We are looking for participants for a qualitative research study exploring how undergoing personal talking therapy remotely (online or by phone) shapes trainees' experience of transference and their development within psychoanalytic, or psychoanalytically informed, training.
Since the pandemic, remote delivery of personal therapy has become increasingly common within psychoanalytic and psychodynamic training, yet its influence on the therapeutic relationship and on trainees' own professional development remains little understood.
This study seeks to address that gap by exploring trainees' own experiences and reflections through in-depth interviews. The project is led by Professor Calum Neill (Edinburgh Napier University) and Dr Amanda Diserholt (Canterbury Christ Church University), with research assistance from Ariadna García Llorente, Michael Hornsey and Dr Tammy Dempster, and has received ethical approval from both institutions.
Who can take part?
You may be eligible to take part if you are 18 or over, fluent in English and living in the UK, and currently enrolled in a psychoanalytically informed training programme (for example, IPA-accredited or equivalent). You should also have undergone significant personal talking therapy, including online or by phone, in the past three years — by "significant" we mean experience substantial enough for you to reflect on in depth, not necessarily your main or only mode of therapy. Participants should have no personal or professional relationship with the research team.
What does taking part involve?
Participation involves a single confidential, one-to-one interview conducted online via Zoom, lasting approximately 60-90 minutes. The interview will explore your experience of remote personal therapy and what it may have meant for your development as a trainee. All data will be anonymised and treated with strict confidentiality throughout, in line with our ethics approval.
How to register your interest
Please see here for more information.
If you think you may be eligible and would like to take part, or would like to read the full Participant Information Sheet before deciding, please visit https://cccuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_blWJcZ76WDlrW6O or contact us directly at virtualcouch@canterbury.ac.uk.
Recruitment is ongoing, and we would be very grateful for your interest.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our study.