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BACP's 13th Annual Research conference was entitled 'Research matters' and took place on 11-12 May 2007. It was held at York Marriott Hotel, York in association with York St John University.

Friday keynote and special address

Professor Robert Elliott

Professional Role: Professor of Counselling
Institution: University of Strathclyde and also Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Toledo, USA
Contact details: University of Strathclyde, 76 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow, G13 1PP
Email: fac0029@gmail.com

Friday keynote

Practice-based research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy and psychotherapy training: research framework and protocols

In this presentation, Professor Elliott will offer a rationale for practice-based research, conducted in and on counselling and psychotherapy training centres, on the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy and Psychotherapy Training. He will provide a general framework for selecting instruments for evaluating psychotherapy and psychotherapy training across different theoretical orientations, client populations and national/linguistic groups. The framework is divided into eight therapy measurement domains, consisting of four research themes (therapy outcome, therapy process, client predictors, training outcome) and two levels (general/pantheoretical concepts vs treatment/population/nation-specific concepts). This research framework provides recommendations about what to measure, encouraging collaboration across different training sites, while still allowing flexibility for individual centres. Person-centered/experiential psychotherapy is used as an example of the specific component. Three data collection designs are described: minimum designs are appropriate for use in private practice settings with one's own clients; systematic case study designs can be used for carrying out rigorous single case research; and maximal designs are appropriate for well-resourced research centres or consortia.  

Professor Michael King

Professional Role: Professor of Primary Care Psychiatry
Institution: Royal Free and University College Medical School
Contact details: Royal Free and University College Medical School, Hampstead Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF
Email: m.king@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Friday Special Address

Risk of psychological disorders in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people and the therapies to address them: evidence from two systematic reviews

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people appear to be at greater risk than heterosexual people of psychological disorders and suicidal behaviour. There may be many reasons for this, not least of which are the intolerance and discrimination that has always existed towards this group of people. Two systematic reviews will be presented; the first (DH funded) aimed to evaluate the evidence on the extent of psychological problems in gay, lesbian and bisexual people and the second to determine the type and extent of psychotherapy to them. The first review confirmed a 2-4 fold excess of depression, anxiety and suicide attempts in LGB people. Lesbian and bisexual women were particularly at risk of suicidal ideation and substance dependence while lifetime risk of suicide attempt was especially high in gay and bisexual men. In the second (BACP funded) review of the quantitative and qualitative research literature we asked:

1) What is the research evidence on the type and provision of counselling and psychotherapy for LGB and transgender (LGBT) people?
2) What research measures have been applied to assess participation, satisfaction and effectiveness of these interventions?
3) Is there evidence on the effectiveness of counselling and psychotherapy that is specifically affirmative for LGBT people?
4) Can this evidence a) identify implications for policy and practice in this field, and b) inform future priorities for research?

We identified no randomised trials of effectiveness of psychotherapy for LGBT people. Nor did we identify any observational studies assessing outcomes of therapy and counselling for LGBT people. Our qualitative review indicated that therapists' attitudes, knowledge and practice are more important than their sexual orientation; that LGBT clients need to understand (and examine) in the therapy their desire to seek or avoid an LGBT therapist and that therapists need to be aware of the reality and stereotypes of the LGBT world. Despite the poor quality of the research evidence, gay affirmative talking therapies appear to help LGBT people face and counteract the homophobic nature of their early development and receive therapy appropriately focused on issues brought to therapy, rather than their sexual identity.

Saturday keynotes 

Professor Anthony Roth

Professional Role: Joint Course Director
Institution: University College London
Contact details: Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology, Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT
Email: a.roth@ucl.ac.uk

Saturday keynote

Can research help improve access to psychological therapy?

For much of its history research into psychotherapy has probably been of more interest to academics and clinicians than to policy makers. This has changed in recent years, and in the current climate research seems to have been recast as a driver for policy developments. This is something of a curate's egg - we can be clear that the government's interest in broadening access to psychological therapies wouldn't have happened without evidence from research. However, it would be a shame if these gains came at the cost of oversimplifying what can be complex issues, or if counsellors and therapists were left feeling disenfranchised. As someone who uses and values research, and sees many interesting avenues for it's application, I will try to present my view on how research can inform practice, and my ideas about how it can help us be more reflective, both about what we do and how well we do it.

Professor David Richards

Professional Role: Professor of Mental Health, University of York, UK
Institution: University of York
Contact details: Professor of Mental Health, Department of Health Sciences, Seebohm Rowntree Building, University Road, Hesslington, York, YO10 5DD
Email: dr17@york.ac.uk

Saturday keynote

Stepped care: turning rhetoric into reality

We exist in a paradoxical world where we have abundant evidence on what treatments work to help people recover from common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and yet treatment is a luxury few experience. In any one year, barely 9% of people with anxiety or depression receive a talking treatment, a mere one tenth of which is likely to be underpinned by rigorous evidence. Efficiency, equity, choice appropriateness and convenience are desirable standards but current systems fail remotely to deliver against any of these criteria. As Wayne Katon, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Washington and a leading thinker in system redesign has said, "it is not a knowledge def cit but a systems deficit" that holds us back.

Although these principles are established, much remains unknown. For example, there are two ways in which stepped care could be organised. In one model patients are initially allocated to interventions at different steps according to objective measures of their symptoms - a stratified model. Alternatively, all patients apart from certain specified exceptions can be allocated to interventions within early steps and stepped up if no improvement is detected at scheduled review points - a stepped model.

This presentation will examine the arguments for and against stepped care and describe a research programme which is providing much needed intelligence on how we should implement stepped care in the field.

Abstracts

Phyllis Baker

Professional Role: Counsellor
Institution: Cambridgeshire Consultancy in Counselling.
Contact details: 18 Muskham, South Bretton, Peterborough , Cambs. PE3 9XU.
Email: Phyllis.baker2@btinternet.com

ABSTRACT: Paper

Working with a sexual abuser in private practice.

Aim: To discover what personal, professional and moral issues other counselors had experienced when asked to work in private practice with a known sexual abuser.

Purpose: To inform other counsellors working in private practice of the issues which have concerned me, and as a catharsis for the work. I found very little research into counsellor's/workers feelings, except in Erooga et al (1994), whereby they talk about the need for training for people choosing this type opf work. They write, " the impact of working with the problem of sexual abuse can be seen as paralleling the impact of sexual abuse itself"  (p.203).

Method: 22 members of a local counselling agency in Cambridgeshire were sent a questionnaire (18 female, 4 male; all white, aged between 30 & 50) - 15 counsellors responded. The questionnaire had 12 short answer questions about experience of and feelings about working with sexual abusers and counseling models used. Responses were analysed using the Grounded Theory method (Glaser & Strauss1967). Ethical issues of confidentiality, withdrawal of consent, effect of the research on the therapeutic work, and showing the client the finished work were addressed.

