The Tree Theme Method as an intervention in psychosocial occupational therapy: client acceptability and outcomes

Area of Science:

• Psychosocial Occupational Therapy
• Mental Health Interventions
• Client-Centered Care

Background:

• The Tree Theme Method (TTM) is a five-session intervention where clients paint trees to represent life periods, facilitating life story narration.
• This study, part of an implementation project, investigated TTM's impact on therapeutic alliance and client satisfaction.
• The research focused on how perceptions of daily occupations and health factors are affected by the TTM intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the therapeutic alliance and client satisfaction during the Tree Theme Method (TTM) intervention.
• To assess the relationship between TTM and perceptions of everyday occupations and health-related factors.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of TTM in a general outpatient mental health care setting.

Main Methods:

• Nine occupational therapists recruited 35 clients for the TTM intervention.
• Utilized self-rating instruments to measure therapeutic alliance (HAq-II), occupational performance (COPM, SDO), health factors (SOC, Mastery, SCL-90-R), and client satisfaction (CSQ).
• Measurements were taken before and after the TTM intervention.

Main Results:

• A strong initial therapeutic alliance correlated with improved occupational performance and self-mastery.
• Therapist-rated alliance predicted increased sense of coherence and reduced psychiatric symptoms.
• Significant positive changes were observed in occupational performance and health-related factors, with higher therapist-rated alliance linked to greater client satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The Tree Theme Method (TTM) appears effective in psychosocial occupational therapy.
• Further implementation studies are needed to fully understand the TTM process, including technique and alliance formation.
• TTM shows potential for enhancing client well-being and therapeutic outcomes in mental health settings.