The Personal Concerns Inventory Study (PCI)

Overview

Services for people with personality disorders are challenged by how to engage clients in therapy. High non-completion rates have major cost-efficiency implications, but more worrying is that drop-out may be associated with negative outcomes for clients. The investigators have developed a motivational intervention that helps people focus on their valued and attainable life goals and consider how therapy could help with goal attainment.One way to improve retention in treatment is to deliver pre-therapy motivational preparation interviews. The primary aim of our proposed research is to gather information to determine whether a randomised controlled trial of a goal-based motivational intervention is feasible in a community personality disorder treatment service.

The investigators aim to work with community adults with personality disorder. Referrals to Nottinghamshire NHS Trust's community personality disorder service will be eligible for inclusion. After initial assessment for suitability for the service, patients will be randomised to receive the motivational interview plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual only. The investigators aim to recruit 100 participants over 1½ years. The comparison is between a motivational intervention called the Personal Concerns Inventory plus treatment as usual and and treatment as usual only in the client preparation phase. The feasibility measures are (1) the recruitment rate to a goal-based motivational interview plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual only, and (2) the acceptability of the intervention to clients and therapists. The investigators will also develop measures to assess the processes by which the intervention may have an effect, and assess the cost of the intervention compared with treatment as usual.