26,272 research outputs found
Journeying to visibility:an autoethnography of self-harm scars in the therapy room
This autoethnography explores the experience of a therapist negotiating the visibility of their selfâharm scars in the therapy room. Its form takes the shape of the author's personal meaningâmaking journey, beginning by exploring the construction of the therapist identity before going on to consider the wounded healer paradigm and the navigation of selfâdisclosure. A thread throughout is finding ways to resist fear and shame as both a researcher and counsellor. The author concludes by recounting fragments of sessions from the first client she worked with while having her scars visible. While not every therapist will have selfâharm scars, all therapists have a body which plays âa significant part of his or her unique contribution to therapyâ (Burka, 2013, p. 257). This paper is, therefore, potentially valuable to any therapist, at any stage of development, who seeks to reflect on the role of the body and use of the self
Comparing online and face-to-face student counselling: what therapeutic goals are identified and what are the implications for educational providers?
Online counselling is increasingly being used as an alternative to face-to-face student counselling. Using an exploratory mixed methods design, this project investigates the practice by examining the types of therapeutic goals that 11 to 25 year olds identify online in routine practice. These goals are then compared to goals identified in equivalent school and community-based counselling services. 1,137 online goals (expressed by 504 young people) and 221 face-to-face goals (expressed by 220 young people) were analysed for key themes using grounded theory techniques. This analysis identified three core categories (1) Intrapersonal Goals, (2) Interpersonal Goals, and (3) Intrapersonal Goals directly related to others. Further statistical analysis of these themes indicated that online and face-to-face services appear to be being used in different ways by students. These differences are discussed alongside the implications for professionals working in educational settings
From blues to rainbows: the mental health and well-being of gender diverse and transgender young people in Australia
This study of gender diverse and transgender young people reveals high rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and anxiety.
Introduction
This report is the culmination of many months of engagement across Australia with young people aged between 14 and 25 who have shared their thoughts, understandings, experiences, hopes and dreams with us through an online survey and online interviews. Their narratives are insightful, touching, and hopeful. Young voices have told us how they care for themselves as well as shining a light on how health services, schools, government and policy makers can better serve their needs.
This research was designed to expand on findings from previous Australian research with young people that found that gender-questioning and transgender young people not only experienced higher rates of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, but were also more likely to be involved in activism than their cisgender and same-sex attracted peers. This later finding is a potentially positive one and points to the need for research to not only explore the mental health needs of these young people but also the ways in which they advocate and care for themselves in the face of discrimination and abuse
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Researching Across Two Cultures: Shifting Positionality
Embodied and creative research methods provoke honesty, emotion, and vulnerability in participants, which add to the richness of the stories they tell and are willing to share. The positionality of the researcher is less of âinterviewerâ and more âco-producerâ or participant in a dialogue. Visual and creative approaches invite participants to share in ways in which they are not able or willing through words alone. The data and outputs they produce, with film, art, or objects, can in turn affect those who see it more than written text and need to be analysed and disseminated along with more traditional transcripts, articles, and presentations. In the context of investigating sensitive issues such as those around embodied identity, these methods, which use embodied methods to explore embodied research questions, may feel the most appropriate. These approaches lie along the boundary of therapy and research, asking much of researchers who are unlikely to have received therapeutic training or ongoing support. Due to this deficit, the researched may find that their experience is not held or contained in a way that the content would demand. Similarly, the data themselves lie on the boundary of art and research, in that they can be seen as more than a tool to facilitate reflection, but as artifacts in their own right. What are the implications in this scenario? Where should we position ourselves and our work along these boundaries? Who holds the space for the researcher and the researched if both are made vulnerable
Being Trans: An interpretative phenomenological study of young adults
Social structures assume a binary classification of gender whereby people are expected to accept the female or male gender expectations and gender roles commonly associated with their biological sex. However, gender identity and gender expression are personal experiences which do not necessarily align with the sex assigned to a person at birth. Young adults who identify as trans resist the predictable relationships and boundaries of sex and gender by embracing diverse gender identities and expressions. Research acknowledging more favourable life experiences of trans youth is limited, despite the importance of a sound knowledge base necessary to provide a positive and affirmative environment within clinical practice. The lived experiences of trans youth was explored using an interpretative phenomenological framework to understand the personal meanings of the participantsâ world view in relation to positive experiences. Ten participants between the ages of 18 and 24 years were interviewed, guided by a semi-structured interview schedule. Thematic analysis was conducted to find repeated patterns of meaning amongst the interview transcripts. Three overarching themes were identified and discussed: (1) identity validation, (2) a desire to speak out, and (3) identifying evidence of social change. Implications and future directions were discussed in light of contemporary media use to facilitate affirmative practices and for practitioners to heighten their awareness of the significance of gender in their own lives
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of stress and coping in first year undergraduates
In the UK, changes to the higher education system have increased the range of stressors experienced by students above those traditionally associated with the transition to university. Despite this, there is little qualitative research examining how students experience and cope with the
adjustment to university. The experience of the transition was investigated in depth amongst 10 first year UK undergraduates. Purposive sampling resulted in a group with demographics similar to national statistics on UK undergraduates. Semi-structured interviews were used beginning with a content specific vignette to develop rapport. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was
utilised to analyse the transcripts and quality checks were implemented to increase the validity of the analysis. Five main themes were identified: all the change, with subthemes of independent living, homesickness, differences between post-compulsory education and university; expectations
of university; academic focus with subthemes of self-discipline, motivation, learning from experience; support network with subthemes of establishing a support network, support for coping with problems; and difficulties with subthemes of difficulties experienced with housemates,
finances and employment, and academic difficulties. Students used a range of coping strategies.
By identifying the role of positive psychological strengths such as optimism, hope, self-efficacy and self-control in coping with stress and facilitating positive adaptation, the study locates positive psychological strengths within a transactional understanding of stress and provides depth
and relevance to their role in facilitating adjustment. Such qualitative research is rare in the positive psychology and stress literature. Suggestions for easing the transition are made
Engaging youth in post-disaster research: Lessons learned from a creative methods approach
Children and youth often demonstrate resilience and capacity in the face of disasters. Yet, they are typically not given the opportunities to engage in youth-driven research and lack access to official channels through which to contribute their perspectives to policy and practice during the recovery process. To begin to fill this void in research and action, this multi-site research project engaged youth from disaster-affected communities in Canada and the United States. This article presents a flexible youth-centric workshop methodology that uses participatory and arts-based methods to elicit and explore youthâs disaster and recovery experiences. The opportunities and challenges associated with initiating and maintaining partnerships, reciprocity and youth-adult power differentials using arts-based methods, and sustaining engagement in post-disaster settings, are discussed. Ultimately, this work contributes to further understanding of the methods being used to conduct research for, with, and about youth.Keywords: youth, disaster recovery, engagement, resilience, arts-based methods, participatory researc
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