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Many health-care professionals leave clinical practice temporarily or permanently. Interventions designed to facilitate the return of health-care professionals fail to consider returners’ psychosocial needs despite their importance for patient care. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention in improving personal skills and well-being among UK-based health-care professionals returning to clinical practice.

In total, 20 health-care professionals took part in the one-day intervention and completed measures of demographics, self-efficacy, positive attitudes towards work and perceived job resources before and after the intervention. A baseline comparison group of 18 health-care professionals was also recruited.

Significant associations were detected between return-to-work stage and study group. Following the intervention, participants reported improvements in self-efficacy and, generally, perceived more job resources, whereas positive attitudes towards work decreased. While none of these changes were significant, the intervention was deemed acceptable by participants. This study provides modest but promising evidence for the role of psychoeducation as a tool in supporting the psychosocial needs of returning health-care professionals.

Additional research is needed to clarify the reliability of intervention effects, its effectiveness compared to alternative interventions, and the impact across different subgroups of returning health-care professionals.

Return-to-practice interventions should address the psychosocial needs of health-care professionals in terms of their personal skills and well-being. Psychoeducation can increase self-efficacy and perceptions of job resources among returning health-care professionals.

This study sheds light on a relatively understudied, but fundamental area – the psychosocial challenges of health-care professionals returning to clinical practice – and further justifies the need for tailored interventions.

Those who care for people with schizophrenia and substance use disorders (PLS-SUD) are faced with the complex demands of a long journey to recovery. For the carers, this translates into specific needs related to various areas of their lives. However, few studies have contributed to the understanding of these carers’ needs. The purpose of this qualitative evaluative study is to identify, understand and prioritize the needs of PLS-SUD carers in the context of intervention design from the viewpoint of carers themselves (n = 9), those they were accompanying (n = 5) and other key actors involved (n = 10).

A design of action research was employed. Data analysis was done in three phases: concept map analysis, thematic analysis and transversal analysis of the results from two focus groups, 28 interview transcriptions and a logbook.

Over 60 needs were identified. After review, 39 of those were selected for prioritization. For needs related to the carers’ role as clients of the health-care system, the committee prioritized the needs for support, sharing with other carers and improving their own well-being. For the role of supporter, knowledge about substance use disorders and their interactions with psychotic disorders as well as skills such as communication and problem resolution were considered priorities. Needs to be prioritized relating to the role of partner were fewer.

The results of this study highlight the diversity and complexity of the needs experienced by carers.

This is among the first needs surveys carried out by stakeholders to describe the needs of PLS-SUD carers.

Bipolar disorder is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, and therefore, it is crucial to research and develop effective interventions for this population (Grande et al., 2016). Unfortunately, research on the efficacy of current interventions shows only small improvements in symptoms and quality of life (Oud et al., 2016). Additionally, individuals with bipolar disorder face barriers to accessing care like social stigma, isolation and financial constraints (Blixen et al., 2016). This paper aims to introduce and examine the effectiveness of an accessible, peer-led group program, Mood Lifters (Votta and Deldin, 2022), in those who completed the program and also self-reported a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Mood Lifters is a 15-week, peer-led group program that approaches mental wellness from a biopsychosocial framework using strategies from a variety of evidence-based treatment methods (e.g. cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, etc.). Participants meet once a week for 1 hour to review various mental health topics, including behavioral changes and insight into mood patterns. Individuals who participated in nonacademic groups in a company setting and self-reported a bipolar diagnosis were surveyed at the beginning and end of their program to measure various aspects of psychological functioning.

Results suggest that these individuals experienced significant improvements in depression, anxiety, social functioning and perceived stress, along with flourishing and positive and negative affect.

These findings are promising, given that bipolar disorder is historically difficult to treat (Grande et al., 2016). Based on this preliminary evidence, the authors have developed a Mood Lifters program specifically for individuals with bipolar disorder and are launching a randomized control clinical trial.

The mental health and well-being of employees is negatively impacted by stress, anxiety and depression. There is a need to address these issues at an organisational level to enhance workforce welfare and to decrease the number of days lost due to mental health/well-being concerns. This study aimed to evaluate a mental health and well-being toolkit designed to enhance the resilience, coping and self-talk of employees.

