A life more ordinary: A peer research method qualitative study of the Feeling Safe Programme for persecutory delusions

Abstract

Background: The Feeling Safe Programme is a cognitive therapy developed to improve outcomes for individuals with persecutory delusions. It is theoretically driven, modular and personalised, with differences in therapeutic style and content compared with first-generation cognitive behav ioural therapy for psychosis. Objectives: We set out to understand the participant expe rience of the Feeling Safe Programme. Design: A qualitative study employing interpretative phe nomenological analysis. Methods: Using a peer research approach, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with six people who had received the Feeling Safe Programme as part of the out come clinical trial. Results: Participants spoke of feeling ‘unsafe’ in their daily lives before the intervention. Openness to the intervention, facilitated by identification with the programme name, and willingness to take an active role were considered important participant attributes for successful outcomes. The therapist was viewed as a professional friend who cared about the in dividual, which enabled trust to form and the opportuni to consider new knowledge and alternative perspectives. Doing difficult tasks gradually and repeatedly to become comfortable with them was important for change to occur. The intervention helped people to do ordinary things that others take for granted and was perceived to produce lasting changes. Conclusions: The Feeling Safe Programme was subjec tively experienced very positively by interview participants, which is consistent with the results of the clinical trial. The successful interaction of the participant and therapist ena bled trust to form, which meant that repeated practice of difficult tasks could lead to re-engagement with valued eve ryday activities