Background
There is growing evidence in the literature on the use of positive mental health (PMH) interventions among clinical samples. This qualitative study aims to explore the definitions of PMH from psychotherapists’ perspectives, and to examine views and attitudes related to the construct.
Methods
Focus group discussions were conducted with psychotherapists at a tertiary psychiatric institute. Focus group sessions were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach.
Results
Five themes related to psychotherapists’ definition of PMH were identified: (1) acceptance; (2) normal functioning and thriving in life; (3) resilience; (4) positive overall evaluation of life; (5) absence of negative emotions and presence of positive emotion states. Themes related to views and attitudes towards PMH were: (1) novel and valuable for psychotherapy; (2) reservations with terminology; (3) factors influencing PMH.
Conclusion
PMH in psychotherapy is a multidimensional concept that means more than symptom management and distress reduction in clients. There is potential value for its application in psychotherapy practice, though some concerns need to be addressed before it can be well integrated.
This study examined the efficacy and acceptability of a hybrid, clinician-guided internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) programme for outpatients with depression in a psychiatric hospital in Singapore. Fifty three participants were randomly assigned to a treatment or wait-list control group before they underwent a cross-over of conditions. Treatment consisted of a 4-week iCBT with three face-to-face sessions. 60.9% of participants who received treatment completed all six modules. Intention-to-treat analysis showed treatment was associated with significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress but not in functional impairment, while the control condition was not associated with changes in any measures. These reductions had moderate to large effect sizes (ESs) for symptoms of depression and anxiety, and moderate ES for psychological distress. The between-group difference in depression score had a moderate ES. There was a significant between-group treatment effect in depressive symptoms, but not in the other measures. Treatment gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Most of the participants were highly satisfied with the programme, with 90 percent stating they would recommend it. This is the first RCT to provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy and acceptability of iCBT for depression in Singapore.
Objective Keyes’s two-continua model of mental health proposes that mental illness and positive mental health are two separate, correlated, unipolar dimensions. eHealth services have been used to deliver mental health care, though the focus remained largely on symptom reduction and management of negative aspects of mental health. The potential of eHealth services to promote positive mental well-being, however, has not been tapped sufficiently. The present study aims to explore psychotherapists’ perspective on the feasibility of eHealth services to enhance positive mental health promotion. Methods Seven focus group discussions were conducted among professionals ( n = 38) who delivered psychotherapy to examine positive mental health in their practice. Responses related to the use of e-psychotherapy to promote mental well-being were extracted for use in a secondary analysis of data in this study. Thematic analysis of data via inductive approach was conducted to allow emergence of common themes. Results Three main themes related to psychotherapists’ perspective on the feasibility of eHealth intervention in enhancing positive mental health were identified: (1) use of eHealth to educate and improve positive mental health; (2) concerns on incorporating psychotherapy into online services; (3) other factors that affect uptake or effectiveness of eHealth intervention for positive mental health. Conclusions The study generally found support among psychotherapists for the feasibility of eHealth intervention in promoting positive mental health among clients. Potential difficulties in implementation and practicality concerns were discussed.
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