Peer-Reviewed Journal Article

The article that I chose to read was titled Population-Centered Life Skills Groups: Perceptions of Satisfaction and Engagement. This study examined the satisfaction with and engagement in population-centered life skills groups of women in a residential facility for substance dependence. In community settings in which group work occurs, intervention planning may focus on representatives from the population as opposed to individualized evaluations (Peloquin & Ciro, 2013). This global approach falls short of ideal client-centered therapy and is population centered in the sense that unique client needs are assumed to align with those identified in the population. The possible risk in targeting common as opposed to unique needs identified through assessments and interviews is the emergence of feelings of dissatisfaction associated with diagnosis-driven interventions (Peloquin, 1993), thus the necessity for this study. Through retrospectively cross-analyzing 561 Likert scale client rating surveys, descriptive statistics were used to examine client satisfaction with their life skills groups based on the Person-Environment-Occupation model. Client engagement by content focus and activity process were also examined by looking at eight life skills development questions. All participants were women age 18 or older with drug dependence, alcohol dependence, or both. Many had dual diagnoses, including depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia. 98.8% of participants who completed the survey were satisfied with their living skills groups, 73.3% agreed strongly, and 23.4% agreed. There were no significant differences found in the median scores of the engagement responses by either content focus or activity process. From this study, it was concluded that these groups that are conceptualized within a holistic Person-Environment-Occupation model appear to be satisfactory and engaging interventions for women in recovery. 

Having read this article, I am now more aware of how powerful the connection is between what clients get out of a group and the model that the group is based on. In this study, the life skills groups were structured using the PEO and addressed the needs identified by the group members that were taking part in the group. By being client-centered in this way and basing the group on a model that encompasses a match between the client, their environment, and the occupations in which they engage, there was greater satisfaction and engagement reported by the clients. Because these group sessions focused on different components of PEO, better outcomes were achieved. For example, sessions that were titled Being an Observant Woman (Person), Capturing ADL Hints (Occupation), and Finding Frugal Leisure Sights (Environment) were all targeting aspects of PEO while also pulling from the needs that were identified by the group, thus eliciting more engagement from the members. This article certainly goes to show how important it is to match the model on which you are building your group sessions to the specific needs of the clients that you are serving. In the future, I will certainly have to remember to remain client-centered by finding out what is important to my group members and matching this with the appropriate model on which I am forming my group sessions. It truly is so important for us as practitioners to honor aims central to client-centered practice within our group sessions, and if we do this while incorporating the proper model, we can achieve great success with our clients. 

Peloquin, S. M. (1993). The patient–therapist relationship: Beliefs that shape care. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47, 935–942. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ ajot.47.10.935 

Peloquin, S. M., & Ciro, C. A. (2013). Population-Centered Life Skills Groups: Perceptions of Satisfaction and Engagement. American Journal of Occupational Therapy,67(5), 594-600. doi:10.5014/ajot.2013.008425

Peloquin, S. M., & Ciro, C. A. (2013). Self- development groups among women in recovery: Client perceptions of satisfaction and engagement. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 82–90. http://dx. doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.004796