Background:
Clients suffering from depression and anxiety need tools to achieve a satisfying everyday life. The Tree Theme Method® (TTM) (e.g. Gunnarsson et al., 2006) implies that clients paint pictures of trees representing certain life periods, used for occupational life story telling and for shaping future plans, aiming at becoming more active in everyday life. The study aim is to compare the effects of the TTM to standard occupational therapy.
Method:
The ongoing study is a randomized clinical trial carried out in general outpatient mental health care and primary health care in Sweden. 130 clients, 18-65 years, with depression and/or anxiety, are randomized to intervention or control. Data collection, by self-rating questionnaires regarding psychological symptoms, everyday activities, and health related aspects, is carried out at baseline and three times after the intervention. Statistical analyses are used with non-parametric methods.
Results:
So far, 110 clients have been recruited. The research design, and baseline results, will be presented at COTEC.
Conclusion:
Evidence-based interventions focusing on occupations are lacking. Therefore, this study aims to study the outcomes of a specific occupational therapy intervention, namely the TTM.
Application to Practice:
If outcomes are positive, the TTM can be implemented more widely within occupational therapy.
References
Gunnarsson, A. B., Jansson, J. A., & Eklund, M. (2006). The Tree Theme Method in psychosocial occupational therapy – a case study. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 13(4), 229-240.
Financial support by Region Kronoberg, Southern Health Care Region and the Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden are gratefully acknowledged.
