scholarly journals Children’s CBT skills, metacognition, empathy, and theory of mind

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Jones ◽  
Céline Souchay ◽  
Chris Moulin ◽  
Shirley Reynolds ◽  
Anna-Lynne Adlam

PurposeCognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for common mental health problems that affect children, young people and adults. The suitability of CBT for children has been questioned because it requires children to think about their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which cognitive and affective capacities predict children’s ability to relate thoughts, feelings and behaviours.Design/methodology/approachA total of 59 typically developing children aged between 8 and 11 years took part in the study. CBT skills were assessed on a story task that required children to relate the character’s thoughts to their feelings and behaviours. Children also completed an assessment of IQ, a feeling-of-knowing metamemory task that assessed metacognition, and a higher-order theory of mind task. Furthermore, parents rated their child’s empathy on the children’s empathy quotient.FindingsThe findings suggest that CBT is developmentally appropriate for 8–11 year old children; however, young children and children with mental health problems may have impaired metacognition and CBT skills. Metacognition and empathy may moderate the efficacy of child CBT and warrant further investigation in clinical trials.Originality/valueThis study provides evidence for the cognitive and affective skills that might predict the outcome of CBT in children. Metacognition and empathy predict children’s ability to relate thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and therefore may moderate the efficacy of CBT.

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Conchar ◽  
Julie Repper

Purpose – A systematic review of the literature on “wounded healers” was undertaken to identify, define and interpret the term and its application within the mental health environment. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Eight key medical/social sciences databases were interrogated. In total, 835 papers were identified in the systematic database search and abstracts were obtained for each to determine whether they met the inclusion criteria. In total, 237 sources were retrieved for critical reading, to assess relevance and value to the review, and 125 documents were subsequently included. Through thematic analysis a number of themes and sub themes were identified Findings – The archetypal image of the wounded healer originates in ancient mythology and crosses many cultures. There are many interpretations and applications of the belief that having healed their own wounds a person is in a better position to heal others, however, the evidence to support this is not so robust. Of more direct relevance to contemporary practice are reports of supporting staff with mental health problems to make a contribution to mental health services, most recently through the employment of peer support workers. Originality/value – As peer support workers are increasingly being employed in mental health services, it is helpful to consider the many existing staff who bring personal experience of mental health problems. This paper explores the evidence that their lived experience makes a difference to the way that they work and considers their employment support needs.


Author(s):  
Sebastian Hinde ◽  
Laura Bojke ◽  
Peter Coventry

Internationally, shifts to more urbanised populations, and resultant reductions in engagements with nature, have been a contributing factor to the mental health crisis facing many developed and developing countries. While the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced recent trends in many countries to give access to green spaces more weight in political decision making, nature-based activities as a form of intervention for those with mental health problems constitute a very small part of patient pathways of care. Nature-based interventions, such as ecotherapy, are increasingly used as therapeutic solutions for people with common mental health problems. However, there is little data about the potential costs and benefits of ecotherapy, making it difficult to offer robust assessments of its cost-effectiveness. This paper explores the capacity for ecotherapy to be cost-effective as a healthcare intervention. Using a pragmatic scoping review of the literature to understand where the potential costs and health benefit lie, we applied value of information methodology to identify what research is needed to inform future cost-effectiveness assessments. We show that there is the potential for ecotherapy for people with mild to moderate common mental health problems to be cost-effective but significant further research is required. Furthermore, nature-based interventions such as ecotherapy also confer potential social and wider returns on investment, strengthening the case for further research to better inform robust commissioning.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassie M Hazell ◽  
Jeremy Niven ◽  
Laura Chapman ◽  
Paul Roberts ◽  
Sam Cartwright-Hatton ◽  
...  

Doctoral Researchers (DRs) are an important part of the academic community and, after graduating, make substantial social and economic contributions. Despite this importance, DR wellbeing has long been of concern. Recent studies have concluded that DRs may be particularly vulnerable to poor mental health problems, but direct comparisons of the prevalence of mental health problems between them and a control group is lacking. Here, by comparing DRs with educated working controls, we show that DRs report significantly greater anxiety and depression, and that this difference is not explained by a higher rate of pre-existing mental health problems. Moreover, most DRs perceive poor mental health as a ‘normal’ part of the PhD process. Thus, our findings suggest a hazardous impact of PhD study on mental health, with DRs being particularly at risk of developing common mental health problems. This provides an evidence-based mandate for universities and funders to reflect upon practices related to DR training and mental health. Our attention should now be directed towards understanding what factors may explain heightened anxiety and depression among DRs so as to inform preventative measures and interventions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Gellatly ◽  
Leanne Chisnall ◽  
Nic Seccombe ◽  
Kathryn Ragan ◽  
Nicola Lidbetter ◽  
...  

Background: Ensuring rapid access to psychological interventions is a priority of mental health services. The involvement of peer workers to support the delivery of more accessible treatment options such as computerized cognitive behaviour therapy (CCBT) is recognized. Aims: To evaluate the implementation of a third sector remote CCBT @Home eTherapy service for people experiencing common mental health problems supported by individuals with lived experience. Method: Supported CCBT packages with telephone support were delivered over a 30-month period. Self-complete measures identifying levels of depression, anxiety and functioning were administered at each treatment appointment. Results: Over 2000 people were referred to the @Home eTherapy service; two-thirds attended an initial assessment and 53.4% of referrals assigned to CCBT completed treatment. Statistically significant improvements in anxiety, depression and functioning were found, with 61.6% of treated clients meeting recovery criteria. Conclusions: The service meets Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) key performance targets, and is comparable to other IAPT services using CCBT. Evidence for the successful implementation of such a service by a third sector organization is provided.


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