Case study of a psychotherapeutic programme for people with severe mental illness experience

Abstract

Objective: The case study aims at answering the following question: "What are the effects of a psychotherapeutic programme on its participants?" The psychotherapeutic programme under examination is intended for people with severe mental illness (SMI) experience and falls under community psychiatric care. The psychotherapeutic programme subject to this research can be an alternative to, or directly follow after, psychiatric hospitalisation, or can also be preventive. Methods: Both quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques were used; the participants were monitored over a period of one year. More specifically, data were obtained through participant observation, field notes, by analysing documents and using the SIS (Social Integration Survey) questionnaire, which was translated from the English original in cooperation with Dr. Jane Scott-Lennox, head of the team of authors at the Piedmont Research Institute. Results: The programme has a positive effect on improving communication, activation and increasing awareness in the sense of understanding the illness, treatment, self-discovery and insight, while respecting the participants' individual potential. In terms of recovery, it gives hope, contributes to developing and maintaining competences and skills, and promotes empowerment and restoration of social roles. Conclusions: The data obtained have confirmed that participation in a psychotherapeutic programme contributes to the participants' social integration.