Eva Sundin

Individual brief art therapy can be helpful for women with breast cancer : A randomized controlled clinical study

OBJECTIVE Recent research shows that almost every second woman with breast cancer is depressed or has anxiety; the risk for younger women is even higher. Moreover, research shows that women are at risk for developing depression, also a threat for women with breast cancer. The aim of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to study the outcome of five sessions of art therapy given at a 5-week period of postoperative radiotherapy. METHODS The participants were between 37 and 69 years old; six participants in each group were below 50 years of age. Half of the participants (n = 20) received art therapy and the other half (n = 21) were assigned to a control group. At the first measurement, at least 17% (n = 7) of the participants medicated with antidepressants. Data were collected before and after art therapy and at a 4-month follow-up using self-rating scales that measure self-image (the Structural Analysis of Social Behaviour) and psychiatric symptoms (the Symptom Check List-90). RESULTS At follow-up, significant lower ratings of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms and less general symptoms were reported for the art therapy group compared to the control group. The regression analysis showed that art therapy relates to lower ratings of depression, anxiety, and general symptoms; chemotherapeutic treatment predicts lower depressive symptoms; in contrast to axillary surgery and hormonal treatment as well as being a parent predicts higher ratings of anxiety and general symptoms. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS The conclusion suggests that art therapy has a long-term effect on the crisis following the breast cancer and its consequences.

THE OUTCOME OF SHORT‐TERM PSYCHODYNAMIC ART THERAPY COMPARED TO SHORT‐TERM PSYCHODYNAMIC VERBAL THERAPY FOR DEPRESSED WOMEN

The primary aim of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to compare the outcome from two types of short‐term psychodynamic psychotherapy. The participants were thirty‐nine women with depression. Half of the participants (n = 18) received art psychotherapy and the other half received verbal psychotherapy (n = 21). Data was collected before and after psychotherapy, and at a 3‐month follow‐up using self‐rating scales and interviewer‐based ratings. Results showed that art and verbal psychotherapies were comparable, and at follow‐up, the average participant in both groups had few depressive symptoms and stress‐related symptoms. The conclusion was that short‐term psychodynamic art therapy could be a valuable treatment for depressed women.

Group supervision in psychotherapy : Main findings from a Swedish research project on psychotherapy supervision in a group format

ABSTRACT Psychotherapy supervision is considered crucial for psychotherapists in training. During the last decades, group supervision has been a frequently used format in many countries. Until recently, very few studies had evaluated the small-group format for training of beginner psychotherapists and psychotherapy supervisors. This article aims to summarise and discuss main findings from a research project which used questionnaires to collect supervisee and supervisor reports about psychotherapy supervision in group. One such finding is that the group format contribute to an in-depth clinical experience. Second, both supervisors and supervisees reported that the working climate in their groups improved over time: a more flexible and collaborative style of interaction was used; the communication became more flexible, and fewer dysfunctional subgroups were maintained. These results suggested that strong efforts to establish close relationships in the group can limit group member involvement and hinder group development. A third finding suggested that there was no difference between supervisees and supervisors who worked with different psychotherapy orientations (psychodynamic, CBT) in terms of how they perceived that the group actually had been used as a didactic tool. In contrast, only supervisees and supervisors with a psychodynamic approach reported that more focus ideally should be on group process issues. Another study finding suggested that the organisational framework for psychotherapy supervision is of considerable importance for the learning process. This finding opens up a new area of research which needs to be explored in future studies. A conclusive discussion relates these findings to the general aim of this research, which is to identify and systematically examine issues of considerable clinical interest, and thus build bridges between academia and clinical practice. Recommendations for future research endeavours are outlined.

Comparing Men's and Women's Experiences of Multiple Exclusion Homelessness

This article explores gender as a variable in multiple exclusion homelessness in England. Much past research has taken insufficient account of the gender of homeless people, especially the predominance of men in the single homeless population and of women heading homeless households with dependent children. Drawing on qualitative data generated in a study of multiple exclusion homelessness in London and Nottingham, the article considers three ways in which gender may act as a homelessness variable: in peoples susceptibility to homelessness, in their experiences of homelessness and in their encounters with accommodation services. By comparing the accounts of homeless men and women with complex support needs with evidence from staff working for support agencies, the overall aim of the article is to offer a critical examination of the gendered assumptions of homelessness policy and practice.

Rights, responsibilities and refusals: Homelessness policy and the exclusion of single homeless people with complex needs

Since 1977 homelessness legislation in England has offered limited statutory accommodation rights to unintentionally homeless people who are judged to be in priority need and able to demonstrate a local connection. Using data generated in interviews with homeless people and staff working to support them, this paper considers the impact of current homelessness policy and practice and explores how decisions about intentionality, priority need and local connection serve to exacerbate the social exclusion experienced by single homeless people with multiple support needs. It is concluded that a more genuinely inclusive welfare state will only emerge when, and if, policymakers and wider society are able to abandon their current fixation with using welfare policy to punish ‘irresponsible’ behaviour and refocus instead on providing services to adequately meet the basic needs of marginalised people.

