Tips to make research teaching and learning enjoyable and productive for counsellors,psychotherapists and their tutors

This article identifies the learning expectations and experiences of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists undertaking higher education awards with specific regard to research activity. Drawing on the current literature and some early findings from focus group research with students, combined with our personal and professional experiences, we identify what contributes to a productive research experience. This is used as a basis to provide tips for both teachers and those new to research to make counselling and psychotherapy research enjoyable and productive. A full research paper is in preparation.     

What kind of research in psychoanalytic science?1

The kind of science that psychoanalysis is (can be), and the kind of research appropriate to it, qualitative and/or quantitative, have been divisive issues from the very inception of the discipline. I explore in detail the complexity of these issues, definitional and semantic, as well as methodological and substantive. A plea is made for the application of qualitative (idiographic)and quantitative (nomothetic) research methods, each to the extent that is appropriate, separately or in conjunction, across the entire spectrum of research domains in psychoanalysis, empirical, clinical, conceptual, historical, and interdisciplinary.     

Community-Based Participatory Research for Improved Mental Health

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) focuses on specific community needs, and produces results that directly address those needs. Although conducting ethical CBPR is critical to its success, few academic programs include this training in their curricula. This article describes the development and evaluation of an online training course designed to increase the use of CBPR in mental health disciplines. Developed using a participatory approach involving a community of experts, this course challenges traditional research by introducing a collaborative process meant to encourage increased participation by special populations and narrow the parity gap in effective mental health treatment and services delivery.     

Research Quality: Critique of Quantitative Articles in the Journal of Counseling & Development

The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of quantitative articles published in the Journal of Counseling & Development. Quality concerns arose in regard to omissions of psychometric information of instruments, effect sizes, and statistical power. Type VI and II errors were found. Strengths included stated research questions and appropriateness of analyses. Implications of these results are provided.     

To a young basic scientist, about to embark on a program of translational research

From recent commentaries about the role of basic behavior scientists in translational research, I distill some advice to young investigators who seek to apply their basic science training to translational studies. Among the challenges are (a) devising use-inspired research programs that complement, and are not redundant with, existing efforts in basic and applied behavior analysis; and (b) making tactical decisions, such as the selection of methods and collaborators, based on the research topic rather than, necessarily, the existing traditions in behavioral research. Finally, it must be recognized that although use-inspired basic research has the potential to attract support to basic laboratories and contribute to "saving the world," neither of these outcomes is guaranteed. I discuss the relative risks for basic scientists who proceed with use-inspired basic research rather than ignore such translational questions.     

走向完善：人本主义心理学研究方案

为了完善人本主义心理学方法论,人本主义心理学家发展了多种研究方案。每一种方案都设定了自己特定的研究问题,确定了自己独特的研究过程。现象学、解释学、启发式和体验研究方案是其中较为重要的几种。这些方案体现出人本主义心理学家试图将心理学作为人文科学的努力,使人本主义心理学方法论不再流于理论倡导,而是融入到人性研究的具体实践并因此走向完善。在未来,它尚需以辩证唯物主义实践观看待人的本质,确立心理学的整合视野。     

What is conceptual research in psychoanalysis?1

The development of psychoanalysis as a science and clinical practice has always relied heavily on various forms of conceptual research. Thus, conceptual research has clarifi ed, formulated and reformulated psychoanalytic concepts permitting to better shape the fi ndings emerging in the clinical setting. By enhancing clarity and explicitness in concept usage it has facilitated the integration of existing psychoanalytic thinking as well as the development of new ways of looking at clinical and extraclinical data. Moreover, it has offered conceptual bridges to neighbouring disciplines particularly interested in psychoanalysis, e.g. philosophy, sociology, aesthetics, history of art and literature, and more recently cognitive science/neuroscience. In the present phase of psychoanalytic pluralism, of worldwide scientifi c communication among psychoanalysts irrespective of language differences and furthermore of an intensifying dialogue with other disciplines, the relevance of conceptual research is steadily increasing. Yet, it still often seems insuffi ciently clear how conceptual research can be differentiated from clinical and empirical research in psychoanalysis. Therefore, the Subcommittee for Conceptual Research of the IPA presents some of its considerations on the similarities and the differences between various forms of clinical and extraclinical research, their specifi c aims, quality criteria and thus their specifi c chances as well as their specifi c limitations in this paper. Examples taken from six issues of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis in 2002‐3 serve as illustrations for seven different subtypes of conceptual research.     

