bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
‘Not everybody memorises the phone book’: Representations of autism in psychiatrists’ accounts
Authors: Huws Jaci C. , Jones Robert S.P. 
Published: January 2023

Background:sychiatric conceptualisations of autism have been criticised for a narrow perspective based on an overly medicalised and diagnostic view of the condition. We were interested in exploring the views of psychiatrists when asked to reflect on their understanding of the conceptMethods:In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with six psychiatrists working in the specialist field of learning and developmental disability in the UK.Results:A thematic analysis of their perceptions of autism revealed four main themes: (1) Diagnostic concordance and ambiguity; (2) Threshold of complexity; (3) Autism as an artificial construct; and (4) The socio-relational context of care.Conclusions:While the analysis revealed elements of understanding that matched the application of diagnostic criteria, a more gestalt, contextual understanding of autism was also shown that acknowledged the psychological limitations of diagnosis and its sociological impact. Compared with what we expected to find, a much richer conceptualisation of the concept of autism was revealed.
Forty-four worthwhile interventions: Clinician-rated attachment style and outcome of psychodynamic psychotherapy for people with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Skelly Allan , Burman Hannah 
Published: January 2023

An individual’s internal model of attachment security or insecurity can be judged by clinicians during assessment. When clinicians judge clients’ style to be characterised by security, there may be lower case severity (Skelly & Reay, 2013).This study is an examination of the relationship of clinicians’ attachment classification to outcome of psychodynamic psychotherapy in people with intellectual disabilities, measured through change in HoNOS-LD scores over time. We examined 44 cases of psychodynamic psychotherapy provided within two specialist community psychology services in the Tyne area over a two-year period.Results suggest that preoccupied or unresolved attachment was indicative of high case severity at assessment, but also predicted greater gain during therapy. A dose effect was observed, with more sessions given to clients rated as preoccupied or unresolved. Although some clients required more than 20 sessions, the average session number was markedly lower than that. There was no effect of age or gender, but higher IQ was associated with more change on one of the HoNOS-LD Factor Scores (Loss of Adaptive Functioning).This study provides preliminary evidence that psychodynamic psychotherapy for distress and personality conditions may be differentially effective for people with secure and insecure attachment ratings. Preoccupied or unresolved attachment styles may have resource implications in requiring longer psychological interventions, at least with this therapy orientation.
DClinPsy research theses abstracts
Authors: English Brad , DClinPsy Trent 
Published: January 2023

Consensus-based good practice guidelines for clinical psychologists to support care stff in enbling sexual expression in people with intellectual disabilities-A Delphi studyBrad English, Trent DClinPsy, Universities of Nottingham and Lincoln Supervised by Dr Anna Tickle, Professor Roshan dasNair & Dr Kathryn Moore
Providing psychological support to people with learning disabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic: A virtual journey
Authors: Hardcastle Elizabeth , Azmi Sabiha , Gascoigne Sally 
Published: January 2023

• People with learning disabilities (LD) are at greater risk of experiencing mental health conditions, which may be made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.• This article investigated the utility of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based group programme delivered virtually to service users with LD during the first wave of the pandemic.• This group intervention was found to have potential promise in being effective in helping service users better manage their symptoms and reduce levels of anxiety and low mood.• The group programme has highlighted some benefits of remote delivery of CBT-based interventions, which can be implemented as an alternative to face-to-face clinical input for some service users.
Evaluating the impact of team formulation on client care in a rehabilitation hospital for individuals with learning disabilities
Authors: Turner Kellie , Thomas Hayley , Williams Rhiannon 
Published: January 2023

Team formulation helps staff understand people they work with better, and agree ideas to support them.Positive monitoring is a way of checking if staff are helping people in the ways agreed by the team.This evaluation aims to see if using team formulation and positive monitoring, has an impact on the care provided to adults with learning disabilities in a locked rehabilitation hospital.Staff found team formulation helpful in understanding the person they were working with better. The helpfulness of setting goals on staffing putting ideas into practice varied.Six out of Seven adults with learning disabilities had less incidents after we used positive monitoring charts
Long term outcome of Multi-Disciplinary Interventions within a Positive Behaviour Support Pathway in a Community Learning Disability Team
Authors: Skelly Allan , Shimmens Victoria , Corner Aimee 
Published: January 2023

