Research on embedded counselling:an emerging topic of potential importance for the future of counselling psychology

A significant proportion of the counselling that people receive takes place within informal, situated encounters between service users and practitioners in fields such as nursing, medicine, teaching and social work. However, almost all of the research that has been carried out into the process and outcomes of counselling consists of studies of formal, contracted counselling and psychotherapy based in therapy clinics and offices. The competent and effective delivery of counselling that is embedded in a primary professional role, such as that of nurse, teacher or social worker, presents considerable challenges for practitioners. Research evidence around the process and outcomes of embedded counselling represents a valuable resource that has the potential to enhance the quality of counselling conversations enacted by practitioners in health, education, social work and other professions. An overview is provided of different types of research that has been carried out into informal and embedded counselling, and of the main themes that have emerged from these studies. Suggestions are made for the further development of this field

‘It was almost like the opposite of what I needed’:a qualitative exploration of client experiences of unhelpful therapy

Background: The issue of unhelpful and harmful therapy outcome has received an increasing amount of attention within the research literature in recent years. However, little research exists on the client's perspective of what constitutes unhelpful therapy.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore clients’ experiences of unhelpful therapy.Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with ten therapists who, as clients, experienced unhelpful therapy. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Participants recounted therapy episodes characterised by an absence of negotiation, collaboration and care; pivotal moments when they knew that they would not return; and ongoing negative effects.Conclusions: The findings of this study have implications for training and strategies for supporting clients who have been harmed by therapy

Client preferences in counselling for alcohol problems:a qualitative investigation

Background: Incorporating client expectations and preferences into the counselling process can lead to more positive outcomes and lower rates of dropout.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore preferences for counselling held by clients prior to the commencement of therapy.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five clients seeking help from an alcohol counselling service and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Each client described a distinctive individual preference profile. While holding clear preferences for what would be helpful in counselling, clients were also open to new possibilities. They possessed a personal understanding of why certain activities and types of relationship might be helpful for them, and an appreciation of the types of therapeutic process that might lead them to quit therapy.Conclusions: These findings suggest that clients are able to articulate their preferences, when offered the opportunity, and that qualitative methods have the potential to open up new understanding of the structure and meaning of preferences from the point of view of the client

Yoga as an adjunct to trauma-focused counselling for survivors of sexual violence:a qualitative study

Although evidence exists for the therapeutic effectiveness of yoga for people with a range of mental health difficulties, further research is necessary to determine its contribution to recovery from sexual violence. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the experience of a group-based Forrest yoga programme for woman recovering from experiences of sexual violence. The main themes to emerge were: the importance of being in a group; yoga as a means of facilitating personal learning and change; yoga as an on-going resource for living. These findings indicate that women recovering from rape and sexual abuse may experience yoga as a potentially valuable adjunct to counselling

Social capital and psychotherapy:a review of data collection methods for investigating social and cultural resources used by clients

Background and introduction: Although it is widely acknowledged that "extra therapeutic" factors make a major contribution to therapy outcome, there have been few attempts to conceptualise this dimension of therapy, or develop methods for investigating it. Among the perspectives that are relevant to understanding tis phenomenon can be included: cultural resources, strengths, life events, social support, and social capital. Further attention to these domains may have the potential to enhance the social relevance and effectiveness of therapy.Nature of the methodological innovation/critique being proposed: The present paper offers a brief overview of approaches to conceptualising social capital and allied constructs, before presenting a review of methods that could be used in research on the role of social capital (and related factors) in therapy. The review identifies a number of questionnaires/rating scales and interview schedules that have been used in research in allied disciplines, such as mental health and health education, and discusses their relevance for use in studies of counselling and psychotherapy. The paper concludes with recommendations regarding research instruments likely to be most suitable for research in counselling and psychotherapy, and suggests some research questions that might be explored using these techniques. Conclusion and relevance to counselling and psychotherapy research practice: Inclusion in studies of measures of social capital can enhance the perceived credibility of research into the effectiveness of therapy, by demonstrating that the research community has paid serious attention to the possible influence of social factors on therapy outcomes. This line of research also provides ways to incorporate social justice values in therapy research, and to promote inter-professional collaboration

Performance of water sensitive urban design bioretention installations on the Gold Coast

