Intervention to Improve Coping With Negative Emotions in Patients With Psychotic Disorders: Feasibility and Efficacy of an Emotion-oriented Cognitive-behavioural Group Intervention ("Feel-Good-Group").

The aim of the present single-centered pre-post study is to assess the feasibility and to investigate the putative efficacy of an emotion-oriented cognitive-behavioral group intervention for patients with psychosis.

Patients with psychosis in an inpatient unit are informed on the study and written consent is obtained. At start of therapy, psychopathological interviews and self-report questionnaires are performed. Participants are reassessed after the intervention of 8 sessions (approximately 8 weeks) and after a follow-up period of 8 additional weeks).

Patients are enrolled in a manualized group therapy over 8 sessions including 7 modules. In the first session, group rules are obtained and individual therapy goals are elaborated and developed for each patient. In the next seven sessions, in each session a new module is presented to the patient and the skills are trained in training sessions and role plays.

Module 1 informs on emotions and their role in mental health, module 2 informs on techniques/skills in order to cope with negative emotions more generally. In module 3, mindfulness is presented as a technique to reduce the impact of negative emotions on the patients' life and practised. In module 4, patients learn skills on how to reduce their vulnerability for negative emotions in general. In Module 5, patients learn skills on how to cope with anger, Module 6 teaches skills on how to cope with guilt and shame, Module 7 is presented in the last session and includes skills on how to improve general emotional stability and to prevent relapse.

Training: Therapists are psychologists or psychiatrists that are currently in postgraduate training of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and received 8 sessions of additional training by the study PI.