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Research digest

Our BACP New Researcher Award winner 2021

At this year's Annual Research Conference held in May, our New Researcher Award was presented to Yasmine Clarke for her work on mixed white and black Caribbean millennials. 

Her research explores experiences from an integrative psychotherapeutic viewpoint and makes suggestions for practitioners working with this client group in clinical practice.

Using a qualitative exploration of individuals identified as ‘mixed white and black Caribbean’ (MWBC), Yasmine focuses on how MWBC millennials experience their identity. Her study identifies themes of:

• public perception - beliefs on how their identity is perceived by others, which referred to skin tone and stereotypes
• Caribbean heritage - their relationship with their Caribbean community and personal knowledge of their culture, which identified community connections and knowledge
• conversations - the role conversations played in the understanding and expression of their identity

The study suggests viewing MWBC identity as more than an ethnic category and with an integrative approach.

You can read her full article as an exclusive BACP member early view in Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (CPR):

Mixed White and Black Caribbean Millennials in Britain: An Exploration of Identity

Choosing a therapist

Julie May tells us about her experience of undertaking research by outlining her academic progression and sharing her own research findings on how clients choose their therapist.

Counselling for dementia

Relational counselling as a psychosocial intervention for dementia: Qualitative evidence from people living with dementia and family members (open access)

The September issue of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (CPR) features a special section on online technology. Among the highlights are:

• Lawrence Quill draws attention to the ‘central value of dignity’ in his article on the digitalisation of therapy following the COVID-19 pandemic. He considers the disadvantages of using mental health-related technologies and highlights relevant ethical issues such as privacy and confidentiality.
  The software will see you now: The promise and peril of digital therapy
  
  
• Jonell Smith and Ewan Gillon explore therapists’ experience of providing online counselling and their views on its therapeutic experience, processes and efficacy. They identify how online counselling has both impacted and enhanced practice and emphasise the need for creativity and flexibility to compensate for its limitations.
  Therapists’ experiences of providing online counselling: A qualitative study (open access)
  
  
• Jenna Jacob and colleagues explore the impact of online counselling with young people using goal-based outcomes. More than 55% reported improvements in ‘meaningful goals’ such as getting help, self-care and emotional exploration and regulation.
  Online counselling and goal achievement: Exploring meaningful change and the types of goals progressed by young people (open access)

Student mental health

A forthcoming CPR special section on student mental comprises a collection of papers that explore holistic and systematic approaches for providing support and examine innovative interventions and strategies for identifying and helping reduce suicide risks among students of all age groups.

• Cassie Hazell and colleagues examine mental health among doctoral researchers, identifying the good and bad aspects of completing a PhD and life outside their PhD. Suicidality was a common presentation and further aspects of their PhD and personal lives are identified as risk and protective factors.
  Understanding suicidality and reasons for living amongst Doctoral Researchers: A thematic analysis of qualitative U-DOC survey data
  
  
• John Ogrodniczuk and colleagues consider access to mental health services for post-secondary school students in order to support resiliency development and tackle high rates of impaired mental wellbeing. In a national survey students reported very high levels of stress, with 95% feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, more than 80% feeling very sad, anxious and lonely, and a quarter reporting suicidality.
  Who is coming through the door? A national survey of self-reported problems among post-secondary school students who have attended campus mental health services in Canada
  
  
• Grace Harrison and Evelyn Gordon's exploration of counsellors' experiences of working with university students highlights the growing complexity of the counsellors' role. It  identifies themes of ‘fighting for recognition' and responding flexibly to student needs, concluding that counsellors should adjust their capacity to maintain their wellbeing as well as their quality of service.
  Counsellors’ experiences of providing counselling to students in university-level institutions in Ireland: An evolving phenomenon (open access)

Striving for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in research, practice and policy

We're now accepting submissions for our 2022 Research Conference, being held in Dundee and co-hosted by Abertay University.

Submissions should address the theme of equality, diversity and inclusion, either directly or indirectly. We welcome submissions from all methodological perspectives and theoretical orientations, from students, practitioners and experiences researchers.

Submission can be delivered online or in-person. We're accepting research papers, discussions (in-person only), method workshops (in-person only), lightning talks, poster presentations and symposia.

You can find out more in our Submission guidelines. You'll need to provide an abstract for blind peer review by an independent panel.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm on Monday 1 November 2021.