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.