Background: Brief psychosocial intervention (BPI) is a treatment for adolescent depression that has recently demonstrated clinical effectiveness in a controlled trial. The aim of this study is to explore experiences of adolescents with major depression receiving BPI treatment in the context of good treatment outcomes.
Method: A subsample of five interviews from a larger study of adolescents' experiences of BPI was purposively selected, focusing on good-outcome cases. Interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to provide a richer understanding of participants' experiences of overcoming depression in the BPI group.
Results: Four central themes were identified: 'Being heard and feeling safe', 'Collaborative working enhancing therapy', 'Gaining a different perspective on one's self and relationships' and 'A positive therapeutic relationship'.
Conclusion: BPI is a novel approach with promising clinical effectiveness. Utilising adolescents' experiences has revealed potential psychological mechanisms of good treatment response to BPI. Overall implications for clinical practice with depressed adolescents are discussed.
Keywords: Depression; adolescents; brief psychosocial intervention; experiences; interpretative phenomenological analysis; qualitative.