This month we are excited to feature a new resource in our digital mental health directory – DadBooster! DadBooster is a self-guided online cognitive behavioural therapy program from the Parent Infant Research Institute for fathers experiencing postnatal depression or anxiety, offering practical strategies, progress feedback, and regular automated text message encouragement.

For dads who are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, DadBooster offers effective, confidential online support. Based on proven strategies, this free program is designed specifically for fathers — helping them to feel better and more in control. Here’s some feedback from two dads about the program.

“The DadBooster program is an excellent program for new dads who feel like they are struggling a little bit and don’t know where to start.”

DadBooster is a free, self-guided, online program for fathers experiencing postnatal depression or anxiety. Accredited by the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards and developed by PIRI, it provides high-quality, evidence-based support for families.

Adapted from the CBT-based MumMoodBooster Program, DadBooster was co-designed with Australian fathers and aims to recognise the unique needs and experiences of fathers and help them to adjust to life with a baby.

The program is delivered through six personalised online sessions to help new dads balance work and family, finding their role as a parent, and navigating changes in their relationship. Dads can undertake the program at their own pace, learning practical strategies to improve mood, manage stress, and strengthen their wellbeing.

DadBooster provides regular supportive text messages, checking in on users’ progress. Users can also access an online library of information and resources, and optional partner support through the website to help users’ partners understand what they are going through, support recovery, care for themselves and navigate the challenges of early parenthood together. There are links for partners who may be struggling themselves to PIRI’s companion program, MumMoodBooster.

The DadBooster program offers many features to support users including:

• Optional initial engagement and support phone call from a program coach
• Practical strategies
• Progress monitoring
• Automated SMS support to foster program engagement
• Optional partner website so that users’ partners can learn about paternal depression and links to support for themselves

DadBooster is designed for men in Australia who are feeling low, stressed, or depressed after the birth of a baby or in the subsequent years.

DadBooster provides a free, confidential treatment option for new dads and their family to navigate the transition to parenthood.

DadBooster is a one-of-a-kind program designed specifically with fathers’ experiences and challenges in mind. It provides accessible, private, and effective support for fathers who may not otherwise access help through traditional care pathways.

Health practitioners can recommend DadBooster as an online cognitive behavioural therapy treatment option for fathers who may be unable to access traditional mental health services or prefer online support. The program can be incorporated into stepped-care approaches, used alongside clinical care, or offered as an early intervention for fathers presenting with mild to moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety. DadBooster can be used as a standalone therapy, an adjunct to other treatment, or while on waitlists.

Because it is self-guided and accessible online, DadBooster may be particularly useful for fathers in rural and remote areas, those balancing work and family commitments, or those seeking free confidential support outside standard appointment times.

DadBooster is free to access at any time.

DadBooster is available online at https://www.dadbooster.com/#home or through the DadSpace website. Users do not need a referral or diagnosis to access the program and get started.

PIRI conducts basic and applied research and develops evidence-based treatment programs to help parents make the transition to parenthood and to support the early parent-infant relationship.

DadBooster is a self-guided, web-based program designed to be closely comparable in content to face-to-face treatment for depression. It was adapted from PIRI’s successful MumMoodBooster program (Randomised controlled Trial) with consumer input from Australian dads and dads-to-be, drawing directly on lived experience and research to ensure it meets the real needs of men during the transition to parenthood.

A recent randomised controlled trial of DadBooster demonstrated that it is effective in reducing symptoms of depression, stress and negative automatic thoughts while improving father’s sense of parenting self-efficacy.1

1. Holt, C., Ericksen, J. M., Gemmill, A. W., Rodrigues, A. L., & Milgrom, J. (in press). Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy for fathers with postnatal depression: A randomised controlled trial of DadBooster. Journal of Medical Internet Research.