Verbal Person-Centered Support Provision Quality Following an Exploratory Supportive Skills Intervention

Research suggests that individuals can experience positive physical, mental, and relational outcomes following the reception of high-quality verbal person-centered (VPC) support. In addition, researchers contend that two variables predict the likelihood of high VPC support provision, the first being ability to provide VPC support, and the second consisting of motivation to do so. Nevertheless, few researchers have attempted to increase individuals’ ability or motivation to provide high-quality VPC messages to personal network members. This exploratory investigation assessed whether a supportive skills training intervention prompted increased ability and motivation to utilize high-quality VPC messages across generalized supportive interactions. Participants completed a two-week supportive skills intervention involving classroom-based modules and personal journaling of support conversations. Results provided initial evidence that support interventions can encourage providers to utilize higher quality VPC messages when interacting with distressed network members.