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This qualitative study aimed to explore characteristics that sustain therapists' resilience over years of practice. Ten highly resilient therapists were recruited during two phases of sample screening: peer nomination and the use of quantitative scales. Data were collected through in-person interviews and analyzed using grounded theory. Results as characteristics showed that highly resilient therapists are (a) drawn to strong interpersonal relationships, (b) actively engage with self, (c) possess a core values and beliefs framework, and (d) desire to learn and grow. The authors identified a central characteristic that interlinks with each characteristic: have a strong web of vibrant connectedness. Implications for counselor resilience development, training, and supervision are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction: Although group facilitation is a common task for occupational therapists in inpatient mental health settings and groups provide excellent opportunities to observe functioning, it can be difficult to report this information efficiently and effectively. To overcome these challenges, a group participating rating scale was developed. The scale was printed onto stickers so that upon completion, it could be placed directly into the medical record. This pilot study was undertaken to explore the measurement properties and construct validity of the rating scale., Method: Data were extracted from 528 rating scales completed for 51 individuals admitted to the inpatient unit where the study was conducted. Many-faceted Rasch analysis was used to examine several aspects of validity: rating scale validity; item functioning and person performance validity; statistical validity; and overall construct validity. In addition, to explore the capacity of the scale to detect change over time, the data were explored for differences in ratings over the course of individuals' admissions., Results: Rating scale functioning, item functioning and person performance validity were generally acceptable and statistical validity was good. Overall construct validity was generally acceptable, although there was a substantial 'ceiling effect' present. There were significant differences between ratings for individuals over time, suggesting that the scale may be effective in detecting change over time., Conclusion: The rating scale has two main benefits: improving the quality and consistency of reporting of group participation assessment findings and the potential ability to track the quality (and quantity) of group participation over time. Other, secondary benefits included recognition of occupational therapy and reduced documentation time., (© 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia.)

This paper provides a guide for supervisors in inpatient and partial hospital settings who train beginning group therapists in a variety of group modalities. It addresses basic issues facing the neophyte therapist, including structural aspects of the group, problematic member behaviors, and useful interventions that maximize member engagement and increase overall therapeutic effectiveness.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to synthesize the findings of qualitative studies examining the experience of individuals with mental health difficulties attending mindfulness-based interventions., Method: A meta-synthesis of 15 qualitative studies was carried out, using a thematic synthesis approach., Results: The meta-synthesis identified eight analytical themes: 'prior experiences and expectations', 'normalising and supportive process of the group', 'relating differently to thoughts and feelings', 'acceptance', 'a sense of control and choice', 'relationship with self and others', 'struggles', and 'awareness'., Conclusions: A conceptual framework is presented which accounts for the participants' experiences and suggests a process through which they renegotiate their relationship with their mental health difficulties.

Objectives: Medical students have been shown to have high levels of psychological distress, including self-stigmatization and unwillingness to seek care. The authors hypothesized that a student-led curriculum involving personal mental illness experience, given during the first-year neuroscience course, and titled "Mental Illness Among Us (MIAU)," would reduce stigma of mental illness., Method: In 2010 and 2011, students completed voluntary pre- and post-MIAU surveys measuring attitudes regarding mental illness in relation to MIAU. Also, in 2011, the authors categorized topics mentioned in student responses to an open-ended, free-response question on the course final examination., Results: Of 298 enrolled students, 250 submitted surveys that were matched pre- and post-intervention. Participants in the curriculum showed a significant difference in Social Distance, indicating an increased willingness to interact with individuals with mental illness, and a significant difference in the Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitudes (MICA) score representing a stronger agreement with positive statements regarding mental illness. The non-participants' scores showed no changes in measures from pre- to post. Respondents most frequently reported that the neuroscience course prepared them to be a physician because it taught about compassion and the importance of treating the whole patient., Conclusion: The results indicate that participation in MIAU leads to a decrease in stigmatization of mental illness and a greater sense of compassion among UCSF medical students. This finding is consistent with previous research suggesting social and cognitive congruence among peers and peer-teachers can result in meaningful learning experiences. MIAU may represent a sustainable model to supplement current systems to promote well-being of medical trainees.

In analogy to somatic medicine, modern psychiatry strives to measure the outcome of treatment and care. In order to warrant an effective therapy, this request is reasonable from the standpoint of both the therapist and the patient as well as hospitals or insurance companies. However, how can I measure friendliness, empathy or humanity, the "being available for somebody"? For sure, psychiatric DRGs, which connote efficacy based on periods of time, are by no means suitable. The present study analyses routine clinical data of an ergotherapeutic questionnaire, as an aid to estimating treatment quality. The naturalistic character of this data collection during daily routine may be an advantage to assessing the quality of results in psychiatry.

This retrospective descriptive correlational study evaluated treatment satisfaction and the quality of life (QOL) of consumers with serious mental illness participating in a community mental health program that combined illness management and recovery strategies with a group appointment model. The Wellness Enhancement and Recovery Program (WERP) was evaluated to determine satisfaction with services and QOL of consumers over 3 years. Findings from the data analyses indicated that consumers in WERP were satisfied with treatment services and had a fair to good QOL. Satisfaction and QOL were moderately correlated., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This descriptive and comparative study employed a Q-sort process to describe common factors of therapy in two group therapies for inpatients with chronic mental illness. While pharmacological treatments for chronic mental illness are prominent, there is growing evidence that cognitive therapy is also efficacious. Groups examined were part of a larger study comparing the added benefits of cognitive versus supportive group therapy to the treatment milieu. In general, items described the therapist's attitudes and behaviors, the participants' attitudes and behaviors, or the group interactions. Results present items that were most and least characteristic of each therapy and items that discriminate between the two modalities. Therapists in both groups demonstrated good therapy skills. However, the cognitive group was described as being more motivated and active than the supportive group, indicating that the groups differed in terms of common as well as specific factors of treatment.

