The effectiveness of a convergence dialogue meeting with the employer in promoting return to work as part of the cognitive-behavioural treatment of common mental disorders: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Dialogue between supervisor and employee is of great importance for occupational rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a convergence dialogue meeting (CDM) of employee, therapist and supervisor aimed at facilitating return to work (RTW) as part of cognitive-behavioural treatment. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial including 60 employees sick-listed with common mental disorders and referred for specialized mental healthcare. Employees were randomly allocated either to an intervention group (n=31) receiving work focused cognitive-behavioural therapy plus CDM or a control group (n = 29) receiving work-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy without CDM. RESULTS: The time to first RTW was 12 days shorter (p = 0.334) in the intervention group, although full (i.e., at equal earnings as before reporting sick) RTW took 41 days longer (p = 0.122) than the control group. The odds of full RTW at the end of treatment were only 7% higher (p = 0.910) in the intervention group as compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: CDM did not significantly reduce the time to RTW. We recommend that therapists who are trained on CDM focus on barriers and solutions for RTW.