From psychotherapist to supervisor

This study accounts for supervisees’ and supervisors’ experiences of a group format for supervision, as well as the impact of the supervisor’s style in a two-year supervisor-training program consisting of weekly theoretical seminars and group supervision. The training program was based on psychodynamic theory and the prospective psychotherapists all had a patient in psychotherapy. Both supervisees and supervisors reported that the group format was experienced as particularly suitable for this training level. The “super-supervisor’s” style was considered important, as he or she served as a role model for the supervisors in training. The shift of role from psychotherapist to supervisor was specifically emphasized.

The support priorities of multiply excluded homeless people and their compatibility with support agency agendas – new research into multiple exclusion homelessness

Purpose – This paper aims to throw light on the value of accommodation and support services and the likely consequences of their withdrawal.Design/methodology/approach – Research was completed by a team of researchers from Nottingham Trent and Salford Universities under the Multiple Exclusion Homelessness programme funded by CLG, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Findings – Agencies whose priorities are influenced by other agendas arising from statutory limitations or government targets have conflicting priorities that sustain multiple exclusion homelessness in a number of key circumstances.Originality/value – Findings from this research will enable policy‐makers and practitioners to take better account of service user perspectives, experiences and priorities.

Intervjuer som prognosinstrument för studieframgång

Ögren, M.-L., Sundin, E. (2005). Interviews as instrument of prognosis for student development. Nordisk psykologi, 57, 271–287. Two different admission procedures (high school grades/scholastic tests and high school grades/scholastic tests/interview) to the five-year Masters Program in Professional Psychology at Stockholm University were examined. The analyses were based on data from students who were admitted on a combination of high school grades/scholastic test and interview, and students who were admitted based only on high school grades/scholastic test. In the final semester of the five-year Psychologist Program, the students and their supervisors rated the students development of psychotherapeutic knowledge and skills, and their relation to the supervisor and the supervision group. A self rating scale was used. The results showed that students who were admitted upon interview and their supervisors, rated significantly higher on all factors. Moreover, students admitted upon interview rated their development of psychotherapeutic skill significantly higher than students admitted traditionally. The corresponding difference between supervisor ratings was not significant. Both student and supervisor ratings indicated that the students admitted by an interview had a better relation to their supervisor and to their supervision group.

P03-162 - Mindfulness meditation, psychological wellbeing and resilience to stress: development and pilot study of the newly designed meditation based awareness training

Mindfulness meditation has been practiced in the Eastern world for more than 25 centuries but only recently it has become popular in the West. Today, therapeutic interventions such as ‘Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction’ are used within health services throughout Europe as a means of improving patient wellbeing. Whilst these interventions have proved successful in reducing stress and depression a limitation is that they tend to apply the practices of mindfulness in an ‘out of context’ manner. Meditation Based Awareness Training (MBAT), on the other hand, includes a composite array of ‘spiritual-based’ trainings, which are traditionally assumed to enhance the cultivation of a more sustainable quality of wellbeing within the meditator. The purpose of this program is to design, implement, and evaluate MBAT as an approach to meditation and mindfulness that can be adapted to meet the needs of various populations. In the current phase, MBAT was developed in a general format for individuals from the general population who want to increase their levels of wellbeing. A controlled comparison trial has been run to evaluate this version of MBAT: Participants of the study undertook an 8-week MBAT program and comparisons were made with a control group on perceived psychological wellbeing (depression, anxiety, and anger management) and stress. In a second phase (not included in this presentation) MBAT will be adapted to populations with special needs, e.g., elderly people, trauma victims, and forensic inmates. Findings from the trial will be reported and implications for further development of MBAT will be discussed.

The latent structure of Wallerstein's Scales of Psychological Capacities

Background: Wallerstein’s Scales of Psychological Capacities (SPC) is a fairly new measure of psychological change, developed to meet the need for an instrument which can be used by clinicians and researchers from different psychotherapy directions and schools. This study examined whether Blatt’s theory of 2 different types of psychopathology can be used to interpret the latent structure of the SPC. Sampling and Methods: Data from 224 individuals with mild to severe psychopathology were factor analyzed. Results: A 2-factor solution was meaningfully interpreted from Blatt’s theory, and the factors were used for computing summary scales. The scales had adequate reliabilities and discriminated well between different classifications according to DSM-III-R. Patients with depressive or anxiety disorder had more problems with issues concerning self-definition compared to patients with cluster B personality disorder. Conclusion: The findings supported the assumption that the concept of psychological capacity is based on an integrative model of the mind, and that the SPC can be a useful tool for clinicians and researchers in understanding psychological problems and resources in patients with various psychiatric disorders. A weakness of the study was that reliability data for DSM diagnoses were not gathered. Moreover, the group of patients with depressive or anxiety disorder was small.