The Healing Elements of an Eclectic Life Skills Programme: Clients’ Perspectives

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> The article reports the healing elements of an eclectic life skills programme (ELSP) from the perspective of group members. An ELSP utilising <i>open</i> groups was developed to manage clients with mixed diagnostic profiles and different stages of recovery simultaneously. The aim was to explore the healing elements of an ELSP. <b>Methods:</b> Maximum variation purposive sampling was used to select six participants for the phenomenological inquiry. Data collection is comprised of observations, semistructured interviews, and reflective journals. Data analysis comprised an inductive thematic analysis. <b>Consumer Involvement:</b> Participants all attended groups offered within the ELSP. They participated in two semistructured interviews: the first interview in the week following admission and the second just before discharge. In addition, they documented their experiences in reflective journals for the duration of their participation. <b>Findings:</b> The analogy of a kaleidoscope portrayed the four themes; three pertained to structural dynamics, namely, <i>programme mirror</i>, <i>facilitator mirror</i>, and <i>mirror of other group members</i>. The fourth theme, namely, <i>the magical pattern</i>, pertained to personal sense-making by individual group members. <b>Conclusions:</b> The dynamic interplay of healing factors, captured in the themes, facilitated healing. Self-reflection was integral to the creation of a bespoke, facilitated self-learning process with direct application in group members' own lives.