Character strength-focused positive psychotherapy on acute psychiatric wards: A feasibility and acceptability study

Journal article

Kouvaras, Stef, Guiotto, Martina, Schrank, Beate, Slade, Mike and Riches, Simon 2022. Character strength-focused positive psychotherapy on acute psychiatric wards: A feasibility and acceptability study. Psychiatric Services. 73 (9), pp. 1051-1055. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100316
AuthorsKouvaras, Stef, Guiotto, Martina, Schrank, Beate, Slade, Mike and Riches, Simon
AbstractA manualized single-session positive psychotherapy intervention was developed and tested on acute psychiatric wards. Participants were invited in 2018-2019 to identify positive experiences, link them to a personal character strength, and plan a strengths-based activity. The intervention's feasibility was evaluated through fidelity to session components, character strengths identification, and activity completion. Acceptability was evaluated with self-reported pre- and postsession mood ratings, a postsession helpfulness rating, and narrative feedback. Participants (N=70) had complex and severe mental health conditions. In 18 group sessions, 89% of components were delivered with fidelity; 80% of the participants identified a character strength, of whom 71% identified a strengths-based activity, and 58% completed the activity. The mean±SD helpfulness rating (N=23) was 8.5±1.5 (on a 10-point Likert scale), and positive mood significantly increased postsession (5.9 presession vs. 7.2 postsession). Positive psychotherapy is feasible in challenging inpatient settings, and service users with severe and complex mental health conditions find it helpful.
KeywordsInpatient treatment; Brief psychotherapy; Psychotherapy; Psychoses; Psychology
Year2022
JournalPsychiatric Services
Journal citation73 (9), pp. 1051-1055
PublisherAmerican Psychiatric Association Publishing
ISSN1557-9700
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100316
Official URLhttps://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ps.202100316
Publication dates
Online05 Apr 2022
Publication process dates
Deposited20 Apr 2022
Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/90y8y/character-strength-focused-positive-psychotherapy-on-acute-psychiatric-wards-a-feasibility-and-acceptability-study

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