title: 'Living with Aphasia the Best Way I Can': A Feasibility Study Exploring Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for People with Aphasia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Post-stroke aphasia can profoundly affect a person's social and emotional well-being. This study explored the feasibility of solution-focused brief therapy as an accessible intervention and investigated its impact on participants' psychosocial well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a small-scale repeated-measures feasibility study. Participants received between 3 and 5 therapy sessions. They were assessed on psychosocial outcome measures before and after therapy and took part in post-therapy in-depth qualitative interviews. Three men and 2 women with chronic aphasia took part (age range: 40s-70s).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants found the therapy acceptable, and it was possible to adapt the approach so as to be communicatively accessible. Quantitative assessments showed encouraging trends in improved mood [pre-therapy General Health Questionnaire 12-item version (GHQ-12): mean (SD): 4.80 (4.60), median: 6; post-therapy GHQ-12: mean (SD): 2.00 (2.55), median: 1] and improved communicative participation [pre-therapy Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB): mean (SD): 7.80 (5.76), median: 7; post-therapy CPIB: mean (SD): 12.20 (4.44), median: 14]. Measures of social network and connectedness, however, remained stable. Themes emerging from the qualitative analysis included changes to mood, communicative participation, mobility, and everyday activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This small-scale study suggests that solution-focused brief therapy is a promising approach to helping people with aphasia build positive change in their lives.
authors.affiliation: Division of Language and Communication Science, School of Health Sciences, City University London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Northcott
authors.forename: Kidge
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hilari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001037:Aphasia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003142:Communication; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D011340:Problem Solving; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires