|
|
|
|
|
 |
• research conferences: |
|
|
|
research conference 2006 index of presentations | abstracts part 1 2 3 4 | programme | evaluation Abstracts part 4 Professional Role: PhD Student ABSTRACT: Paper Life space mapping: preliminary results from the development of a new method for investigating counselling outcomes Introduction: Counselling outcomes are often measured in terms of standardised questionnaires. Though efficient for large numbers of participants, this method cannot capture the unique and subtle 'shifts' that clients may be able to report when qualitative methods are utilised. Further, such questionnaires usually focus on the individual, missing the wider social implications of therapy. This paper presents the preliminary findings from a study that utilises the client's own perceptions of changes in their "Life Space" to establish the significance of their change process. These results are compared and contrasted with a standard outcome questionnaire and the participant's experience of using the two methods are explored. Method: Twenty participants (12 female, eight male) aged between 19 and 67 were recruited from people attending a volunteer counselling service in Glasgow. A Life Space Map (LSM) interview was conducted with each participant prior to their commencing counselling, along with a standard CORE outcome questionnaire. On completion of counselling, participants were again asked to complete a LSM and CORE questionnaire. Participants were asked to compare their post-counselling maps and questionnaires with their pre-counselling ones. Interviews were recorded and analysed for both the changes perceived over the course of therapy, and the experience of using the different methods. A further interview was conducted after three to four months to gain follow-up data and participant feedback on the analysis of previous interviews. Results: Preliminary results from the study will be presented illustrating changes in a number of participants' Life Space Maps and their comparable CORE scores. Some significant differences between the change detected using CORE and LSM are discussed. The study also reveals a number of inconsistencies in the interpretation of CORE questions by participants. Participants' perception of the advantages and limitations of using the LSM are reported. Conclusions: The Life Space Map gathers rich, in depth narratives about peoples' experience of change over the course of therapy. By inviting participants to reflect on this, new insights into the meaning of outcome are possible which are more sensitive to the client's lived reality, including their diverse social worlds. Professional role: School Counsellor ABSTRACT: Poster Raising achievement with adolescents in secondary education: the school counsellors' perspective Research Rationale: Present government policy requires results led education and the raising of achievement in schools. The Children's Act 2004 also requires schools to take a broader view of supporting children with a greater emphasis on personal development. There is a growing acceptance of having counsellors working within schools to address the emotional needs of children and adolescents that might otherwise hinder the learning process. However, very little has been found in the literature on how counsellors might perceive their therapeutic interventions within a secondary education setting as contributing toward adolescent learning and achievement. This study sought to address that gap by exploring the school counsellors' perspective. Research Design: This qualitative study used data from semi-structured interviews with eight school counsellors from four different counties in England. This study grew from the researcher's experience as a practitioner in schools and was undertaken in part-fulfilment of an MA in Counselling Inquiry. The research was approved by the University of Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee and was funded by the Bedford Charity (the Harpur Trust). Results/Findings: Counsellors perceived their therapeutic interventions as student centred in contrast to their perception of schools being predominantly school centred. This more holistic approach to their clients' development affected the counsellors' perceptions of what was meant by raising achievement. They perceived therapeutic interventions as raising personal, social and life skills achievement and less directly academic achievement. However a limitation of these findings was the inherent bias present when asking professionals about the effects of their interventions. The implication would be to triangulate these findings through exploring the comparative perspectives of adolescents themselves on the question of achievement. Conclusions: The counsellors' perceptions suggested that a more holistic approach toward young people could be beneficial toward raising their personal achievement. The findings were consistent with the current and emerging theories of adolescent development and learning. Further study is indicated to triangulate these findings and to explore how the personal and the academic in schools could be informed by a complementary integration and understanding of counselling theory and educational philosophy and how this might influence raising achievement with adolescents in secondary education. Professional Role: Professor of Clinical Psychology and Applied Science/Clinical
