Exploring which aspects of a low‐intensity CBT intervention were found to contribute to a successful outcome from the service user point of view: A mixed methods study

Thompson, Miles; Parker, Holly; Cave, Jodie

Abstract

The broad area of psychotherapy research is sometimes subdivided into that which focuses on outcome and that which focuses on process. Research into the active processes of psychotherapy can sometimes be occupied with debates around common versus specific factors. At the same time, within the process literature there has been increasing focus on the qualitative accounts of the service user in therapy and what they found to be significant or useful to them. The aim of this mixed methods study was twofold: first, to identify what elements of a relatively brief CBT intervention contributed to a successful outcome from the point of view of the service user. Participants were recruited at a low-intensity Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) service in the UK; and second, to attempt to frame those results within the common versus specific factor framework. Eight participants (5 males and 3 females) took part in this mixed methods research, which used semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis and brief quantitative questionnaire completion. Five overarching qualitative themes were identified in the data: three relating to common factors ('Insight’, ‘Talking’ and ‘Therapist qualities’); and two relating to specific factors (‘Responding differently to thoughts and feelings’ and ‘Tasks/activities’). Importantly, all participants spoke about the importance of both common and specific factors. The discussion relates the findings back to existing research, highlighting the relative importance of insight within the data set and the participant led focus on talking. Future directions are discussed.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 20, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jun 13, 2021
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Deposit Date: Jun 14, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: May 5, 2022
• Journal: Counselling and Psychotherapy Research
• Print ISSN: 1473-3145
• Electronic ISSN: 1746-1405
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 279-291
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12433
• Keywords: Applied Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Psychiatry and Mental health
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7470593
• Additional Information: Received: 2021-04-15; Accepted: 2021-05-20; Published: 2021-06-13