Wiborg, Jan F, Wensing, Michel, Tummers, Marcia et al. · Clinical psychology & psychotherapy · 2014 · DOI
This study looked at whether community mental health centres could successfully offer cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to ME/CFS patients using a training manual and support. Three centres treated over 40 patients each, with good results—most patients improved in fatigue and physical functioning. The research found that while the manual was helpful, therapists still needed direct support from experts when starting out.
This study demonstrates that CBT for ME/CFS can be successfully delivered in routine community settings, which is important for expanding access beyond specialist centres. It also identifies practical challenges in disseminating evidence-based treatments, helping health systems understand what resources are needed to sustainably implement CBT for this patient population.
This observational study does not prove CBT is effective for ME/CFS—it only shows that community centres can deliver it with fidelity similar to research trials. The study does not compare CBT to other treatments or control conditions, so it cannot establish efficacy relative to alternatives. Generalizability is limited to Dutch mental health systems and may not apply to other healthcare contexts.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Wiborg, Jan F, Wensing, Michel, Tummers, Marcia, Knoop, Hans, & Bleijenberg, Gijs (2014). Implementing evidence-based practice for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1827
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wiborg-2014-implementing-evidence,
author = {Wiborg, Jan F and Wensing, Michel and Tummers, Marcia and Knoop, Hans and Bleijenberg, Gijs},
title = {Implementing evidence-based practice for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Clinical psychology & psychotherapy},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1002/cpp.1827},
note = {PubMed: 23229956},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wiborg-2014-implementing-evidence},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wiborg-2014-implementing-evidence
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