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Article
Publication date: 11 July 2016

Joshua Wellman, Francesca Lepori and Rebecca Szlachcic

Narrative therapy uses psychological thinking to help people reconnect with important aspects of their lives that have become subjugated by a dominant problem story. Collective…

Abstract

Purpose

Narrative therapy uses psychological thinking to help people reconnect with important aspects of their lives that have become subjugated by a dominant problem story. Collective narrative practices (CNPs) such as the tree of life (ToL) metaphor apply these principles to communities. Limited research suggests that ToL groups benefit service users and staff in inpatient settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of a pilot ToL group, run in an inpatient treatment ward.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine participants attended a seven-week ToL group. Eight service users and two facilitators contributed to the evaluation. Qualitative data were derived from interviews and questionnaires and analysed from a social constructionist perspective using inductive thematic analysis.

Findings

Three themes were generated: first, a sense of community – service user and staff relationships developed both inside and outside of the group, through sharing personal experiences. Second, rediscovering identity – participants reconnected with important aspects of their lives, which helped them to plan their recovery. Third, usefulness of the metaphor – service users and staff reflected on useful aspects of the ToL metaphor and how groups could be improved in the future. Data collection methods were key limitations of the study. Further groups should be conducted, whilst considering means of developing CNPs and their evaluation in this setting.

Originality/value

Few evaluations of ToL groups have been conducted in inpatient settings. This research outlines considerations for setting up and evaluating ToL groups and highlights their value for service users and staff.

Details

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-6228

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