If you have a learning disability, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) might be used to support you.PBS is intended to teach helpful behaviours in place of unhelpful ones, and increase your quality of life. It should be available for your whole life in everywhere you might be.We followed up on 16 people who had PBS intervention that ended in 2018.As a group, their scores on our main measure (HoNOS-LD) were still better than when we first met them.Two people had died (12 per cent), 10 people still showed challenging behaviours (62 per cent), and 4 (25 per cent) did not. The four that did not weren’t receiving PBS any more.
The heart of the team: The role of assistant psychologists and specialist support workers in an intensive community support team
Authors: Khatun Rubia , Shanaj Olsa , Ramsey Bethan , Deering Hannah , Harrison-Rowe Hannah 
Published: January 2023

Easy read summary■Intensive community support teams work with people when there are worries that their placement might break down.■Assistant psychologists and specialist support workers can be really important in the work of these teams.In this article we will share our experience of setting up an Intensive Community Support Team (ICST), focusing in particular on the developing roles of the Assistant Psychologists (APs) and Specialist Support Worker (SSW) within the service. We consider how the roles of the Assistant Psychologists and Specialist Support Worker were crucial in enabling a responsive, supportive and person-centred approach to intensive work.
Anti-racism in community learning disabilities services: The work for clinical psychologists. The perspective of two undergraduate black and brown placement students
Authors: Mohammed-Choudhry Soraya , Bademosi Oreoluwa , Johnson Gina , Perry Ella 
Published: January 2023

In December 2020, The North Thames Learning Disabilities Special Interest Group (SIG) met over video to discuss how Clinical Psychologists and aspiring psychologists experience, manage and combat racism in their work. This paper focuses on two presentations from the day by Islington Learning Disabilities Partnership. The first presentation focused on the barriers faced by people with Learning Disabilities (PWLD) to understand racism and receive support as victims or perpetrators. The talk identified a clear need for further accessible resources about racism and strategies to unlearn racism that go beyond cultural appreciation. The second presentation focused on the experiences of a black and a brown undergraduate psychologist joining an all-white LD psychology team in October 2020. Live semi-structured interviews were completed, informed by Whyte’s (2019) concept of robust vulnerability. The purpose was to explore different perspectives and experiences around what anti-racism means and what work that needs to be done by clinical psychologists individually and as a collective. It is the responsibility of the profession to not only diversify but ensure the needs of victims of racism are put before white discomfort and that black and ethnic minorities are not burdened with implementing anti-racist practices.Easy read summaryThe Learning Disabilities Special Interest Group (SIG) met over video in December 2020. The group talked about how racism affects the Learning Disabilities (LD) community. Racism is the unfair treatment of people based on their skin colour.This paper talks about two presentations from the day by Islington Learning Disabilities Partnership (ILDP). The first presentation was about support for people with learning disabilities. People are not always given support to cope with racism or to understand how to stop it.The second presentation was about anti-racism. Anti-racism means doing things to understand and fight racism. A black and a brown female student psychologist talked about their experiences in a team with all white psychologists. They interviewed two white psychologists about what they know and do to be anti-racist. They then interviewed each other about their experiences. They said that talking about racism helps people to cope with it and to stop it.
Dementia and driving: The DVLA position
Authors: Major Heather 
Published: January 2023

Editor’s note:The following abstract was provided by Dr Major for the conference. Unfortunately she was unable to produce a paper for theNewsletterbut agreed to Pauline Thomson, our Guest Editor, to writing a summary. Pauline has kindly produced this summary and hopes it is an accurate account. Any inaccuracies are the responsibility of Pauline Thomson. I am grateful to Pauline for taking on this task.Romola Bucks,Editor.There is an increasing public expectation of being able to continue to drive, at all ages. The average age of drivers is steadily rising. Prevalence rates of dementia and other health related impairments also rise, inevitably, with advancing age. The current driver licensing system and underpinning legislation is outlined and different types of relevant impairment explained. The roles and responsibilities of the patient/driver and their doctor are described. A brief overview of DVLA statistics on dementia will demonstrate our experience of the issues as identified through our current processes. The presentation concludes with a high level overview of the Medical Licensing Policy Review, currently underway, and offers an early taster of some of the recommendations likely to form part of the anticipated public consultation on the issue.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy with female forensic patients with borderline personality disorder: Preliminary findings from a pilot study
Authors: McCarthy Jennifer , Bowes Nicola , White Alison , Warren Sarah , Fisher Dawn , Sellen Joselyn L. 
Published: January 2023