Results/Findings: 15 counsellors (out of 22) responded to the questionnaire showing three main issues of concern. Fear, of the client, of personal safety and doing the client harm; judgementalism, effecting empathy and congruence and about the validity of the work due to these feelings.

Research Limitations: This was a small sample of counsellors in a rural area. It was also only based on the authors' experience of working with one client who had been sexually abused.

Originality/Value: Although much has been written about working with sexual abusers for social workers, little appears to have been written about counsellor's feelings generally when faced with these issues.

Conclusions: Work with this type of client is not generally part of main stream counsellor training or experience, some counsellors appear to be afraid of working with such clients and expressed feelings of being judgemental towards them.as well as the inability to be empathic.

Implications: Availability of training for anyone likely to work in this field.

References:

Erooga,M.,Morrison T.,& BeckettR.C. Sexual Offending Against Children Assessment & Treatment of Male Abusers. 1994 Routledge.

Glaser B.,& Strauss A. The Discovery of Grounded Theory, cited in McLeod J. (1998) Doing Counselling Research. Sage Publications.

Liz Ballinger and George Brooks

Professional Role (LB): Lecturer in Counselling/Course Director MA Part 1 Counselling Studies
Institution: University of Manchester
Contact details: Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PL
Email: Liz.ballinger@manchester.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

The issues facing the contemporary counselling training professional

Aims/Purpose/Approach: Both authors have experience as counselling trainers within Higher Education, Further Education and private settings within Britain. This research stems from their perception of the need for wider dialogue concerning the issues involved in the delivery of counselling training across differing institutional settings within the current political, economic, social and professional climate. This study aims to focus on the views of trainers as to the most significant issues and problems for training and trainers in the context of counselling today and in the future.

Design/Methodology: A small number of counselling trainers have been invited to participate in a focus group in early 2007. The sampling is purposive in that recruitment has been aimed at trainers who identify themselves as having reflected on issues related to the research question. However, invitations to participate have been sent out to trainers working in a range of settings and within differing theoretical orientations. Ethical consent will be sought from all participants.

Results/Findings: The meeting will be taped and a thematic analysis undertaken. Preliminary findings will be ready to present at conference.

Research Limitations: This is only a small-scale preliminary study and will represent the viewpoint of trainers only. It is largely restricted to an English context, although some form of international representation is anticipated.

Originality/Value: A small but important step in opening up debate and dialogue around counselling training, which is an area currently under-researched and reported.

Conclusions/Implications: It is hoped that this study will stimulate further research into this under-explored area.

Peter Bower

Professional Role: Researcher
Institution: National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester
Contact details: NPCRDC, 5th Floor, Williamson Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL
Email: peter.bower@manchester.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Systematic Review/Paper

Making sense and making decisions: the role of systematic reviews in counselling and psychotherapy research

Within the paradigm of evidence-based practice, systematic reviews are considered the pinnacle of the so-called ‘hierarchy of evidence' and the gold standard for decision making about the effectiveness of treatments in health and social care.

As with any innovative research method, there was an initial rush of enthusiasm for systematic reviews, followed by a period of reflection on the limitations of the technique, and finally a more considered judgement as to their utility.

The focus placed upon systematic review methodology within the NHS and relevant organisations such as NICE means that the enthusiasts and critics have often taken up polarised positions, which has hampered broader discussion of the role and function of systematic reviews in improving the delivery of health care. The extension of systematic reviews outside health care into decisions about counselling and psychotherapy has only further highlighted these tensions.

This presentation will take a broad view of the systematic review enterprise, drawing on the early work within psychology and psychotherapy which provided a prototype for the modern systematic review. It will also draw a distinction between the methodological aspects of systematic reviews, which are often highlighted, and the philosophical issues and values underlying the technique (such as the need to avoid bias and increase transparency) which are equally important and have more general applicability within research.

Two key functions of systematic reviews will be considered:

• their role in making sense of a diverse and complex literature, finding patterns in the data and highlighting regularity and inconsistency
• their place in making decisions about what types of treatments are provided, and identifying key research priorities for the future

The aim of the presentation is to remove some of the mystique associated with systematic reviews, to provide a balanced overview of their advantages and disadvantages, and to highlight how the technique can be used to further the aims of organisations such as BACP and the client groups which they serve.

Dr Jill Brennan

Professional Role: Counsellor
Institution: Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust
Contact details: Department of Clinical Psychology, North Manchester General Hospital, Central Drive, Crumpsall, Manchester M8 5RB
Email: jill.brennan@nhs.net

ABSTRACT: Workshop

Exploring psychological therapies contexts through stakeholder mapping: a pragmatic approach

This workshop is intended primarily for practitioner case study researchers, although it may be of interest to anyone who wishes to reflect systematically upon a therapy context. It aims to share with participants an imaginal process of exploration and notation of the social context of examples of psychological therapy, through stakeholder mapping processes developed as a means to conceptualise context in two unpublished pragmatic case studies. Participants are encouraged to bring and work through an example of a therapy context familiar to them.

The mapping exercise will be illustrated from the above-mentioned study settings in the NHS and voluntary sector. It is hoped that this exercise will stimulate discussion, e.g. of the influence of stakeholder communities on research and practice, and of the use of stakeholder matrices as an (as yet crude) preliminary conceptual tool. Discussion may be recorded and summarised in the workshop report to be submitted for publication.

The workshop will include:

• A brief introduction to stakeholder theory
• An analysis of who the stakeholders are in an act of psychological therapy?
• Identifying and mapping immediate stakeholders, along with ‘stakeholders in stakeholders', interest communities, rhetoric, values and goals
• Locating research in relation to stakeholder interests
• And translating the above into research.

References:
Fishman, D. (1999). The case for pragmatic psychology. New York/London: New York University Press

Stoney, C. and Winstanley, D. (2001). Stakeholding: confusion or utopia? Mapping the conceptual terrain. Journal of Management Studies 38:5, 603-626

Nell Bridges

Professional Role: PhD student at University of Bristol
Institution: University of Bristol
Contact details: 43 St Mary's Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV16 4DR
Email: nell.bridges@bristol.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Workshop

Developing artful writing practices to support reflexive research

Researchers are no longer assumed to be neutral in the research process and so reflexive practices are increasingly adopted to explore the nature of our connection to our research and that of others. As Bochner and Ellis (2003: 508)* put it, there is a "... deep and abiding connection between one's own life history and one's research and writing".

