The Experiences of Psychotherapy for People With Dementia: A Qualitative Interview Study With Family Members

Psychotherapeutic interventions can support people with dementia. Family members often play a pivotal role in the therapeutic process but little is known about their experiences of therapy, how they perceive the impact on their relative, and how the experience affects them directly. This study aimed to explore the experiences of family members who engage in therapy, or support someone living with dementia to attend therapy. Individuals with dementia and their family members were recruited as participants through NHS Trusts, professional networks, social media and community and support groups based in England and Wales. Semi-structured qualitative individual or dyadic interviews were conducted with 17 participants, eight of whom were living with dementia and nine were family members. Framework analysis was used. Family members highlighted "the importance of feeling seen" as distinct individuals by clinicians when engaging with psychotherapy, and not just the carer of their partner. When working with "dementia as dynamic phenomenon", therapeutic approaches needed to balance being sufficiently structured and containing whilst allowing for adaptions to each individual changeable presentation. Participants highlighted how psychotherapy presented "expected and unexpected outcomes", challenges that arose when outcomes were not agreed upon, and how therapy functioned as a support structure in ways the participants did not foresee. Psychotherapeutic intervention provides meaningful support to the family members of individuals with dementia. Understanding the needs of family members, alongside the needs of the individual with dementia, and taking a systemic approach is conducive to better therapeutic outcomes. The changeable nature of dementia presentation means that a therapeutic approach should be flexible based on the needs of the family. Psychotherapeutic intervention with individuals with dementia can have a range of benefits for the individual and the wider family, when sufficient considerations are made to understand each person's needs.