In Counseling Case - Research Proposal Example

Research in counseling Name Institution Date CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A RESEARCH PAPER Introduction The analysis of the research article begins by outlining the research question, which was risky business or safety net? Trainee perceptions of personal therapy: a qualitative thematic analysis. The objective of the research was to determine how individuals felt when participating personal therapy during training. This is founded on the fact that there limited research in the topic. Another reason is that earlier research in the United States and Britain show that practitioners have wide ranging reasons for engaging in personal therapy during training. Empirical and theoretical rationale for and against personal therapy The researcher clearly provided the rationale for and against personal therapy during training. Some of the reasons for engaging in personal therapy were that it helps the training in improving their psychological wellbeing by helping them in lowering their personal stress and manage stress effectively during training (Yardley & Marks, 2003). Other reasons for participating personal therapy include: firsthand experience, the experience of role client and the gains of modeling psychotherapists. Majority of the trainees; therefore, selected personal reasons other tan professional reasons in entering personal therapy during training. In previous six studies involving over 2000 participants, 90 percent of American and British practitioners reported satisfaction with their treatment, while another 88 percent of 3,629 participants drawn from thirteen countries reported positive results. The rationale against personal therapy during training was also given in the research study. The main rationale was that there is weak relationship between a therapist’s personal therapy and client outcomes. This is founded on the fact that there are many reasons that determine client outcomes, and the contribution of therapist’s personal therapy is minimal. Another key reason is that personal therapy consumes and preoccupies the time of trainees with their own personal issues to the point where it has negative outcomes for their client work. Another reason is founded on research on personal therapy outcomes for practitioners, which showed negative implications. In a study by Orlinky et al (2005), negative outcomes that can result from personal therapy include: the incompetence of therapist, dual or abusive behavior or therapists sexual behavior. Financial reasons were another rationale against personal therapy, but this varied depending on the training programs. By highlighting this reason, the researchers were able to show that some of the trainees were funded and others were not. This brings out the reason why personal therapy is not compulsory because doing so will strain students who are not funded financially. In countries such as the United States, practitioners chose not to enter personal therapy because no one recommended it, have limited time, concerns of how it will be viewed by the training program or there was no need for it. This was a clear argument by the researchers because it provided the theoretical framework for the reason why practitioners engage in personal therapy during training. By drawing on other previous studies, the researchers provided the guiding principles that the research was based on (Bannister et al, 1994). The criteria for selecting participant were that they be of either gender and aged between 21 and 61 years. The participants were drawn from different racial groups and they indicated their nationalities as either Asian British, Black British, white or the other. Another requirement for the participants was that they be in university undertaking training in counseling psychology, counseling diploma or clinical psychology. The use of open ended questionnaires was suitable for the study because it allowed the participants to express their opinion regarding the topic of the study (Crossley, 2000). In essence, this study was a qualitative method and the objective was to determine causal relationships, hence the need for open ended questionnaires. The choice of the sample was sufficient for the study because in qualitative studies, a small sample is effective in generating data that can be effectively analyzed (Charmaz, 2006). Larger samples have the tendency of loosing the intricate relationships between objects. The researchers fulfilled their ethical responsibilities by seeking the ethical consent of the university’s internal committee. Ethical consent is important is these studies because it safeguards the confidentiality of the participants and ensures that the study is conducted according to required protocols. Considering that the study was handling life subjects, the assurance to participants that they could withdraw from the study at any time was important to protect their privacy (Yardley, 2000). One issue that the researchers did not dwell on in-depth was how they safeguarded the individual confidentiality of the participants. They could have indicated if they gave participants pseudonyms in place of their names. Data The researchers used inductive thematic analysis to analyze the data. This is a technique that entails identifying, analyzing and reporting themes or patterns within the collected data. In qualitative studies, inductive analysis is suitable because the data collected requires the identification of patterns or themes, which is different with quantitative studies that involve analysis of numerical data. Considering that open ended questionnaires were used in the study, thematic analysis was appropriate in identifying patterns in the participant response. Transparency is a critical element of ensuring authenticity of the study outcomes. This was achieved by the researchers because they outlined every step of the research process. They outlined how they collected the data, familiarized themselves with data before coding, prior to identifying themes in the data. The research study further outlines validation of the themes and the proof for each superordinate theme. Transparency is also augmented in this research by the virtue that the researchers adhered to ethical requirements. Findings Two overriding themes are acknowledged in this research study. The first theme is that personal therapy helped me to be a better practitioner and the second theme is that personal therapy cost me. Other subthemes such as experimental learning emanated from these two themes. This shows that personal therapy is a vital component of practitioner training and a significant number of participants reported that the experience of being a client is necessary. Personal therapy also helps them to understand therapy and be empathic to their clients. Outcomes from the three groups reported positive results that participants gained from personal therapy. These outcomes were supported by the both theoretical and empirical rationales. The same was also for those who did not take part in personal therapy. Other participants and especially clinical psychologists reported that certain interventions and models could be learned through personal therapy. This is one of the advantages of qualitative studies because it can generate new ideas of doing things, especially in the field of health psychology (Smith, 2003). How are the finding discussed in the light of relevant literature Reflexivity was utilized by the researchers in discussing the findings. This is how the values and beliefs of the researcher can influence the analysis of research findings. The beliefs of the participants regarding the research topic are influenced by the cultural and linguistic context. Researchers must understand this context in order to draw relevant conclusion about the research findings, and this is only possible through reflection (Harper & Thompson, 2012). Considering that the researchers were involved in training the practitioners, they believed that personal therapy is a critical tool for training. This subjectivity may have influenced their conclusions. To avoid this biasness, the researcher kept the data anonymous prior to analyzing it. Method There are significant methodological issues that the researcher s could have resolved to enhance the reliability of the research. Gender balance was not adhered to because there was more female participants that their male counterparts; therefore the researchers could have recruited an equal number from both genders. Secondly, there was the influence of culture in the findings because there was a greater representation of one ethnic group than the other. This is founded on the fact that qualitative studies are affected by cultural contexts (Frost, 2011). To get a better representation of the population, the researchers should have considered recruiting participants from more than two universities. ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEW EXTRACT Introduction This section will analyze the transcript of an interview with a mother who lost her son through suicide due to a mental illness. Method of analysis Thematic analysis will be used in analyzing this interview. The appropriateness of this method is because it facilitates the identification, analysis and reporting of key themes within collected data. This is a technique that is widely accepted as a data analysis tool. This method is also efficient due to its flexibility in data analysis. In analyzing the data in this group, we followed all the procedures of thematic analysis. We started with familiarizing ourselves with the data and then noting the main ideas. This was followed by generating the initial codes and then the data were placed into potential patterns (Crossley, 2000). This followed by highlighting the themes with dissimilar colors to distinguish them. Each member of the group was given a copy of the themes in order to select one and write about it. Findings Overview of themes and explanation of theme choice Six themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the interview transcript. These are: Family impact: This is significant theme in psychology literature because it informs that reader of the emotional impact of an illness on other family members. A sense of professional apathy: This theme explains the how patients suffering from mental illnesses are ignored by the system. Mum’s psychological challenges: this theme is critical because it informs the reader show psychological illnesses and their consequences affects mothers; the most important person caring for mental illnesses. Society stigmatization: this theme handled how society views mental illnesses as ass disease and ignores the victims. Criteria of metal disorder: this theme is important in understanding various mental illnesses and how society is failing to understand them. Physical illness: this theme handles the different illnesses that are mentioned in the literature. Theme analysis Out of the six themes, I selected family impact because it relates to the interview. The interview is about how the pain of caring for a mentally ill son and eventual suicide affected the whole family, and especially the mother. Other characteristics of the theme that influenced its selection were how it shows family commitment in shouldering the challenges of caring for a mentally ill member. Research studies have shown the importance of family support in positive outcomes for mentally ill patients (Sartorius, 2005). The following interview excerpt shows how the family was impacted by the mental illness as they sought treatment for their son: (complain of tiredness and he would constantly sleep ... and we...I’d go with him to the GP, and the GP would say, he is a teenage boy, ….). This expresses family concern for their sick son. This excerpt also highlights how the system failed to diagnose the illness precisely. The failure of the system could heighten family anxiety and desperation because if the system could not help them, where could they turn for support. Another example from the interview that shows how the illness affected the family was when the boy was sick and they needed a responsible adult because students could not be taken as responsible adults. The mother says “they needed a responsible adult and students don’t count as responsible adults. Strange that! So I we-he said ‘would I go and stay?”. The father was also sick at one point and the mother explains how it affected the son by saying “did that impact him a lot, I mean that must have been quite difficulty for the family?” the importance of family contact during illness is shown by studies that reveal how it impacts the quality of life of mentally ill patients. When their son committed suicide, the society did not show any sympathy, but instead they started blaming the boy for committing suicide not knowing that it was not is choice, but because of illness as shown by this excerpt, “oh what a stupid boy”. This comment shows the ignorance of the society regarding mental illnesses. The mother is advocating for awareness on the topic of mental illnesses and seeking intercession. Research studies advocate for a simple, rapid and non-stigmatized approach to managing mental illness by the society (Barry, & Farmer, 2002). The attitude of the society is revealed in the interview when the mother talks about the challenges that her friends daughter underwent in the mental healthcare system. She says, “Seeing the torment that my friend’s daughter is going through in the system for severe mental illness it’s horrendous. She has been shunted around to seven different institutions. Because they could not put her in a standard hospital until it is life and death”. This theme is critical to the study because it seeks to improve the society’s awareness about mental health illnesses and the need for the system to provide support for families with mentally ill patients. From this interview, it is evident that families with mentally ill patients lack support from relevant authorities and the society in general as shown by the pain that the interviewee and her family underwent caring for their son, and also the treatment that her friend’s daughter received from the healthcare system. Reflexive comments Team work was effective in analyzing this interview to understand the key themes that are present within it. Thematic analysis was the most appropriate analytical methods because without it the group would not have identified the patterns in it. Through the selection of impacts of the illness on families, I was able to understand the impacts of the illness on the family and the need of the society and the system to help families in caring for their mentally ill members. References Bannister, P., Burman, E., Parker, L., Taylor, M. and Tindall, C, (1994). Qualitative methods in psychology: a research guide. Buckingham: Open University Press. Barry, P. D., & Farmer, S. (2002). Mental health & mental illness. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Charmaz, K. (2006). Grounded Theory: Methods for the 21st Century. London: Sage. Crossley, M. (2000). Introducing Narrative Psychology: Self, Trauma and the Construction of Meaning.Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Frost, N. (2011). Qualitative research methods in psychology: Combining core approaches. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press/McGraw Hill. Harper, D., & Thompson, A. R. (2012). Qualitative research methods in mental health and psychotherapy: A guide for students and practitioners. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. Smith, J.A. (2003) (ed). Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods. London: Sage. Yardley, L. (2000). Dilemmas in qualitative health research. Psychology and Health, Vol. 15, pp. 215-228 Yardley, L., & Marks, D. F. (2003). Research methods for clinical and health psychology. London: Sage. Sartorius, N. (2005). Families and mental disorders: From burden to empowerment. Chichester, West Sussex, Angleterre: Wiley. Read More

