To explore the cognitive treatment preferences of young people with mental illness. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study aimed to provide the first comprehensive evidence on the prevalence and predictors of dropout in psychological interventions for pathological health anxiety. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This review examines the effect of therapists' internalized relational models on the treatment process (e.g., therapeutic alliance and countertransference) and treatment outcomes (e.g., symptoms and functioning). To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of psychological interventions (CBT, EMDR, expressive/art, mindfulness, mixed elements, NET and psychoeducation) in reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety in forced migrants. Open access article - no login required.
...consistent evidence about patients' commitment is missing. The present meta-analysis addresses this gap by systematically comparing drop-out rates in animal-assisted psychotherapy and by relating the resulting across study drop-out rate to across study drop-out rates reported in meta-analyses on conventional psychotherapy. Open access article - no login required
We worked alongside services to understand barriers and facilitators of the implementation of cognitive therapy for PTSD (a type of tf-CBT) to CEYP. Open access article - no login required
Study of the effects of psychoanalytic therapy versus cognitive–behavioural therapy for chronic depression in adults with a history of childhood trauma. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This systematic review aims to identify the reported facilitators and barriers of implementing evidence-based psychological interventions in CRHTTs. Open access article - no login required.
The current study aims to examine the efficacy of CBT delivered via videoconferencing (VCBT) for GAD using a randomized controlled trial design comparing an immediate treatment group to a waitlist control. Open access article - no login required
We sought to determine prevalence rates of high risk for psychosis in UK primary care mental health services and clinical outcomes following routinely delivered psychological therapies. Open access article - no login required
This systematic review evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of digitally enhanced psychological assessments and treatments for paranoia across the paranoia continuum. Open access article - no login required.
This novel review explores the experiences of clinicians and clients when creating a formulation, specifically the barriers and facilitators to collaborating on a formulation. Open access article - no login required.
The current study aimed to systematically search, review and synthesize the literature on CBT and MI training to assess its effect on practitioner behavioural outcomes. Open access article - no login required.
The current study reports findings from a randomized controlled feasibility trial (N = 33; Mage = 11.79 years, SD = 3.08; 63.6% White; 66.7% female) that measured youths’ resting RSA, RSA reactivity, and RSA recovery in response to a pretreatment laboratory challenge. Open access article - no login required.
This study explored working alliance (WA) in a clinic serving individuals with APS to see how WA changed across the course of treatment and its relation to APS. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study aimed to qualitatively explore the experience of childhood adverse events and coping strategies employed by individuals that promote resilience and better mental health outcomes. Open access article - no login required.
This pilot study explores the effectiveness and feasibility of a group treatment program for youth offenders with cognitive deficits and mental health concerns in youth detention. Open access article - no login required
This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of guided self-help ICBT (GSH ICBT) and unguided self-help ICBT (SH ICBT) against active and passive control conditions in adults with OCD. Open access article - no login required.
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the possibilities and effects of imagery-based interventions that explicitly target negative images in (sub)clinical social anxiety. Open access article - no login required.
Change of threat expectancy as mechanism of exposure-based psychotherapy for anxiety disorders: Evidence from 8,484 exposure exercises of 605 patients. Clinical Psychological Science, 2023
Implications for practice and research:
Implementing waiting-list interventions, offering regular updates on queue position and estimated wait times, and providing information about support services can alleviate the uncertainty of prolonged waits and mitigate dropouts among individuals with learning disabilities and comorbid mental conditions.
To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This editorial presents ten principles for the design and development of effective psychological treatments for psychosis. Open access article - no login required.
This trial found greater intensity of psychotherapy leads to better outcomes of both depression and personality status in people with comorbid depression and personality disorder. Open access article - no login required.
This review synthesized existing studies of group psychological therapy to reduce distress symptoms in healthcare workers. Open access article - no login required.
The current study tests the hypotheses that patients who are high in interpersonal sensitivity benefit less from CBT for symptoms of depression and anxiety, show a slower rate of change in those symptoms, and are more likely to drop out of treatment. Open access article - no login required
Poor sleep is highly prevalent in young people and increases risk of mental health difficulties, yet access to sleep interventions remains limited. This paper evaluates the use of a sleep intervention delivered by non-expert practitioners in a secondary care youth mental health service. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The cornerstone of this study is it’s contribution to our learning about what works for whom – and when it works best. Having personally discussed with many clients and ex-clients the changes to service provision that COVID-19 brought, the recurring main theme is the importance of patient choice and the concern that services who are still working predominantly or exclusively remotely are not offering this. We have gained a lot from digital developments during this period, which has increased access to therapy for many people; but we must not let this overshadow the preferences of others who may need other adaptations to ensure they can access services in a timely and appropriate way.
"Overall, this study has important implications for practice, as it is a novel anti-stigma intervention that has been tested on members of the public in a real workplace setting, with initial results showing potential benefits for both companies and their employees. In comparison to existing workplace interventions, which often target individuals already struggling with mental illness, this intervention was developed with universal implementation in mind."
Patients showed a stronger preference for CAT-GSH, compared to CBT-GSH, and CAT-GSH participants were found to be more likely to complete full treatment. However, findings seem to indicate that preference accommodation did not have an impact on clinical outcomes, and the two GSH versions evaluated were found to be equally effective treatment options for the treatment of anxiety. Hence, CAT-GSH may represent an effective and well-tolerated option that could be offered to anxious patients in primary care settings.
There is a need to improve the training and supervision of specialist and non-specialist professionals working with trafficking survivors. Further training for non-specialist stakeholders and professionals who are in frequent and close contact with survivors, for example in camps or government accommodations, is also required. Survivors of trafficking are in contact with many organisations and sectors, and they may not disclose their experiences outright; therefore providing training which improves understanding of modern slavery should be a priority for all major psychological, housing, employment, welfare, and immigration support networks and organisations (among others).
