Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Filters

2003 - 200912010 - 20151

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.Self-help techniques

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Advocacy outcomes : professional advocacy in the lives of disabled people : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Ussher, Susan
    After working alongside disabled individuals in a casework capacity as a full time, paid advocacy worker for some time, I became increasingly interested in the evaluation of the outcomes of advocacy. This interest began with my own practice and developed into an analysis of the usefulness of advocacy as a professional tool in bringing about change in individuals' lives. Specifically I was interested in the analyses of the people who have had the experience of being advocated for. Subsequently, this project enabled me to explore the relevant literature regarding advocacy and to engage with individuals who access or have accessed advocacy services in order to identify these outcomes. This thesis predominantly documents the investigation of the outcomes and the process of professional advocacy practice as experienced, understood and interpreted from the point of view of three disabled people who have accessed advocacy within the London Borough of Southwark in the United Kingdom. The research provided the opportunity to firstly determine whether professional advocacy supported individuals to represent their needs clearly so that they gained access to appropriate services. Secondly, it examined whether any outcomes were a direct response to the advocacy interaction or were they attributed to various other factors such as social, economic and political change in the context in question. The former is evident and accordingly the key findings of the research have highlighted that professional advocacy practice can support individuals to represent their needs clearly and accurately and ensure that they gain access to appropriate services. Professional advocacy is particularly effective in the areas of community care and housing. Moreover, the research has identified the process of advocacy as empowering if transference of skills occurs between professional advocate and individual thus challenging the current culture of learnt and maintained dependence. Through this, professional advocacy can contribute to and support self-advocacy of disabled people and the essential continued promotion of the Social Model of disability within our communities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    "Help yourself to CBT" : mechanisms of change within a group guided self-help programme targeting low mood in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Forman, Inga
    This thesis explores the processes of change within a Low Intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (LICBT) intervention targeting low mood in a community sample of adults in New Zealand. Low intensity interventions (e.g. self-help programmes) are a relatively new area of interest in the area of psychological treatment. They aim to increase people’s access to evidence based methods of therapy whilst removing many of the major issues associated with traditional treatment methods, such as long waiting lists, financial limitations, and inaccessibility to many in the wider community (Lovell & Richards, 2000). LICBT interventions have been shown to significantly improve outcomes for mild to moderate depressive symptoms across different samples (McKendree-Smith, Floyd & Scogin, 2003). The current study assessed change processes within the guided self-help programme ‘Living life to the Full’ (LLTTF, Williams, 2008). Due to methodological issues, the study was not able to soundly address hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of the programme. However, the statistical significance of changes across outcome measures were examined along with their clinical significance at an individual level. Participants showed statistically significant reductions in psychological distress from baseline to post-programme. Results for depression and quality of life were not significant. When results were examined at a single case level for clinical significance, a number of participants showed clinically significant change across the three main outcome measures. An analysis of individual change processes was also completed, with the examination of early rapid response patterns for individual participants. Early rapid response patterns occurred for a number of participants, supporting preliminary evidence that certain change patterns apparent in CBT research may also occur in LICBT interventions. A link was also found between early rapid responding and more positive post programme outcomes. Group process results showed that as predicted, the low intensity nature of the programme is likely to have affected the perceived group environment and relationship to the group facilitator. The LLTTF programme was positively evaluated by the majority of programme completers and though the sample size was small, results suggest this type of intervention is an effective platform from which to further develop low intensity therapeutic paradigms in New Zealand.