Coaching Intervention for Patients With Early Psychosis

Jockey Club Early Psychosis (JCEP) project is a territory-wide specialized EI service that is launched in August 2009 and provides 3-year phase-specific intervention for adult patients presenting with first-episode psychosis (FEP) to psychiatric units of Hospital Authority (HA). To promote early functional recovery, JCEP project develops recovery-oriented intervention based on life coaching approach (recovery-oriented coaching) in addition to case management. This is a structured group-based coaching program incorporating cognitive-behavioural and solution-focused therapeutic components. The program facilitates patients to undergo active change process via identification of achievable goals, formulation of action plans, provision of feedback and progress monitoring for goal attainment. Subjects will be randomized (block size: 2) to receive either recovery-oriented coaching program (intervention group) or supportive therapy (control group). Intervention group Subjects are scheduled to receive a 6-month group-based recovery-oriented coaching program. This is a structured, manualised treatment program based on life coaching principles with cognitive-behavioural and solution-focused elements incorporated. It guides subjects to undergo an active, yet stepwise change process by stimulating motivation, setting achievable goals, generation of action plans via collaborative exploration, fostering self-regulatory capacity, and provision of autonomy-supportive treatment environment and peer support. Subjects' perceived competence, sense of control, self-management skills and hence functioning will be improved via successful experiences and positive feelings generated after attainment of self-initiated goals. Cognitive-behavioural techniques such as self-monitoring, activity scheduling and behavioural modification will be employed. Control group Subjects will receive group-based supportive therapy provided by case managers of JCEP project. The therapy provides patients with p