Exploring experiences of grief therapy in NHS Talking Therapies
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A single-site qualitative study exploring clients’ and therapists’ views and experiences of a pilot Prolonged Grief Therapy pathway in NHS Talking Therapies
IRAS ID
328267
Contact name
Maria King
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Grief is the emotional distress experienced following a loss, existing on a continuum from distressing but normative ad self-repairing, to unresolved and ‘prolonged’. The extreme end of has recently been classified as a diagnostic construct; ‘prolonged grief disorder’ (PGD). PGD is associated with poorer health outcomes, increased onset or deterioration of existing mental disorder including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and functional impairment. 10-30% of bereaved persons develop a prolonged grief reaction, and risk factors include pre-existing psychological vulnerability/disorder, emotional closeness, sudden or traumatic death, or where normative mourning processes are disrupted. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, these risk factors were elevated worldwide, and likely to increase prolonged grief reactions in the short to medium term.
NHS Talking Therapies provides interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties, however currently the NHS do not commission interventions for PGD. Talking Therapies signpost to voluntary sector services that offer bereavement counselling designed for normative grief, but these are not equipped to treat symptoms of PGD, particularly when co-morbid with common mental disorder like depression and anxiety.
Recognising this gap, Devon Talking Therapies service ‘TALKWORKS’ are piloting a ‘Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy’ (PGT) pathway whilst conducting a service-level audit of clinical outcome data. This proposed study aims to supplement the audit by conducting a detailed qualitative exploration of both client and therapist views and experiences, aiming to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and value of grief treatment in an NHS context. Therapists who treated at least one client, and all clients involved in the service pilot will be eligible to participate. Participants must read and consider a participant information sheet and complete an informed consent form, before they are invited to individual qualitative interviews with the researcher. These will be audio-recorded and transcribed for data analysis using a framework analysis approach.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SW/0080
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion