Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Post-Stroke Adjustment Via Telerehabilitation

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Post-Stroke Adjustment Via Telerehabilitation

A stroke can affect someone physically and emotionally. There are more than 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, so it is important the right support is available.

Acceptance and commitment therapy is a psychological therapy that helps people adjust to new circumstances. Studies have found that it is helpful for people with long-term health conditions such as brain injury, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, we want to assess if this therapy can help people adjust to life after a stroke.

To assess this, we are looking for adults over 18 who have:

• Had a stroke over three months ago.
• No other neurological illness.
• No severe cognitive or communication difficulties.
• Been discharged from all rehabilitation programmes.
• No severe psychological disorder.
• Not been diagnosed with a major health condition in the last 12 months.
• Access to a device with a camera, an internet connection and private space for video calls.

Participants will:

1. Complete a weekly questionnaire for up to seven weeks on acceptance and action.
2. Complete a second questionnaire at week 7 on mood, what is important to participants and how the stroke has affected their life.
3. Attend an eight-week online group of acceptance and commitment therapy. Sessions are weekly for 90 minutes, including breaks. Participants will repeat the questionnaire.
4. Give feedback after therapy ends and repeat the questionnaires.
5. Repeat the questionnaires after three and six months. Participants will be reminded to complete the online questionnaires and can take breaks as needed.

At the end of the study, participants will have a debrief call to discuss details of the study.

Participants will get a £10 Amazon gift card to thank them for taking part.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Suffered a stroke over three months ago.
• No other neurological illness.
• Not currently receiving any psychological intervention.
• No severe communication difficulties.
• No severe cognitive impairments.
• No current or historical suicidal ideation/self-harming behaviours.
• Not been diagnosed with major long-term health conditions in the last 12 months (except for stroke or trans-ischaemic attack; TIA)
• Access to a device with a camera, stable internet connection and private space

Exclusion Criteria:

• Had a TIA without the presence of a stroke.
• No current distress around adjusting to the consequences of stroke.
• Distress of a severity that it cannot be managed safely in a group therapy setting.