Psychological therapy in early intervention services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Service users’ experiences of psychological therapy in early intervention services: A qualitative exploration.
IRAS ID
161102
Contact name
Kerry A Irving
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancaster University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 27 days
Research summary
Early intervention for psychosis services (EIS) have been recognised as effective and popular with service users and their families, with psychological therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and family therapy emerging as an important component of what is effective for many individuals. As part of this, it is important for psychological therapists to be aware of any factors that might make it harder for service users to access therapy or engage with the process once it begins. To date, little has been done to ask service users what might help them to engage with psychological therapies. As a result, this qualitative study aims to address the following questions:
1) What are the experiences of people accessing psychological therapy within an early intervention for psychosis service?
2) What factors are more or less helpful for service users when deciding to access psychological therapy within an early intervention for psychosis service?
Approximately 6 to 12 participants will be recruited from three EIS across the North West. Participants will have been referred for psychological therapy and will have attended at least one session. Participants will be invited to attend a one off interview lasting approximately one hour where they will discuss their journey to services, their decision to access psychological therapy and their experiences of therapy. The interviews will be transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis to identify key themes. It is hoped that the findings will provide information on how early intervention teams and practitioners can support people with emerging psychosis to access psychological therapy.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1357
Date of REC Opinion
29 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion