Gracious it has been months since we last shared news on our blog. It’s been busy times for everyone everywhere. We hope people are as well as possible and managing as best as possible. Here’s some news to brighten your Friday: we finished therapy sessions in March; we finished final assessment sessions in April; we finished story transcription also in April (more than 200 stories…); and we finished post-therapy qualitative interviews in May. We are done done done with collecting data. And we have many people to thank for helping us get to this point.

First round of thanks goes to our marvellous 28 participants and family members who’ve been on this journey with us since June last year. We are a feasibility trial, so the questions are can we do this research, will people take part and stay the journey with us, and what do people think of the therapy and the process? It’s looking pretty positive in this regard which is terrific and we acknowledge the enthusiasm, commitment and positivity of our participants in this endeavour.

Next thanks go to our incredible therapy team – therapists Sarah Johnston, Richard Talbot and Gabriella Procida – and student therapists Sarah Ajrullah, Tarisa Tan, Zain Alabbasi, Molly Garfoot, Harry Smithson, Annie Otalora-Garcia, Rosie Flynn, Ann Mason, Taru Launiainen, Hanka Al Saidova, Cemaliye Birdane and Rosie Sweetman. They’ve innovated in most creative ways to deliver a complex discourse intervention through Zoom and reach into people’s kitchens, lounge rooms, and offices to help participants improve their storytelling skills. Hats off to all of your for your dedication, problem-solving, and the fabulous therapy spaces that you’ve created with participants.

Up next are Carla Chynoweth and Lin Cockayne (assessors) and Rachel Barnard (qualitative interviewer), our staff who collected the super important stories, clinical assessment and patient reported outcome measures, and interview data that will help us judge what people thought of LUNA, whether we chose the right assessments, and whether there are any indicative benefits (although the sample is small). You have invented ways of helping people feel comfortable and at ease with assessment and interview at a distance that did not initially seem possible – and have done this in a manner which is rigorous and reliable. We applaud you.

We simply must must must thank our volunteer transcribers – City SLT students – who transcribed and checked umpteen personal stories from across our 28 participants. They include six of our student therapists named above – Sarah, Molly, Harry, Annie, Rosie F and Taru – as well as 20 further transcribers: Bernadine Buckley, Ella Thorne, Janany Dayalan, Olivia Hogg, Frances James, Lisanne Go, Alice Dunbar, Hannah Harvey, Julia McGlashan, Marcus Truin, Victor Piotto, Kirsty Harris, Tansy Brice, Nicola Rowland, Shannon Given, Bhavisha Vekhria, Madeleine Rowlands, Rebecca Jacobs, Leema Miah, and Daniella Stead. You followed protocol with high attention to detail and several of you came back for repeat transcribing, so it can’t have been as painful as we imagined! You told us you learnt so much for the opportunity, we thank you for this gift of your time and contribution.

And last but by no means least, huge thanks to our super project manager Kate Swinburn who meticulously monitored all the data collection over the last 11 months and checked, prompted, and nudged us all to ensure our data is sitting in superb shape. You also skilfully supported staff and students when we’ve had some wobbles, we have so benefited from your expertise.

Kate’s also had the privilege of closing the project with each participant in ‘closure interviews’ and hearing people’s thoughts and views – we leave you with some of their reflections:

LUNA best thing ever happen to me

LUNA project is really wonderful … thank you from the bottom of my heart

Friends noticed my speech improved…before it was one word answers now it’s sentences

Awesome