In BACP many of us are accustomed to using reflexivity to support our practice, often including journal writing, case notes and reflections on key experiences to support this process. These familiar techniques are then used to assist in our research and scholarship. In my own research they had limited success, giving restricted views of my experiences and keeping me distanced from many aspects of my research that pertained to my life history.

Postmodern challenges to binary divisions such as between art and science or therapy and research encouraged me to engage with 'artful' ways of writing. Advice to 'show not tell' provoked me to write from within embodied memories and then to vividly connect my lived experience to my research material. In this way my research became personally transformative as well as more critical. And forms of re-presentation became more evocative and innovative.

In this workshop I will briefly reflect on this research process before providing a supportive and playful arena where you can join in a series of short creative exercises, including a little ‘artful' writing. These will focus on the points of intersection between our lives, our identities and our research interests. There will be short periods for reflection and discussion as well as opportunity, but no expectation, to share your experiences and your writing with others.

The workshop will be useful for anyone who has an interest in reflexive research, arts-based research and/or developing their creative writing. To prepare simply have a piece of research that interests you in mind. This does not have to be your own research.

References:

Bochner, A. and C. Ellis 2003: An Introduction to the Arts and Narrative Research: Art as Inquiry. Qualitative Inquiry 9: 506-514.

Chris Brown and Juanita Harriot

Professional Roles: Counsellors / Supervisors / Counselling Trainers
Institution: Lewisham College
Contact details: c/o Chris Brown B215, Lewisham College, Lewisham Way, London SE4 1UT
Email: christine.brown@lewisham.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Workshop

Exploring the delivery of experiential diversity training during the counsellor training process

Please note: this workshop will be recorded; you will be asked to sign your consent if attending.

Workshop rationale and its context to the wider research agenda: In relation to Research Matters it is vital, in our increasingly diverse society, for counsellors to have developed their reflexive abilities. This becomes urgent when counsellors' are assessing their effectiveness in working psychotherapeutically with diversity. It is also crucial for counsellors to be able to understand the impact racism and oppression has on individuals and groups within our society; and to have developed the capacity to ‘stay with' the profound level of distress often expressed by those who have experienced racism and/or oppression all their lives. We aim to share our experiential approach to diversity training; developed over the past ten years. Additionally, we will explore the common blocks to empathy which manifest for our students during diversity training; blocks which can also occur during the psychotherapeutic process when counsellors are working across race or culture.

Who the Workshop is for? It is primarily for those practitioners who are counsellor trainers, although it will be of great interest to anyone who wishes to reflect on their ability to work effectively with diversity. It will also be of interest to anyone aiming to enhance their ability to work across race or culture.

The workshop will include:

• An introduction to the content and rationale underpinning our diversity training.
• The content of and the rationale underpinning our Experiential Oppression Lecture.
• The content of and rationale underpinning our work with students in self-defined racial sub-groups.
• The common blocks to empathy which arise when working with diversity and the negative impact these blocks have on the psychotherapeutic alliance.
• A brief overview of our students' reflexive research narratives.

A formal presentation of the above issues will be made, followed by questions from the floor, discussion and debate. Discussion may be recorded and summarised in a workshop report and used as research evidence in the Doctorial Project currently being undertaken by Chris Brown, entitled ‘White Consciousness'.

Professor Julia Buckroyd (Workshop 1)

Professional Role: Editor CPR
Institution: BACP
Contact details: BACP, 15 St John's Business Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4HB
Email: J.Buckroyd@herts.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Workshop

Learning how to review a paper

The process of peer reviewing (evaluation of academic papers by colleagues) is a very well established method of evaluating and improving research papers within academic and professional communities. Within counselling and psychotherapy research it has only been adopted fairly recently.

BACP's research journal , CPR, is sent a large and growing number of papers every year, most of which need to be peer reviewed by at least two people. The Editorial Board would like to use the opportunity that this offers to develop reviewers within the counselling research community.

This workshop will describe the process of peer-reviewing a paper and take participants through the template for a review used by CPR. This process will be applied to a range of papers to demonstrate how it works.

Those participants who then wish to be invited to review for CPR will be asked to provide details of their research experience and the methodological and subject specialisms on which they feel competent to review papers. New reviewers recruited in this way will be given the opportunity for further development when they are asked to review and may wish to develop their expertise by reviewing for other journals as well.

Peer reviewing is likely to be useful for career development for those counsellors working in academic settings, but is in any case valuable for keeping researchers abreast of new work in their field.

Professor Julia Buckroyd (Workshop 2)

Professional Role: Editor Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (CPR)
Institution: BACP
Contact details: BACP House, 15 St John's Business Park, Lutterworth, LE17 4HB
Email: J.Buckroyd@herts.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Workshop

The layout and appearance of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research

The editor and editorial board of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (CPR) are committed to developing the journal in such a way that it maximises the accessibility of counselling research to BACPs practitioner readership. In order to give readers a voice in this process we would like to hold one or more focus groups to allow readers to discuss the lay-out and appearance of the journal. Those who have only recently begun reading the journal are particularly welcome as are those who have stopped reading the journal or, perhaps, never really started.

The workshop will consist of one or more focus groups to elicit reader opinion on the layout and format of CPR. The editor and editorial board believe that the appearance of the journal is critical in attracting the readership and would like to understand the issues from the reader's point of view.

Focus groups of up to 8 people, facilitated by a member of the editorial board will be held to give readers the opportunity to explore these issues and to discuss their views. Suggested amendments to the lay-out and appearance will be considered by the editorial board on the basis of these discussions. Interested readers are invited to bring copies of the journal with them to assist the discussion.

Professor Julia Buckroyd (Paper 1)

Professional Role: Director, Obesity and Eating Disorders Research Unit
Institution: University of Hertfordshire
Contact details: College Lane, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB
Email: J.Buckroyd@herts.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

How was it for you? Work on the early stages of a systematic review of qualitative studies into client experiences of psychotherapy for eating disorders

Aims/Purpose/Approach: The review aims to synthesise the qualitative research in relation to client experiences of counselling and psychotherapy for eating disorders with a view to assessing which aspects of treatment are perceived by clients as most facilitating of the recovery process. Future research directions will be suggested as well as implications for training counsellors in this field.

Design/Methodology: Database searches, grey literature searches and hand searches will form the main elements of a comprehensive search strategy. The paper will describe ways of assessing the methodological quality of qualitative studies; the development of inclusion and exclusion criteria; and the planned methods of analysis and synthesis.

Results/Findings: The outcomes of focus groups conducted with practitioners and clients will be reported. The process of developing a research protocol will also be reviewed. On completion of the project, the results will map the qualitative literature on client experiences of counselling and psychotherapy for eating disorders.

