALYSIS OF ACUTE EXERCISE EFFECTS ON STATE ANXIETY: AN UPDATE OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS. Depression and Anxiety, 32(8), 624–634. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22370
- Herring, M. P., Hallgren, M., & Campbell, M. J. (2017). Acute exercise effects on worry, state anxiety, and feelings of energy and fatigue among young women with probable Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A pilot study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 33, 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.07.009
- Merom, D., Phongsavan, P., Wagner, R., Chey, T., Marnane, C., Steel, Z., Silove, D., & Bauman, A. (2008). Promoting walking as an adjunct intervention to group cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders—A pilot group randomized trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(6), 959–968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.09.010
- Saeed, S. A., Antonacci, D. J., & Bloch, R. M. (2010). Exercise, yoga, and meditation for depressive and anxiety disorders. PubMed, 81(8), 981–986
The UK NICE guidelines for mental health suggest exercise (may allow expert support from others who may be having similar experiences, can help with physical health too.
Health benefits of regular physical activity:
- Lower risk of all-cause mortality
- Lower risk of cardiovascular mortality
- Lower risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke)
- Lower risk of hypertension
- Lower risk of type 2 diabetes
- Lower risk of adverse blood lipid profile
- Lower risk of cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach
- Improved cognition
- Lower risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease)
- Improved quality of life
- Reduced anxiety
- Reduced risk of depression
- Improved sleep
- Slowed or reduced weight gain
- Weight loss, particularly when combined with reduced calorie intake
- Prevention of weight regain following initial weight loss
- Improved bone health
- Improved physical function
- Lower risk of falls (older adults)
- Lower risk of frailty (older adults)
- For pregnant women, reduced risk of excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression
- For people with various chronic medical conditions, reduced risk of all-cause and disease-specific mortality, improved physical function, and improved quality of life.
Reproduced from: US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC 2018.