Director ASBTRACT: Friday Keynote Giving people what they want; empirically grounded psychological therapy The future development of talking therapies may be a simpler matter than it seems. Service users will play an increasing role in deciding how services are deployed, and which types of therapy continue to be offered. At present, there is a bewildering range of approaches, and those not only those wishing seek therapy but also those who wish to offer it may find it problematic to decide which to choose. Evidence-based approaches have clarified although not entirely solve this issue. Although the drug metaphor embodied in pure evidence based approaches has been helpful when applied to psychotherapy, it has also been misleading particularly in terms of developing and refining brief psychotherapy. It is proposed that good psychotherapy is a skillful blend of clinical art and clinical science. The approach is particularly well characterised by the concept of "empirically grounded psychological therapies", implemented in ways which allow the patients to participate in the choice of treatment. It is proposed that giving people what they want needs to involve helping them engage with evidence-based patient choice as a type of shared decision making. These principles are illustrated in the context of the highly successful application of cognitive approaches to the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders. The importance of specificity in understanding treatment and training of therapists will be illustrated using research findings and clinical examples. Implications of the research described will be considered. These include the value of formulation-based (rather than diagnosis-based) approaches and the need for the development of dissemination and stepped care models. The difficult issue of inertia in those currently practicing psychological therapies will also be addressed. It is concluded that a profession which prides itself on helping people to change should be able to identify its own need for change and react accordingly. Professional Role: Centre Manager ABSTRACT: Paper Is it possible to use a combination of therapeutic and educational techniques to improve a child's ability to access education? Research Rationale: There is a growing awareness within the education system of the importance of addressing children's emotional needs resulting in initiatives such as Circle Time, Emotional Literacy and Nurture Rooms. There are also an increasing number of therapeutic interventions within schools: Quiet Places, The Place to Be, school counsellors. This research explores whether it is possible to effectively combine approaches from both. The Children Act (2004) also requires Children's Services to co-operate to improve well-being. This approach contributes to all five outcomes from the Every Child Matters agenda. Research Design: Children participated in a term long programme including therapeutic approaches (therapeutic play, art, visualisation) and educational approaches (emotional literacy, circle time) delivered in a specially designed environment by trained staff, during the school day. Quantitative checklists on emotional, learning and conduct behaviour and qualitative questionnaires were completed by school staff before and after the programme and after follow up. Qualitative data was also collected from parents, the participating children and the programme staff. Quantitative data provided graphs and percentages; qualitative data was subjected to a content analysis. Research Sample: Thirty-six children aged between 8 and 10, from 11 inner-city primary schools, who were failing to access school fully for emotional reasons. Results/Findings: Quantitative data from schools showed overall improvement in emotional behaviour for 75% of the children, in learning behaviour for 67%, in conduct behaviour for 58%. 43% of parents completed questionnaires, 75 % indicating the programme had made a lot of difference, 25% indicating some difference. Qualitative information from schools, parents and therapeutic staff indicated a range of positive developments. Qualitative information from the children indicated a range of positive experiences, increased self-esteem and awareness of lessons learnt about themselves and others. Conclusion: This approach is effective but progress would be easier to maintain if delivered by schools themselves. A new programme is now underway setting up Th.Inc.Rooms (Therapeutic Inclusion Rooms) in primary schools as part of their core provision. Professional Role: Lecturer ABSTRACT: Paper The client as informed consumer: how much should we tell our clients about ourselves? Research question: Do clients need to know about their counsellor's personal and political values? Rationale: Clients tend to move towards the values and world-views of their counsellor whether or not the counsellor intends this to happen, but generally the client knows little about the counsellor before entering the counselling relationship. This paper explores counsellors' ideas around potential clients having information about counsellors' beliefs and values in order to make informed choices. Research Design: This is a qualitative study using discourse analysis. Data was gathered through a focus group study concerned with counsellor influence, and this paper explores one topic that emerged in the discussions. The analysis was in keeping with the discursive psychology approach (Potter and Wetherell, 1987). The study was subject to ethical approval from the University of Manchester. Sample: Twenty eight counsellors met in six focus groups in 2004/5. Each group discussed four scenarios/questions relating to counsellor influence, with a particular focus on the counsellor's social belief systems. The participants were a convenience/snowball sample from varied theoretical orientations and work contexts. Findings: There was considerable tension within the participants' talk around transparency. In particular there was a tension between the idea that the counsellor's values and beliefs ought not to be important, and that it might be