“She was on my side,and grounded me when I needed it:” Research supervision in the field of therapy,based on counsellors’ and psychotherapists’ views on their engagement with research

Research‐supported practice is increasingly emphasised within counselling and psychotherapy at all stages of training. Guided by an interest in how to support therapists in their efforts to develop research knowledge during doctoral training, this paper focuses on research supervision. Research supervision is a surprisingly under‐researched area. Little is known to date about how supervisors “go about their supervision” (Bruce & Stoodley, 2013, p. 5), despite the fact that “high failure rates for research dissertations in the social sciences have been partly attributed to student dissatisfaction with supervision and poor student–supervisor relationships” (Armstrong, 2004, p. 134). Between 2016 and 2019, we explored accredited counsellors' and 'psychotherapists engagement with research during or after their doctoral training. This paper explores research supervision with these two previous studies serving as the backdrop (Bager‐Charleson et al., 2018; Bager‐Charleson et al., 2018b), together with a literature review into research supervision within social sciences and psychotherapy. Supervision is discussed as a crucial coping/support strategy to (a) link research with practice in therapy work, practically and epistemologically; (b) contain and make sense of the use of transformative learning; (c) balance “enculturation” with critical thinking and emancipation; and (d) support reflective and reflexive development. This paper discusses an adaptive research supervision model, akin to a “holding bond” (Stevens, 2016) which supports the student to reflexively position her/himself personally, intersubjectively, theoretically and socio‐culturally, whilst “negotiating the tension” (Lee, 2008) during a process of enculturation into the discipline, and also fostering critical thinking and emancipation to contribute to new knowledge.     

组织行为学研究的现状：意义与建议

本文对2008~2011年这4个年度发表在英文和中文组织行为学方面重要学术期刊上的研究进行总结, 旨在让国内学者了解现今组织行为学的现状和发展。我们在分析研究内容、研究方法的基础上, 就当前中国组织行为学研究提出了一些总结性的看法, 包括：研究问题很大程度上追随国际潮流, 但缺乏对本土重要问题的关注; 研究方法过多地集中于定量的问卷调查法, 但缺乏对多种不同方法的应用; 研究的分析层次过多地集中在个体层次上, 而对多层次的组织和团队管理现象关注不足。为更好地促进组织行为学科的发展, 本文建议：应该注重立足中国的组织和管理现象来挖掘研究问题; 采用多种研究方法, 特别应鼓励开展定性研究; 注重跨层次研究和研究的情境化等。本文通过介绍近年来组织行为领域的全面情况并详细分析其中的若干个例, 为如何克服以上不足提供具体的范例和方法。     

Constructing a Tree for Community Leaders: Contexts and Processes in Collaborative Inquiry

This paper presents collaborative research between a university-based team and a grass roots community organization on the south side of Chicago. The purpose of the work is to document the nature of community leadership as expressed by members of the host organization. Using a semistructured interview, 77 community members nominated by the host organization were asked about various aspects of their community work. Qualitative analyses of interview text generated a set of 56 codes concerning different aspects of community leadership as reported by grassroots leaders. These codes were subsequently grouped together into five conceptually linked dimensions of community leadership. A leadership tree that simultaneously analyzes and visually displays each of these five dimensions of community leadership was created. Implications of the methodology used to create the leadership tree are discussed for the salience of qualitative methods in community research.     

Psychological Research, Practice, and Production: The Occupational Stress Problem

The accumulation of research findings now suggest a significant work stress problem, with implications for worker health, motivation and productivity, that warrants a concerted applied research effort at a local level and a strategy and policy response at a national level. Psychologists need to rethink prevailing paradigms that often separate their research and practice. We argue that a conducive production model that emphasizes action and knowledge, and reciprocal learning between academia, practitioners, and organizations may be the way forward for psychologists to respond effectively to the current work stress problems and other emergent organizational issues. Failure to do so may result in exacerbation of problems related to the psychological and social context of work, a slowed response to increased demands, and an ever decreasing practical utility of the profession.     

The challenge of counselling and psychotherapy research

Aims: The purpose of this commentary is to argue that the value of counselling and psychotherapy research lies, not only in what it teaches us as therapists, but also in its ability to challenge us and our assumptions. Method: The paper identifies eight beliefs that may be prevalent in sections of the counselling and psychotherapy community, and presents evidence that challenges them. Findings: While many of our beliefs may hold true for some clients some of the time, the research evidence suggests that they are unlikely to be true for all clients all of the time. Discussion: By questioning and challenging therapists' a priori assumptions, research findings can help counsellors and psychotherapists to be less set in their beliefs; and more open to the unique experiences, characteristics and wants of each individual client.     