Research Limitations: The risk of divorcing qualitative data from its context is acknowledged.

Originality/Value: The paper will help to balance the weight of quantitative reviews in this field which have been influential to policy makers but of less utility to psychotherapeutic practitioners. Many studies have focussed on disordered behaviours and diagnostic scores. It is also hoped that this review can advance a deeper understanding of sufferers' experience of the treatment process.

Conclusions/Implications: At this stage of the process conclusions and implications can only be conjectured.

References:
Bell, L. What can we learn from consumer studies and qualitative research in the treatment of eating disorders? (2003) Eating and Weight Disorders, 8, 181-187

Britten, N., Campbell, R., Pope, C., Donovan, J., Morgan, M. & Pill, R. (2002) Using meta ethnography to synthesis qualitative research: a worked example. Journal of Health Service Research Policy 7(4), 209-215

Professor Julia Buckroyd (Paper 2)

Professional Role: Director, Obesity and Eating Disorders Research Unit
Institution: University of Hertfordshire
Contact details: College Lane, Hatfield, Herts. AL10 9AB
Email: J.Buckroyd@herts.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

Recruitment to a group psychological intervention for obese women:
referral or self-referral?

Aim: Our aim was to investigate whether groups, offering obese women a psychological intervention, recruited by self-referral, had better retention than those recruited by referral by health professionals.

Methodology: The study was a comparative survey. We recruited 55 obese women via referral from health professionals and a further 24 by self-referral. All participants were given the same information and the same initial interview with the same researcher. All groups were given the same intervention and were led by group leaders who had had the same training. Attendance at the group was monitored for the 36 week programme.

Results: Of the 55 women referred for treatment, 8 failed to attend for the first session compared to 0 out of 24 self-referred participants. Referred group members were more than twice as likely as self-referred members to drop out in the first 12 weeks of treatment. Of the 47 referred members who started the treatment, 20 dropped out vs 6 out 24 in the self-referred group (odds ratio 1.7).

Research Limitations: The numbers involved in this study are small and may only be suggestive. However, there is very little data on this issue and, what there is, is contradictory. In further research it will be important to identify group members' own reasons for non-attendance or drop-out. Further research should also attempt to identify whether referred and self-referred participants came from different socio-economic groups.

Value: Research in this area is scarce and contradictory (Loneck et al 1996, Alexander 1998) yet retention of group members is known to be a problem for eating disorder groups. (McKisack and Waller, 1997) Obesity treatments which adopt a psychological intervention will include people suffering from diagnosable binge eating disorder as well as those with disordered eating. Using a self-referral strategy may improve retention for this group of clients.

Conclusions: It seems that self-referral is a more successful way of retaining participants in a group of this kind. This data may be useful to researchers recruiting participants for other group counselling interventions.

References available on request, please email research@bacp.co.uk

Lorna Carrick

Professional Role: Lecturer
Institution: Counselling Unit, University of Strathclyde
Contact details: Counselling Unit, 76 Southbrae Drive Glasgow, G13 1PP
Email: lorna.carrick@strath.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

Person-centred therapists experiences of working with clients in crisis

Aims/Purpose/Approach: The aim of this study was to explore therapist's experiences of working with clients in crisis. A client in crisis was defined as someone in ‘an acute state wherein one's usual coping mechanisms have failed in the face of perceived challenge or threat and there result some degree of functional impairment.' The study examines how therapists conceptualise this work and the key themes and issues which arise. Specifically the research explores how person-centred therapists experience interaction with clients at the pivotal point of crisis and the qualitative differences experienced compared with non-crisis clients.

Design/Methodology: Ethical approval was received from the University of Strathclyde Ethics Committee. Participants were experienced person-centred therapists. The study was conducted using person-centred and phenomenological methodology. Data was collected using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed, analysed thematically and checked by participants.

Results/Findings: All participants identified a range of differences in their experiences of working with clients in crisis. Common themes were: a sense of polarity in their experiences such as the sense of both danger and opportunity; changes in energy levels within the therapist: feeling heightened levels of engagement; a sense of ‘holding' the client: differences in the pace of the work and experiences of reaching ‘relational depth' earlier. Therapists experienced their clients as: vulnerable; unable to access previous coping mechanisms; in a state of breakdown and disintegration; however also as wide open; having dropped their usual defences and more available to engage in therapy and the process of change and potential post crisis growth.

Research Limitations: The study focuses on a narrow range of participants. This preliminary study does not answer questions about the client's experiences.

Originality/Value: There is virtually no literature in relation to person-centred therapy with clients in crisis. The study raises a wide range of questions for future research.

Conclusions/Implications: This study has found that therapists do experience differential responses in their work with clients in crisis. There are potentially implications for counsellor training, support and the ‘developmental agenda' of the counsellor in relation to this work.

Professor Mick Cooper

Professional Role: Professor of Counselling
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Contact details: Counselling Unit, University of Strathclyde, 76 Soutbrae Drive, Glasgow, G13 1PP
Email: mick.cooper@strath.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

The effectiveness of counselling in schools: key findings from the evaluation of the second phase of the ‘Glasgow Counselling in Schools Project'

Aims/Purpose/Approach: This paper presents the latest findings from the on-going evaluation of Counselling in Schools in Glasgow, including new findings on the impact of counselling on young people's capacities to study and learn.

Design/Methodology: Around 300 young people attended the counselling service at 10 Glasgow Secondary Schools over the 2005-6 academic year. The service was evaluated using a pluralistic design. This included pre- and post-counselling measures of mental health (YP-CORE); post-counselling questionnaires; pastoral care staff questionnaires; interviews with clients, pastoral care staff and multi-agency professionals and a review of related research. Ethical approval was received from the University of Strathclyde. Approximately 80 percent of all clients responded to the self-report measures.

Results/Findings: Key findings include:
1. Counselling was associated with significant improvements in psychological wellbeing
2. Counselling had a positive impact on many pupils' capacities to study and learn
3. The counselling service was seen by pastoral care staff and multi-agency professionals as a highly valuable addition to the schools' pastoral care provisions
4. Key areas for improvement included establishing clearer protocols re. confidentiality

Research Limitations: No control group was used, such that it is not possible to infer that the improvements in mental health were specifically due to counselling.

Originality/Value: This study extends one of the most rigorous and comprehensive evaluations of counselling in schools services in the UK. It is also the first UK-based study to evaluate the impact of counselling on young people's capacities to study and learn.

Conclusions/Implications: The evaluation provides strong evidence for the value of counselling in schools' services, demonstrating that it both helps children and young people's psychological wellbeing and their capacity to study and learn. Such evidence may be of critical importance when attempting to convey to funding and educational bodies the value of such a service.

