Dialectical behaviour therapy as it informs occupational therapy in mental health in South Africa: a descriptive study
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Date
2023
Authors
Ward, Kristy
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
South African occupational therapists show a growing interest in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). However, there are currently minimal publications on the use of DBT internationally and no publications nationally. This gap supports the need to further investigate this incorporation of a traditional psychology theory with occupational therapy theory.
The main research question was how the DBT approach is used to inform occupational therapy in mental health in South Africa. Two different methodologies were incorporated to answer this question. The first was a scoping review, and the second was a qualitative, descriptive design. The objectives were twofold and formed two phases of the research. The first objective was to review the literature on the use of the DBT approach by occupational therapists working in the mental health field. The second objective was to describe the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of South African occupational therapists working in mental health regarding the DBT approach as an intervention approach for MHCUs.
The results of this were captured in two academic articles. The first study followed a non-empirical approach for a theoretical article, with the scoping review as the chosen method. This review emphasized the need for more evidence and guidelines integrating DBT and occupational therapy. The second article used a qualitative descriptive design and the data from 17 online one-on-one interviews with South African occupational therapists to answer the research question. A non-probability snowball sampling technique was used. Ethical approval was obtained, and confidentiality was ensured. The knowledge, attitude, and practices of occupational therapists using DBT to inform their practice were presented. The following themes emerged from the study: (a) Potential challenges identified by occupational therapists using DBT, (b) The benefits/motivators of DBT-informed occupational therapy for the therapist and user, and (c) Variation in how DBT is being used by occupational therapists in practice.
Recommendations for further research and implications of the study were described in both articles. Areas of future research are identified to advance the profession's body of knowledge and provide guidance with potential future research in the field of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy-informed occupational therapy.
Description
Dissertation (M.OccTh.(Occupational Therapy)--University of the Free State, 2023
Keywords
Dialectical behaviour therapy, mental disorder, intervention, psychotherapy, occupational therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy-informed occupational therapy