Nidotherapy in practice

Abstract

Background: Nidotherapy is a form of management for chronic and persisting mental disorders that concentrates on making environmental changes to make a better fit between person and environment. In the context of nidotherapy all types of environmental change, physical, social and personal, are considered relevant.

Aims: To describe the principles of nidotherapy, how it is used in clinical practice, and how it fits in with other aspects of treatment.

Method: Descriptions of the procedures and skills used in treatment with brief vignettes of problems that arise in practice, how it integrates with other forms of management, and the patients for whom it should be selected.

Results: Summaries of data associated with successful nidotherapy interventions and also of relative failures, together with strategies of engagement.

Conclusions: Although nidotherapy is a relatively recent introduction to psychological treatments in psychiatry it is argued that it does not overlap with other modalities of treatment and deserves to be considered at times of persistent symptoms, handicaps and therapeutic despair.

Declaration of interest: PT is grant holder and KK the main nidotherapist in a current study of nidotherapy in antisocial personality disturbance funded by the NHS National Programme on Forensic Mental Health.

Keywords:

• Psychological treatment
• nidotherapy
• chronic mental illness
• learning disability
• personality disorder