For copies of the full report, please go to www.strathclydecounselling.com

Jeannette Cronin

Professional Role: Staff Support Counsellor
Institution: South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust
Contact details: Occupational Health, Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 1JG
Email: jeannette.cronin1@btinternet.com

ABSTRACT: Poster

Out of the counselling into the unknown: a qualitative study into the clients' experience after they have left the therapeutic environment.

Aims/Purpose/Approach: The paucity of literature and research into the clients' experience after they have left the therapeutic environment prompted this study, which aims to establish what emotions and changes clients experience in the hours/days after their counselling session.

Design/Methodology: A small scale qualitative study into the clients' experience was carried out using a self-completion questionnaire containing five open-ended questions. The areas addressed by the study were the clients' feelings, thoughts, physical symptoms and behavioural change. A total of fifteen anonymous questionnaires were returned by clients of the researcher, and those of her counsellor colleagues, at the completion of their counselling sessions.

Results/Findings: The data was presented in a narrative format using the respondents' own words in a series of quotations.
Clients experience a range of thoughts, feelings, physical symptoms and behaviour change, which encompass frustration, anger, nightmares, sadness, depression, relief and exhaustion.

Research Limitations: Time did not allow a parallel study to ask practitioners what they thought clients experienced after the counselling session was over. Running the two studies together could have added a new dimension by revealing the proportion of counsellors who already have an understanding of this client phenomenon compared with those who do not.

Originality/Value: Over the years research has primarily been undertaken to study the clients' perspective of counselling. However, the clients' voice in research seems to be lost when the practitioners carrying out the research evaluate the meaning of this experience themselves and decide how the client is heard. This study has helped me gain a greater awareness of the turmoil clients can go through after counselling.

Conclusions/Implications: Clients experience a range of intense emotions and sometimes profound experiences, following therapy. Do counsellors need to bring this to the awareness of our clients sooner? Would it be more appropriate to discuss it at the contracting stage rather than at the end of the session? Clients whose experience has been so painful that they don't return might be helped by this initial open discussion, or would they?

Jennifer R Curry, Doctoral Candidate

Professional Role: Doctoral Student, Research Assistant
Institution: University of Central Florida
Contact details: 11428 Wagon Rd, Apartment #C, Orlando, FL 32826
Email: je005421@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu

ABSTRACT: Poster

The relationship between counselor self-efficacy and counselor wellness for graduate counseling students

Aims/Purpose/Approach: The aim of this project was to explore the relationship between counselor wellness and counselor self-efficacy, a relationship that is suggested in literature. Both self-efficacy and wellness are believed to mitigate stress, burnout, compassion fatigue; and to increase self and professional advocacy. Therefore, if there is a relationship between the two constructs then infusing and promoting both in counselor education curriculum may bolster resiliency for students entering the counseling profession.

Design/Methodology: University Institutional Review Board was obtained and the student investigator also participated in human subjects research certificate training. There were 88 participants which were taken from a purposive sample of Intern level counseling graduate students. All of the participants took the Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) and Five Factor Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle (5F-WEL). Statistical design was a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Demographic data and counseling tack (mental health/school) were also collected.

Results/Findings: While there was no statistically significant relationship between the two constructs, there was significance regarding the level of counseling self-efficacy. The results also gave clear implications regarding the limitations of the study design which has fostered changes in program evaluation procedures.

Research Limitations: Small sample size, students were at one institution, internal validity concerns, multicollinearity, CSES has limitations for psychometric properties.

Originality/Value: Although the link between self-efficacy and wellness were suggested by Adler, Bandura, Hattie, Myers and Sweeney, there is no study quantifying this relationship. With growing concerns about counselor burnout, impairment, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and role ambiguity, it is necessary to foster resilience and wellness in students in order to reduce field based attrition. This research is meant to give counselor educators evidence for the relationship and to prompt curricular training changes.

Conclusions/Implications: Implications for counselor educators include the infusion of best practices that promote self-efficacy and wellness. Suggestions will be given for instructional modalities, wellness planning and implementation as a focus within the program paradigm, and specific curriculum strategies to foster both constructs. Further research implications include the relationship between wellness, self-efficacy, and field based attrition, counseling impairment, and career satisfaction.

References available on request, please email research@bacp.co.uk

Ann Dalzell

Professional Role: PhD Student
Institution: University of Bristol
Contact details: University of Bristol, 35 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1JA
Email: ann.dalzell@bristol.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

"I can just imagine someone calling me Daddy" - the narratives of men without children

Aims: This research aims to capture the unheard stories of men who express a desire to be a father but who are childless because something has disrupted, rather than prevented, the choice of fatherhood being realised.

Methodology: Narrative inquiry is used with four men whose pathway to fatherhood has been interrupted for differing reasons. Each man engaged in two one-hour research conversations around his experiences of childlessness.

Findings: This research demonstrates there is no fixed way of thinking about men's experiences of childlessness. There are, however, within the stories, shared experiences of societal expectations of fatherhood, complex associations between childlessness, virility and masculinity, clear images of self as a father, expressions of ‘otherness' and ‘outsider' within a ‘child-centred society' and a sense of relationship with the emotions surrounding childlessness.

Research Limitations: No attempt is made to form a collective narrative of male childlessness. However, this is not as important as the priority of presenting the diversity of men's experiences of childlessness.

Originality/Value: Research into male involuntary childlessness rarely strays beyond the experiences of men in relation to specific situations, such as living with a female partner's ‘diagnosis' of childlessness (Webb and Daniluk, 1999). Gendered stereotypical descriptions of childlessness, where women are described as ‘devastated' (Gonzalez, 2000) and men as ‘ambivalent' (Mason, 1993), exist without the presence of robust research into men's experiences.
In contrast, this research unearths stories that challenge socially constructed narratives of childless men and confronts dominant cultural images of these men. The stories' complexity places demands on counsellors to reach out beyond popular summary descriptions of men's relationship with childlessness. There are benefits in working with men in ways that involves opening up and reflecting on the intricacies of their experiences of childlessness.

Conclusions: This research unearths multi-storied experiences of male childlessness. The narratives are politically and historically situated within the lived experiences of each man and challenge the stereotypes commonly used to describe men and childlessness. Counsellors are encouraged to monitor their relationships with normative positions and judgements regarding men's experiences of childlessness.

