bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The next generation of Canadian counselling psychologists
Authors: Bedi Robinder P. , Christiani Kayla D. , Cohen Julie A. 
Published: January 2023

Objectives:In response to the little information available about the characteristics of counselling psychology students in Canada and their impact on the future of the specialization in Canada, 52 student members of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Section on Counselling Psychology (representing a 26 per cent response rate) were surveyed using an adapted version of a questionnaire to survey counselling psychologists in Canada.Findings:Results indicated that, in most ways, the characteristics of Canadian counselling psychology students resemble those of current counselling psychologists but some differences emerged that point to a future with an increasing female-male practitioner gender gap, more non-heterosexual counselling psychologists, and a slight growth in humanistic/person-centred theories being used.Discussion:The field will likely continue to be characterized by heterosexual female counselling psychologists of European descent, who practice primarily from either a theoretically-integrative standpoint or cognitive-behavioural theory, who intervene largely through individual counselling or psychotherapy, and almost entirely only in the English language. The results of the study are examined with respect to understanding gaps in training, professional identity, and the apparent distancing from the historical roots of the profession. The limitations of the study are noted and avenues for future research are outlined. Some comparisons with the field in other regions of the world, like the UK, are also provided.
Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and the therapeutic relationship: Client perspectives
Authors: McInnes Katie , Hudson-Craufurd Alex 
Published: January 2023

Background:At the heart of counselling psychology (CoP) practice is the use of the therapeutic relationship (TR). However, there is little research about the TR and schizophrenia/schizoaffective from a CoP or client perspective.Aim:The aim of this study was to explore how adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder experience the TR and discover what factors influence the relationship.Methodology:Four participants were interviewed and the data was analysed using thematic analysis.Findings:The analysis revealed six main themes: TR is special; trust; TR is a mirror; the management of symptoms; therapist factors; and client factors.Discussion:The results indicate that clients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective generally experience a positive TR. Practitioners might encourage a healthy TR by giving the client power and control, creating trustworthiness, being open to symptoms, showing understanding, having a flexible approach and offering self-disclosure. The strengths of the study included the original design and aims of the study, the TR as a primary focus, the characteristics of the participants, respondent validation and the emphasis on client perspectives. Key limitations of the study were the small number of participants, lack of data saturation, over-representation of female participants and the use of one coder.Conclusion:The study suggests that clients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder generally develop a positive therapeutic relationship. The study offers client-based insight about the therapeutic relationship and provides recommendations on how clinicians can use these insights to aid their practice.
Detransition rates in a large national gender identity clinic in the UK
Authors: Richards Christina , Doyle Jessica 
Published: January 2023

Background:Detransition – reverting to birth assigned gender after transition to another gender – may be considered to be a part of people’s exploration of their gender; but may also cause regret if irreversible changes have been undertaken. In nationalised healthcare it is therefore important to determine rates of detransition as they are important in ensuring health and wellbeing.Methods:End rates of detransition of patients at The Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health were reviewed. Taking a random sample of patient files (N=303), all were thoroughly investigated for any evidence of detransitioning.Results:Only one case of a detransition was found (0.33 per cent). An additional two cases had noted a history of detransition before coming to the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health specifically (0.99 per cent).Discussion:This study concludes that the standards of care used within this service therefore appear to be working satisfactorily in relation to detransition. With such a low prevalence, there is no justification in slowing the pathway for other patients in order to prevent detransition as such slowing would likely have a deleterious effect on the mental health of the vast majority.
Counselling psychology as observed by a drone1
Authors: Goldstein Ralph 
Published: January 2023

Whilst many counselling psychologists have done excellent work, there are many questions to be raised. Have the structures which came into being around 10–12 years ago helped or hindered? Have we had sufficient empirical tools to hand to test the outcomes of our labours? Is the current training wide enough and deep enough? What of our theoretical concerns and value systems?These issues are briefly commented upon and pointers to the future are outlined with the hope that a kind reader might be encouraged to pursue a refreshed direction with beneficial outcomes for their varied clients.
Survivors stories: Experiences of female perpetrated intimate partner abuse and help-seeking for mid-life and older male survivors
Authors: Best Daisy , Divers Andrew , Carthy Nikki 
Published: January 2023

Purpose:This paper explores experiences of intimate partner violence and support that was received among midlife and older male survivors. The objectives were to identify risk factors, barriers to help seeking and to promote the need for trauma focused care and inclusivity in service provision.Methods:Although 12 mid-life to older men from across the UK were interviewed individually about their experiences of surviving female perpetrated intimate partner violence, this paper focuses upon the experiences of one participant. A narrative method was used to analyse the data.Results/Finding:The narrative analysis of one participant is presented and implications discussed. Male survivors are often disbelieved by professionals and automatically assumed to be the perpetrator of IPV. This is echoed in limited service provision which increases the risk of homelessness, mental health problems and isolation.Conclusions:Counselling Psychologists will benefit from considering their own biases, including questions about IPV in all assessments that they undertake and educating service providers about the need for support.
Individual differences in semantic and structural errors in children’s memory for sentences
Authors: Marshall Catherine M. , Nation Kate 
Published: January 2023

