Exploration of the process of implementing Short Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (STPP) within a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy team working in an NHS Trust: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

This study aims to explore the implementation of Short-Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (STPP) in Children and Young People’s mental health services (CYPS) in an NHS Trust. It focuses on the perspectives of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists (CAPTs), investigating their thoughts and feelings as they implemented STPP. Particular focus is given to how these thoughts and feelings changed over the year of this process. The participants were four qualified CAPTs working across three CYPS within one NHS Trust. This constituted the majority of the Trust’s CAPT team. Data was gathered via transcription of audio recordings of the participant’s interviews at two time points: Time 1 as CAPTs were beginning to use STPP and Time 2 a year into its implementation. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was then used to elicit themes from the data. Particular attention was paid to how these themes changed or did not change over the two interview time points. Three relevant superordinate themes were found: Theme 1- Is STPP ‘psychotherapy-light’ ? Existential questions. Theme 2- The ‘hard reality’ of time, could there be ‘enough’ ? Theme 3- ‘People are very depleted’ - the need for organisational holding and containment. The findings are explored and discussed in relation to relevant research and psychoanalytic theory. Reflexivity and the countertransference of the researcher are also used to further embed and illuminate the findings. The fantasies, thoughts and feelings CAPTs have in relation to STPP are central when introducing this way of working. The importance of organisational culture, and a holding and containing environment in allowing space for innovation is highlighted.