References:

Gonzalez, L.O. (2000) Infertility as a transformational process: A framework for psychotherapeutic support of infertile women Issues In Mental Health Nursing 21, 6, 619 - 633

Mason, M. (1993) Male Infertility: Men talking London: Routledge

Webb, R. and Daniluk, J (1999) The end of the line: Infertile men's experiences of being unable to produce a child Men and Masculinities 2, 6 - 25

Dr Linda Dubrow-Marshall

Other Author: Professor Rod Dubrow-Marshall

Professional Role: Visiting Fellow in Psychology
Institution: University of Glamorgan
Contact details: 70 Merthyr Road, Pontypridd, CF37 4DD
Email: LJDMarshall@aol.com

ABSTRACT: Poster

Undue influence in psychotherapeutic context: a case study of a psychotherapy cult

Aims/Purpose/Approach: The aim (as required by the counsellor certification board in this case) was to determine if two psychotherapists, against whom numerous complaints had been lodged, had violated professional ethics and exerted undue influence and coercive persuasion upon their clients.

Design/Methodology: Interviews with former psychotherapy clients and family members of existing psychotherapy clients were conducted. Professional articles and a book written by the psychotherapists in question were examined. The criteria for a psychotherapy cult in a seminal article by Temerlin & Temerlin (1982) was used as a basis for analysing this evidence.

• Results/Findings: The criteria for a psychotherapy cult were met, including:
  Therapists dictated how clients should think, act, and feel; claimed superiority to other therapists; and induced feelings of guilt and shame in clients.
• Questioning, doubt, and dissent were discouraged, and dissociative techniques were used.
• Clients displayed unquestioning commitment to the therapists, were pressured to recruit other clients, and were described as being part of an elitist group.
• Clients were influenced to cut ties with family and friends who were not part of the psychotherapy.
• Clients were led to believe that they would suffer insanity or death if they left the therapy prematurely.

Research Limitations: There was no access to current clients and the psychotherapists were not directly interviewed.

Originality/Value: The examination of the extreme example of the unethical practices of a psychotherapy cult provides many guidelines for ethical psychotherapy where the effect of psychotherapeutic influence is appropriately monitored and appropriate interpersonal boundaries are set.

Conclusions/Implications: The analysis showed psychotherapy being conducted in an unethical manner that meets the criteria for being a psychotherapy cult. Ethical psychotherapists can learn from the extreme pressures and influence exerted upon these clients how to better monitor their use of psychotherapeutic influence and authority with implications for transference and counter-transference issues. Analysis of the case study is directly related to the research on group dynamics, coercive social influence (Cialdini, 2001), social identity, cults, and ethical psychotherapy.

References:

Temerlin, M. & Temerlin, J. (1982). Psychotherapy cults: An iatrogenic perversion. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 19, 131-141.

ww.retirn.com

Margaret Evans

Professional Role: P/T Tutor on Higher Diploma in Integrative Counselling Birmingham University
Institution: Counsellor and Counselling Supervisor in Private Practice. PhD student at University of Worcester,
Contact details: 122 New Road, Bromsgrove Worcestershire, B60 2LD
Email: margaret.evans@clara.co.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

"I think they could be excellent parents ..... excellent BUT.....": Couple counsellors discuss LGB parenting

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this research was to explore discourses employed by couple-counsellors in discussing LGB parenting. It is part of a wider PhD study into couple-counsellors' perspectives on LGB people and their families, with implications for training.

Method: This is reflexive, qualitative research. Five focus groups and one joint interview were conducted to collect the data. A combined Discourse Analysis (Foucauldian and Discursive Psychology) was used for the audio-tape transcripts of the focus groups who were assured of anonymity.

Findings: Couple-counsellors draw on a variety of affirming and discriminatory discourses from society and from reading psychodynamic texts. Discourses around children being bullied and not liking to be ‘different' from their peers were similar to those identified by researchers in discussions with students on same-sex parenting (Clarke, 2000, 2004; Benkov,1995). Some drew on the perceived need for differently gendered role-models for the successful development of children, although adoption was not felt to be controversial. Some participants acknowledged that LGB people had the same rights as everyone else to have children, but several counsellors expressed reservations regarding IVF treatment for lesbians and gay men. The focus group format enabled other counsellors to counter such discourses. No participant was familiar with current research on this topic. Several participants recognised that they needed to work on their acknowledged confusions in order to change.

Research Limitations: These were not the total of counsellors working for the agency, but a self-selected group of about half from three regional centres.

Originality/Value: I understand that the agency has not previously made time available in basic training for counsellors to share personal perspectives on LGB issues. The counsellors were willing to talk openly, to reflect, to want more discussion. The agency, which funded part of this research, was willing to open itself for internal inspection.

Conclusions/Implications: Open discussion groups with trusted colleagues could be usefully incorporated into couple-counsellor training. It is further suggested that the agency require all counsellors and supervisors to become familiar with research around LGB parenting.

References available on request, please email research@bacp.co.uk

Candy Fathers, Manda Glanfield and Naz Aslam

Professional Roles: HPD in Counselling Students / Volunteer Counsellors
Institution: Lewisham College
Contact details: c/o Room B215, Lewisham College, Lewisham Way, London SE4 1UT
Email: christine.brown@lewisham.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Poster (This Poster Presentation is related to the Workshop: ‘Exploring the delivery of experiential diversity training during the counsellor training process')

‘What impact has experiential diversity issues training had on our development as practitioners?'

Aim/Purpose: To explore and define how the experiential diversity training we received impacted on our professional development. Also; to document how this training enabled us to expand our self-awareness in relation to our own cultural experiences and how we have learned to relate with greater openness to the cultural experiences of others.

Method: The audio recorded, transcribed, reflexive research narratives of the researchers, from which descriptive conclusions were drawn as to the impact diversity training had on our professional development.
The research was undertaken to fulfil, in part, the requirements of the City & Guilds HPD in Counselling at Lewisham College, under the supervision of Chris Brown MA. The research was conducted following the BACP Guidelines for Researching Counselling & Psychotherapy (Bond, 2004).

Findings: We have been able to descriptively identify how the diversity training on our Practitioner Training course impacted on our professional development in the following ways;

• The impact racism/oppression and inherited racism has on our selves and others.
•  Identification of the personal blocks to empathy which may prevent us from working effectively with diversity.
• The personal process of change which has taken place for us.

Research Limitations: We were limited by an investigation into only our own personal experiences.

Originality/Value: We could find no autobiographical research which tracked a similar developmental process to our own in relation to diversity training; this appeared to leave a gap in research evidence which we wanted to address.

Conclusions/Implications: That in-depth experiential diversity training is a vital aspect of Practitioner Training; which in itself has implications on the future design of Counsellor Training Programmes.

