Emotional Skills Groups: a qualitative study of client experiences.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Emotional Skills Groups: a qualitative study exploring client experiences of online group work in an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Service.
IRAS ID
307917
Contact name
Emma Bonnin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study aims to increase understanding of client experiences in emotional skills groups (an adaptation of the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy model).
Some researchers have argued for increased access to brief Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) influenced emotional skills groups. There is less known about groups that involve adaptations of DBT.
DBT was initially developed by Marsha Linehan (1993) for chronically suicidal patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Emotional skills groups currently running in Somerset Talking Therapies use a wider application of an adaptation of the DBT model (Lim and Stewart, 2018) in their transdiagnostic emotional skills groups for lower risk, non-suicidal clients who present with emotional dysregulation.
In thinking about whether these groups should continue to be delivered online or return to face-to-face and what might be helpful to measure in future service evaluation or any future quantitative research, it is important to understand how the current groups have been experienced from the client perspective.
The NHS Constitution for England (2021) sets out that services should be informed by the people who use them. This study provides a means to ensure that the views and experiences of clients influence service development and delivery.
It is anticipated that this study will provide new insights to support delivery of these groups in the future. Findings from this research may help to improve teaching notes, training and supervision. It is also hoped that this study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about adaptations of the DBT model.
There are three main aims:
1. To improve understanding of client experiences attending online emotional skills groups in Somerset NHS Talking Therapies.
2. To ensure that client experiences influence service development and delivery.
3. To contribute to the growing body of knowledge about adaptations of the DBT model.REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0030
Date of REC Opinion
15 Feb 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion