A qualitative study of the therapists' experiences of working with community reinforcement and family training

Community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT) was developed to help and support concerned significant others (CSO) of people with, for example, alcohol use disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate therapists' experiences of working with CRAFT and their experiences of the CSOs receiving CRAFT. The study has a qualitative design and is based on three focus group interviews with 17 therapists. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed six themes and four subthemes: Concerned significant others—A special group; Help prior to CRAFT—Offering information and a shoulder; CRAFT as a new and specific method (The toolbox of CRAFT, Formats for delivering CRAFT, Introducing a diary as homework and Implementing self-help material—Alone or in combination with sessions); Moving from a lack of structure to structure; Change in CSOs from the therapists' point of view; and Change in the therapist's role (Dilemmas—Personalising the intervention). The therapists were generally satisfied with the method and found it easy to adapt to. Moreover, working using a manual was more structured than they were used to and increased feelings of working professionally with the CSOs. Specifically, most therapists found the self-help book useful and indispensable in their work with CRAFT, but also agreed that it could not be used as a stand-alone intervention for most CSOs. The therapists' experiences are relevant for implementation of manualised, structured approaches and group-based interventions more broadly.     

Adapting Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory in clinical case study research in the field of counselling

Case study can be adopted when aiming to understand an individual's lived experience. Such experience produces rich and complex qualitative data for analysis, conducive to counselling and psychotherapy research. Furthermore, grounded theory (GT) can be adopted to produce a theory from qualitative data, fitting well with case study research that explores complex experiences regarding social, psychological and phenomenological processes. This paper aims to guide the counselling researcher to incorporate Strauss and Corbin's model into the main arena of qualitative counselling research. In addition, this paper draws on a multiple case study that adopted Strauss and Corbin's method and identified various phases in the GT process. The aim is to inform the reader how to put the iterative process and pragmatic theoretical sampling into practice to produce a robust theory from clinical case study data.     

“That is just your stuff”: The potential use and abuse of congruence in counselling and psychotherapy practice and training

This piece discusses the potential use and misuse of congruence within counselling training and practice. A definition of congruence is provided, and how deliberate misuse of congruence could result from two separate emotional communications (bullying and gaslighting) is discussed. Current representations and misrepresentations of congruence in counselling and psychotherapy have been highlighted. A new term of “Intentional Congruence Misuse” was coined to explain this position (not to be confused with incongruence). “Intentional Congruence Misuse” is the deliberate bullying of another individual using terms related to congruence. A discussion has been provided to emphasise the evident implications for counselling, psychotherapy practice and training. The author acknowledges that this opinion piece will be from a biased perspective. Still, it does not aim to detract from others who have found their therapy and counselling training beneficial.     

高师学生教学态度研究

对503名高师学生的教学态度进行问卷施测,结果显示:当前高师学生的教学态度是较积极、进步的,倾向人文取向的;性别、学科以及中学教学经验对高师学生教学态度有显著的影响,但当前的高师教育并未能有效促进学生养成积极的教学态度.     

Pilot randomised controlled trial of counselling in a community mental health setting: Pitfalls and learnings

The establishment of counselling and psychotherapy as “evidence‐based” interventions is contingent on the effective implementation of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in real‐world clinical settings. This paper identifies some of the pitfalls that led to the termination of a practical RCT in a community mental health setting. It reflects upon the significance of the lessons learned by drawing on similar challenges that are documented in the wider literature. Issues surrounding staff turnover, counsellor engagement and procedural clarity are discussed, as is the conflict between the time required for research procedures and counsellors’ clinical time constraints. In our recommendations, we recognise the decisive role of collaboration and counsellor motivation in research partnerships, and the significance of clinical relevance, communication, training and research co‐production in achieving them. Time commitment is identified as the pivotal challenge in the formation and maintenance of collaborative research, but one that also must be overcome for the advancement of the counselling and psychotherapy field.     

Physical framework for a counselling environment in India: Thematic analysis of counsellors' perceptions

The influence of the physical environment on the counselling process is an inevitable part of a counselling session. However, there is little insight in Indian research into the desirable elements of the physical environment of the counselling room that helps facilitate a counselling session. Interviews were conducted with 10 professional counsellors in India. Thematic analysis of the data brought out various Basic and Organising themes under the following three Global themes: (a) Elements of the physical framework; (b) Counsellor's perspectives about the physical framework in counselling; and (c) Motivation to build a framework. The findings show how counsellors can systematise the physical framework to help construct the counselling session effectively.     

Counselling and psychotherapy post‐COVID‐19

We consider how the prolonged, complex and uncertain aftermath of the COVID‐19 crisis will present challenges and opportunities for counselling and psychotherapy. Increased mental strain on populations, individuals and professionals is likely to be compounded by further constraints in therapeutic resources. Nevertheless, emerging needs and priorities will offer ground for systems thinking in linking the application of a range of therapeutic frameworks, theories to address global challenges, integration of counselling and psychotherapy into new sectors, service models for the most vulnerable, use of digital approaches, support mechanisms for professionals and interdisciplinary research.     

高创造力个体的群体差异性研究

高创造力群体的界定是创造力研究的重要前提,但迄今极少有研究关注以往研究中高创造力群体间的同质性问题。本研究以创造力问题提出能力测验调查了两所高校（一所地方高校和一所教育部直属高校）的975名大学生的创造力,通过极端组方法（extreme groups approach, EGA）为大学生创造力水平分组,考察不同创造力分组之间的差别。研究发现：地方高校和部属高校的高创造力大学生被试,在创造力的流畅性、变通性和独特性三个维度上,均存在显著差异。本研究结果提示,大学生高创造力组间可能存在质的差别,因此相关研究在外推结果时需要采取谨慎态度;研究者在实验过程中和讨论文献结果的可比性时一定要关注样本的同质性问题。