Understanding Living Skills: First Steps to Evidence‐based Practice. Lessons Learned from a Practice‐based Journey in the Netherlands

Abstract

Living skills training is a commonly used but sparsely described and researched - occupational therapy - intervention for people with severe mental health problems. A service improvement project was established in a mental health organization in the Netherlands starting in 2006 to design more effective living skills training courses for individuals and groups. The steps of the evidence-based practice process underpinned the project. Theoretical and empirical evidence was derived from an extensive literature review. This was supplemented by the preferences of clients and their families as an equally valued source of evidence as is the experience and knowledge of a range of mental health professionals. Information from these three sources provided building blocks for the development of living skills training, resulting in an individual process guideline and two group courses. Implications for practice is that living skills training needs to be part of multidisciplinary treatment and can be best provided in the client's natural context. Limitations of this study are the lack of an evaluation of both the group courses and of the individual process guideline, also due to the continuous implementation in an ever-changing context. There is further need for research into the clinical and cost effectiveness of living skills training, both for individuals and groups, to support evidence-based decision making and service planning.

Occupational Therapy in Forensic Settings

“…Occupational Therapy -Therapeutic and Creative Use of Activity 1. Life: Life skills training is a commonly used occupational therapy intervention in mental health [30]. Offenders are at a higher risk for poverty, unemployment and difficulties in relationships.…”

Evidence‐based Practice: A Critical Appraisal

“…Welcome to this special issue on evidence-based practice and occupational therapy. It has been a privilege to be the guest editor and to learn about evidence-based practice in the Netherlands (Ammeraal and Coppers, 2012;Döpp et al, 2012), Norway (Aas et al, 2012), the Republic of Ireland (Stronge and Cahill, 2012) and the United States (Winkle et al, 2012). In this editorial, I will draw out some themes from the five papers and offer a personal perspective on evidence-based occupational therapy.…”

“…This model promotes collaborative, knowledge exchange between local healthcare services and universities, through learning within teams and organisations, which includes adapting research findings to fit the local context. The case study by Ammeraal and Coppers (2012) illustrates aspects of the organisational model. They customized and combined knowledge from research and practitioners, with the priorities of people with mental health problems, to improve the effectiveness of life skills interventions.…”