Bioretention systems are a Water Sensitive Urban Design technique used to manage and treat stormwater runoff and protect urban infrastructure and aquatic ecosystems. They involve a basin where stormwater collects and is filtered through dense vegetation and a filtration layer, reducing sediments and contaminants and slowly releasing runoff into natural waterways. When used appropriately, bioretention systems provide effective treatment of stormwater quality. Poor outcomes can still result however due to design, construction and maintenance practices. This research project investigated existing bioretention systems on the Gold Coast to discover trends in design, construction and maintenance that were affecting their performance. The study aimed to discover whether these practices were ensuring that design objectives and performance outcomes were being achieved. Twenty-seven bioretention systems on the Gold Coast were identified from City of Gold Coast assets and included in the project. The sites were chosen to be spatially distributed and to range in size, type and characteristics. Design documentation was obtained where possible and catchment areas defined for each system. Field testing included taking measurements, inspecting inflow and outflow regimes, noting vegetation coverage, type and diversity and inspection and testing of the filter media. Hydraulic conductivity testing of the filter media was undertaken at eighteen of these systems. Field data was collected in GIS software and statistical analysis performed using Microsoft Excel. Several sites were also modelled using MUSIC software to determine whether water quality performance objectives were being met. The general condition of the systems was fairly mixed, with roughly thirds split between good, average and poor condition. In terms of the filter media, problems at many sites included sediment layers, ponding and hydraulic conductivity outside of the recommended range. Vegetation cover was also found to be an issue, with only two sites having coverage greater than the 90% recommended for effective treatment and ten sites having less than 30% vegetation cover. Where local waterways were observed, they were found to be still in good condition at the majority of locations, despite the average or poor condition of many of the systems. This research suggests that bioretention systems in the field may not be performing in the way they are intended and performance objectives and outcomes may not be adequately achieved throughout the design life of each system. Recommendations for design considerations included improved sediment and flow controls, allowing a contingency factor for losses in hydraulic conductivity, ensuring appropriate planting for site conditions, providing planting diversity and including trees and shrubs in filter media planting. During construction works it was recommended that systems be protected with turf or geofabric capping and that planting be delayed until works are completed. The importance of erosion and sediment control plans and practices was also emphasised. Examining the costs and benefits of maintenance and rectification of bioretention systems and prioritising maintenance budgets was recommended. A planting program was suggested for existing systems to introduce trees and shrubs into the filter media, providing benefits to the system and reducing maintenance costs. It was also suggested that a monitoring program be implemented in addition to the maintenance program to ensure that bioretention systems are meeting their performance objectives that maintenance is in accordance with the specification, to identify and address filter media and vegetation deterioration and to improve outcomes by identifying opportunities for improvements in design, construction and maintenance practices. Finally, it was found that while bioretention systems may not be performing as designed, they are still providing a level of treatment to stormwater, localising issues and protecting waterways. If design, construction and maintenance practices can improve the performance of these systems, particularly in nutrient removal, then they will have greater potential to protect waterways

How students use deliberate practice during the first stage of counsellor training

Deliberate practice, in the form of ongoing commitment to skill development outside of direct clinical work, has been proposed as a means of enhancing therapist competence and expertise. In this study, a deliberate practice orientation was introduced into the first phase of a counsellor training programme. Students’ experiences of learning and using deliberate practice in relation to the acquisition of counselling skills were investigated using a mixed-method design. It took time for students to internalise principles of deliberate practice. They reported a wide range of deliberate practice learning activities, both within and beyond the classroom, and regarded these tasks as having made a significant positive contribution to their learning. The findings of the study underscore the value of viewing deliberate practice as an approach to learning that can be articulated in multiple ways. It is important for future research to identify the forms of deliberate practice that are most relevant to enhancing competence within the specific context of therapeutic work.</p

HOME/ECONOMICS: ENTERPRISE, PROPERTY, AND MONEY IN WOMEN’S DOMESTIC FICTION, 1860-1930

“Home/Economics: Enterprise, Property, and Money in Women’s Domestic Fiction, 1860-1930” connects American women’s literature to the ideological tensions that affected women’s participation in the development of industrial capitalism in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Working against separate spheres ideologies that largely restricted women’s activities to domestic duties as wives and mothers and discouraged them from working in the public marketplace, American women authors engaged with the contemporary economic theories of John Stuart Mill and Thorstein Veblen and promoted New Woman principles to forge new avenues of fulfilling and productive work for women. In chapters focusing on entrepreneurial work that engages simultaneously in domestic and public spheres – the boarding house, the textile mill, and the farm – I incorporate a comparative study of American literature, economic theory, and historical documentation of women’s work. This examination of the historical network of voices shaping the conditions of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century marketplace in which women writers participated reveals the connections between literary representation and economic change. I argue that, for women writers including Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Rebecca Harding Davis, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Willa Cather, and Ellen Glasgow, literary representation became a form of feminist activism that promoted greater opportunities for women’s economic independence and participated in national conversations about money and resources, capitalism’s effects on the character of individuals, and ways to balance the necessity of money with social needs for promoting human sympathy and social progress. Women’s fiction critiqued prevailing social and economic inequities through portrayals of successful women entrepreneurs, demonstrating that women possessed the capacity to compete with men as successful entrepreneurial capitalists, the desire for productive work that made profitable use of their individual capacities, and the womanly attributes of sympathy and nurture that, when exercised as community-building professionalism, could help to ameliorate the exploitative outcomes of capitalist greed