References:

Bond, T. (2004) BACP Ethical Guidelines for Researching Counselling & Psychotherapy. Rugby: BACP

Sally Flatteau Taylor

Professional Role: Chief Executive
Institution: The Maypole Project
Contact details: 203 - 205 High Street, Orpington. BR6 0PF
Email: Sallytaylor@themaypoleproject.fsnet.co.uk

ABSTRACT: Poster

Stepping into the lives of families of children with chronic illnesses.

Aims/Purpose: From a study in 2005 of children with a life shortening /life threatening, families described having been "instantly thrown into a nightmare world new language, new places, new everything." These 54 families took the opportunity through returned questionnaires and subsequent invitation into focus groups (2 x 10 people) to outline the support they wanted following such a diagnosis.

Results/Findings: The theme throughout the responses was summed up by one couple as "we wanted to meet someone who would not analyse us, not tell us what to do, but to be alongside and give us compassionate support." The "compassionate supporter" was further defined as someone who would empathise with their situation, understand the difficulties and issues which they faced. The comments received noted that experiences of support seldom matched these needs.

Past research has highlighted issues for families, focussing on particular diagnoses such as Cystic Fibrosis/Cancers, the perceived protection/exclusion of siblings, marital difficulties, isolation of fathers, and the death of a child. As a result current support work appears to be focussing on these issues; the outcome of which has been experienced as the isolation of family members from each other in support. The parents and children in this study have highlighted that this may be leading to over focussed and assumptive support. This poster presents some family stories and issues raised from a broad base of diagnoses, ages, relationships, sex. (with permission & identity protected).

Implications: This research will be of interest to all counsellors giving some insight into the "ideal" support package that has been outlined by families in this study. As practitioners we never know when a new client walks into our counselling/therapy room whether they may have a child in their family, or a child who has died, from a chronic illness.

Julie Folkes-Skinner

Professional Role: Lecturer in Psychodynamic Counselling & NHS based counsellor
Institution: University of Leicester, Leicester Institute of Lifelong Learning.
Contact details: University Leicester, Vaughan College, St. Nicholas Circle, Leicester LE14LB
Email: jafs1@le.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Poster

A pilot study, using a single case study design to assess the effectiveness of two research instruments in measuring how counselling training impacts on a trainee counsellor during one academic term, at the beginning of clinical practice

Aims/Purpose/Approach: Little is known about the impact of training on practice. Lambert and Ogle's (2004) review of the literature and meta-analyses concluded that professional training made no difference to therapeutic outcome. Some randomised controlled trials have shown a relationship between training and therapeutic outcome, however few studies examine the impact of training, in naturalistic settings, at the beginning of practice. No studies yet exist that attempt to identify which aspects of therapist training programmes have most impact on trainees. Beutler et al (2004) suggest that a number of articles now conclude that different research methods and paradigms need to be used to study therapist effects, including the relationship between training and practice.

The N=1 case study design was chosen to enable an in depth study of the experience of professional training with the hope beginning to understand what helps trainees to become counsellors. In addition the purpose of this pilot study is to develop effective qualitative research instruments and techniques specifically designed for use with trainees.

Methodology:

• Participants: one trainee counsellor; trainee's personal tutor; trainee's supervisor.
• A single case study design
• Three semi-structured interviews, with the trainee a month apart, using an adapted version of Elliott et al's (2001) Change Interview, focussing on changes in the counsellor's practice and personal development.
• One semi-structured interview will be conducted with the Trainee's tutor at the end of the first term using an adapted version of Llewellyn's, (1988) HAT questionnaire.
• Two interviews will be conducted with the Trainee's supervisor at the beginning and end of the first term using an adapted version of Llewellyn's, (1988) questionnaire.
• All interviews will be recorded and transcribed.

Analysis:

• IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) of data
• Results will be triangulated using a data framework

Results: The first interviews of the study have taken place. The study will not be completed until January 2007 and so no results are yet available.

Conclusions/Implications:

• Help course providers to better understand the relationship between theory and practice;
• Respond to a gap in the research literature;
• Assist in the development of qualitative research instruments

References available on request, please email research@bacp.co.uk

Elizabeth Freire (Paper 1)

Co Author: Mick Cooper

Professional Role: Research Assistant
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Contact details: 76 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow, G13 1PP
Email: Elizabeth.freire@strath.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

Counselling in Schools: an evaluation

Aims: This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of a school-based Person-centred counselling which parallels the Glasgow Counselling in Schools Project research, Phase II (Cooper, 2006) and discusses the similarities and differences found between the two studies and across the field.

Methodology: The research was carried out over a period of one year, in nine Scottish secondary schools, in parallel with the Glasgow Counselling in Schools Project research, Phase II (Cooper, 2006), and using a similar methodology. The instruments used were a pre- and post-counselling psychometric measure (YP-CORE) and a client satisfaction questionnaire. 152 pupils completed the post-counselling satisfaction questionnaire and 83 pupils completed pairs of pre- and post-counselling YP-CORE. The results obtained were analysed and discussed in relation to the results reported and summarised by Cooper (2006). The research received ethical approval from the University of Strathclyde's Ethics Committee.

Results/Findings: In line with the results of the Glasgow study (Cooper, 2006) and previous counselling in schools evaluations, a significant reduction was found in level of psychological distress from pre- to post-counselling. The effect size in this study was slight larger (d=1.14) than the effect size reported in the Glasgow study (d= 1.00). 95% of participants were either ‘satisfied' or ‘very satisfied' with the counselling service (89% in the Glasgow study) and 85% said that the counselling had helped them either ‘A lot' or ‘Quite a lot' (78% in the Glasgow study). Both studies indicated that clients perceived that the counselling was helpful because it gave them an opportunity to talk and be listened to. Other similarities and differences between the two studies will be reported and discussed.

Research Limitations: Estimations of reliable change could not be undertaken accurately because there is no data on the test-retest reliability of the YP-CORE neither on its standard deviations for a normative population.

Originality/Value: This evaluation is important as a means of validating the results obtained by previous counselling in schools research.

Conclusions/Implications: The findings of this evaluation add more evidence that a person-centred counselling service in schools enhances the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, therefore supporting the rationale for establishing school-based person-centred counselling services.

References:

Cooper, M. (2006). Counselling in schools project phase II: Evaluation report. Glasgow: University of Strathclyde.

Elizabeth Freire (Paper 2)

Co Author: Mick Cooper

Professional Role: Research Assistant
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Contact details: 76 Southbrae Drive, Glasgow, G13 1PP
Email: Elizabeth.freire@strath.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

The Strathclyde Inventory: validation of a person-centred outcome measure

Aims: This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the revised version of the Strathclyde Inventory, an outcome measure based on Rogers' theory of therapy change (Rogers, 1959, 1961)

Methodology: The instrument consists of 31 items developed according to Rogers' description of the ‘fully functioning person'. It was completed by 325 participants, alongside a range of other instruments (CORE, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems [IIP], Toronto Alexithymia Scale [TAS], Structural Analysis of Social Behavioral [SASB] Introject Scale) as a means of testing its discriminant and convergent validity. The participants were recruited for different analyses in three different universities and the research procedures received ethical approval from the ethics committees of each of these universities.