Inpatient groups are inherently different from outpatient groups and require modification in approach. Patients' needs, staff interests and expertise, and the needs of the health care system are major driving forces in the development of inpatient groups. A co-therapy model helps to achieve a balance between skills and abilities of the therapist.

Utilized a naturalistic methodology to examine treatment responses associated with major psychotherapeutic methods in 150 youth aged 11 to 17 years old in a community mental health center. Treatment methods were not experimentally controlled but were measured retrospectively by therapist report. Treatment response was assessed by a composite of 6 measures completed by clients, parents, and therapists. Pretest/posttest comparisons indicated improved functioning in the sample as a whole. Treatment response was not related to the proportion of therapy using individual, family, or group modalities. Therapy response was positively associated with extent of use of cognitive therapy. Social skills training, behavior therapy, and family systems therapy were associated with more positive treatment response in some subgroups of clients. The number of approaches used in an individual case (technical eclecticism) was positively related to client response. Treatment response was more consistently related to level of client and parent functioning in therapy than to treatment method.

1. Many people with mental illness experience low self-esteem. They tend to minimize their own positive attributes, strengths, and abilities, making it difficult to accept positive feedback. 2. As an alternative to the one-to-one relationship, the Self-Esteem Group provides a situation in which self-esteem can be increased through constructive social interactions, trust, and support from group members. 3. Structured exercises, which encourage sharing and development of positive aspects of self, were completed by group members during each session. These exercises made it easier for group members to focus ideas, feelings, and experiences related to the topic for discussion.

Psychoeducation has been used successfully with families of patients with psychiatric illness for over the past two decades. Modifying this model for use with mentally ill patients has demonstrated to both patients and staff the positive impact that knowledge can have on patients' functioning and attitudes. The model described has three objectives: (1) to impart information about psychiatric illness, medication and treatment regimens as a way of increasing patients' understanding, (2) to provide a forum which facilitates the integration of this information through group discussions with other patients and (3) to teach and model some specific management skills for patients as they deal with their illnesses.

Data from 12 families of chronic mentally ill young adults who were living in a supportive residential facility were used to compare the effects on family functioning of a multiple-family psychoeducational group and a multiple-family support group. The psychoeducational group provided information about mental illness and family dynamics and taught effective communication and conflict management skills. The support group consisted of unstructured discussions about topics raised by the families. Both groups met once a week for five weeks and included both parents and their mentally ill adult children. The emotional climate, level of organization, and other aspects of the family environment were assessed before and after treatment and at three-month follow-up. Both groups helped families to become more cohesive, to manage conflict more effectively, and to obtain a greater internal locus of control.

Group psychotherapy has long been a part of most inpatient and partial hospital programs, but conducting groups in these settings has become more difficult as the average patient stay has shortened. The authors integrate findings from previous research in which patients ranked the importance of several therapeutic processes in acute care groups, and they suggest a theory of group psychotherapy that incorporates realistic clinical objectives for these short-term settings. Seven therapeutic factors--self-responsibility, self-understanding, instillation of hope, group cohesiveness, catharsis, altruism, and universality--are identified as important in promoting patient change. Specific techniques to enhance these factors in short-term settings are recommended.

Hospitalized psychiatric patients frequently have deficits in their problem-solving abilities. An inpatient problem-solving group provides a therapeutic experience in which patients learn and apply the problem-solving process to practical and interpersonal difficulties they are presently experiencing. Two problem-solving group models, derived from cognitive-behavior theory, are suggested to accommodate diverse levels of inpatient functioning. Implications for nursing practice and recommendations are addressed.

This article describes the reorganization of one part of an individual, home visiting service for mentally dysfunctional women into a group intervention. Deinstitutionalization has been followed by escalating health care costs, cost containment, and restructuring of services, affecting the already constrained resources for community psychiatric services. Faced with these challenges, a nursing staff, under the administration of a clinical specialist psychiatric nurse, began reorganization of a home visiting service with one trial group. The model group used the prior success reports of groups that were adapted prospectively with a focus on immediate needs and led by nurses for women. The aims were to enhance social supports of the clients while reducing their relapse rates and to reduce the personnel time and cost. Evaluation found that these objectives were met. Thus, the involvement of nurses in the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of its services demonstrates success in the redesign and reorganization of community psychiatric services.

In this paper we present the development of an open-ended, unstructured, voluntary, unselected group which has met twice a week over a nine-month period. We further evaluate the use of this group in lieu of ward rounds, concluding that observations in a small group afford an effective adjunct to assessing a patient's current mental status. The group further provides a unique, on-going evaluation of the patient's interaction with others and, therefore, a better understanding of his individual problems. Group observations and the post-group meetings proved to be helpful teaching devices. The authors propose the use of this type of group therapy as a modification to the traditional medical model used on psychiatric units in general hospitals.

An attitudinal survey was completed by 29 patients (mostly chronic schizophrenics) in order to measure the preference and rank of 21 activity groups comprising the weekly schedule of a partial-hospitalization day program. Using a scale from 1.0 to 5.0, each group's popularity is scored by patients and by staff. Patient variables of age, sex, education, and residential status are discussed in relation to each group's popularity. The paper interprets the reason and dynamics of each group's preferential score and rank. Program evaluation is achieved from analysis of patient and staff response. Guidelines are offered for changing group activity schedules.