The qualitative researcher, the suffering parent and the children’s services professional: an enquiry into the theory and practice of psychoanalytically-informed interviewing in social work research

This thesis enquires into the application of concepts and practices associated with psychoanalysis (as a broad therapeutic tradition linked by a concern for what is unconscious) in qualitative social work research. It is specifically concerned with the theory and practice of psychoanalytically-informed research interviewing. The first half of thesis considers the application of free association and the use of therapeutic interpretation in interviews. It also provides a critical account of Hollway and Jefferson’s (2000, 2013) “free association narrative interview method” - a well-known approach to research interviewing and analysis (at least amongst scholars interested in the extrapolation of psychoanalytic principles to extra-clinical qualitative research) that is grounded in a framework combining aspects of psychoanalytic and discursive psychology. The second half of the thesis then relates findings from an empirical study informed by this method which sought to explore how children’s services professionals experience the suffering of parents in their work via 33 interviews with 15 participants. The reporting of this research allows for further consideration of how interview narratives can be understood from a psychoanalytically-informed perspective, and how participants experience being the subjects of this type of study. It also illustrates how insights from psychoanalytically based psycho-social theory can be used for enquiring into the ways in which parents figure in the minds of children’s services professionals and how their capacity to hold the suffering parent in mind relates to working conditions and practices, and individual and organisational psychodynamics. Overall, in addressing these different tasks, the thesis makes a contribution, firstly, in rectifying a lack of critical concern amongst social work researchers with the free association narrative interview method. Secondly, and more broadly, it develops and refines understanding about the relationship between psychoanalysis and qualitative research interviewing, the quasi-therapeutic qualities of research interview participation, and the nature of psycho-social understanding in social work research

Reflecting on professional self-disclosure and supportive relationships with foster carers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional self-disclosure can be defined as a clinician revealing personal information about themselves to the person they are caring for. This article provides reflections from clinicians working in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and their navigation of professional self-disclosure during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The reflections focus on the use of self-disclosure in supportive relationships with foster carers. Drawing on the authors’ practice experiences as clinicians in specialist CAMHS settings, the article considers changes in the way that self-disclosure was approached following the shift to remote care delivery during the pandemic. The authors suggest that remote working involves a potentially increased scope for inappropriate use of self-disclosure and outline the implications for mental health nurses working with foster carers

Impact of problem-solving skills and attributional retraining on conduct disorder among students at public secondary schools in Nigeria

Purpose: This paper reports a non-randomized control study undertaken (1) to investigate prevalence and correlates of conduct disorder among male secondary education students in South-West Nigeria; and (2) to assess the impact of a Problem-Solving Skills and Attributional Retraining (PSSAR) intervention with this population. Design/methodology/approach: Seven hundred and eighty-seven male students from two schools were screened for conduct disorder. All participants who met criteria for the disorder were allocated to either treatment (n = 55) or control (n = 47) groups. Outcome measures comprised the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; teacher and student versions) and the Teacher Rating of Students’ Aggressive Behaviors. Findings: Thirteen percent of the sample were found to present with difficulties which met criteria for conduct disorder. The presence of these difficulties correlated with several demographic variables, including parental conflict and alcohol use. A statistically significant reduction in mean scores was observed for the treatment group in the student rating of the SDQ emotional subscale and total difficulties scores. Teacher ratings were less consistent in that conduct problems, prosocial behavior, and total difficulties increased following the intervention, whereas peer problems and aggressive behavior were reported by teachers to reduce. No statistically significant change was found in the outcome measures for the control group. Practical implications: In resource-constrained settings, school-based interventions are an important means through which treatment gaps in child and adolescent mental health can be addressed. Originality/value: This study’s findings offer some preliminary support for the PSSAR intervention for conduct disorder in this context and suggest areas for further research

Reflections on the completion of a psychoanalytically informed interview study involving children’s services professionals

