7 research outputs found
A case for taking the dual role of counsellor-researcher in qualitative research
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Qualitative Research in Psychology on 3rd August 2016, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2016.1205694There is ongoing debate about whether the challenges of practice-based research in counselling, with clientsâ discourses providing the raw data, can be overcome. This article begins by considering the argument of whether taking a dual role of counsellor-researcher within case study research is a legitimate qualitative approach. A case example using sand-tray in short-term therapy with adults from a pluralistic perspective is provided to demonstrate how the challenges of the dual role can be managed to produce effective research findings. It is suggested that this approach closes the gap between research and practice to produce findings that are highly relevant to the counselling context. The ethical considerations of taking a dual role of counsellor-researcher are considered, and opportunities and challenges when adopting this approach are identified
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The relational 3C model for research supervision for counsellors, psychotherapists and counselling psychologists
Research supervision remains an undertheorised, under-regulated and often unsupported profession. This article focuses on what research supervisors and research supervisees regard as âhelpfulâ supervision on doctoral programmes in the field of counselling, psychotherapy and counselling psychology. The paper is based on a mixed methods study consisting of an online survey (Nâ=â226) with closed and open questions and optional interviews (10) analysed by âartfully interpretive reflexive thematic analysisâ (Supporting research in counselling and psychotherapy qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research 19â38. Palgrave Macmillan.). In the survey questions, respondents rated âresearch knowledgeâ and âempathyâ almost equally. The free-text comments and interview data added, in turn, deeper and more nuanced understandings into what both research âknowledgeâ and âempathyâ might involve for different peopleâand at different stages of the research process. The analysis of free-text comments and interviews moved iteratively back and forth across six stages, typical for reflexive thematic analysis, and was influenced by our interests into ânarrative knowing.â We started with the free-text comments and then read the interviewsâto return to our free-text comment themes from new angles, which eventually were shared in a focus group with supervisors in training. The paper describes the development of a suggested ârelational 3C modelâ with clarity, containment and compassion as key supervisory dimensions applied across eight areas with actions from supervisory contracts to research completion
The motivations of psychotherapists: an inâdepth survey
Background
Examining the motivations of psychotherapists has not been a popular topic of systematic research. Knowing why people want to become therapists is clearly important because this factor will inevitably impact on therapeutic outcomes. The absence of researchâled knowledge on therapistsⲠmotivations allows this key issue to remain a relatively unattended focus within reflective practice and personal development.
Aim
To collect data about therapistsⲠmotivations from a large number of practitioners so that core findings could be generalised to the wider profession.
Method
A total of 540 psychotherapists completed an online survey with significant numbers offering supporting qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were subject to thematic and textual analysis.
Results
A large majority of therapists believe that their career choice was influenced by unconscious motivations, that their motivations are likely to change over time and that their own psychic wounds can contribute to effective therapy.
Conclusion
Psychotherapists are clearly prepared to reflect, in depth, on why they have been drawn to the profession. The fact that an awareness of therapistsⲠmotivations may be variable that they may change over time and can be linked to personal vulnerability suggests that the topic should be an integral part of practitionersⲠongoing personal development and a discrete focus in formal training programmes