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The views of clients with mild intellectual disabilities regarding their working relationships with caregivers
- Authors:
- ROEDEN John M., MAASKANT Marian A., CURFS Leopard M.G.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 24(5), September 2011, pp.398-406.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A good relationship between the client and his caregiver is a key factor in a positive treatment outcome, with research indicating that the client’s opinion about the quality of the working alliance is a stronger predictor of treatment outcome than the opinion of the professional. Many treatment programmes, including solution focused brief therapy (SFBT), strive to encourage a positive client-caregiver relationship. The aim of this study is to gain insight into what clients with intellectual disabilities feel contributes to a successful working relationship with caregivers. The study participants were 18 clients of an organisation providing support to people with intellectual disabilities. Data was collected using the nominal group technique (NGT), which was modified for use with people with intellectual disabilities. The project demonstrates that the NGT is a valuable instrument in bringing to the fore of the opinions and priorities of clients with intellectual disabilities. The findings revealed that the way in which caregivers deliver their support is important. The specific qualities that are valued are reliability, empathy, and a non-patronising attitude. The particular types of support seem to be less influential in terms of treatment success. Furthermore, the results show that the clients’ preferred ways of receiving help correspond with the basic assumptions in SFBT.
Solution-focused brief therapy with people with mild intellectual disabilities: a case series
- Authors:
- ROEDEN John M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(4), December 2011, pp.247-255.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disabilities often present with additional psychological problems. Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a form of behaviour therapy that focuses on desired behaviour rather than on the existing problem behaviour. This case study explored 10 applications of SFBT with people with a mild intellectual disability (MID) from a service provider of children and adults with ID in the Netherlands. SFBT sessions varied between 2 and 14 hours per week. Measurements taken before, after, and during a 6-week follow up included an assessment of quality of life and assessment of maladaptive behaviour as well as goal attainment according to people with MID and their carers. Findings revealed that SFBT treatments contributed to improvements in psychological functioning and decreases in maladaptive behaviour. The positive changes evident after SFBT proved sustainable during follow-up. Treatment strategies and therapeutic alliances employed were usually assessed as positive by the participants. The authors concluded that the study indicated the effectiveness of SFBT for people with MID.