The study findings imply dedicated interventions for specific needs at each stage of recovery are required.
A strong cooperative bond between the patient and provider (“therapeutic alliance”) is robustly associated with better alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment outcomes. Although digital treatments for AUD have significant potential, the function of the alliance during digital programs is unclear. We compared the validity of patient-reported measures of the alliance with a digital treatment (“digital alliance”) for AUD and the alliance with their clinician (“clinician alliance”). To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Psychotherapy for self-harm - Hannah Wallace summarises a systematic review exploring people's experiences of psychotherapy for self-harming behaviours.
Healthcare providers are at high risk of occupational burnout, which has negative implications on the individual, their profession, the organisation and their patients. Psychologists are particularly susceptible to the repercussions of burnout due to the emotionally draining nature and content of their work. However, research has failed to outline and evaluate effective interventions for burnout within the profession. This study aimed to investigate the treatment effectiveness of burnout through a systematic literature review. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Low self-esteem can impair daily functioning and is a risk or maintenance factor for several mental health problems. Sexual minority young adults, for example, those identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, on average have lower self-esteem than their heterosexual peers. Compassion-based interventions for low self-esteem might be especially beneficial for sexual minority young adults, whose higher levels of shame and self-criticism are likely to be contributing to maintenance of their low self-esteem.
Emotion regulation is an integral part of the schema therapy model. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the evidence on the associations between early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), difficulties with emotion regulation and alexithymia.
The usefulness of therapists' self-disclosure (TSD) in psychotherapy remains controversial, and little is known regarding the potential risks and benefits of TSD in times of global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic and in teletherapy. We examined two independent samples of therapists (N = 1705; Study 1) and patients (N = 772; Study 2) on their perceptions of increases in TSD during the transition to teletherapy early in the COVID-19 pandemic (spring 2020).
Although this study suggested that long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy in combination with treatment as usual was not cost-effective compared with TAU, there may be more explanations to this. Given the sustained long-term effects over the follow-up period and the trajectory of treatment benefits in the LTPP+TAU group, it seems plausible that the timescale of this study was too short to accurately portray the long-term benefits of LTPP.
The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise qualitative evidence on young people's conceptualisation, utilisation and experiences of the therapeutic alliance in individual psychotherapy or counselling and its role in bringing about change.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and other sexual and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) persons frequently lack access to mental health service organizations (MHOs) and therapists who are competent with LGBTQ+ clients. Existing continuing education programmes to better equip therapists to work with LGBTQ+ clients are often not widely accessible or skills focused, evaluated for effectiveness and inclusive of MHO administrators who can address the organizational climate needed for therapist effectiveness. A virtual, face-to-face, multi-level (administrators and therapists) and multi-strategy (technical assistance, workshop and clinical consultations) LGBTQ+ cultural competence training—the Sexual and Gender Diversity Learning Community (SGDLC)—was tested in a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Bouldering psychotherapy (BPT) for depression has proven effective, but nothing is known about its potential predictors of response. This study should identify predictors of response to BPT, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and an active control (home-based exercise programme; EP) using a literature-based model.
The association between loneliness, negative cognitions, and emotions indicate that cognitive behavioural therapy techniques focused on the ‘here and now’, such as cognitive restructuring and exposure, may be helpful to enhance satisfaction from in-person social interactions. This may be particularly helpful for people with psychosis to navigate fears of rejection and facilitate a connection with individuals outside their close social circles. It would be interesting to explore how these techniques might alter neural sensitivity to social reward and increase social motivation.
The integration of smoking cessation treatment in NHS Talking Therapies would help people with mental health conditions who smoke receive evidence-based support for both at the same time and location. However, more funding and staffing of these talking therapies would be necessary if the intervention was implemented. There are already long-wait times of twenty-three weeks (162 days) for an initial consultation for NHS Talking Therapies (NHS, n.d.). Making another population eligible for these services would potentially overwhelm these services and increase wait times. With the evidence in mind, it would be useful for clinicians to gather information on smoking and substance use during the initial mental health assessment and inform their practice.
Guided self-help (GSH) for anxiety is widely implemented in primary care services because of service efficiency gains, but there is also evidence of poor acceptability, low effectiveness and relapse. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The review showed that robust evidence for the effectiveness of iCBT as an add-on to TAU is still limited, with results not necessarily generalisable to people from different backgrounds based on age, gender, education, and mental healthcare settings. Clearly more research is needed, as remotely delivered, self-guided iCBT has the promise to increase accessibility and be more cost-effective.
To manage ‘treatment-resistant depression’, research has demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach should be utilised (i.e., administration of medication as well as psychological support). In the current study, psilocybin was administered during a single session of psychological support. More research needs to be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using psilocybin alongside a course of psychological support (e.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
There is mounting evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy with a trauma focus (CBT-TF) delivered via guided internet-based self-help is noninferior to CBT-TF delivered face-to-face for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of mild-to-moderate severity. The availability of multiple evidence-based treatment options creates a need to determine predictors of outcome to enable clinicians to make informed treatment recommendations. We examined perceived social support as a predictor of treatment adherence and response among 196 adults with PTSD enrolled in a multicenter pragmatic randomized controlled noninferiority trial.
The aim of this qualitative study is to explore patients' perspectives on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for early stages of psychosis. Therefore, we interviewed participants of the INTERACT study, that quantitatively investigated Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL) in combination with treatment as usual, for early stages of psychosis, comparing it to treatment as usual.