 Hollway and Jefferson’s free association narrative interview method is an approach to qualitative research interviewing that draws on concepts and practices traditionally associated with psychoanalytic therapy. Owing to this psychosocial framework, the method is an attractive proposition for psychodynamically orientated practitioner-researchers. Various studies by researchers in counselling and clinical psychology and the allied fields of social work and mental health nursing have made use of the method or aspects of it. This article describes and provides reflections on the completion of one study informed by the method involving interviews with social workers and intensive family intervention professionals working in English local authority children’s services. The article is concerned with some of the more practical issues involved in doing this research: gaining access to and interviewing a suitable sample of professionals; the format of interviews and interviewing technique; the analysis of interview material; and the role of researcher reflexivity and the use of the researcher’s ‘countertransference’ experience (with a specific concern for countertransference boredom). Overall, the article contributes to furthering thinking about the free association narrative interview method as a tool of social work research and what it means to do qualitative research with social work and child welfare professionals in a psychoanalytically informed way

The qualitative researcher, the suffering parent and the children’s services professional: an enquiry into the theory and practice of psychoanalytically-informed interviewing in social work research

This thesis enquires into the application of concepts and practices associated with psychoanalysis (as a broad therapeutic tradition linked by a concern for what is unconscious) in qualitative social work research. It is specifically concerned with the theory and practice of psychoanalytically-informed research interviewing. The first half of thesis considers the application of free association and the use of therapeutic interpretation in interviews. It also provides a critical account of Hollway and Jefferson’s (2000, 2013) “free association narrative interview method” - a well-known approach to research interviewing and analysis (at least amongst scholars interested in the extrapolation of psychoanalytic principles to extra-clinical qualitative research) that is grounded in a framework combining aspects of psychoanalytic and discursive psychology. The second half of the thesis then relates findings from an empirical study informed by this method which sought to explore how children’s services professionals experience the suffering of parents in their work via 33 interviews with 15 participants. The reporting of this research allows for further consideration of how interview narratives can be understood from a psychoanalytically-informed perspective, and how participants experience being the subjects of this type of study. It also illustrates how insights from psychoanalytically based psycho-social theory can be used for enquiring into the ways in which parents figure in the minds of children’s services professionals and how their capacity to hold the suffering parent in mind relates to working conditions and practices, and individual and organisational psychodynamics. Overall, in addressing these different tasks, the thesis makes a contribution, firstly, in rectifying a lack of critical concern amongst social work researchers with the free association narrative interview method. Secondly, and more broadly, it develops and refines understanding about the relationship between psychoanalysis and qualitative research interviewing, the quasi-therapeutic qualities of research interview participation, and the nature of psycho-social understanding in social work research

Containment and beneficence in psychoanalytically informed social work research

 This article adds to literature addressing research beneficence from a psychoanalytic perspective, providing reflections focussing on notions of containment and container-contained dynamics as derived from the Kleinian/post-Kleinian tradition of psychoanalysis. It does so by reference to the accounts of participants in a study which explored how professionals working in local authority children’s services in England experience the suffering of parents. In this research, a psychoanalytically informed interview approach was used, and space was provided for participants to reflect on the experience of participation. The variable representation of this experience is considered along with the experience of the researcher carrying out the interviews. Questions are raised about using the language of containment in the context of this research approach and whether this may say more about a researcher’s desire to be helpful to participants and less about participants’ actual experiences (and a genuinely psychoanalytically based understanding of them)

Child and adolescent mental health and social psychiatry

This article stages a discussion on the role of social psychiatry in present-day child and adolescent mental health care. Taking a broad perspective, it considers the growing demand for mental health services for children and young people and how social psychiatry can be situated in the current framework of psychiatry as a medical specialty as well as within child and adolescent mental health care provision more widely. Avenues available to expand social psychiatry’s reach and impact in the field of child and adolescent mental health are also addressed

Qualitative research interviewing: application and use of free association

Background Free association is a core concept of the free association narrative interview method, an approach that is well-known among researchers in the UK who are interested in using psychoanalytic ideas in qualitative psycho-social research. Aim To examine the relationship between the framing of the psychoanalytic concept of free association in the contexts of qualitative research interviewing, clinical psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy. Discussion This article considers the definition of free association in psychology and psychoanalysis. It then explores free association’s role in the free association narrative method, in terms of interview technique and the analysis of interview material. Conclusion Researchers should carefully consider differences in the contexts of research, clinical psychoanalysis and psychotherapy to avoid makeshift integrations of clinical concepts. Implications for practice The free association narrative interview method is an attractive approach for researchers interested in applying psychoanalytic ideas in their studies. However, researchers should carefully reflect on the meanings of the clinical ideas and terminology they use.</p