significant for some clients to know more about their counsellor. Conclusions: Counsellors are often aware of multiple ways in which their identities, characteristics and values impact on clients, but may not be convinced of the benefits to clients from sharing information about themselves. We need to consider carefully the extent to which clients would benefit from having information about counsellors in order that they can make informed choices when approaching or working with a counsellor. Reference: Potter, J., and Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology: Beyond attitudes and behaviour London: Sage. Professional role: Service Director ABSTRACT: Paper The Maypole Dance: developing a support service with and for families with a child/children with life limiting/life threatening illnesses Background: The Maypole Project, created in 2003, provides flexible, holistic, family centred emotional support - from psychotherapy to a "listening ear" - to families with a child with illnesses which are life threatening/life shortening. This unique service pattern and philosophy has been developed from a foundation of research and experience of previous service provision to families with children with cancer, and its evaluation by families and health professionals. The aim of the project is to enhance this service by weaving existing research of supporting families in loss and bereavement into service delivery, as well as by integrating the families' ongoing evaluation of service received. Research Methods: The user perspective is gained by invitation to all families referred to enter into research, participating families sign consent forms. The methods used are completion of evaluation forms and focus groups. The questions raised in both methods are in two sections. Firstly, relating to the structure of the support - referral, place, timing, etc, and secondly, the content of the support - therapy or listening ear, ability to relate to key worker, ease of talking through issues. The information gained forms a cyclical process - information gained is analysed and comments fed back into the service provision. Ethical approval was gained from a steering committee and external supervisor. Results: Twelve evaluation forms were sent with eight returned and two focus groups held with 12 families attending. Responses have been positive. From the viewpoint of the structure of the Maypole Project they note the benefits of support received from diagnosis onwards and their ability to "dip in" to support as and when needed. Regarding the content of support, some families benefit from counselling, whilst others appreciated speaking to "almost a friend". All families felt able to talk about all issues. Recommendations of the service to other families was highlighted, which is reflected by an increase in families self-referring. Delays in referral to the service and issues with other services i.e. communication with health professionals were also noted. Conclusions: This ongoing research confirms that flexible ongoing and holistic support is of great importance to families who, from diagnosis, suddenly find themselves being "fitted" into a medical world. The cyclical process of this research also enables regular reflection on practice and allows "fine tuning" of the service. The need is highlighted for future research across other interconnected services. Professional role: Service Director ABSTRACT: Poster Between the notion and the act – some realities of putting a research study into practice Background and Introduction: In a recent research study into the counselling experiences of bereaved clients who have sensed the presence of the deceased (Flatteau Taylor 2002), an assumption was made that, in today's economic climate of high demand on funding where evidence of best practice is essential, counselling service providers would work to enabling research through safe and confidential access to their previous service users. This was not the reality of putting the study into practice, and this paper explores this question; What difficulties were found in engaging "gatekeepers" to access previous service users? Methodology: Loss and bereavement is a sensitive issue and it is important to create a safe structure within which participants would feel able to recount their stories. (The findings of participants' experiences recounted in interviews can be found in Between the Idea and the Reality (Flatteau Taylor, 2005)). In gaining ethical approval, it was agreed to engage counselling service co-ordinators to act as "gatekeepers" to address letters to previous service users requesting a response to the researcher, thus holding their anonymity from the study until they chose to participate. The findings of these approaches is detailed below: Key Findings: The findings highlight some significant issues; 12 approaches were made and three agencies participated. Of the negative responses, four agencies said "yes" and then "no". Reasons given for this were; non-approval by ethics committee & management committee. Three co-ordinators insisted on a full explanation of what "sense of presence" meant as an issue for bereaved people, before the research began. Discussion: Tension is highlighted between the need for research and difficulties in accessing participants, which, if we need to provide more "proof" of what works in counselling in future will become more essential. There was an interesting contrast between the three co-ordinators who required an explanation of sense of presence, and the 10 interviewees who all talked of their experience without needing or wanting an explanation. This may parallel to the findings of the main study where the majority of counsellors did not work with their clients sense of presence as the natural and normal experience they described. Dr Natty Triskel and Mrs Heather Weston Other authors: Wendy Patterson, Rowen Jade, Sue Atkins Professional Role: Consultant Clinical Psychologist (NT), Counsellor
