Group-based positive psychotherapy for people living with acquired brain injury: a protocol for a feasibility study

Acquired brain injury (ABI) and other chronic conditions are placing unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems. In the UK, 1.3 million people live with the effects of brain injury, costing the UK economy approximately £15 billion per year. As a result, there is an urgent need to adapt existing healthcare delivery to meet increasing current and future demands. A focus on wellbeing may provide an innovative opportunity to reduce the pressure on healthcare services while also supporting patients to live more meaningful lives. The overarching aims of the study are as follows: (1) evaluate the feasibility of conducting a positive psychotherapy intervention for individuals with ABI and (2) ascertain under what conditions such an intervention would merit a fully powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) compared to a standard control group (TAU).

A randomised, two-arm feasibility trial involving allocation of patients to either a treatment group (positive psychotherapy) or control group (treatment as usual) group, according to a 1:1 ratio. A total of 60 participants at three sites will be recruited including 20 participants at each site. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, on completion of the 8-week intervention and 3 months following completion. These will include a range of questionnaire-based measures, psychophysiology and qualitative outcomes focusing on feasibility outcomes and participant experience. This study has been approved by the Wales Research Ethics Committee (IRAS project ID: 271,251, REC reference: 19/WA/0336).

This study will be the first to examine the feasibility of an innovative, holistic positive psychotherapy intervention for people living with ABI, focused on individual, collective and planetary wellbeing, and will enable us to determine whether to proceed to a full randomised controlled trial.

ISRCTN12690685 , registered 11th November 2020.