Large-scale cognitive-behavioural Stress Management workshops were run for members of the general public as part of a city-wide mental health promotion campaign. Four groups were compared: a workshop run over one day (Full-Day), one run over two half-days (Half-Day), a non-specific intervention control group, and a waiting list control group. Results indicate that the participants in the workshop groups improved more than those in either of the control groups, supporting the idea that the psychoeducational approach can be valuable and economical in a health promotion and public health context. The use of this format in clinical situations and in primary care settings is also discussed.

This study investigates whether large-scale, day-long stress management workshops open to the general public can work as well as small, weekly groups run for referred clients. It is suggested that the self-referral route may enable some people who might otherwise have been ‘‘filtered out’’ from the traditional health services to get help for their stress-related problems. Analysis showed that the large-scale format was just as effective with a more distressed subgroup as was the small weekly format for formally referred clients, which suggests that the effectiveness of this approach is not only related to a restricted client group. It would appear that the low drop-out rate, the effectiveness of the workshops and the severity of problem handled within this format indicates potential value in this type of approach.