This has since developed and changed over time , in line with reduction of restrictions , but what has always been important is ensuring that the practical elements of the group remain at the centre .
What we found when we first opened our doors for the Recovery through Activity group in December 2020 , was that the content was incredibly important for those in a mental health crisis who had missed out on the social interaction of face-to-face group work , particularly peer support .
Our first group consisted of two clients . It has now grown over the past 18 months and over 70 clients have attended and benefitted from the group .
Success of the group
During 2021 a total of 58 clients attended the sessions and 48 of those participants provided us with feedback .
Participants were asked at the end of all sessions to rate how helpful they found the group , scored on a scale between one and 10 , where the lowest score equalled not helpful and the highest , extremely helpful . Everyone who responded scored the group as a five or above , with over half scoring the group between eight and 10 .
We also checked clients ’ mood at the start and end of each session on a scale between one and five . This indicated that , in general , all clients experienced better mood by the end of the sessions .
We also collected qualitative feedback , with comments including : ‘ It was a good group and [ it ] gave purpose to my day . Mental health doesn ’ t stop due to COVID restrictions , and the social interaction really helped . All the staff made me feel at ease , were helpful and supportive .’
Another participant said : ‘ The group helped me to feel less isolated and to progress with my recovery .’ While a third started : ‘ I found the sessions really helpful and learnt new things about myself and how to be well .’
Building on the success
Following the success of this group , we have since expanded our group work in the CRHTT Glaxo Unit . We now run a weekly programme of several different occupational-focused groups , including Recovery through Activity , which cover topics such as understanding anxiety , managing our physical health and improving motivation . We aim to expand and adapt as the needs of the service change over time .
We have learnt that despite challenges and disruptions , whether that be on a global scale such as the pandemic , or on an individual scale such as mental health crises , we continue to benefit from active participation in meaningful activity in order to recover or maintain our wellbeing .
Evidence link
Strong and Letts ( 2021 ) explored the narratives of people living with serious mental illness regarding their experiences of learning self-management skills , as well as the meaning of those experiences within recovery journeys and the context of healthcare delivery . Twenty five adults with psychosis experiences participated in semistructured interviews and co-created conceptual maps with an interviewer . Analysis identified eight self-management learning tasks : reaching personal understanding of illness experiences ; finding medications and services that ‘ work with me ’; trusting self and managing thoughts ; dealing with stigma and self-acceptance ; developing and using a support network ; discovering ways to accomplish daily living activities ; finding meaningful occupations that fit ; and integrating management of comorbidities . It was identified that self-management needs were not routinely addressed by services , and participants asked providers to ‘ teach us to teach ourselves ’ and ‘ invite clients ’ to the decision table .
Strong S , Letts L ( 2021 ) Personal narratives of learning self-management : lessons for practice based on experiences of people with serious mental illness . Australian Occupational Therapy Journal , 68 ( 5 ), 395 – 406 .
The importance of adaptability , flexibility and creativity throughout this journey can be reflected in many aspects of any occupational therapists ’ role and will continue in our work under the CRHTT .
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Office for National Statistics ( 2019 ) Exploring the UKs digital divide . Available online : https :// bit . ly / 3auwS1G [ accessed 26 April 2022 ].
Parkinson S ( 2014 ) Recovery through Activity : increasing participation in everyday life . London : Speechmark Publishing Ltd .
CORE Research Group ( n . d .) Crisis Resolution Team , Fidelity Scale , Version 2 . Available online at : www . ucl . ac . uk / core-study / sites / core-study / files / fidelityscale-final-pdf _ 0 . pdf [ accessed 13 April 2022 ]
Words ALICE HART , and MIA RESNICK , Specialist Occupational Therapists , Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation Trust
June 2022 OTnews 33