Sara Tai - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sara Tai

Principles-Based Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2015

The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 2020

Problems most frequently reported by young people in school counselling relate to family difficul... more Problems most frequently reported by young people in school counselling relate to family difficulties. During adolescence, conflict between parents and young people increases as young people move towards independence whilst still being reliant on parents. The quality of communication during this period has implications for young people’s well-being. The current study explored how the principles of perceptual control theory (PCT) could be used to develop a structured activity aimed at helping young people to talk to their parents about their goals and goal conflicts. PCT proposes that individuals function well when they are able to control things that are important to them. Every individual has numerous goals/wants and if two or more are incompatible, conflict arises. The current study focused on supporting young people to explore conflict that might arise due to incompatible goals held by them and their parent. Six families (child and parent/carer) were recruited to try a goal-setting and monitoring activity. The activity was facilitated by a Method of Levels researcher over a 10-week period. There were two follow-up appointments at 2 and 4 months. Two families were retained for the entire study. On completion, four families provided qualitative feedback. On the basis of participants’ feedback, the activity was modified to incorporate discussions on incompatible goals. Two families piloted the modified activity and provided feedback. Both families completed the study. Results suggest that a parent–child activity using the principles of PCT is feasible and acceptable among parents and young people. Key learning aims (1) To understand how the principles of PCT can be used to support young people in communicating with their parents. (2) To understand how talking about important goals/wants impacts young people and their parents. (3) To understand how the principles of PCT can be used to resolve parent–child conflict.

This chapter is for anyone who has suffered clinical depression but who also experiences periods ... more This chapter is for anyone who has suffered clinical depression but who also experiences periods of highs or irritation that last more than a couple days, regardless of whether you have received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or not. The information and exercises described here should help you to manage your moods more effectively and help you on the road to recovery, so that you can regain control of your life.

British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, Oct 6, 2020

This study investigated clinical and process factors involved in a client-led psychological inter... more This study investigated clinical and process factors involved in a client-led psychological intervention (Method of Levels therapy-MOL). MOL offered 16 adolescents choice and control over attendance (by using a selfbooking system) and topics discussed in sessions. Process measures examining empowerment and ability to resolve psychological conflict were used to explore the impact MOL might have on these. Young people booked a wide-ranging number of sessions at differing intervals and set goals related to their emotional or mental wellbeing. On completion, the majority of adolescents displayed an increase in scores for empowerment and ability to resolve psychological conflict and overall distress levels decreased. Benefits were sustained two months after completion of the study.

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, Oct 22, 2019

What is the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder, extreme appraisals of internal s... more What is the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder, extreme appraisals of internal states and symptoms of bipolar disorder? Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapy.

Qualitative Health Research, Aug 1, 2018

In this study, we aim to increase our understanding of the self-reported sources of distress amon... more In this study, we aim to increase our understanding of the self-reported sources of distress among people who have experienced first-episode psychosis. Following a systematic literature search, 33 relevant studies containing firstperson accounts of first-episode psychosis were identified, which were synthesized using thematic analysis. Two interrelated superordinate themes were identified: intrapersonal distress and interpersonal distress. Participants reported multiple, diverse, and multifaceted sources of distress across both themes. These were substantially different from those routinely recognized and targeted in clinical practice. This review suggests that practitioners who maintain a stance of genuine curiosity about the potential sources of distress for this population will be perceived as more helpful. The findings also highlight the importance of being service user-led when planning and delivering mental health care. Additional clinical and research implications are discussed.

Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, Aug 26, 2019

British Journal of Medical Psychology, Sep 3, 2018

This is a repository copy of Individual experiences of psychological-based interventions for bipo... more This is a repository copy of Individual experiences of psychological-based interventions for bipolar disorder: A systematic review and thematic synthesis.

JMIR human factors, Jul 21, 2023

BACKGROUND The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues is increasing faster than ... more BACKGROUND The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues is increasing faster than the number of services available, leading to a shortfall. Mental health chatbots are a highly scalable method to address this gap. Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) is an artificially intelligent chatbot that emulates the method of levels therapy. Method of levels is a therapy that uses curious questioning to support the sustained awareness and exploration of current problems. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a co-designed interface for MYLO in young people aged 16 to 24 years with mental health problems. METHODS An iterative co-design phase occurred over 4 months, in which feedback was elicited from a group of young people (n=7) with lived experiences of mental health issues. This resulted in the development of a progressive web application version of MYLO that could be used on mobile phones. We conducted a case series to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MYLO in 13 young people over 2 weeks. During this time, the participants tested MYLO and completed surveys including clinical outcomes and acceptability measures. We then conducted focus groups and interviews and used thematic analysis to obtain feedback on MYLO and identify recommendations for further improvements. RESULTS Most participants were positive about their experience of using MYLO and would recommend MYLO to others. The participants enjoyed the simplicity of the interface, found it easy to use, and rated it as acceptable using the System Usability Scale. Inspection of the use data found evidence that MYLO can learn and adapt its questioning in response to user input. We found a large effect size for the decrease in participants’ problem-related distress and a medium effect size for the increase in their self-reported tendency to resolve goal conflicts (the proposed mechanism of change) in the testing phase. Some patients also experienced a reliable change in their clinical outcome measures over the 2 weeks. CONCLUSIONS We established the feasibility and acceptability of MYLO. The initial outcomes suggest that MYLO has the potential to support the mental health of young people and help them resolve their own problems. We aim to establish whether the use of MYLO leads to a meaningful reduction in participants’ symptoms of depression and anxiety and whether these are maintained over time by conducting a randomized controlled evaluation trial.

Background: The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues are rising faster than th... more Background: The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues are rising faster than the number of services available, leading to a shortfall. Mental health chatbots are a highly scalable way to address this gap. Manage Your Life Online (‘MYLO’) is an artificially intelligent chatbot that emulates Method of Levels Therapy (MOL). MOL is a style of therapy that uses curious questioning to support sustained awareness and exploration of current problems. Objective: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a co-designed interface for MYLO in young people aged 16-24 with mental health problems. Methods: An iterative co-design phase occurred over 4 months, in which feedback was elicited from a group of young people (N = 7) with lived experience of mental health issues. This resulted in the development of a progressive web application version of MYLO that could be used on mobile phones. We then conducted a case-series to assess feasibility and acceptability in 13 young peopl...