The intervention was derived from counselling psychology and composed of an 8-hour programme, which was delivered over four consecutive weeks. A mixed methods approach was adopted, with the quantitative element assessing an intervention group (n = 10) and control group (n = 14) at baseline and at the end of the programme on measures of mental health and well-being. The qualitative aspect of the study involved interviews with the intervention group, which were thematically analysed..

Quantitatively, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in elements of resilience and well-being and a reduction in stress and anxiety. Qualitatively, participants experienced a positive effect on their well-being, benefited from the learning process, applied the taught strategies widely and found the session experience positive.

This was a small pilot study, nevertheless, the mixed methods nature of this investigation indicates that a counselling derived online training programme can enhance the well-being of employees within large organisations.

A remotely delivered mental health and well-being toolkit could be a useful resource to enhance the well-being of employees in all organisations.

College students report high levels of stress, with academic performance serving as a major contributor. The purpose of this study was to examine how drinking to cope with stressors related to student grade point average (i.e., GPA), while testing academic achievement orientations (i.e. mastery or performance) as possible moderators for this relationship.

In total, 325 undergraduate college students from a university in the Mountain West of the USA reported on GPA, daily drinking, coping and academic achievement orientations.

Drinking to cope negatively predicted GPA. Holding a mastery academic achievement orientation was related to higher GPA, whereas a performance academic achievement orientation was related to a more deleterious relationship between drinking to cope and GPA. However, neither orientation (i.e. mastery or performance) moderated the relationship between drinking to cope and GPA.

Regardless of academic achievement orientation, drinking to cope was negatively associated with GPA. The negative relationship between drinking to cope and GPA for those with a performance orientation may suggest that these students drink to cope with academic stressors. Importantly, students who choose to drink alcohol to cope with academic stress may paradoxically experience poorer academic performance. Future research should examine whether teaching a mastery orientation to college students can protect against the deleterious effects of drinking to cope on GPA.

A region’s transforming care partnership identified that autistic adults without an intellectual disability (ID) may be falling through gaps in services when presenting with a significant emotional and/or behavioural need in the absence of a mental health diagnosis. The region’s intensive support teams (ISTs) for adults with ID therefore piloted a short-term “behavioural support service” for this population. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this pilot.

This study represents a mixed-methods service evaluation over a four year pilot period. The quantitative component examined referral rates and demographic data of accepted and declined referrals; and length of referral episodes and Health of The Nation Outcomes Scores (HoNOS) for accepted referrals. The qualitative component used thematic analysis to identify key themes relating to reasons for referral, clinical/therapeutic needs, and the models of support that most informed assessments and interventions at individual and systems levels.

The ISTs accepted 30 referrals and declined 53. Most accepted referrals were male (83%), and under 24 years old (57%). Average HoNOS scores were above the thresholds generally associated with hospital admission. Key qualitative themes were: transitional support; sexual risks/vulnerabilities; physical aggression; domestic violence; and attachment, trauma and personality difficulties. Support mostly followed psychotherapeutic modalities couched in trauma, attachment and second- and third-wave cognitive behavioural therapies. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) did not emerge as a model of preference for service users or professionals.

This project represents one of the first of this type for autistic adults without an ID in the UK. It provides recommendations for future service development and research, with implications for Transforming Care policy and guidance.

By older adulthood, the majority of individuals will have experienced at least one traumatic event. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is proposed to improve effectivity of health-care provision and to reduce likelihood of services causing retraumatisation. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of staff training in TIC in older adult services.

TIC training was delivered across eight Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams in the same UK organisation. Questionnaires were administered before and after training: a psychometrically robust measure, the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care, was used to assess TIC-related attitudes, and a service-developed scale was used to measure changes in TIC competence. Data was analysed using linear mixed effects modelling (LMM). Qualitative data regarding the impact of training was gathered one month after training through a free-text questionnaire.

There were 45 participants, all of whom were white British. LMM on pre- and post-data revealed that staff training significantly increased competencies across all measured TIC domains. Overall, staff attitudes were also significantly more trauma-informed after training. Qualitatively, staff identified time as the only additional resource required to deliver the skills and knowledge gained from training.

Training was found to be effective in increasing TIC-related skills and attitudes. Organisations aiming to become trauma-informed should consider staff training as one aspect of a wider development plan.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to examine TIC training for staff working in Older Adults Mental Health Services. Recommendations for services aiming to develop a trauma-informed culture have been provided.

