Therapeutic alliance in psychological therapy for people with recent onset psychosis who use cannabis

Background This paper examines the role of therapeutic alliance in predicting outcomes in a Randomised Controlled Trial of Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (MICBT) for problematic cannabis use in recent onset psychosis. Methods All clients were participating in a three arm pragmatic rater-blind randomised controlled trial of brief MICBT plus standard care compared with longer term MICBT plus standard care and standard care alone. Participants completed measures to assess clinical symptoms, global functioning and substance misuse at baseline, 4.5 months, 9 months and 18 months. Clients and therapists completed the Working Alliance Inventory approximately one month into therapy. Client alliance data was available for 35 participants randomised to therapy and therapist alliance data was available for 52 participants randomised to therapy. Results At baseline, poorer client-rated alliance was associated with more negative symptoms, poorer insight and greater cannabis use, whereas poorer therapist-rated alliance was only associated with amount of cannabis used per cannabis using day. Alliance ratings were also positively associated with amount of therapy: client-rated alliance was higher in the longer compared to the briefer therapy; therapist-rated alliance was associated with greater number of sessions attended (controlling for type of therapy) and therapy completion. In predicting outcome, client-rated alliance predicted total symptom scores and global functioning scores at follow-up. Neither client nor therapist alliance predicted changes in substance misuse at any time point. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that individuals with psychosis and substance misuse who form better alliances with their therapists gain greater benefits from therapy, at least in terms of improvements in global functioning

Views of Practitioners and Researchers on the Use of Virtual Reality in Treatments for Substance Use Disorders

From Frontiers via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-09-15, collection 2021, accepted 2021-04-27, epub 2021-05-21Publication status: PublishedVirtual Reality Therapy (VRT) has been shown to be effective in treating anxiety disorders and phobias, but has not yet been widely tested for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and it is not known whether health care practitioners working with SUDs would use VRT if it were available. We report the results of an interview study exploring practitioners’ and researchers’ views on the utility of VRT for SUD treatment. Practitioners and researchers with at least two years’ experience delivering or researching and designing SUD treatments were recruited (n = 14). Interviews were thematically analyzed, resulting in themes relating to the safety and realism of VRT, and the opportunity for the additional insight it could offer to during SUD treatment. Participants were positive about employing VRT as an additional treatment for SUD. VRT was thought suitable for treating adults and people with mental health issues or trauma, provided that risks were appropriately managed. Subsequent relapse, trauma and over-confidence in the success of treatment were identified as risks. The opportunity VRT offered to include other actors in therapy (via avatar use), and observe reactions, were benefits that could not currently be achieved with other forms of therapy. Overall, VRT was thought to offer the potential for safe, realistic, personalized and insightful exposure to diverse triggering scenarios, and to be acceptable for integration into a wide range of SUD treatments

The implementation of family‐focused practice in adult mental health services: A systematic review exploring the influence of practitioner and workplace factors

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-06-16, rev-recd 2020-12-03, accepted 2020-12-17, pub-electronic 2021-04-01, pub-print 2021-08Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedAbstract: There is increased recognition of the need for greater and more appropriate support to be offered to families in which a parent experiences mental illness and has dependent children. One way of meeting this need is for adult mental health services to take a more family‐focused approach. However, there are recognized difficulties in facilitating family‐focused practice (FFP). The current review systematically synthesized quantitative and qualitative literature of practitioner perspectives and experiences of FFP in adult mental health settings to identify modifiable factors associated with its successful implementation. Five databases were searched systematically leading to the inclusion and quality assessment of 19 papers, ten of which were quantitative and nine qualitative. Analysis was guided by a narrative synthesis approach. Factors shown to influence FFP functioned at both practitioner and workplace levels and included personal attitudes, beliefs about job role, and perceptions of workplace support. Practitioners who felt that a family‐focussed approach was inappropriate or detrimental to service users or outside of their remit as mental health professionals were less likely to adopt this approach. For those who saw the potential benefits of FFP, lack of confidence in their ability to deliver such an approach and lack of training can be barriers, as can lack of support and resources within services. This review highlights the need for actions to boost the awareness of adult mental health practitioners working with parents and to increase their confidence. It also makes the case for broader organizational support if family‐focussed practice is to be implemented successfully

