Supporting Recovery After a First Episode of Psychosis with Adventure Therapy
Poster A79, Thursday, October 20, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
Camille Girard1, J. Éric Dubé1, Clairélaine Ouellet-Plamondon2, Amal Abdel-Baki2; 1Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), 2Clinique Jeunes adultes psychotiques (JAP) du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Montréal (CHUM)
The recovery process following a psychotic episode is complex, often without complete remission. The use of adjunct interventions to treatment-as-usual is advocated by many in order to support the person in their recovery process. Among such potential adjuncts, Adventure Therapy (AT)—an innovative intervention modality which uses adventure activities carried out in nature —has shown promising potential in patients who have experienced a psychotic episode. AT is conceived of as having, among other things, a catalytic effect on factors related to the recovery process such as self-efficacy. Our study aimed at evaluating the impact of AT on psychotic young adults on their perception of self-efficacy and of their recovery process. Semi-structured interviews with 8 participants focusing on their subjective experience of AT and their recovery process, were conducted before, immediately following, and six months after a 4-day group adventure. Self-report questionnaires (on self-efficacy and others factors related to recovery) were also filled out at each measurement time by 30 participants. Preliminary results of a thematic qualitative analysis on the first two measurement times suggest that a majority of the participants perceived an increase in their motivation and self-efficacy immediately following the adventure experience. We will present qualitative and quantitative results for the three measurement times, and will discuss them with specific reference to perspectives on adjunct treatment in early intervention to support recovery for patients facing severe difficulties or showing reluctance to engage in usual treatments.
Topic Area: First Episode Psychosis