How do therapists make sense of and manage external parental influence when working with children and young people in therapy?

I am a trainee counsellor in the third and final year of my BSc (Hons) Counselling degree and I am currently recruiting participants for my dissertation research.

My study explores how therapists make sense of and manage external parental influence when working with children and young people in therapy. When working with children and young people (CYP), counsellors often meet clients whose lives are shaped by a range of relational dynamics outside the therapy room. Research already highlights the significant role parents and caregivers play in shaping CYP’s values, behaviour and emotional capacity. While some studies have examined parental influence when parents are directly involved in therapy, little research explores how parental influence occurring away from the therapeutic process can emerge within sessions. This includes how therapists make sense of and navigate emerging external parental influence and what comes up for them at this time.

My study aims to explore these experiences in more depth. To support this, I am looking for two to three trainee or qualified counsellors or therapists who have worked with CYP aged 11-17 within the last five years.

Participants will be invited to take part in an interview over Microsoft Teams at a time convenient for them, which may last up to one hour. Participating will involve reflecting on experiences of working with CYP where external parental influence emerged directly or indirectly, how this was navigated, and what came up for the participant at that time. Interviews will be recorded for transcription purposes and deleted once my dissertation has been submitted. All participants will be anonymised, and no personal or professional identifying details will be included in the final study.

Please see here for more information. 
Please see here to view the participant information sheet.

If you would like to participate, or you have any questions you would like to ask before deciding, please feel free to email me.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I look forward to hearing from you.