BackgroundWhile walking in nature has been shown to improve affect in adults from the community to a greater extent than walking in urban settings, it is unknown whether such findings can be generalized to individuals suffering from depression. Using a parallel group design, this randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a single walk in nature versus urban settings on negative and positive affect in adult psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodParticipants recruited from a psychiatric outpatient clinic for adults with MDD were randomly assigned to a nature or urban walk condition. Thirty-seven adults (mean age=49 years) completed a single 60-minute walk. Negative and positive affect were assessed using The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule or PANAS at 6 time points: before the walk, halfway during the walk, immediately post-walk, at home before bedtime, 24 hours post-walk, and 48 hours post-walk.ResultsControlling for baseline levels of affect before the walk, individuals who walked in nature experienced overall lower levels of negative affect, F(1, 35.039)=4.239, p=.047, compared to those who walked in urban settings. Positive affect did not differ across walk conditions.LimitationsThe generalizability of results are limited by the small sample size and the presence of more female than male participants.ConclusionsWalking in nature might be a useful strategy to improve the affect of adults with MDD. Future research should investigate different ways to integrate the beneficial effects of nature exposure into existing treatment plans for psychiatric outpatients with MDD.
Clinical supervision is the main method by which mental health professionals acquire the competence to deliver safe and effective therapy. The cognitive behavioural supervision (CBS) approach to supervision parallels CBT in structure and form, which may facilitate learning. Although supervision is integral to trainee development, little is known about what CBS interventions trainees consider helpful. Using a qualitative content analysis methodology, we aimed to identify the specific CBS interventions that trainees find most helpful. Eight trainees completing a CBT rotation in an out-patient hospital setting received weekly individual supervision by staff psychiatrists and psychologists. Following each supervision meeting, trainees completed open-ended responses describing what they found most and least helpful. Responses from 127 meetings were coded using a CBS framework. Overall, trainees found many aspects of supervision helpful. The interventions most frequently noted as valuable were teaching, planning, formulating, training/experimenting, and evaluation of their work. When trainees mentioned unhelpful events, insufficient collaboration and a desire for more or less supervision structure were most frequently noted. These results suggest that the perceived helpfulness of supervision may be tied to the use of CBS interventions that provide trainees with concrete skills that facilitate learning. Further suggestions and implications for supervisors are discussed.
Key learning aims
(1)
To identify the aspects of cognitive behavioural supervision that trainees perceive as most and least helpful for their learning.
(2)
To integrate trainees’ perspectives with the existing research on supervision satisfaction.
(3)
To consider limitations, challenges and future directions of cognitive behavioural supervision research.
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