A Pluralistic Perspective on Research in Psychotherapy: Harnessing Passion, Difference and Dialogue to Promote Justice and Relevance.

The adoption of a pluralistic perspective on research design, processes of data collection and analysis and dissemination of findings, has the potential to enable psychotherapy research to make a more effective contribution to building a just society. A review of the key features of the concept of pluralism is followed by a historical analysis of the ways in which research in counselling, psychotherapy and related disciplines has moved in the direction of a pluralistic position around knowledge creation. Core principles of a pluralistic approach to research are identified and explored in the context of a critical case study of contemporary research into psychotherapy for depression, examples of pluralistically oriented research practices, and analysis of a pluralistic conceptualisation of the nature of evidence. Implications of a pluralistic perspective for research training and practice are discussed. Pluralistic inquiry that emphasises dialogue, collaboration, epistemic justice and the co-existence of multiple truths, creates opportunities for individuals, families and communities from a wide range of backgrounds to co-produce knowledge in ways that support their capacities for active citizenship and involvement in open democratic decision-making. To fulfil these possibilities, it is necessary for psychotherapy research to be oriented towards social goals that are sufficiently relevant to both researchers and co-participants to harness their passion and work together for a common good.

Supporting emotional well-being in schools in the context of austerity: An ecologically informed humanistic perspective.

BACKGROUND: Schools are commonly asked to take on roles that support the emotional well-being of students. These practices are in line with humanistic education theory and can be difficult to fulfil by schools. Broader ecological pressures, such as periods of austerity, are likely to add to the difficulty in meeting students' needs. AIMS: To explore whether professionals in schools believe that their work supporting pupils' emotional well-being has changed as a consequence of the current period of austerity. SAMPLE: This project reports the views of staff from three secondary schools in the North West of England. A purposive sample of 29 individuals, including members of the senior leadership team and newly qualified teachers, were involved. METHODS: All participants were interviewed about their perceptions of the impact of a sustained period of austerity upon their work. The transcripts of these interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Educational professionals associated wider socio-political factors with a perceived increase in the need for emotional support of pupils. They reported taking on new roles and responsibilities to accommodate this and noted they are doing so with fewer resources and limited governmental support. CONCLUSIONS: This paper concludes that considering humanistic education theory alongside ecological theory helps to conceptualize how socio-political factors can impact upon the emotional well-being in schools. An ecologically informed humanistic framework is depicted based upon the findings of this project as a means of understanding how these two theories complement one another and interact.

'Like a human being, I was an equal, I wasn't just a patient': Service users' perspectives on their experiences of relationships with staff in mental health services.

OBJECTIVES: The quality of therapeutic relationships in psychiatric services has a significant impact upon the therapeutic outcomes for people diagnosed with a severe mental illness. As previous work has not explicitly explored service users' in-depth views about the emotional impact of these relationships, the objective of this work was to bring this perspective to the fore and to gain a greater understanding about which relational components can lead to psychological change. DESIGN: The project was conducted alongside a service user organization. An interview design was used to qualitatively explore service users' experiences and perceptions of their relationships with mental health practitioners. METHODS: Eight individuals who had experience of the mental health system in the United Kingdom were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data. FINDINGS: Three superordinate themes emerged from the analysis. These were (1) Trying to survive: am I a person or just an object in the system?; (2) Traumatic experiences within relationships; and (3) Helpful and transformative relationships. Further, the key transformative components of these relationships were power, safety, and identity. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health services should be more focused upon care, rather than control. The Power Safety Identity (PSI) model, a reflexive model based upon key relational components highlighted by participants, is proposed for services and professionals to consider their work. The components of this model are managed by mental health practitioners and can determine whether these relationships maintain, increase, or alleviate psychological distress. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Awareness of the relational components of power, safety, and identity has the potential to help practitioners reflect upon the tensions they experience in their relationships with service users. Mental health services and professionals that are sensitive to issues related to power, safety, and identity when responding to the needs of the service users can improve how individuals perceive the quality of care provided by them. Relationships between service users and mental health practitioners can encourage recovery if they are consistent, safe, trusting, provide protective power, and mirror a positive sense of self.