AbstractChildren with poor reading comprehension in spite of good reading accuracy (poor comprehenders), have unimpaired phonological short-term memory and show normal memory for lists of words. The present paper explores poor comprehenders’ immediate memory for meaningful sentences. Poor comprehenders were worse at sentence repetition than controls and an error analysis revealed a qualitative difference in the nature of errors made by the two groups. The groups made a similar proportion of errors which altered the sentence structure; however, the poor comprehenders’ errors were more likely to alter the meaning of the target sentence than those made by the controls. This finding is discussed in terms of the educational implications of poor memory for meaning-based information in poor comprehenders.
A systematic review of the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout in teachers
Authors: Brown Carol G. 
Published: January 2023

Self-efficacy beliefs can determine how environmental opportunities and obstacles are perceived and affect choice of activities as well as the amount of effort which is given to an activity (Bandura, 1997). Perceived self-efficacy is reported to be an important stress resource factor in mitigating teacher burnout (Schwarzer & Hallum, 2008).This paper reviews 11 published studies which look at the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout in teachers. Reviews of the literature to date have tended to look at burnout as a unitary concept whereas this paper seeks to review it as a multi-dimensional concept. A number of findings were made including all studies reviewed having a negative relationship between teacher self-efficacy and burnout and all studies having a negative relationship with teacher self-efficacy and the burnout dimension of depersonalisation. Recommendations for further research include exploring the relationship between self-efficacy and depersonalisation and the potential positive effects that an organisation can have on teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs.
Strengths-based approaches in multi-agency meetings: The development of theory and practice
Authors: Colville Tracey 
Published: January 2023

The article describes the development and evaluation of strengths-based approaches to multi-agency meetings (SBMAs) in a local authority context in Scotland. SBMAs are part of the authority’s staged intervention process to support children and families. The approach draws on solution-focused and narrative approaches that enable clients to create solutions to problems in a collaborative way (White, 2007; Ajmel & Rees, 2001). Emphasis is on the voice of the child and effective participation in SBMAs (Todd, 2007).Vygotskian and activity-theoretical notions of a collective zone of proximal development, dual stimulation, and theoretical generalisations are introduced as a means by which the meetings could be understood as participants move to a more systems-based understanding of problems and their solutions (Engeström & Sannino, 2011). Evidence is provided for the impact of the approach at various levels: individual; systemic; and institutional. The notion of ‘centripetal potential’ is introduced as a means by which to explain the ‘ripple’ effect of Educational Psychologist (EP) activity and its impact on the contexts within which EPs work. In so doing, the paper highlights how EPs can employ praxis (the combination of theory and practice) to good effect in their day-to-day work.Conclusions focus on the need for EPs to be more explicit about the approaches they use and to articulate better the conceptual frameworks within which the complexity of their work is set. It is further suggested that EPs need to develop more sophisticated methodologies that demonstrate the impact of their involvement and how best value for employers, clients and other service users is evidenced.
Using philosophical and spiritual conversations with children and young people: A method for psychological assessment, listening deeply and empowerment
Authors: Gersch Irvine , Lipscomb Anna , Stoyles Gerard , Caputi Peter 
Published: January 2023

This paper develops a thesis that listening to children and young people (CYP) can be enhanced and promoted through attending to their deeper attitudes and ideas which underpin motivation. It is argued that questionnaires, checklists and closed questions are useful, to a degree, but may be restrictive and limited in eliciting significant views.Following a brief background literature review of earlier work in the area of listening to children, the paper focuses on our most recent research direction, namely using conversations, around classical Socratic and philosophical, spiritual questions as a method of enabling children to elaborate their deep attitudes to life. The authors describe and discuss a tool they have developed, based upon empirical research, which could be of value to Educational Psychologists (EPs) and other professionals. An important feature of the development of this tool was the involvement of CYP as part of the research and production team. This tool, entitled ‘A Little Box of Big Questions’ (LBBQ), contains four subsets of questions, presented on colourful, illustrated cards: Identity; Important People; Meaning and Purpose; and Thinking and Planning.The authors believe that such conversations, which can throw light on the child’s viewpoints and stances, could underpin future action and self-understanding and facilitate empowerment. Evidence to date shows that the tool is workable with children aged 8 to 14 years, who enjoy responding to the questions, and they say very interesting things. Further on-going work with colleagues in the UK and Australia is mentioned, and finally some implications for use are suggested.
Children describing the world: Mixed-method research by child practitioners developing an intergenerational dialogue
Authors: Yardley Ainslie 
Published: January 2023