Background:dmissions to secure mental health services aim to treat both mental illness and the offending behaviour of service users. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an emerging therapy within secure services for personality disordered service users. This pilot study explores the impact DBT had with female patients located in a secure service in Wales.Aims:To identify any treatment benefits of DBT for a sample of female forensic patients in Wales.Methods:DBT was adapted to meet the needs of the forensic setting and patient needs. Measures exploring anger, anxiety, depression, hopelessness and social problem solving were gathered from participants pre and post intervention.Results:Results indicated significant reduction in post intervention ratings for depression, hopelessness and anxiety, with large effect sizes in the desired direction reported on other measures, excluding social problem solving.Conclusions and implications for practice:DBT appears to have had a greater impact on the affective experiences of participants and less impact on the cognitive processes related to social problem solving. Findings are discussed in terms of clinical practice significance.
Exploring motivation and personal change in males serving probation orders within the community: A qualitative pilot study
Authors: Palmer Cheryl , Heggs Daniel , Sellen Joselyn 
Published: January 2023

BackgroundIt is important to motivate offenders to engage in treatment as treatment non-completion is associated with increased rates of reoffending and poses a drain on resources. Exploration of the utility of pre-treatment interventions for enhancing treatment engagement among offenders is, therefore, warranted. Preliminary evidence suggests that the Personal Aspirations and Concerns Inventory for Offenders (PACI-O) may enhance motivation and treatment engagement among offenders, although investigation has been limited to prison samples.AimsTo explore whether the PACI-O has potential as a pre-treatment intervention to increase motivation and treatment engagement among a community sample of male offenders.MethodThis study used a case series sample of two male offenders who had been serving community sentences. Qualitative thematic analysis was employed to explore participants’ accounts of motivation and personal change from semi-structured interviews.ResultsParticipants’ accounts provide support for the theoretical basis of the PACI-O and suggest that their experience of prosocial personal change was closely tied to adaptive motivation and goal-pursuit.ConclusionsThis study offers preliminary evidence for the utility of the PACI-O as a pre-treatment intervention to boost motivation and engagement among male offenders in the community. Further investigation with a larger sample of offenders is required.
Examining the relationship between anger and violent thoughts and fantasies: A pilot study
Authors: Patel Gita , Doyle Rebecca , Browne Kevin 
Published: January 2023

The aim of this pilot study was to explore the prevalence and quality of violent thoughts and fantasies of a non-violent community sample. A secondary aim was to identify the extent to which violent thoughts and fantasies were related to anger.Nineteen adults took part in the study which used a repeated measures design. Participants were asked to complete an anger assessment (STAXI-2; Spielberger, 1999) and to take part in two semi-structured interviews which enquired about the experience of violent thoughts and fantasies.A thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) yielded a number of themes including ‘desire’ and ‘elaboration’. When paired with psychometric results a relationship between violent thoughts and fantasies and high experience/low control of anger was found. This study provides evidence that violent thoughts and fantasies are associated with anger control rather than anger expression. A model designed to expand on the analysis and explore in more detail the antecedents and progressive links between anger, violent thought and fantasies has been developed and is presented herein and may be of use to professionals working with violent fantasies in clinical and non-clinical settings.
Does adapted DBT have a place in forensic settings? The development of a DBT-informed emotion regulation group for female forensic personality disordered inpatients
Authors: Thompson Claire 
Published: January 2023

This study explores the impact of a DBT-informed emotion regulation group upon female personality disordered inpatients detained within a forensic low secure psychiatric service. Emotion regulation is a core feature of borderline personality disorder, dialectical behaviour therapy having been developed on this premise.Adapted sessions (20) were devised primarily from the DBT modules of emotion regulation and distress tolerance to meet the needs of both the inpatient setting and patient group. The group was run twice with eight patients in each group. Pre- and post-incident rates were used as an indication of potential treatment change in addition to measures of emotional control and altered states of capacity. Results indicated significant reduction in post-intervention rates of violence and self-harm, results from the psychometric data did not indicate such a degree of treatment change. Methodological limitations and implications for future practice are discussed.
A mixed-methods approach to understanding women’s worries during early pregnancy
Authors: Jomeen Julie , Martin Colin R. 
Published: January 2023

