Observed relating behaviours between voice hearers and their persecutory voice during AVATAR therapy dialogue
Distressing auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) can cause suffering and significant impairment. This thesis focuses on psychological interventions for AVH and is presented in three parts. Part I is a qualitative and quantitative review on the effects group therapy has on AVH. Twenty studies met inc...
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University College London (University of London)
2017
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| Online Access: | https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.746923 |
| Summary: | Distressing auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) can cause suffering and significant impairment. This thesis focuses on psychological interventions for AVH and is presented in three parts. Part I is a qualitative and quantitative review on the effects group therapy has on AVH. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria. The findings taken as a whole are mixed. There is not strong evidence to suggest that group therapy is effective in reducing AVH symptoms but there are more promising findings for group approaches in targeting AVH beliefs and distress. Part II aimed to map relating behaviours observed between participants and their created avatars (visual representation of their persecutory voice) in the context of AVATAR therapy dialogue. A coding frame was developed to enable a fine-grained analysis of the therapy. The findings do indicate that relating behaviours between participants and avatars change over the course of therapy. The results also provide an insight into the specific therapeutic techniques delivered within AVATAR therapy dialogue. Part III is a critical appraisal of the methodological developments presented in the empirical paper. It explores the rationale behind analysing complex psychological interventions and offers an account of the methodological, conceptual and practical issues faced when developing a coding frame. |
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