The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly 1 in 7 people globally (approximately 1.1 billion individuals) live with a mental health conditionopens in new window. While effective treatments exist, access to care remains a persistent challenge. Increasingly, mental health care professionals are using digital interventions to expand support to more people and more effectively reach those in low-resource or crisis-affected communities.
The WHO, in partnership with Lebanon’s National Mental Health Programme and other global collaborators, has developed the Step-by-Step (SbS) program, which is a digitally delivered, self-guided intervention for depression and anxiety. The program consists of five modules that incorporate evidence-based techniques like mood tracking, breathing and grounding exercises, gratitude journaling, behavioral activation, and engaging with social connections. The program can be completed independently or combined with the short, weekly support (15 minutes) of trained community helpers.
The SbS program has been evaluated: Research from clinical trials conducted in Lebanon showed that the participants of the SbS program experienced significant reductions in anxiety and depression, as well as improved functioning compared to those who did not use the program. The research also suggests that the program may offer cost savings in response to humanitarian emergencies.
The WHO recently launched an implementation guide, Psychological Self-Help Interventions: Delivering Self-Help for Individuals, Featuring Step-by-Step and Doing What Matters in Times of Stressopens in new window (WHO, 2026). The guide is meant to help governments and organizations adapt and implement the program to support the needs of their communities.
Learn more about the Step-by-Step programopens in new window.
