Research at UKCP
Research is central to the future of the psychotherapy profession. Through our work we aim is to raise the profile of the profession, utilising the expertise of our membership.
UKCP’s strategic aims
- Ensuring research supports the UKCP’s policy objectives to increase access to psychotherapy.
- Improving education about research and promote its importance within the UKCP membership.
- Developing an effective system for collating clinical data from our membership.
- Combining existing and new research to improve the evidence base for psychotherapy, as well as promote its importance for wellbeing and mental health.
- Collaborating with psychotherapy researchers to define and address the needs for future research.
How we will work towards achieving these aims
- Among the UKCP members are many influential researchers. We are working to strengthen connections with our research-active members to support impactful and widespread dissemination of their work, as well as to assist us in our drive to inform policy.
- Collaboration is essential the UKCP’s research strategy to develop innovative, high-impact research. We are working to enhance connections across the board with universities, the NHS and charitable organisations.
- We will be collaborating both internally and externally to promote the importance of research within training programmes and across the profession as a whole.
Current research projects
University of Sheffield
UKCP has provided funding to Professor Michael Barkham and his team at the University of Sheffield to conduct in-depth analyses of longitudinal IAPT datasets. This research will contribute to the evidence base for psychotherapy in treating depression in adults.
NHS pathways project
UKCP is conducting a three-year-long research project tracking students in the NHS pathways pilot. We aim to understand students’ experiences providing therapy in the NHS and how their training translates to working in this environment. We are in year two of the project.
Special issue EJPC
We're collaborating with the European Journal of Psychotherapy (EJPC) on a special issue entitled “Decolonising psychotherapy and empires of the mind: Opportunities and debates.” A call for papers was issued to UKCP members and the selected articles have been sent for peer review. More information can be found on our webpage.
Get involved – connect and collaborate
We are always looking for new ways to support our members with research and to connect with non-UKCP academics and practitioners. We are actively seeking to hear more about existing research and to discuss collaborations across all modalities. Our current areas of focus include:
- New ways of assessing psychotherapy and evaluating its effectiveness
- Collaborating on, and supporting, studies of effectiveness across therapeutic modalities and client populations
- Innovative research, investigating the therapeutic process
- Practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
If you would like to get involved or discuss active research projects or proposals, please email the research team.
Research working group
As a relatively small organisation with limited resources, we have been working hard to think of ways to improve research for the organisation and the membership. To help us accomplish this, we have put together a board level Research Working Group. Members of the group include Prof Divine Charura (DCounPsych), Dr Sofie Bager-Charleson, Prof Vicky Karkou, and Dr Gella Richards.
The group will be focusing on how to better support the membership with research, whilst also addressing external research strategy.
This will include:
- Improving education and guidance about conducting psychotherapy research.
- Assessing how we may be able to support therapists to gain ethical approval to conduct research.
- Enhancing networking and collaboration opportunities.
- Promoting research funding opportunities.
Research noticeboard
Are you a UKCP member involved in a research project?
Our noticeboard aims to help psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors:
- recruit participants for a study
- notify members of ongoing research projects
- identify collaborators.
If you’re a UKCP member interested in circulating information about research to other members, please fill out this form and our research team will be in touch. Requests to post on the noticeboard will be reviewed on the 20th of every month. Those accepted will be posted on the 25th of every month for a duration of four weeks.
Please note: requests may not be accepted for a variety of reasons, including the volume of requests or the research topic.
What's this research about?
This research explores how impostor phenomenon may be experienced by counselling psychology students in the UK, including how it may relate to different personal, academic and professional contexts.
Who can take part?
You are eligible if you're currently enrolled, or have been enrolled within the past 2 years, on a UK counselling psychology doctorate programme.
Participation is entirely voluntary and your decision to take part (or not) will not affect your training, academic standing, or access to services in any way.
What's involved?
An anonymous online survey including:
- optional brief demographic questions to contextualise responses
- optional written reflections on personal experiences of impostor phenomenon with prompts
- an optional story completion exercise.
You may skip any question and withdraw before submission at any point
Why does it matter?
Your reflections can offer valuable insight into how counselling psychology doctorate students experience impostor phenomenon within an intersectional context. Your insights could help highlight how the experience of impostor phenomenon might impact academic confidence and therapeutic presence negatively and/or positively, encourage open peer dialogue, and potentially inform mentoring, training, and emotional support. Your contribution may also help shape future research in the field.
Contact: Kamar Pickering, kamarpickering@gmail.com.
Project Question: What are the group interaction experiences of UK South Asian trainees in psychotherapy training?
Purpose: To explore how the intersection of UK South Asian cultural scripts, familial hierarchies, and societal expectations manifest within the relational experiences of trainees within psychotherapeutic group interactions i.e. processes/ personal development groups and workshops.
Criteria:
- Speak fluent English;
- Identify as second generation or later British South Asian (e.g. Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan, Indian, Bangladesh and Sri Lankan);
- Currently enrolled in UK psychotherapy training Years 2-4 or qualified as a Psychotherapist (MSc or PGDiploma) in the last 5 years;
- Participated in group process as part of training;
- Have access to personal therapy or supervision.
Participation: Before taking part, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions. If you agree to participate, you will:
- complete a consent form and brief demographic questionnaire.
- take part in a confidential audio recorded 60–0 minute interview via Microsoft Teams.
- have the option to pause, stop, return to a question or reschedule if you feel uncomfortable at any point.
- have the opportunity to check your interview transcript for accuracy.
Recordings and transcripts will be securely stored and handled in accordance with UK GDPR requirements. As the research uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), anonymised verbatim quotes may be included in the dissertation and potentially in future academic publications or presentations.
For further information contact: Ruby.Hussain@spti.net.
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