(HW) ABSTRACT: Workshop How to use counselling research and other evidence bases to meet the needs of disabled consumers Participants will be supported to plan to meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 to provide accessible counselling services. The workshop will include:
Target audience: Those who want to think about access issues, especially if you think 'oh, but I don't work with disabled people'. Please note: this is not a disability awareness / disability equality training session. Research Study question: Can we provide good quality, effective counselling to disabled people which meets their access needs? Rationale: Disabled people are more likely than most people to experience distress for which counselling might be helpful. We were increasingly aware, from research and from experience, of the difficulties disabled people experience in accessing counselling. Research design: We set up a pilot counselling service to work with, and learn from, disabled people with complex access needs. Clients completed Likert scales before and after counselling, rating their own competency with self-generated problem statements. Reflexive external supervision helped us to offer creative and useful interventions. Sample: 129 people were referred. 102 had one or more counselling meetings. Results: Clients had on average eight counselling meetings. Themes included relationships (70%), the impact of being disabled (70%), low mood (65%), transition (63%) and unresolved trauma (57%). Clients felt more than twice as able to cope with problems after counselling, and 83% rated their ability to cope as significantly improved. We spent an average of 2½ hours problem-solving access issues per client. We developed practical and intrapersonal strategies for working well with disabled people. Conclusions: With thought and support we can address the physical, psychological and structural (attitudinal) barriers which traditional approaches to service provision can unwittingly perpetuate, so that disabled people can access counselling. Professional Role: Research Fellow ABSTRACT: Paper Counselling and the family sense of coherence (FSOC): empirical findings and practical implications Background/aim: The family sense of coherence (FSOC, Antonovsky & Sourani, 1988) is a collective concept based on Aaron Antonovsky's model of individual sense of coherence (SOC). As core concept of the salutogenic model, the SOC refers to the extent to which one sees one's world as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. Antonovsky and Sourani expanded the SOC construct to the family level and hypothesized that families who perceive their family life as coherent (high FSOC) are more likely to cope with stressful family life events without displaying physical and/or emotional symptoms. They also argued that the FSOC influences the development of the individual sense of coherence of the family members. Given this background, the aim of the study was to explore the possibilities to foster the FSOC in a family counselling context and to provide evidence for counselling consumers that this kind of service may encourage basic family competences. Method: I assessed the FSOC and the counselling experiences of 108 families who went through a child guidance and family counselling process two to three years before (follow up-history). Questionnaires were used to ask the parents about counselling and their view concerning family life. Seventeen young clients of these families were interviewed using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were tape recorded and analysed through a "structured content analysis" approach. Results: The extent of family sense of coherence is positively correlated with the counselling effects as perceived by the parents. The interview results show that under certain conditions family counselling strengthens the family's ability to manage the demands of family life and to see the efforts as meaningful and comprehensible. Conclusions: The empirical findings have to be considered in terms of their methodical limitations. Their practical implications include the use of FSOC measures as diagnostic tools and systematic interventions to improve the coping strategies of families and their sense of coherence. Reference: Antonovsky, A., & Sourani, T. (1988). Family sense of coherence and family adaption. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 79–92. Patti Wallace and Audrey Gachen Professional Role: Assistant Dean (PW) ABSTRACT: Workshop Researching the client experience: what counselling and psychotherapy can learn from psychiatric service-user research Background: Arguably, the person who can tell practitioners most about the experience of counselling/therapy is the client. Research with users of psychiatric services has shown that the involvement of service-users in research leads to studies which are reliable and more likely to result in positive implementation (Davies and Braithwaite, 2001; Rose, 2001). At the same time, there is a dearth of published research into clients' experiences of counselling (Elliot and Williams, 2003) and often counsellors and counselling students are dissuaded from engaging in research that involves potentially vulnerable service-users due to concerns about the impact of the research on these participants. Workshop Aims: The aim of the workshop is to inform and encourage counsellors to engage in research which elucidates the client/service-user experience. It will explore the specific challenges which arise in