近五年西方心理学重要期刊发表论文简评

摘要：以《心理学公报》、《心理学评论》和《心理学年度评论》三种心理学国际权威学术期刊从2005年到2009年发表的论文为基础,从研究领域、研究主题、引用率等方面对国际心理学的研究进行了文献计量分析。探讨了心理学发展趋势,指出基础/实验心理、社会心理和健康心理领域的研究仍然是心理学研究的主流,但研究方法、技术发生了根本改变;认知、学习与记忆、决策与判断、情绪健康等主题是心理学研究的热点,从而启发中国的心理学研究者应加强研究方法和统计的训练,关注研究的本土化,进行跨学科、多层次整合的研究以及拓展研究主题。     

Research Competencies in Counseling: A Delphi Study

Research quality has become the focus of a nationwide discussion, one from which the counseling field is not exempt. One hindrance to improving counseling research is the lack of guidelines for research competence. The purpose of this study was to develop an initial list of research competencies for the counseling field using the Delphi method. An expert panel of counseling researchers reached consensus on 159 research competencies. Suggestions for implementation and future research are discussed.     

The importance of problem-driven research: Bringing Wachtel's argument into the present

There is no one best way to do psychological research. Rather, the “best” way depends on the fit to the problem. Research should be problem-driven rather than method-driven. Psychologists sometimes envy certain natural scientists, and over-reward those who do research with a surface structure more like that of research in the natural sciences, leading to sub-optimal progress in the field.     

Untapped Potential: Psychologists Leading Research in Clinical Practice

Enhancing the capacity of allied health professionals to engage in research is central to improving healthcare delivery. Psychologists have research skills given their training focus that emphasises the scientist‐practitioner model. We aimed to investigate among psychologists the link between individual research capacity and their current level of research activity, how this compares with other allied health professions, and the role of team and organisation research capacity. Psychologists (n = 60) working in clinical roles in a large metropolitan public health setting completed an online survey consisting of the validated Research Capacity and Culture tool, and questions related to current research activities, barriers, and motivators. The results indicated that psychologists reported relatively high individual research capacity, higher than both team and organisation levels, and greater individual research capacity compared with studies of dietitians and a mixed group of allied health. Preliminary findings suggested that team research capacity mediated the link between individual research capacity and the level of current research activity. Finally, barriers and motivators to research activity were similar compared with studies of other allied health professions. Overall, a multi‐strategy approach that focuses on and facilitates practice‐based and interdisciplinary research, and enhances the leadership skills of psychologists in research, as well as broader efforts from an organisational perspective to build a strong and sustainable research culture, may contribute to the rapid use of research skills in clinical practice and improve health and healthcare delivery.     

Life story research: A relevant methodology for counsellors and psychotherapists

Aims: This paper introduces, describes and proposes life story research as an important, relevant and appropriate contribution to counselling and psychotherapy research. It shows how narrative knowledge is created and constructed through the stories people tell about their lived experiences and explores the concept of ‘narrative knowing’ (Bruner, 1986). Methods: Drawing on life story research with people who linked their history of problematic drug use with experiences of historic trauma/abuse, the paper contributes to the ongoing discussion related to the similarities/differences between therapy and research and what we might learn from each that informs the other. Implications for practice: The paper offers narrative ideas and practices as ways of researching matters of social and psychological importance. It suggests that therapists (and counselling researchers) could learn from what participants tell us about the therapeutic value of using life story methods which one participant described as helping him to face ‘out into the world, without unduly or specifically delving into, or focusing on [my] emotional state’. This learning may be particularly relevant for therapists working with traumatised clients.     

The Limitations of “Vulnerability” as a Protection for Human Research Participants

Vulnerability is one of the least examined concepts in research ethics. Vulnerability was linked in the Belmont Report to questions of justice in the selection of subjects. Regulations and policy documents regarding the ethical conduct of research have focused on vulnerability in terms of limitations of the capacity to provide informed consent. Other interpretations of vulnerability have emphasized unequal power relationships between politically and economically disadvantaged groups and investigators or sponsors. So many groups are now considered to be vulnerable in the context of research, particularly international research, that the concept has lost force. In addition, classifying groups as vulnerable not only stereotypes them, but also may not reliably protect many individuals from harm. Certain individuals require ongoing protections of the kind already established in law and regulation, but attention must also be focused on characteristics of the research protocol and environment that present ethical challenges.