Rachel Tribe1, Abigail Moss2, Steven Livingstone3, Steve Pilling4, Josh Stott5; 1Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 2Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 3Haringey Early Intervention Service, St Ann’s Hospital, London, 4Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 5Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London
Background Peer-supported Open Dialogue, (POD) is a treatment that embraces a network perspective, bringing together both social and professional networks, to provide continuity of psychological care across the boundaries of services. Aims To better understand the experiences of service users receiving POD in an early intervention service and focus on the experience of network meetings. Method Eight service users were interviewed, the data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results Two superordinate themes and 10 subthemes were constructed from the data. The two superordinate themes reflect the grouping of the subthemes, which formed around implementation issues and communication within meetings. The first was ‘adjusting to a new way of working’, within this theme were the subthemes; old approach as unhelpful, purpose of meetings unclear and new approach as strange. The second theme of ‘communicating in new ways’, included the subthemes of openness Vs. Privacy, feeling listened to and understood, sharing multiple perspectives and increase in emotional expression. Conclusions The results suggested that participants experienced the network meetings as different from usual care in that they were unusual but positive. The data indicated that feeling listened to was the main explanatory factor in the positive responses to network meetings. POD advocates for both a way of being and a way of organising services - it seemed that clinicians were being with people in new and different ways, the potential of which is hard to evaluate within the existing structure as it had not been re-organised. A number of recommendations have been made.
