Vol. 28 No. 1 (2025)
Articles

FROM SELF-DOUBT TO SELF-EFFICACY: THE APPRECIATIVE DIALOGUE (APDI) THERAPY PROGRAM

Download
  • Keith Storace
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7546/PsyRB.2025.28.01.03

Published 07/21/2025

Keywords

  • Self-Doubt,
  • Strengths-Based,
  • Resilience,
  • Appreciative Inquiry,
  • Mental Wellbeing

How to Cite

Storace, K. (2025). FROM SELF-DOUBT TO SELF-EFFICACY: THE APPRECIATIVE DIALOGUE (APDI) THERAPY PROGRAM. Psychological Research (in the Balkans), 28(1). https://doi.org/10.7546/PsyRB.2025.28.01.03

Copyright (c) 2025 Psychological Research (in the Balkans)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

In the wake of global disruptions to mental health, identity, and social connection, self-doubt has emerged as a prominent clinical presentation, with many individuals experiencing heightened uncertainty about their sense of self and capacity to cope. This growing prevalence highlights the need for therapeutic models that not only address psychological distress but also support the restoration of inner resources and self-assurance. The Appreciative Dialogue (ApDi) Therapy Program is a strengths-based framework designed to help individuals overcome self-doubt, build resilience, and enhance mental well-being. It integrates the five core principles of Appreciative Inquiry—Poetic, Simultaneity, Anticipatory, Posi- tive, and Constructionist—with evidence-based approaches, including existential, solution-focused, and cognitive-behav- ioural therapies. This combination provides a structured yet adaptable method for challenging limiting beliefs, recognis- ing personal strengths, and aligning actions with meaningful goals. Central to the program is the cultivation of a healthy mindset, guided by seven key elements: positive self-talk, resilience, flexibility, self-awareness, gratitude, self-care, and purpose. These elements have been included to assist individuals with understanding their emotional challenges, highlight the importance of reframing negative perceptions, and as a guide to fostering personal growth. Empirical data from a two-and-a-half-year practice-based study involving 43 clients demonstrate significant post-therapy improvements in self- esteem, anxiety reduction, mindset flexibility, and resilience. A detailed methodology, including test–retest psychometric assessment, is provided, along with a case study and visual frameworks mapping theory to practice. International research is referenced to highlight the global relevance of self-doubt and the need for culturally adaptable, strengths-based thera- pies. The article concludes by identifying future research directions, including longitudinal studies, inferential analysis, and broader population testing. The ApDi Therapy Program offers a timely and humanising contribution to psychological care, grounded in dialogue, imagination, and change.

Download

References

  1. Allford, M., & Beck, A. T. (1997). Cognitive therapy of depression. Guilford Press.
  2. Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psy- chometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(6), 893–897.
  3. Bell, R., & Gill, A. (2018). Developing Leadership Confidence in Canadian Students. AI
  4. Practitioner International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry. 20(3), 76-82.
  5. Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920.
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). Youth risk behavior surveillance — United States, 2023. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
  7. Cokley, K., McClain, S., Enciso, A., & Martinez, M. (2013). An examination of the impact of minority status stress and impostor feelings on the mental health of diverse ethnic minority college students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 41(2), 82–95.
  8. Cooperrider, D. L., Srivastva, S. (1999). Appreciative management and leadership: The power of positive thought and action in organization. Crown Custom Publishing.
  9. Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., & Stavros, J. M. (2008). Appreciative inquiry handbook: For leaders of change (2nd ed.). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
  10. Cooperrider, D. L., & Whitney, D. (2005). Appreciative inquiry: A positive revolution in change. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
  11. De Jong, P., & Kim Berg, I. (2002). Interviewing for solutions (2nd ed.). Brooks/Cole.
  12. De Shazer, S., & Berg, I. K. (1985). Keys to solution in brief therapy. W.W. Norton & Company.Deshmukh,
  13. A. (2020). Identity development and life satisfaction among young adults in India. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(3), 1241–1254.
  14. Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
  15. Egan, S. J., Wade, T. D., & Shafran, R. (2024). The relationship between perfectionism and self-esteem in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.
  16. Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy. Lyle Stuart.
  17. Frankl, V. E. (1959). Man’s search for meaning. Beacon Press.
  18. Gergen, K. J. (1994). Realities and relationships: Soundings in social construction. Harvard University Press. Grant, A. M., Townend, M., Mulhern, R., & Short, N. (2008). Cognitive behavioural therapy in mental health care. Sage Publications.
  19. Jacobson, J. (2007). A philosophy of human becoming: Existentialist psychology in practice. Routledge.
  20. Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. PLOS
  21. Maslow, A. H. (1968). Toward a psychology of being (2nd ed.). Van Nostrand Reinhold.
  22. May, R. (1975). The courage to create. Norton.
  23. Mental Health Foundation. (2022). Annual report 2021–2022. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.org. uk/sites/default/files/2022-12/MHF-21-22-english.pdf
  24. McCall, J., et al. (2024). Impostor phenomenon and impact on women surgeons: A Canadian cross-sectional survey. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 239(3), 299–307.
  25. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. (2023). Shock number of Melbourne teens suffering anxiety, depression: New study reveals. Herald Sun. Retrieved from https://www.heraldsun.com.au/health/ mental-health/anxiety-depression/shock-number-of-melbourne-teens-suffering-anxiety-depression-new- study-reveals/news-story/4daf6b2f2202d560b98f4ae89146a5cb
  26. Nagasu, M., Muto, K., & Yamamoto, I. (2021). Impacts of anxiety and socioeconomic factors on mental health in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Japan: A web-based survey. PLOS ONE, 16(3), e0247705.
  27. O’Connell, B. (2005). Solution-focused therapy (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
  28. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop- ment (OECD). (2023). Supporting young people’s mental health through the COVID-19 crisis: OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). OECD Publishing.
  29. Rogers, C. R. (1951). Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications, and theory. Houghton Mifflin.
  30. Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist’s view of psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin.
  31. Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. Basic Books. Storace, K. (2017). Appreciative dialogue: Managing self-doubt through inspirational discourse. AI Prac- titioner: International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry, 19(3), 65–75.
  32. Storace, K. (2024) Unlocking from lockdown: Reframing the future through appreciative dialogue. In S. Nanwani & W. Loxley (Eds.) Social Structure Adaptation to Covid-19: Impact on Humanity. Routledge
  33. The Australian. (2023). Australia leads most serious piece of work ever on youth mental health as kids struggle to cope. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian. com.au/nation/australia-leads-most-serious-piece-of-work-ever-on-youth-mental-health-as-kids- struggle-to-cope/news-story/4990f76ff8c45a03f931ff7e959ba75c
  34. Wagnild, G. M., & Young, H. M. (1993). Development and psychometric evaluation of the resilience scale. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 1(2), 165–178.
  35. World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid- 19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide
  36. Zhao, Q., Wichman, A. L., & Wedell, D. H. (2019). Self-doubt effects depend on beliefs about ability: Experimental and individual difference evidence. Personality and Individual Differences, 138, 225–231.