Supporting Personal Recovery::Testing a Narrative Identity Intervention

Background: Severe mental illness often leads to profound negative consequences, including unemployment, social isolation, and stigma. These consequences are not sufficiently addressed by treatments focusing on symptom remission and functional level, but require explicit attention because they stand in the way of personal recovery. Personal recovery refers to living a satisfying and meaningful life within the limitations caused by mental illness and is increasingly emphasized in mental health care and by service-users. A key aspect of personal recovery is (re)constructing a positive identity through narrating one’s life with meaning, purpose and value. However, evidence-based narrative identity interventions targeting personal recovery are lacking. <br/>Objectives: This study aims to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the recently developed Guide to Narrative Repair (GNaR), a narrative identity intervention designed to promote personal recovery in individuals with severe mental illness. <br/>Methods: We will employ a multiple single-case intervention design with an A-B-A structure. Twenty stable outpatient participants with severe mental illness will be recruited in collaboration with mental health service providers. The intervention consists of 11 individual sessions focusing on life story (re)construction. It contains sessions to aid participants in addressing negative narrative identity stemming from mental illness and functional impairments and sessions to scaffold memory and interpretations to support the growth of positive narrative identity. Final sessions focus on the construction of a realistic and hopeful future story. Feasibility will be assessed through participant retention and satisfaction. Intervention effects will be evaluated by administering standardized measures of personal recovery before, during, and after the intervention.<br/>Hypotheses: We hypothesize that participants will show improvements in personal recovery during and after the intervention, with sustained effects at a 3-month follow-up. <br/>Conclusion: This study will provide critical preliminary data on the feasibility and efficacy of a narrative identity intervention for personal recovery in severe mental illness. The findings will lay the groundwork for larger-scale studies and potential implementation in clinical practice.