“My Journey Map”: Developing a Qualitative Approach to Mapping Young People's Progress in Residential Rehabilitation

Abstract

Young people with substance misuse issues are at risk of harm from significant negative health and life events. Contemporary research notes both an historical failure to recognise the unique needs of adolescents, and the ongoing need for dedicated adolescent treatment programs and outcome measures. It is concerning that there is so little literature assessing the quality, availability, and effectiveness of adolescent-focussed treatment programs, and no adolescent-specific measurement tools centred on a young person's progress in residential treatment. This paper reports on the process of developing a qualitative approach to mapping progress in treatment over time. The research seeks to develop an approach that captures, at three points in time and from multiple viewpoints, the progress of young people in four residential rehabilitation services located in New South Wales and Western Australia, across several dimensions of the personal and social aspects of life. Our aim is to develop an approach that is accessible to the alcohol and other drug (AOD) workforce, and that informs the development of a psychometrically robust quantitative measure of progress that is meaningful and useful both to practitioners and to the young people themselves.3

Introducing the youth residential rehabilitation service: An operational and experiential overview of a psychosocial residential support option for young people experiencing mental health challenges

“…Phases could foster a sense of community and preparedness as they offer a frame to understand one's experience in relation to the program. Given accounts of uncertainty and tentativeness during the Arriving phase, and the complexity of the Continuing phase, hearing descriptions developed from others' experiences might be reassuring, foster empathy and help manage expectations (Roarty et al, 2012; Wilson et al, 2013).…”

Using narratives to understand progress in youth alcohol and other drug treatment

“…Preliminary discussions with clients and staff at the services where the research was conducted indicated that the stories resonated with them as both providers and consumers; the applicability of short narratives for use as part of an outcomes measurement tool is currently being established in a subsequent research project funded through an Australian Research Council grant. The second stage of the research project involves exploring the possibility of embedding stories into practice settings as a means for measuring young people’s progress through treatment (Roarty et al , 2012).…”

Utilizing journey mapping to evaluate youth programs and social service systems: Case studies

“…There are several examples of journey mapping in the medical sector to improve patient experience and medical outcomes (Philpot et al, 2019;McDonald et al, 2017), including some with a focus on improving medical outcomes for communities that have been underserved by the health care system (Koski et al, 2017). It is also increasingly being used to examine public service programs, such as the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program (Panzera et al, 2017), and behavior-change programs, such as recovery programs for adolescents (Roarty et al, 2012).…”