The role of attachment, coping style and reasons for substance use in substance users with psychosis

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-02-19, rev-recd 2021-08-20, accepted 2021-08-21, pub-electronic 2021-09-02Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Medical Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007155; Grant(s): G0200471Abstract: Seventy substance users with psychosis who were participating in a clinical trial of a psychological therapy for psychosis were additionally assessed for attachment, coping styles and self‐reported reasons for substance use in order to test a hypothesized sequential mediation model. In this model the relationship between insecure attachment and problematic substance use was assumed to be sequentially mediated by dysfunctional coping and the use of substances to cope with distress. Hypothesized associations between insecure‐avoidant attachment and substance use were not supported, but the relationship between insecure‐anxious attachment and problematic substance use was confirmed and found to be fully mediated by dysfunctional coping and coping reasons for use. Findings suggest that fostering secure attachments in people with psychosis might promote more successful coping and could prevent or reduce substance use related problems in this group

Attachment and therapeutic alliance in psychological therapy for people with recent onset psychosis who use cannabis

We examine associations between client attachment style and therapeutic alliance in a 3-arm randomized controlled trial of brief motivational interviewing and cognitive–behavioural therapy compared with longer term motivational interviewing and cognitive–behavioural therapy or standard care alone. Client self-report measures of attachment style were completed at baseline, and both clients and therapists in the treatment arms of the trial completed alliance measures 1 month into therapy. We found that insecure–anxious attachment was positively associated with therapist-rated alliance, whereas clients with insecure–avoidant attachment were more likely to report poorer bond with therapist. There was no evidence that client attachment significantly predicted clinical or substance misuse outcomes either directly or indirectly via alliance. Nor evidence that the length of therapy offered interacted with attachment to predict alliance

“Finding my voice again” - women’s experiences of psychological therapy in perinatal secondary care settings: a qualitative study

IntroductionAlthough women often experience mental health comorbidities in the perinatal period, the evidence-base for psychological therapy across diagnostic boundaries in the perinatal period remains limited. As there is a need to understand experiences of therapy, irrespective of diagnosis, to inform intervention provision, the aims of this study were to explore women’s experiences of psychological therapy for perinatal mental health difficulties and to identify the mechanisms that women attributed to the most significant therapeutic change for themselves and/or the mother-infant relationship.MethodSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 women who received therapy within specialist perinatal community mental health settings in the Northwest of England, the UK. Interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsOne overarching theme entitled participant life stories were at the heart of therapy was identified alongside three other main themes: 1.) We’re in this together – therapeutic bond and establishing a coherent sense of self, 2.) Surfing the urge to ‘fix’ feelings – Sitting with emotions improved regulation and 3.) Seeing myself in a new light – Shifting self-blame to self-compassion enhanced self-efficacy. Theme 1 consisted of three subthemes. Participants described the quality of the therapeutic relationship as the fundamental foundation to (re)connecting with their needs, values and boundaries, which improved their sense of agency, self-esteem, therapeutic engagement and self-understanding. Shifting emotional avoidance to emotional engagement improved their self-regulation. Considering alternative factors that could have contributed to their experiences helped them to defuse self-blame and enhance self-compassion. Finally, changes in their mental health led to positive relational changes in their relationship with their infant and improved communication with partners.DiscussionSensitivity, engagement and responsivity experienced in the therapist-woman relationship was reported to be mirrored in the mother-infant relationship. Developing a coherent sense of self and self-regulation skills both appeared to heighten women’s self-compassion and empathy for their infants, which also seemed to improve their ability to tolerate uncertainty and mixed emotions within themselves and their infants. The mechanisms of change in the perinatal period are important to consider at a stakeholder, therapist and service management level to parsimoniously and best meet the needs of women and the mother-infant relationship