Copyright © The British Psychological Society Reproduction in any form (including the internet) is prohibited without prior permission from the Society A randomized trial of face-to-face counselling versus telephone counselling versus bibliotherapy for occupational stress Catherine Kilfedder 1 , Kevin Power 2 , Thanos Karatzias 3 *, Aileen McCafferty 1 , Karen Niven 1 , Zoe ¨ Chouliara 4 , Lisa Galloway 1 and Stephen Sharp 5 1 Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Service, Edinburgh, UK 2 Psychological Therapies Service, NHS Tayside, Dundee, UK 3 Faculty of Health, Life and Social Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, UK 4 School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK 5 Centre for Educational Leadership, Moray House School of Education, Edinburgh University, UK Objective. The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness and acceptability of three interventions for occupational stress. Methods/design. A total of 90 National Health Service employees were randomized to face-to-face counselling or telephone counselling or bibliotherapy. Outcomes were assessed at post-intervention and 4-month follow-up. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were used to evaluate intervention outcomes. An intention-to-treat analyses was performed. Results. Repeated measures analysis revealed significant time effects on all measures with the exception of CORE Risk. No significant group effects were detected on all outcome measures. No time by group significant interaction effects were detected on any of the outcome measures with the exception of CORE Functioning and GHQ total. With regard to acceptability of interventions, participants expressed a preference for face-to-face counselling over the other two modalities. Conclusions. Overall, it was concluded that the three intervention groups are equally effective. Given that bibliotherapy is the least costly of the three, results from the present study might be considered in relation to a stepped care approach to occupational stress management with bibliotherapy as the first line of intervention, followed by telephone and face-to-face counselling as required. * Correspondence should be addressed to Dr Thanos Karatzias, Napier University, Comely Bank Campus, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2LD, UK (e-mail: t.karatzias@napier.ac.uk). The British Psychological Society 223 Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice (2010), 83, 223–242 q 2010 The British Psychological Society www.bpsjournals.co.uk DOI:10.1348/147608309X476348