research involving what are often perceived to be vulnerable client groups. It will take as an example a successful user-led qualitative study undertaken by the presenters in 2005 in which participants were interviewed about their experiences of psychiatric hospitalisation. It will address issues of: research design and procedures, ethics, researcher and participant safety, confidentiality, and advantages and disadvantages of qualitative methodologies in consumer research. Workshop format: The workshop will be interactive in style and will involve the co-presenters (one experienced service-user research supervisor and one experienced service-user researcher) offering ideas from their own experiences and engaging participants in discussion of important issues to consider in this type of research. Participants will be involved in a group exercise to generate potential research ideas and encouraged to bring dilemmas/issues arising from their own research with counselling/psychotherapy clients. Conclusion: This workshop will engage participants in generating research ideas and designs which balance valid concerns about the impact of research on potentially vulnerable counselling/psychotherapy clients with the benefits of findings which can truly have an impact on the practice of counselling and psychotherapy, and on counselling and psychotherapy service planning and provision. References: Davies, A., & Braithwaite, T. (2001). In our own hands. Mental Health Care, 41, 413–444 Elliot, M., & Williams, D. (2003). The Client Experience of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Counselling Psychology Review. Vol 18 (1) pp. 34–38. Rose, D. (2001). Users' Voices. London: Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. Other authors: Professor John McLeod and Dr Heather Wilkinson Professional Role: Research Training Fellow (DW) ABSTRACT: Paper Dealing with the aftermath: an ethnographic study into the impact of an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease Research question: What is the impact of an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease on the person and their family? Rationale: Research to date shows that counselling and psychotherapy in the immediate post-diagnostic period for people with an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is rarely available. Anecdotal evidence and professional reflection highlight the need for counselling services to be made available for people with Alzheimer's disease, based on the findings of research. Research design: A qualitative, ethnographic methodology was used to study the experiences of five people who had been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease. Participants were contacted within the first two weeks of their diagnosis and the research design was a collaborative venture between the first person recruited and the researcher, which set the pattern for the data collection. Data were collected through participant observation and audio-tape recorded interviews over a six month period. Members of participants' social networks were also interviewed. Sample: The sample comprised of two men and three women who had been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease by a consultant psychiatrist, and their family members. Results/findings: The study identified nine different therapeutic tasks, relevant to counselling in early diagnosis of dementia. These tasks are embedded in four key themes which were identified during constant comparative analysis of data: struggling with the emotional process, daring to talk about Alzheimer's disease, re-authoring their story and the challenge facing relationships. Conclusions: Discussing a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with family and friends is highly challenging, and would be enhanced by the skills and knowledge of a counsellor/psychotherapist available to work alongside the person and their family. It is argued that this type of assistance has the potential to facilitate co-construction of identity that allows the person with dementia to come to terms with this diagnosis and integrate it into their daily lives. The implications of these findings for the role of counselling in relation to other chronic disease conditions are discussed. Professional role: Senior Lecturer in Counselling ABSTRACT: Work in Progress Symposium Using video to analyse discourse: how counsellor and client negotiate a session Background: Discourse analysis in counselling research has traditionally focussed on written transcripts of counselling, based largely upon audio sources. There is however a long-standing premise that non-verbal communication is a key element of both the relationship and process in counselling. Moreover in counselling training, the complexity and richness of interpersonal communication are acknowledged through the use of live demonstrations, demonstration videos and through trainees recording and viewing their own skills practice. New video technology offers researchers the opportunity to explore the rich but subtle relationships amongst language, auditory and visual cues and to investigate how these negotiate the content, direction and interpersonal dynamics in a counselling session. Aims: To examine how counsellor and client negotiate the narrative of a session and the enactment of their relationship through a discourse analysis that includes visual, auditory and textual information. Method: Digital video editing technology is used to plot the development of the session by coding, grouping and categorising segments, to explore patterns in language, tone and non-verbal behaviour and the inter-relationships amongst these. Results: Initial results suggest this new technology provides a powerful tool to consider important