The Strength, Hope and Resourcefulness Program for People with
Parkinson’s Disease: A Qualitative Investigation of Group Processes
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that
causes progressive and debilitating symptoms (Hawley, 2014) and affects
over one million Americans (Marras et al., 2018). Some studies suggest
that, globally, the number of people diagnosed with PD is expected to
double to 12 million by 2040, leading to a significant international
demand for multispecialty interventions and care (Dorsey et al., 2018).
PD primarily impacts motor functioning, but it is now understood that
non-motor features of PD are prominent – particularly with increased
progression of the disease (Marinus et al., 2018). One non-motor
feature, depression, has been shown to affect approximately 35% of
people with PD (Aarsland et al., 2012). Depression, apathy and the
tendency to catastrophize and pessimistically view symptoms are common
features of PD that may negatively impact quality of life and well-being
(Gallagher & Schrag, 2012; Lerman et al., 2019).
Although pharmacological treatments for non-motor symptoms exist, very
few studies have explored the efficacy of novel psychological treatments
for those with PD who face these symptoms (Mueller et al., 2018).
Previous research has explored symptom-focused and problem-solving
approaches to non-motor PD symptoms (Lopes et al., 2021) but no research
has explored or evaluated positive approaches focused on building
well-being, hope and strengths in the lives of people with PD. Further,
very little is known about therapeutic processes within individual or
group therapy with those with PD, despite a probable future demand for
innovative therapeutic strategies for this population. The following
work outlines the qualitative findings from a study of the efficacy of a
six-session group therapy program called the Strength, Hope, and
Resourcefulness Program for People with Parkinson’s Disease (SHARP-PWP),
focusing on experiences that participants reported as important and
facilitative.