Compassion Focused Therapy for Distressing Experiences

A Case Series Study of Compassion Focused Therapy for Distressing Experiences

This study aims to develop and test the feasibility of a new therapy called Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for psychosis. This therapy helps people with psychosis manage distressing experiences by building internal feelings of safeness and affiliation, and by providing contexts, practices and insights that facilitate the development of compassion to self and others. The focus is on helping people feel safe in relation to their experiences and their social worlds. CFT is a promising new approach that has been successfully provided for people with a range of mental health difficulties. It is also firmly based in the most up-to-date knowledge and science about how the mind works (both normally and under stress).

9 participants will be recruited from NHS psychological therapies services for people with psychosis in South London and Maudsley (SLAM) NHS Foundation Trust. Following a short baseline period they will receive up to 26 weekly sessions (about 6 months) of CFT with a clinical psychologist, and will provide interview and questionnaire research data at five different points during the study. At these assessment points, data will be gathered on participants' experiences, mood, perceptions of their position in the social world, and heart rate variability.

The initial therapy protocol has been developed by psychologists with expertise in CFT, alongside people with lived experience of hearing voices and having distressing beliefs. However, it will continue to be developed and evolve as the study progresses, and as more is learnt (e.g. from the service-user participants) about applying the model in this population. At the end of this study, the aim is to have all the information needed to run a randomised controlled trial of this therapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Psychosis
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Compassion Focused Therapy

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 9
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • London, United Kingdom
    • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 18 years old
• Psychosis related diagnosis (F20-39)
• Distressing positive symptoms of psychosis. Each participant will have been routinely screened with PSYRATS at their service entry assessment. On PSYRATS, at least one positive symptom (i.e. hallucination or delusion) will be present, and distress will be evidenced by an associated intensity score of 2 or above
• Willing to engage in psychological therapy
• Sufficient command of English language
• Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently engaged in CBT, or have completed a 12+ session course of CBT within the last 3 years. If recruitment is under target, this will be relaxed to 12+ session course of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) within the last 6 months
• Currently engaged with another treatment study (e.g. medicine or therapy)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: NA
• Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
OTHER: Compassion Focused Therapy; Intervention	Other: Compassion Focused Therapy; Up to 26 sessions of Compassion Focused Therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Attrition rate measured by number dropping out of therapy	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychotic symptoms measured by PSYRATS	Measured by PSYRATS (Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales)	Over 6 months of therapy, and 6-8 weeks post-therapy
Depression and anxiety symptoms measured by DASS-21	Measured by DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale)	Over 6 months of therapy, and 6-8 weeks post-therapy
Subjective wellbeing, symptoms, functioning, and risk/harm measured by CORE	Measured by CORE (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation)	Over 6 months of therapy, and 6-8 weeks post-therapy
Dissociative experiences measured by DES-II	Measured by DES-II (Dissociative Experiences Scale)	Over 6 months of therapy, and 6-8 weeks post-therapy

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: King's College London
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Charlie Heriot-Maitland, DClinPsych, King's College London

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): January 8, 2019
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): January 8, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 5, 2016
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): April 11, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): March 15, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 13, 2019
• Last Verified: March 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Psychotic Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: R&D2018/024