mediators in the counselling process that can be neglected, using traditional means. It also provides an extra dimension to a consideration of the development and maintenance of relationship. Conclusions: In addition to its use in research to explore how counsellors and clients co-construct their work together, video analysis can be an important tool for counsellors, their supervisors and trainers to examine the process within a counselling session and to address interpersonal factors that influence focus and direction. Professional Role: Reader in Counselling Studies ABSTRACT: Workshop Some ethical issues in counselling research The whole approach of counselling researchers to ethics has developed in recent years, especially with the recent publication of the BACP research guidelines (Bond, 2004), with its focus on trustworthiness and on the researcher actively engaging with ethical issues. However, in the realm of counselling and therapy ethics in the UK, there remain some key areas of concern for researchers to grapple with. These include: why do counselling research at all?; counselling research that hurts participants; the impact of research on the therapeutic process; restrictive notions around what is research data; the politics of research funding; and issues of informed consent. The clients' needs can get lost in the drive to produce research findings to support therapeutic interventions. The question of whether we view the recipients of counselling as 'clients', 'patients' or 'consumers' is more than a semantic one. Indeed, it is a crucial matter with ethical implications, which will be explored. These issues will be aired in a lively workshop format that will invite contributions and debate from participants. Other author: Dr Kim Etherington Professional Role: Counsellor and Researcher (HW) ABSTRACT: Paper Narratives of mothers' experiences of coping with their sons drug use Background: The consumers of this research are the commissioning drugs project, their workers and workers in similar drugs agencies, and the clients served by them. The learning from this study can be applied in a variety of settings where workers deal with issues of parenting, loss and drug abuse. Aim: The aim of the study is to highlight the needs of mothers of drug misusers, who are often overlooked in the planning and delivering of services (Barnard, 2005) and to raise awareness for counsellors, psychotherapists and workers in the drugs field of some of the issues faced whilst working with this client group. Methods: This paper is based on narrative interviews (Etherington, 2004) with three mothers, recruited from the parents' group of a community drugs project as part of an ongoing qualitative evaluation of their services. The stories are analysed using narrative analysis and discourse analysis, by examining the transcripts for what mothers tell us about the questions below:
Findings highlight the impact on the mothers' own lives and their emotional struggles involved in finding out and trying to understand how and why their children have become drug users. Conclusion: There is a need to develop facilities to support families affected by drug misuse and to improve the awareness and knowledge of other support agencies. It also suggests that by focusing on the mothers themselves, rather than on their drug using offspring, mothers can be helped to identify and deconstruct societal discourse and negative messages that might cause them unnecessary distress. References: Etherington, K. (2004). Becoming a reflexive researcher: using our selves in research. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Barnard, M. (2005). Drugs in the family: the impact on parents and siblings. UK: Joseph Rowntree Publication. Commissioned by the Southmead Drug Project and funded by the European Social Fund Professional Role: Professor
of Counselling and Psychotherapy (SW) / BACP (KR) ABSTRACT: Work in progress symposium What impact does supervision have on the supervisee? A systematic review of literature Background: In 2002 a scoping search of literature related to supervision was completed that identified almost four hundred research reports on various aspects of supervision (Wheeler, 2003). The scoping search had a broad focus, seeking to identify all the empirical research that had been conducted on clinical supervision for two decades. That review has been well received but is rapidly becoming out of date. Rather than update the broad review a more focused review has been commissioned that will contribute to the evidence base for supervision, particularly as the profession moves towards regulation that will put current practice under scrutiny. Aims: To identify research conducted since 1988 on the impact of supervision on counsellors and psychotherapists, using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The focus will be on evidence derived from empirical research both quantitative and qualitative that provides information about ways in which practitioners develop skills and clinical competence and are supported or guided in their clinical work through supervision. Method: The review is conducted using a structured review methodology and Evidence for Policy and Practice Information software tools (EPPI-Reviewer)*. