PRACTICAL PROBLEMS AND IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES OF ENGLISH VOCABULARY TEACHING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Background: Mental health problems start early in life. However, the majority of adolescents fulfilling the criteria for mental health disorders do not receive treatment, and half of those who do get treatment drop out. This begs the question of what differentiates helpful from unhelpful treatment processes from the perspective of young clients.
Subjects and methods: In this study, we interviewed 12 young people who entered mental health care reluctantly at the initiative of others before the age of 18. Their journeys through mental health care varied significantly despite sharing the same starting point.
Results: Our analyses resulted in a model of three trajectories. We describe relational and structural facilitators and obstacles within each trajectory and have formulated narratives highlighting core experiences differentiating them. Trajectory 1 (I never saw the point – Being met as a case) was characterized by a rapid loss of hope, leading the adolescents to conclude that mental health care was not worth the investment. Trajectory 2 (I gave it a go, but nothing came of it – Being met by a therapist representing a rigid and unhelpful system) was characterized by a lingering hope that never materialized into a constructive therapeutic process despite prevailing efforts by both therapists and adolescents. Trajectory 3 (Something good came of it – Being met by a therapist who cares and wants to help) was characterized by genuine meetings, allowing the therapist to transform from an unsafe stranger into a safe, competent, and benevolent adult.
Conclusions: These findings point to the key role played by the therapist as a person and adolescents’ positive meetings with a safe, genuine, and flexible therapist who could make their treatment useful despite a less-than-optimal starting point. The results have important clinical implications, including the extent to which service organizations allow sufficient flexibility for therapists to ensure individualized treatment that meets the needs of adolescent clients. The findings also shed light on how adolescents are active participants in therapy, feel responsible for making the therapeutic relationship work, and often remain in therapy for a longer period without experiencing benefits even when they have entered therapy at the initiative of others.