Enhancing Outpatient Psychotherapy Access Through Implementing a Transitional Therapy Group

Background: Limited access to mental health, and provider shortages, leads to treatment delays. Patient access to care may be improved by enhancing mental health treatment efficiency and effectiveness. Resilience-based positive psychology groups can improve mental health wellness and could potentially help patients successfully transition out of acute psychotherapy treatment. Methods: An eight week psychoeducational therapy group was developed for patients that were deemed ready to discontinue outpatient psychotherapy treatment. This group consisted of eight positive psychology-based modules. Six participants were enrolled in a study to evaluate the effectiveness of this group. The Outcomes Questionnaire 45 instrument was utilized to evaluated participant symptom severity. Participants took this questionnaire weekly. Scores from participants' first and last week of treatment were compared using a paired t-test statistic. Results: Five of the six initial participants completed the study. The mean pre and post OQ 45 scores were exactly the same. Conclusions: This eight week transitional group could potentially help participants successfully transition out of outpatient psychotherapy. Additional longitudinal and experimental studies with larger sample sizes need to be completed.