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria are determined. All studies to be included in the review are systematically evaluated using a purposely constructed pro forma. A report is written summarising the information extracted from the included studies. Results: To date detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria have been identified. A pilot study is being conducted to assess the degree to which the criteria are rigorous enough to ensure that only relevant studies are included, but not so rigorous that no studies meet the criteria. Conclusion: A vast quantity of research has been conducted on supervision particularly in the USA. This review may provide evidence to support future decisions on the nature, requirements and organisation of supervision for both trainees and experienced practitioners. References: Wheeler, S. (2003). Research on supervision of counsellors and psychotherapists: A systematic scoping search. Rugby, BACP. EPPI Centre, (2005) http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/EPPIWeb/home.aspx, accessed 17.11.05 *The review is conducted using EPPI-Centre software tools (EPPI-Reviewer) but is not subject to EPPI-Centre methods, quality assurance, or publication. Other author: Tom Schroder Professional Role: Professor of Counselling and Psychotherapy ABSTRACT: Paper Who in the world has supervision and how does it help? Background: BACP makes supervision a requirement for all counsellors and therapists throughout their career. This requirement is not shared by many other organisations in Britain or elsewhere in the world. An international collaborative network led by David Orlinsky has been studying therapists using the Development of Psychotherapists Questionnaire (Orlinsky et al, 1999) for more than a decade. Detailed information on more than 6000 therapists worldwide has been collected. Recently, data has been collected from a British sample of 700 BACP members. Aims: To report on supervision as it is practised world wide. To compare groups of counsellors and psychotherapists that do and do not have supervision throughout their career on variables such as job satisfaction, healing involvement and stressful involvement. Method: The British data set and the worldwide data set of the Development of Psychotherapists Questionnaire are combined. Statistical tests are used to compare the experience of therapists with or without supervision. Results: Over 50% of therapists in the combined British and worldwide sample have career long supervision although in most countries the amount of supervision is negatively correlated with practice duration. More women than men have career long supervision. Counsellors and psychotherapists are much more likely to have career long supervision than psychologists or medically trained psychotherapists. Analytic, humanistic and systemic therapists are more likely to have supervision than cognitive behavioural or broad spectrum therapists. Supervision has a greater impact on therapist development, job satisfaction, constructive coping and healing involvement at the beginning of their careers. Conclusions: There is a diversity of practice with respect to supervision in terms of country, gender and profession. Supervision has a bigger impact at the beginning of therapists' careers. Supervision contributes to positive coping strategies and healing involvement, but less so over time. Reference: Orlinsky, D. E., Ronnestad, M.H., Gerin, P., Willutzki, U., Dazord, A., Ambuhl, H., Davis, J., Davis, M., Botermans, J.F., & Cierpka, M. (1999). Development of psychotherapists: concepts questions and methods of a collaborative international study. Psychotherapy Research, 9(2): 127–153. Professional Role: Counsellor ABSTRACT: Poster Counsellors' experiences working with clients with physical disabilities in multidisciplinary team settings Aims: The aims of this qualitative study were firstly to explore the shared experiences, both positive and negative, of counsellors in this field. Secondly to examine the impact of multidisciplinary team working on the counsellor/client relationship and the counsellor's job satisfaction. Finally to raise the awareness of disability counselling, and the fact it is an interesting and fulfilling area of counselling work. Background: There is considerable literature discussing the politics of disability as a cultural issue and some literature on presenting client issues, but there has been little exploration of the specific area of disability counselling comparing several counsellors' experiences. Method: The sample of six counsellors was chosen from the CRT network, which is a national organisation developed to provide a focus of shared knowledge and practice throughout similar multidisciplinary teams supporting disabled clients. Only counsellors in teams dealing with adult (under 65) patients were selected. The subjects were interviewed in their workplace. The semi-structured interviews were audio taped and these later transcribed. The transcripts were analysed using grounded theory methodology, which provided a systematic approach to the analysis and is well -established. Findings: The main findings were as follows. The counsellors described the major presenting issues of the newly disabled as being loss, disruption in relationships and cultural factors stemming from society's attitudes and the client's own previous attitudes to disability. In the congenitally disabled, individuation of the young adult and lack of intimacy in relationships were the main problems for these clients. All the counsellors found that their practice had benefited in working in this area of counselling. They had become more knowledgeable, more flexible, more self-reflexive in examining their own cultural attitudes and found that they had developed increased unconditional positive regard. Conclusions: Attitudes to working within a multidisciplinary team varied and were dependant on the maturity of the team and the level of understanding of counselling amongst team members. The subjects mentioned confidentiality, communication and inappropriate referrals as being the major areas of difficulty. Relationships within the team were of great importance and affected counselling practice. |
||
|
