Time, Complexity, and the Meaning of Help: A Systematic Review of People&apos;s Experiences of Single-Session Therapy

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Single-session therapy (SST) is an approach to service delivery, based on the precept that the power for psychological change rests with the client. The following is a systematic review of the qualitative literature that considered the question, what are people's experiences of single-session therapy? Ten papers were selected for review. Analysis draws on Curt's (1994) concept of critical polytextuality, in which “texts” can be read to create multiple meanings. Findings suggest that what clients find helpful about SST matches what people find helpful about psychotherapy more generally. Unlike “more traditional,” longer-term psychological therapy however, SST is valued in terms of being available at the point of need (as opposed to the point at which someone reaches the top of a therapy waiting list). Analysis focuses on issues relating to time in therapy, what help means to different people, and how the complexities of people's lives may guide these meanings.

Related collections

Most cited references 47

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others

Brian E. Neubauer, Catherine Witkop, Lara Varpio (2019)

Introduction As a research methodology, phenomenology is uniquely positioned to help health professions education (HPE) scholars learn from the experiences of others. Phenomenology is a form of qualitative research that focuses on the study of an individual’s lived experiences within the world. Although it is a powerful approach for inquiry, the nature of this methodology is often intimidating to HPE researchers. This article aims to explain phenomenology by reviewing the key philosophical and methodological differences between two of the major approaches to phenomenology: transcendental and hermeneutic. Understanding the ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning these approaches is essential for successfully conducting phenomenological research. Purpose This review provides an introduction to phenomenology and demonstrates how it can be applied to HPE research. We illustrate the two main sub-types of phenomenology and detail their ontological, epistemological, and methodological differences. Conclusions Phenomenology is a powerful research strategy that is well suited for exploring challenging problems in HPE. By building a better understanding of the nature of phenomenology and working to ensure proper alignment between the specific research question and the researcher’s underlying philosophy, we hope to encourage HPE scholars to consider its utility when addressing their research questions.

0 comments Cited 278 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Realizing the Mass Public Benefit of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies: The IAPT Program

David M. Clark (2018)

Empirically supported psychological therapies have been developed for many mental health conditions. However, in most countries only a small proportion of the public benefit from these advances. The English Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program aims to bridge the gap between research and practice by training over 10,500 new psychological therapists in empirically supported treatments and deploying them in new services for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Currently IAPT treats over 560,000 patients per year, obtains clinical outcome data on 98.5% of these individuals, and places this information in the public domain. Around 50% of patients treated in IAPT services recover, and two-thirds show worthwhile benefits. The clinical and economic arguments on which IAPT is based are presented, along with details of the service model, how the program was implemented, and recent findings about service organization. Limitations and future directions are outlined.

0 comments Cited 134 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Little Treatments, Promising Effects? Meta-Analysis of Single-Session Interventions for Youth Psychiatric Problems.

Jessica L Schleider, John Weisz (2017)

Despite progress in the development of evidence-based interventions for youth psychiatric problems, up to 75% of youths with mental health needs never receive services, and early dropout is common among those who do. If effective, then single-session interventions (SSIs) for youth psychiatric problems could increase the accessibility, scalability, completion rates, and cost-effectiveness of youth mental health services. This study assessed the effects of SSIs for youth psychiatric problems.