The association between anxiety and adverse pregnancy outcomes are well documented, but evidence remains scant regarding the causes of pregnant women’s anxieties. Evidence suggests that specific areas of pregnant women’s worries have a unique predictive value for psychological health and mood, independent of anxiety. Amongst those factors acknowledged to provide psychological support for women in pregnancy is the role of the partner/significant other. However, recent research has suggested that very few women in pregnancy worry about their relationship with their partner.A mixed-methodological study was conducted to investigate the experience of women during early pregnancy in terms of the type and significance of concerns and worries experienced. One-hundred-and-twenty-nine women were classified into two groups, depressed (N=33) and non-depressed (N=96) on the basis of a standard screening instrument at 14 weeks gestation. The depressed group reported significantly more socio-medical, socio-economic and health worries as assessed by the Cambridge Worry Scale (CWS) compared to the non-depressed group. No significant difference between groups was observed using the CWS relationships sub-scale. A sub-set of 10 women from the study cohort were interviewed using a qualitative narrative methodology. The findings from the qualitative component of the study added significantly and contextually to the quantitative arm of the study. The quantitative observation that significant supportive relationships seem to be less important than previously suggested to the psychological health of women in early pregnancy was given qualitative thematic explanation by several factors, including the physical experience of pregnancy, the reality of pregnancy and the way it is managed and the woman’s personal engagement with the pregnancy. These findings suggest that the absence of perceived emotional relationship support from the usual significant other (father) may not be considered an indicator of psychological distress or psychopathology. Further research, which considers the context and interpretation of worry during pregnancy using mixed-methodology, is suggested in order to develop the evidence base in relation to pregnancy and postnatal maternal, paternal and neo-natal outcomes.
‘The Three Good Things’ – The effects of gratitude practice on wellbeing: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Lai Siew Tim , O’Carroll Ronan E. 
Published: January 2023

BackgroundThere are mixed findings concerning the effectiveness of gratitude interventions. This study investigated a commonly used gratitude-based intervention (‘count–your–blessings’) in promoting physical and psychological wellbeing in a UK sample.MethodsA randomised controlled trial to examine the efficacy of a three–week gratitude intervention in promoting psychological and physical health. 108 healthy participants (aged 18–36) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions (gratitude or no–assigned activity). Those in the gratitude condition kept daily gratitude journals for 21 days. Participants completed self–report measures related to gratefulness, affect, prosociality, physical and subjective wellbeing. These measures were collected at two time–points (pre– and post–intervention), three weeks apart. Two separate analyses were conducted for participants who completed the intervention (Completer analysis) and including those who dropped out (Intention–to–treat analysis [ITT]).FindingsCompleter analysis revealed that the gratitude condition resulted in heightened feelings of gratefulness. Those in the grateful condition showed greater increases in state gratitude and positive affect, relative to the control condition, who reported a reduction in wellbeing. Overall, the ITT analysis yielded essentially the same findings as the completer analysis.DiscussionCounting one’s blessings can improve wellbeing and could be incorporated in existing psychotherapies. This brief and simple intervention warrants further investigation.
Evaluation of the Coaching Competence Self-Review online tool within an NHS leadership development programme
Authors: Law Ho , Ireland Sara , Hussain Zulfi 
Published: January 2023

Objectives:The objectives of this case study were to: (1) develop a Universal Integrated Framework (UIF) of coaching; and (2) evaluate its effectiveness in terms of its impact upon the participants and the organisations.Design:49 participants assessed themselves on coaching indicators using the online CCSR tool as part of a leadership development programme within the National Health Services (NHS) in UK. The tool consisted of four dimensions (Personal, Social, Cultural, and Professional) and 18 elements with 110 questions.Methods:The tool was evaluated using linear regression and analyses of variance, supplemented with qualitative review as part of triangulation process.Results:Statistical analyses indicated that the Coaching/mentoring competence was predicted by Personal competence. The competence increased with age/life experience. There were no differences in competence scores between male and female participants. Personal and Social and Social and Cross-Cultural competences were co-related. Black participants seemed to benefit from the cross-cultural dimension framework as they scored significantly higher than White participants. Asian participants scored somewhere in between the two categories.Conclusions:The results supported the underpinning coaching philosophy that was advocated that in order for the framework to be universal (non-biased), it was important to include a cross-cultural dimension within the core coaching and mentoring competence. It was recommended that future research should aim to explore the validity of the individual elements of the CCSR using a larger sample size.
Flow theory – its application to coaching psychology
Authors: Wesson Karen , Boniwell Ilona 
Published: January 2023

Purpose:Being ‘in flow’ or ‘in the zone’ enables individuals to focus on tasks more fully and to maximise performance. As this phenomenon results in pleasure being experienced whilst mastery is gained, it can be a natural aid to goal-oriented activities such as coaching. This paper explores the applications of flow theory to coaching psychology.Method:Various conditions are thought to influence the acquisition and maintenance of psychological flow. These are reviewed and linked to the work of coaches and coaching psychologists.Results:The literature and models reviewed indicate that flow theory has a number of applications to coaching psychology, and that it can provide a useful framework for coaching psychology practice.Conclusions:This paper suggests how these factors may be captured by coaching methodology thereby: (i) helping the client and coach to find focus and fulfilment during sessions; and (ii) encouraging the client to remain ‘on task’ whilst engaging in goal actioning activities afterwards.