Counseling People With Dementia: Qualitative Research Interviews With Participants Living With Dementia and Other Key Practitioners, 2023

The data sought to capture the views of people living with dementia before and after their experience of therapeutic counselling to assess their experience of the therapeutic process. Therapist, supervisor and managerial perspectives on therapy provision were also gathered following the counselling intervention. The data comprises transcripts of pre and post-qualitative interviews with counselling participants (n=4); post-intervention qualitative interviews with the therapists who delivered the counselling intervention (n=2) and with their counselling supervisor (n=1); post-intervention qualitative interview with the care home manager of the residential care home where three of the counselling interventions took place. Also included are reflective diaries (n=36) written by the therapists following each counselling session.Counselling People with Dementia was a one-year feasibility study (Sept 2021 – Aug 2022) funded by a Healthy Ageing Catalyst Award (United Kingdom Research Institute) to test an accessible, community-based, counselling model to help meet the emotional health and well-being needs of people living with dementia. Market research was also carried out and a film made of the key findings. The study comprised part two of a proposed three-stage programme. The first stage included a systematic literature review and interviews with people living with dementia, carers and therapists to establish their views on counselling and what they might look for in a counselling service. Results highlighted a gap in emotional support and pointed to a need for tailored, community-based, professional counselling. People living with dementia and informal carers talked about the benefits of local, flexible counselling across the dementia timeline, delivered through accessible, community venues. In this study (extended to Jan 2023 due to delays with recruitment and data collection) we learned that people living with dementia are interested in, and can gain benefit from, speaking about their emotional needs with a trained counsellor. The therapeutic space offered a safe container for participants to process difficult feelings and to support the re-emergence of a person’s experience of self as a meaningful adult. Therapists expressed the value of working in this context. The need for specific counsellor training in dementia awareness and the ability to draw on different skills was emphasised along with frequent supervision to promote and sustain counsellor confidence.