A study of families' satisfaction with a family interventions in psychosis service in Somerset

Abstract

Although research has shown the efficacy of family interventions in psychosis, there has been little research into families' own experience of services in routine clinical settings. Fifteen of the first twenty-two referrals to a Somerset Family Interventions Service agreed to take part in semistructured interviews regarding family satisfaction and clinical outcome. High levels of engagement and satisfaction with the service were reported in spite of initial apprehension regarding family sessions. Family members thought that the sessions had helped them deal more effectively with problems and relatives' symptoms. They valued the opportunity for open discussion, developing new perspectives and problem-solving, as well as liaison/closer working with mental health services. Positive therapeutic qualities/skills (e.g. empathic, non-judgemental approach; mutually agreed goals) were highlighted. This study also indicated that successful engagement in family work requires referral at an early stage. The findings of this study, particularly those relating to the therapeutic relationship, are discussed, including their relevance for future research.

Clients’ Relational Conceptions of Conjoint Couple and Family Therapy Quality: A Grounded Formal Theory

“…Clients’ pretherapy reflections can include a degree of hopefulness about their prospects for coming to therapy with convictions that their lives will be better by the end of treatment (Ward et al., 2007). They also can envision specific outcomes such as therapy helping them to create closer relationships or to making sense of things in their lives (Stanbridge, Burbach, Lucas, & Carter, 2003). This sense of confidence in the therapeutic process may be greater than the certainty that they feel about themselves or their family members (e.g., trusting a spouse after an affair; Bird, Butler, & Fife, 2007).…”

“…Along with feelings of hopefulness, clients may be concerned about (a) how they will be treated, (b) whether or not they will be treated sensitively, (c) whether or not therapists would be trained sufficiently to be trusted with sensitive issues, and (d) what pain they may suffer in therapy (Gehart‐Brooks & Lyle, 1999; Ma, 2000; Stanbridge et al., 2003). An ultimate client concern seems to be the possibility that therapy might not be successful or that the experience could make things worse.…”

“…An ultimate client concern seems to be the possibility that therapy might not be successful or that the experience could make things worse. For some families, these concerns may not be merely hypothetical, but based upon a lack of confidence owing to previous bad experiences with mental health services (Gehart‐Brooks & Lyle, 1999; Ma, 2000; Stanbridge et al., 2003). Conversely, clients may be more hopeful about their clinical prospects based upon being referred by a trusted referral source who can positively recommend therapy and the therapists (Davis & Piercy, 2007).…”

“…Once in therapy, clients reported the sessions to be a safe haven of comfort and hope where they could experience a respectful and relaxed atmosphere in which to converse (Allen & St. George, 2001; Newfield et al., 1990). Those clients expressing a positive experience with therapy had a tendency to use words such as supportive, unbiased, nonjudgmental, warmth, feeling accepted, engaged, context for change, collaborative, comfortable, caring, involvement, trust, and understanding (Howe, 1996; Odell, Butler, & Dielman, 2005; Schäfer, 2008; Singer, 2005; Smetana & Bigner, 2005; Smith, Yoshioka, & Winton, 1993; Stanbridge et al., 2003; Ward et al., 2007; Young & Cooper, 2008). Of critical importance to some clients was having a regularly scheduled session where they could (a) interact with each other differently, (b) limit the influence of their everyday problems (Bischoff & McBride, 1996; Ward et al., 2007; Wark, 1994b), and (c) focus on relationships (Bowman & Fine, 2000).…”

“…Through this supportive give‐and‐take, clients “explained that as they began to feel understood, even the therapist’s seemingly offhand comments had powerful impact,” and that “their therapist was fully invested both in the treatment and in them as people” (Bischoff & McBride, 1996, p. 122). Clients expressed a desire that therapists endeavor to transcend the usual roles of therapist and client by (a) learning from the client as much as the client is learning from the therapist (Bischoff & McBride, 1996), (b) verifying matters with the clients (Young & Cooper, 2008), and (c) asking clients their perspectives on the usefulness of the sessions (Stanbridge et al., 2003).…”