The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the student mental health crisis in Higher Education (HE), and how resilience and grit, two important positive psychological constructs, can be beneficial for university students’ success and wellbeing. As part of a discussion around some of the current approaches to intervening in wellbeing in universities, the chapter provides evidence for the use of PPIs for wellbeing in university students, alongside some of the challenges of implementing these in HE. It also provides an overview of the Thriving Students Framework and presents a case for a multicomponent approach to monitoring and improving educational success. In particular, a wellbeing framework that, alongside resilience, also recognises the importance of strengths, persistence in the face of difficulty, a growth mindset, self-control and mental wellbeing; Academic Tenacity. The implications of utilising this framework for educational attainment in university students are discussed. The Bolton Uni-Stride Scale (BUSS), a single short measure of academic tenacity that combines the attributes enabling measurement and intervention to support university students to thrive, is also presented for educators to use.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a debilitating illness characterised by a pervasive pattern of emotional instability, interpersonal difficulties and impulsive behaviour in association with repeated self-injury and chronic suicidal ideation. People diagnosed with BPD also have high rates of co-occurring psychopathology, including disorders associated with disturbed impulse control, such as substance use disorder (SUD) and disordered eating behaviours. The co-occurrence of BPD and impulse control disorders contributes to the severity and complexity of clinical presentations and negatively impacts the course of treatment and recovery. This study qualitatively documents aspects of the lived experience and recovery journeys of people diagnosed with BPD and co-occurring SUD and/or disordered eating. This study aims to identify similarities with respect to themes reported at different stages of the recovery process, as well as highlight important factors that may hinder and/or foster recovery.

In-person, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 specialist service consumers within a clinical setting. Ten women and two men (22–58 years; mean: 35.5 years) were recruited. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis principles.

As expected, participants with co-occurring disorders experienced severe forms of psychopathology. The lived experience descriptions aligned with the proposition that people with BPD engage in impulsive behaviours as a response to extreme emotional states. Key emergent themes and sub-themes relating to recovery comprised three domains: factors hindering adaptive change; factors assisting adaptive change and factors that constitute change. An inability to regulate negative affect appears to be an important underlying mechanism that links the three disorders.

This study highlights the potential shortcomings in the traditional approach of treating co-occurring disorders of BPD, SUD and eating disorders as separate diagnoses. The current findings strongly support the adoption of an integrative approach to treating complex mental health issues while concurrently emphasising social connection, support and general health and lifestyle changes.

The findings of this study contribute to the burgeoning BPD recovery literature. A feature of the current study was its use of in-depth face-to-face interviews, which provided rich, many layered, detailed and nuanced data, which is a major goal of qualitative research (Fusch and Ness, 2015). Furthermore, the interviews were conducted within a safe clinical setting with engagement facilitated by a clinically trained professional. There was also a genuine willingness among participants to share their stories in the belief that doing so would inform effective future clinical practice. Their willingness and engagement as participants may reflect their progress along the path to recovery in comparison to others with similar diagnoses. Finally, most of the interviewees were engaging in dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)-style therapies; two were receiving mentalisation-based therapy treatment, and most had previously engaged in cognitive behavioural therapy or acceptance and commitment therapy-based approaches. The predominance of DBT-style therapy may have influenced the ways that themes were articulated. Future studies could supplement this area of research by interviewing participants receiving therapeutic interventions other than DBT for the treatment of BPD and heightened impulsivity.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight suicide risk factors experienced by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and then outline suicide prevention strategies for these populations.

Through analysis of literature and application of theory, the authors use the diathesis-stress model and Joiner’s (2005) interpersonal theory of suicidality to outline suicide prevention strategies specific to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

The authors’ review of the literature and application of theory suggest that both individuals and groups can engage in suicide prevention strategies, specifically pertaining to reducing stressors unique to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, as well as addressing feelings of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness that can lead to the development of suicidality within these populations.

Engaging in suicide prevention strategies can save lives and address the mental health conditions exhibited among graduate student and postdoctoral scholars.

The authors offer a synthesis of good practices addressing suicide risk factors and prevention with attention to the stress-diathesis model and Joiner’s (2005) interpersonal theory of suicidality toward reducing suicidality among graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.