Results: The instrument had a Cronbach Alpha of 0.94, indicating excellent inter-item-reliability. Pearson correlations with CORE, IIP, and TAS were -.0.66, -0.49, and -0.56 respectively. The correlations with SASB-Introject positive and negative subscales were 0.58 and -0.63 respectively. These correlations show that the instrument has adequate convergent validity but raise questions about its discriminant validity. An exploratory factor analysis indicated the existence of one large factor, which explains around 36% or the total variance, although it is possible to extract 2 or 3 factors from the general factor. A test-retest with a small sub-sample of 24 participants, obtained a correlation of 0.76, indicating excellent temporal consistency.

Research Limitations: All self-report measures are subject to various kinds of response sets and biases. The high correlation between the SI and the CORE suggests that SI may be partially confounded with clinical distress. The test-retest sample is currently fairly small and needs to be enlarged.

Originality/Value: The Strathclyde Inventory is a potentially useful tool for research on the effectiveness of counselling and psychotherapy. It is also a non-pathology-oriented outcome measure that many therapists, e.g. person-centred, may feel more comfortable using.

Conclusions/Implications: The Strathclyde Inventory was found to be a reliable and valid measure. On the basis of these results, the investigators next plan to test the instrument with a clinical population.

References available on request, please email research@bacp.co.uk

Dr Patricia Goodspeed-Grant

Professional Role: Assistant Professor
Institution: Counselor Education, SUNY College at Brockport, Brockport, New York
Contact details: SUNY College at Brockport, 350 New Campus Drive, Brockport, New York 14420, USA
Email: pgoodspeed@brockport.edu

ABSTRACT: Poster

Research or counseling? Navigating boundary issues in qualitative research

This presentation is based upon the researcher's experiences with several research projects utilizing qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological methods. The discovery of deep-seated issues that go beyond forced-choice format responses in survey-type research has the potential for generating a deeper understanding of issues that may enhance the counseling profession's ability to help clients. Many qualitative methodologies utilize unstructured 90-minute depth interviews that focus on participants' experiences of the phenomenon under investigation. Participants are invited to share stories about the phenomenon under investigation, with an emphasis on the feeling tones of their experiences. The veracity and trustworthiness of the data are essential in order to excavate the meaning of the phenomenon.

Ethical guidelines are designed to offer protection from psychological harm to research participants. In an open-ended phenomenological interview, participants freely choose what to share in the interview without coercion. When the research is also an experienced counselor, clinical skill in conducting the research interview can be beneficial and lead to deep explorations of sensitive topics. In essence, a phenomenological interview is very similar to a counseling interview except that the focus is to generate an understanding of meaning and experiences rather than to initiate change. A dilemma may occur when the interviewer's skill at establishing a trusting relationship leads to discussion of emotionally painful issues. The role of the researcher can become blurred when participants reveal very painful experiences, such as sexual abuse or suicidal thoughts. The principal question becomes whether the ethical responsibilities for the counselor and researcher overlap, or are they contradictory? What action steps must the researcher take when participants present with information that leads them into an emotional crisis? What sources of referrals can or should be made? Is it ethical to uncover emotional material that must be processed? These issues may be particularly problematic when participants do not have adequate resources to pay for therapy sessions. These questions have implications for resolving the tension between balancing the needs of participants while generating scientific truthfulness.

Jan Grove

Professional Role: Lecturer in Counselling
Institution: The University of Birmingham
Contact details: University of Birmingham, School of Public Policy, Selly Oak Campus, Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6LL
Email: j.a.grove@bham.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: Paper

How competent are counsellors to work with issues relating to different sexual orientations and what are the most effective learning experiences?

Aims: To map levels of competence of past and present students in counselling clients who are lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) and identify the most useful learning experiences.

Methodology: Students (past and present) of the integrative diploma in counselling at the University of Birmingham completed a questionnaire including: background details, a sexual orientation counsellor competence scale (Bidell, 2005), and two qualitative questions about previous learning relating to LGB issues. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the levels of competence and grounded theory to analyse the qualitative responses.

Results/Findings: Results show that students have a high level of awareness, although a lower level measured in year two of the programme may indicate that training facilitates a deeper understanding of self.
The qualitative results indicate the value of personal experiences of contact with people who are LGB. This has the greatest impact on student's self awareness and knowledge translating into an increased feeling of competence in working with LGB clients.

Research Limitations: This is work in progress with a small sample size, so that initial results can only be tentative. Due ethical consideration has been given to possible conflicts in self reported methods for current students.

Originality/Value: Professional therapy organisations promote the importance of working with difference, yet subtle negative biases towards LGB clients continue (Eubanks-Carter et al., 2005). Issues of competence in this area have only recently been addressed (Bidell, 2005) and there is little British research into the effectiveness of training to support therapists working with this client group .

Conclusions/Implications: This research will provide data on students' levels of competence in working with LGB clients and identify the most effective ways of learning. The results will inform the current training programme, and indicate effective pedagogies to enhance learning relating to LGB issues.

This is part of a wider research project that will extend the range of respondents and identify additional factors that may impact on competence e.g. gender, age, educational/professional background.

References available on request, please email research@bacp.co.uk

Harold Heller

Professional Role: Therapist and Consultant in Independent Practice
Institution: Postgraduate student, York St John University
Contact details: East Middleton Farm, Middleton St George, Darlington, DL2 1AY
Email: harold.heller@virgin.net

ABSTRACT: Paper

"Shut up and Listen!" Myth and evidence in counselling supervision

Aims/Purpose/Approach: The study addresses the following questions in counselling supervision:

• What is the impact on the supervisee of specific supervisory interventions?
• Does ‘supervision-in-action' match ‘espoused theory' across different orientations?
• Does the supervisory alliance change significantly over time?

Design/Methodology: The author (who employs a psychosystemic approach) has transcribed 23 of his own supervision sessions and has collected a parallel set of transcripts from four other orientations.
An evaluation tool has been developed in two parts:
1) The Supervisor Intervention Matrix, and
2) The Supervisee Response Scale.
These instruments (which have been subjected to tests of validity and reliability) have been applied to produce profiles of supervisory interaction and effectiveness for each orientation.

Results/Findings: 1. The outcomes show the model to be effective in identifying differences between key schools of supervision practice. 2. There is a statistically significant associati