Distressing experiences of felt presence in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Early observations from the ChUSE Trial and the challenges of assessment.

Abstract

Felt presence (FP) is an emerging field of clinical research and to our knowledge there are no studies exploring the phenomenon within children and young people. The current study aims to address this by reporting the experiences of FPs from a clinical sample of young people involved in the ChUSE trial, a feasibility and acceptability RCT looking at supporting young people with distressing sensory experiences (DSEs) within CAMHS services in the NHS. Self-reported experiences of FP were collected at baseline assessment alongside other distressing sensory experiences for 50 young people aged 8-16 years. Qualitative analysis of therapeutic sessions that young people received as part of the ChUSE trial was used to identify themes relating to FPs. Rates of reporting during the baseline assessment of feeling watched or followed were high (88%) with 28% reporting that they were most distressed by this experience alongside other DSEs. Over half the young people (63.8%) who received therapy as part of the trial reported regularly experiencing and feeling distressed in relation to a FP. Six themes were identified and FPs were often associated: FPs are potentially more common and distressing for young people in CAMHS than previously recognised and routine assessment should be considered alongside assessment of other DSEs. There were limitations in the current study in relation to how FPs were assessed and future research should include a more robust measure of FPs. More broadly, there is a need to include a more diverse sample of young people in any future research in this emerging field to get a better understanding of this phenomenology within a developmental context.