Experiences of Community Members Engaged in eCPR (Emotional Connecting, Empowering, Revitalizing) Training: Qualitative Focus Group Study

Abstract

Background: The United Nations has called for wide-scale community mental health psychoeducation; however, few programs currently exist. Emotional Connecting, Empowering, Revitalizing (eCPR) is a community education and training program developed by individuals with a lived experience of mental health challenges or trauma. It is designed to provide community members with skills and confidence to support someone experiencing mental health challenges. Objective: This qualitative study aimed to examine the user experiences of diverse community members engaged in eCPR training. This study reviewed their attitudes toward training and opportunities for improvement in future implementations of training. Methods: eCPR training participants (N=31) were invited to participate in virtual focus groups between June 2020 and July 2020. Data were analyzed using the rigorous and accelerated data reduction method, which converts raw textual data into concise data tables to develop a codebook, and thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes. Results: The themes identified when analyzing the data included emotional holding and containment, training feedback, principles and practices of eCPR, implementation, connection in a digital environment, skills practice, and shared experiences. Conclusions: eCPR may benefit individuals from multiple, diverse demographics. It can enhance their ability to connect with others to understand what it means to be with someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, to accept their own emotions, and to be confident in being their most authentic self in both their work and personal lives. eCPR may answer the call of the United Nations by bringing opportunities for authenticity and healing to community settings. Exploring the effects of delivering eCPR in communities on individuals experiencing distress is an important next step. This study found that eCPR may be beneficial to many groups of trainees with varying backgrounds and experiences. These findings are important, as they speak to the potential for eCPR to be implemented in a variety of community settings with the intention of working to improve mental health in everyday settings.