Research at UKCP

There are three participant groups. The first includes adults who experienced sexual abuse in childhood and who can describe how they understood their relationships with caregivers and the person who harmed them before the abuse. The second includes parents or primary caregivers whose child has disclosed or been identified as having experienced sexual abuse. They can speak to how they interpreted dynamics signs and ambiguities in the lead up to the event. The third includes individuals who have caused sexual harm and who can describe how they understood the relational environment before the offence. Analysing these accounts together allows examination of relational vulnerability without presuming a single psychological mechanism or causal pathway. 

I am looking for parents or guardians who cared for a child before and up to the period they experienced child sexual abuse and who may be willing to take part in two confidential research interviews. If you would like further information you can contact me at n.p.calvocoressi@gre.ac.uk.  

Understanding the experiences of counsellors’ and psychotherapists’ of working therapeutically with older adults (those aged 65 and over). 

This research project aims to explore and interpret the experiences of counsellors and psychotherapists providing therapy to older adults and identify if there are any themes in this therapeutic work. 

With an ageing population, and a hugely widely under researched area, alongside the knowledge older adults are much less likely to receive therapeutic support, this research is a starting point to explore and understand the impact, the challenges and barriers to therapists working with older adults.  

Participants will be asked to complete an audio recorded semi-structured interview, lasting approximately one hour to reflect on their own experience.  

Eligible participants can include trainees or qualified counsellors/psychotherapists and are registered with a registered body, currently practising, or have practised within the last two years and must have worked with at least one older adult. 

This study has received ethical approval from the University of Warwick. Please contact gemma.jackson@warwick.ac.uk for more information.  

Purpose: To clarify and gather examples of the influence of Viktor Frankl's life and work on people from all walks of life, including psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. The study will serve as the empirical basis for a foreword DDr. Alfried Längle has asked me to write for the first English language edition of his posthumous portrait of Viktor E Frankl. Routledge has contracted for the publication under the title Viktor Frankl: A Personal Encounter with the Man Behind Man’s Search for Meaning. 

Criteria: Adults 18+ fluent in English 

Participation involvement: Provide informed consent, provide text answers to five substantive questions, review and reply to the debrief questions. The survey is hosted on Typeform.  

Participant rights: Right to withdraw no reason needed up to two weeks from the date of submission. Right for all data to be held in accordance with GDPR by a data controller registered with ICO, including right to be forgotten. Right to anonymity.  

I am without a university affiliation. A UK university ethics form template was used to design  the projectand it was reviewed by an American Psychological Association licensed Clinical Psychologist who is one of my clinical supervisors.  

In Austria, where DDr. Längle is based, well-being studies do not require ethical approval, which only universities can give. 

Contact kate@throughline.co.uk.   

This study is being conducted as part of an MSc in Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy and explores psychotherapists’ and counsellors’ awareness of the relationship between nutrition and mental health, and how, if at all, this awareness informs therapeutic practice with adult clients experiencing mood-related distress such as anxiety and depression. The research aims to reflect current practice and contribute to discussion around professional boundaries, confidence, training needs, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Participants sought are pre-accredited and accredited psychotherapists and counsellors practising in Ireland or the UK, who work with adult clients and are registered with a recognised professional body. Practitioners are welcome to take part regardless of whether they currently discuss, use, or have awareness of nutrition in their clinical work, as the study seeks a broad range of perspectives. 

Participation involves completing a short, anonymous online survey taking approximately 5–10 minutes. Participants may also optionally express interest in a follow-up online focus group (90–120 minutes via Zoom). Participation is voluntary, and all data will be anonymised and handled in line with GDPR. As a thank-you, participants may optionally enter a €50 gift card draw. 

Further information is available via the survey link https://forms.office.com/r/1Ut1GmnwPM or by contacting aconneely@gmail.com. 

What is this research about? 

This research is exploring integrative psychotherapists’ experiences of the virtual image of themselves on screen, their ‘self-view’, during online therapy sessions.  

As remote psychotherapy grows in popularity, this study aims to draw awareness to the overlooked aspect of ‘self-view’ and encourage reflection on the potential opportunities and challenges for therapeutic practice and the therapeutic relationship post-pandemic.

Who can take part? 

I am looking to speak to up to 6 therapists who are: 

• integrative psychotherapists or psychotherapeutic counsellors
• currently working as a therapist in online sessions with the self-view feature
• qualified and have worked as a psychotherapist since March 2022
• registered with BACP or UKCP 
• based in the UK and able to communicate in English.

What does this study involve? 

You will be invited to share your experience of self-view as a therapist in a one-to-one confidential interview (up to 90 minutes), which will take place online on Microsoft Teams.  

I would like to hear about: 

• what it is like to see yourself on screen
• how it may shape the therapeutic relationship and your integration, and
• any advantages/disadvantages there may be for your therapeutic practice.

Would you like to find out more? 

If you are interested in taking part, please contact the researcher, Shanta, for further information shanta.raj@warwick.ac.uk. 

This research aims to explore what sense therapists make of their crying in the therapeutic relationship.  The study will provide insight into this uniquely human experience, identifying cultural and relational factors that come into play.    

The main objectives of this research are to examine how therapists describe and interpret their own experiences of crying; to investigate how they perceive the impact of crying on the therapeutic relationship.  Also to explore the cultural and relational factors shaping these experiences.  This study hopes to enrich the body of evidence currently available and provide fresh narrative insight into this sensitive topic.        

Participation Criteria:  

I am looking to interview qualified Therapist (3 years +) registered with UKCP/BACP or equivalent:  

Working from a Humanistic modality   

Currently practicing in the UK with face-to-face clients.   

Who has cried in a therapy session within the last 12 months.  

What will participation involve?  

Research will consist of one-to-one semi-structured interviews lasting between 60 and 90 minutes.  Interviews will take place on MS Teams. 

Contact Kate.hassall@warwick.ac.uk.  

This qualitative study explores the experiences of trainee counsellors and psychotherapists who have been pregnant during their training. The purpose of the research is to understand how pregnancy intersects with clinical practice, academic demands, supervision, and the development of professional and therapeutic identity. While pregnancy is a significant life event, the experiences of pregnant trainees remain under-researched within counselling and psychotherapy training contexts. 

Participants are eligible if they were pregnant during counselling or psychotherapy training within the last five years, were engaged in client work at the time, and were training on, or have completed, a UK-accredited counselling or psychotherapy programme. 

Participation involves taking part in a one-to-one, semi-structured interview lasting approximately 60 minutes, conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Interviews will explore personal, professional, and relational aspects of pregnancy during training. Participation is voluntary, confidential, and fully anonymised. Participants may withdraw at any time or up to two weeks after the interview. 

Further information is available in the Participant Information Sheet. To ask questions or express interest in taking part, please contact the researcher, Jayne Emily Turpin, via email at Turp410@newman.ac.uk.