How service users experience formulations in therapy for psychosis v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a grounded theory of how service users experience and make use of formulations in therapy for psychosis
IRAS ID
215516
Contact name
Melanie Gibbs
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 22 days
Research summary
The current study will explore how service users experience and make use of formulations in therapy for psychosis. A formulation is a hypothesis regarding the development and maintenance of a person’s difficulties that draws on psychological theory. Formulations are often shared with service users in a written format during therapy, it is this experience that the current study will focus on.
Formulation is a central component of the psychological therapies most commonly practiced within the NHS. However, despite the importance placed on formulation it remains under researched. Research conducted so far suggests that service users feel ambivalent about formulation, further little is known about how people make use of them, if at all. Research in this area will encourage therapists to consider the implications of sharing formulations and may influence how they undertake the task in the future.
Qualitative research can be used to generate theory on under researched areas such as the current topic. Therefore, interviews will be conducted with service users lasting between 30 mins to one hour regarding their experiences of receiving a written formulation whilst in therapy for psychosis. Participants may be asked to take part in a second interview and will be given the opportunity to comment on the final write up of the study. Overall involvement with the study will last just under 1 year and 9 months.
Initially 6 participants will be interviewed from within South London and Maudsley NHS Promoting Recovery Teams. If the required number of participants is not achieved recruitment will be extended to the Early Intervention in Psychosis pathway. The second phase of data collection will be dependent on analysis of the initial interviews, this may lead to interviews with therapists as well as clients, either in pairs or independently, depending what is indicated by the initial analysis.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0019
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion