Abstract
Purpose - Positive psychology interventions have been suggested to be beneficial in the treatment of dual diagnosis. This exploratory study investigated the perspective of psychosocial intervention workers to explore the potential of a positive strengthsbased approach in dual diagnosis recovery.
Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach was employed with psychosocial intervention workers who attended and observed a positive intervention delivered to dual diagnosis clients. A focus group explored what these practitioners are already doing that resembles positive psychology and their opinion regarding the utility of such interventions in recovery.
Findings - Findings revealed that practitioners were already engaging in positive practice, however, randomly and infrequently with limited impact. Although this new approach was found valuable, potential challenges were identified and a possible discrepancy between staff views of clients and clients’ views of themselves in terms of their potential was detected.
Research limitations – The study involved a small and homogeneous sample. Further research is necessary to investigate staff views and ways of integrating positive psychology with traditional treatment.
Practical implications - Rather than merely attending to the psychological problems and dealing with symptoms, it is also necessary to directly target well-being to enable people to flourish with consideration of their readiness to change.
Originality/value - Addressing a gap in the literature, the present study explored positive themes in current practice and forms part of the evaluation of a newly developed strengths-based approach for individuals with coexisting problems.