"Now I Am Myself": Exploring How People With Poststroke Aphasia Experienced Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Within the SOFIA Trial

Sarah Northcott, Alan Simpson, Shirley Thomas, Rachel Barnard, Kidge Burns, Shashivadan P Hirani, Katerina Hilari, Sarah Northcott, Alan Simpson, Shirley Thomas, Rachel Barnard, Kidge Burns, Shashivadan P Hirani, Katerina Hilari

Abstract

Aphasia, a language disability, can profoundly affect a person's mood and identity. The experiences of participants who received Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, a psychological intervention, were explored in the Solution-Focused brief therapy In poststroke Aphasia (SOFIA) Trial. Thirty participants with chronic aphasia, 14 with severe aphasia, participated in in-depth interviews that were analyzed using framework analysis. Two overarching themes emerged: valued therapy components (exploring hopes, noticing achievements, companionship, sharing feelings, and relationship with therapist) and perceptions of progress (mood, identity, communication, relationships, and independence). Participants were categorized into four groups: (a) "changed," where therapy had a meaningful impact on a person's life; (b) "connected," where therapy was valued primarily for companionship; (c) "complemental," where therapy complemented a participant's upward trajectory; and (d) "discordant," where therapy misaligned with participants' preference for impairment-based language work. This study suggests that it is feasible to adapt a psychological therapy for people with aphasia, who perceive it as valuable.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03245060.

Keywords: England; aphasia; brain injury; communication; community and public health; framework analysis; hope; psychological issues; psychology; qualitative; stroke; therapies; well-being.

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic diagram of proposed therapy components.

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