"Now I Am Myself": Exploring How People With Poststroke Aphasia Experienced Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Within the SOFIA Trial.

Aphasia, a language disability, can profoundly affect a person's mood and identity. The experiences of participants who received Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, a psychological intervention, were explored in the Solution-Focused brief therapy In poststroke Aphasia (SOFIA) Trial. Thirty participants with chronic aphasia, 14 with severe aphasia, participated in in-depth interviews that were analyzed using framework analysis. Two overarching themes emerged: valued therapy components (exploring hopes, noticing achievements, companionship, sharing feelings, and relationship with therapist) and perceptions of progress (mood, identity, communication, relationships, and independence). Participants were categorized into four groups: (a) "changed," where therapy had a meaningful impact on a person's life; (b) "connected," where therapy was valued primarily for companionship; (c) "complemental," where therapy complemented a participant's upward trajectory; and (d) "discordant," where therapy misaligned with participants' preference for impairment-based language work. This study suggests that it is feasible to adapt a psychological therapy for people with aphasia, who perceive it as valuable.

'Living with Aphasia the Best Way I Can': A Feasibility Study Exploring Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for People with Aphasia.

OBJECTIVE: Post-stroke aphasia can profoundly affect a person's social and emotional well-being. This study explored the feasibility of solution-focused brief therapy as an accessible intervention and investigated its impact on participants' psychosocial well-being. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This is a small-scale repeated-measures feasibility study. Participants received between 3 and 5 therapy sessions. They were assessed on psychosocial outcome measures before and after therapy and took part in post-therapy in-depth qualitative interviews. Three men and 2 women with chronic aphasia took part (age range: 40s-70s). RESULTS: Participants found the therapy acceptable, and it was possible to adapt the approach so as to be communicatively accessible. Quantitative assessments showed encouraging trends in improved mood [pre-therapy General Health Questionnaire 12-item version (GHQ-12): mean (SD): 4.80 (4.60), median: 6; post-therapy GHQ-12: mean (SD): 2.00 (2.55), median: 1] and improved communicative participation [pre-therapy Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB): mean (SD): 7.80 (5.76), median: 7; post-therapy CPIB: mean (SD): 12.20 (4.44), median: 14]. Measures of social network and connectedness, however, remained stable. Themes emerging from the qualitative analysis included changes to mood, communicative participation, mobility, and everyday activities. CONCLUSIONS: This small-scale study suggests that solution-focused brief therapy is a promising approach to helping people with aphasia build positive change in their lives.