This brings out the reason why personal therapy is not compulsory because doing so will strain students who are not funded financially. In countries such as the United States, practitioners chose not to enter personal therapy because no one recommended it, have limited time, concerns of how it will be viewed by the training program or there was no need for it. This was a clear argument by the researchers because it provided the theoretical framework for the reason why practitioners engage in personal therapy during training.

By drawing on other previous studies, the researchers provided the guiding principles that the research was based on (Bannister et al, 1994). The criteria for selecting participant were that they be of either gender and aged between 21 and 61 years. The participants were drawn from different racial groups and they indicated their nationalities as either Asian British, Black British, white or the other. Another requirement for the participants was that they be in university undertaking training in counseling psychology, counseling diploma or clinical psychology.

The use of open ended questionnaires was suitable for the study because it allowed the participants to express their opinion regarding the topic of the study (Crossley, 2000). In essence, this study was a qualitative method and the objective was to determine causal relationships, hence the need for open ended questionnaires. The choice of the sample was sufficient for the study because in qualitative studies, a small sample is effective in generating data that can be effectively analyzed (Charmaz, 2006).

Larger samples have the tendency of loosing the intricate relationships between objects. The researchers fulfilled their ethical responsibilities by seeking the ethical consent of the university’s internal committee. Ethical consent is important is these studies because it safeguards the confidentiality of the participants and ensures that the study is conducted according to required protocols. Considering that the study was handling life subjects, the assurance to participants that they could withdraw from the study at any time was important to protect their privacy (Yardley, 2000).

One issue that the researchers did not dwell on in-depth was how they safeguarded the individual confidentiality of the participants. They could have indicated if they gave participants pseudonyms in place of their names. Data The researchers used inductive thematic analysis to analyze the data. This is a technique that entails identifying, analyzing and reporting themes or patterns within the collected data. In qualitative studies, inductive analysis is suitable because the data collected requires the identification of patterns or themes, which is different with quantitative studies that involve analysis of numerical data.

Considering that open ended questionnaires were used in the study, thematic analysis was appropriate in identifying patterns in the participant response. Transparency is a critical element of ensuring authenticity of the study outcomes. This was achieved by the researchers because they outlined every step of the research process. They outlined how they collected the data, familiarized themselves with data before coding, prior to identifying themes in the data. The research study further outlines validation of the themes and the proof for each superordinate theme.

Transparency is also augmented in this research by the virtue that the researchers adhered to ethical requirements. Findings Two overriding themes are acknowledged in this research study. The first theme is that personal therapy helped me to be a better practitioner and the second theme is that personal therapy cost me. Other subthemes such as experimental learning emanated from these two themes. This shows that personal therapy is a vital component of practitioner training and a significant number of participants reported that the experience of being a client is necessary.

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