Mindfulness Psychoeducation Programme in Schizophrenia: Cli-ent-Therapist Perspectives

Abstract

Background Previous trials have demonstrated that people with schizophrenia receiving mindfulness-based psychoeducation programmes (MBPP) had significantly improvement in their psychiatric symptoms,functioning,insight and length of re hospitalisations compared to conventional psychoeducation. The current study sets out from an implementation science perspective that explores the clients’ and therapists’ perspectives on the effectiveness of MBPP. Method MBPP was delivered to people with chronic schizophrenia in the community setting in Hong Kong.There were 6-8 participants per group. Two therapists, one psychiatric nurse and one mindfulness expert,conducted eight two-hour weekly sessions of mindfulness psychoeducation. 4 groups of MBPP were organized.Participants each received a mp3 and a homework sheet facilitating self-practice at home. Results Client’s perspective:Clients felt peaceful, comfortable and having better sleep quality.Some mentioned the mindfulness skills helped them calm their agitated mind during stressful situations. They preferred practicing mindfulness with motions,e.g. mindful stretching. A few claimed to have more thoughts during mindfulness practices.One avoided doing mindfulness at night time. Therapist’s perspective:It was observed that the clients appeared to feel puzzled and found difficult in understanding the mindfulness concepts at the beginning.They became more attentive and showed less restless behaviours in the last few sessions.Given the limited attention span of the clients,the length of verbal teaching should be kept short and place more time in mindfulness practices.It is important to integrate psychoeducation into mindfulness practices to facilitate the application of mindfulness on an everyday basis. Conclusion MBPP appeared to be an effective intervention for this population. Both the participant and therapist accounts are important information for future developmentment of MBPP.