Targeting Personal Recovery of People With Complex Mental Health Needs: The Development of a Psychosocial Intervention Through User-Centered Design

Abstract

Long-term admissions in psychiatric facilities often result in a gradual erosion of the identity of people diagnosed with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) into merely “patient.” Moreover, experiences of loss often reduced people's sense of purpose. Although regaining a multidimensional identity and a sense of purpose are essential for personal recovery, few interventions specifically address this, while at the same time take people's often considerable cognitive and communicative disabilities into consideration. This study describes the development process of a new intervention through user-centered design (UCD). UCD is an iterative process in which a product (in this case, an intervention) is developed in close cooperation with future users, such that the final product matches their needs. The design process included three phases: an analysis, design, and evaluation phase. In the analysis phase, the “problem” was defined, users' needs were identified, and design criteria were established. In the design phase, the collected information served as input to create a testable prototype using a process of design and redesign, in close collaboration with service users and other stakeholders. This resulted in an intervention entitled “This is Me” (TiM) in which service users, together with a self-chosen teammate, actively engage in new experiences on which they are prompted to reflect. Finally, in the evaluation phase, TiM was implemented and evaluated in a real-life setting. In a small feasibility pilot, we found indications that some people indeed demonstrated increased reflection on their identity during the intervention. Furthermore, TiM seemed to benefit the relationship between the service users and the mental health professionals with whom they underwent the experiences. The pilot also revealed some aspects of the (implementation of) TiM that can be improved. Overall, we conclude that UCD is a useful method for the development of a new psychosocial intervention. The method additionally increased our knowledge about necessary factors in targeting personal recovery for people with complex mental health needs. Moreover, we conclude that TiM is a promising tool for supporting people with SMI in redeveloping a multidimensional identity and a renewed sense of purpose.

A Human-Centered Design Approach to Develop Oral Health Nursing Interventions in Patients with a Psychotic Disorder

“…The iterative stages in the research process are shown in Figure 1 . The participation of MHNs throughout the design process has several purposes: (a) at the start, the participation of MHNs helped us to explore the context of mental health professionals, including their worldviews and needs; (b) the MHNs could participate in constructing and/or utilizing prototypes; (c) the MHNs could give feedback in user tests; and (d) the MHNs could give insight into the system in which an intervention should be implemented and the needs of MHNs in caring for patients with a psychotic disorder [ 29 , 30 , 31 ].…”

Perceived Support for Recovery and Level of Functioning Among People With Severe Mental Illness in Central and Eastern Europe: An Observational Study

“…The actual implementation of recovery-oriented care approaches in practice, however, remains challenging ( 13 , 33 ), particularly for mental health care systems in transition ( 23 , 24 , 35 ). Furthermore, when care and treatment is primarily focused on lengthy inpatient care ( 27 , 36 ), it can lead to challenges in maintaining a sense of purpose, which can make formulation of recovery goals challenging ( 37 ) and can affect self-identity ( 37 ). Designing and implementing holistic mental health care and support implies not only adopting approaches that facilitate individual goal setting and planning of treatment, but also delivering care within the service user's personal and social context, where recovery goals related to restoration of social identity and roles can potentially be formulated and realized.…”

Psychometric analysis of the Group Climate Inventory—Revised in adults with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning in a secure residential facility

“…Clients with an IQ between 70 and 85 constitute a substantial part of the client population in secure facilities. In addition, they are internationally recognised to share characteristics and needs with clients with mild intellectual disability, as a result of which clients with borderline intellectual functioning are often grouped together with clients with mild intellectual disability (see e.g., Berger et al, 2023; Sauter et al, 2023; Smit et al, 2023; Van Cappellen et al, 2023). Therefore, we grouped participants with both intellectual levels into a single sample.…”