Children are becoming increasingly engaged in the practice of research, either as active collaborators with adults or as independent researchers in their own right. This paper explores aspects of training and mentoring of children engaged in research practice as independent researchers, and highlights the use of creative methodologies in mixed-method research undertaken by children.Three primary aspects of participation and training are considered in relation to the space children inhabit in the research community: the ways in which children acquire research skills and the ways in which children are mentored in their research practice; the use of creative methods as conceptual and interpretive tools in interdisciplinary mixed-method research and how creative methodologies may benefit and empower child practitioners; and thirdly the importance of dissemination of research undertaken by children, and the quality of the intergenerational dialogue emerging from it. The paper begins with a story.The story is a personal observation translated into narrative and placed here to contextualise (rather than analyse) the research work undertaken by a group of Australian children, concurrent with their counterparts in the UK and Canada, over an 18-month period between April 2011 and September 2012. It introduces a methodological framework that was the underpinning of the project designed by the children and mentored by the author.
‘Some of it I haven’t told anybody else’: Using photo elicitation to explore the experiences of secondary school education from the perspective of young people with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Hill Louise 
Published: January 2023

This paper describes an empirical research study designed to explore the lived experience of mainstream secondary school for young people with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Within the existing research base, the voices of these young people have often been missing or overshadowed. This research sought to privilege the voice of young people; acknowledging them as experts in their own lives and as competent contributors to the research process. A creative approach to data collection was adopted, seeking to empower these young people to tell their stories through the provision of research tools that would facilitate their engagement with the process. The young people were tasked with taking photographs of aspects of school life that were important to them, these subsequently forming the central focus of discussions.Six young people from two mainstream secondary schools participated in the study. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this methodology being chosen to allow for the representation of different realities, whilst also searching for shared themes. The themes that emerged for the group were: sanctuary, anxiety and young people as active agents. The potential to incorporate the tools used in this project to facilitate person-centred planning is highlighted.
A follow-up to the Incredible Years Parenting programme: The reflections of mothers one to two years later
Authors: Trotter Hazel , Rafferty Harry 
Published: January 2023

Aim:The aim of the present research was to investigate mothers’ experiences from the perspective of one to two years after they had completed the Incredible Years Parenting programme (IYP).Rationale/Method:A substantial body of research indicates that the IYP is an effective way of tackling behavioural problems in children. Outcomes for parents have been less thoroughly investigated. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (N=7), followed by thematic analysis of their responses.Findings:Results indicated that the overarching theme was change in the mother. The other themes were change in the child, change in approach to parenting, change in relationships, and increased access to social support. This research indicates that the IYP can be a powerful intervention for parents. The mothers valued the social support provided by the IYP and there was some suggestion that the IYP helped mothers who were experiencing mental health difficulties. According to the mothers interviewed, the father-child relationship could be enhanced even when the father did not attend the IYP. The research found that in some circumstances implementation of the IYP could cause mother-partner friction as the maternal way of parenting began to change. It was also found that the participants disseminated information gathered from the IYP to their family and friends.Conclusions:Evidence from the present study suggests that further changes to the delivery of the IYP and the support structures which are in place for participants, both during and following participation, could be considered, to further increase the effectiveness of the programme.
Introducing and piloting the KiVa bullying prevention programme in the UK
Authors: Hutchings Judy , Clarkson Susan 
Published: January 2023

The history of bullying research is summarised and the KiVa bullying prevention programme described. KiVa is a whole-school programme with universal and indicated actions for children aged 7 to 15 years in the Finnish comprehensive school system. It was developed at Turku University, Finland, by social psychologist Christina Salmivalli and colleagues. It has demonstrated significant benefits in a large-scale randomised controlled trial and a subsequent roll-out of the programme to 90 per cent of schools in the Finnish comprehensive system (www.kivakoulu.fi/). KiVa is based on research showing the important role played by bystanders in the bullying process. The universal and indicated actions within the programme are described. The universal actions consist of class lessons, whole school actions and a parent website. Evidence from the Finnish trials is summarised.The paper describes the introduction of the programme to the UK in 2012 and the results from the first, psychologist led, UK pilot trial of the programme are reported. Seventeen schools participated in the trial of Unit 2, at the time the only material available in English (for children aged 9 to 11 years), and delivered KiVa lessons to year 5 and/or year 6 pupils. Children completed the online KiVa survey prior to programme commencement and at the end of the school year. Significant reductions were reported in bullying and victimisation. Teachers reported high levels of pupil acceptance and engagement with lessons. The paper concludes with reflections on the role that educational and other applied psychologists can play in further disseminating this programme.
Addressing an imbalance? Educational Psychologists’ considerations of ethnic minority cultural factors in assessments for autistic spectrum condition
Authors: Rupasinha James 
Published: January 2023

The global prevalence of autistic spectrum condition (ASC) is not thought to vary as a function of ethnicity. However, evidence suggests that the detection of ASC may be inconsistent across ethnic groups in the UK. In the UK educational psychologists (EPs) often play a key role in the ASC identification process. Given the believed value of accurate identification of ASC to a child’s education and the importance of providing minority ethnic groups with an equitable service, this study explored how EPs considered ethnic minority cultural factors (EMCF) within ASC assessments.A multiple embedded case study was conducted with three EPs. Each was highly proficient in ASC assessment and brought experiences from both different geographical areas and from service delivery through varied providers; a local authority (LA), a social enterprise and private practice. Participants’ responses in interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim prior to thematic analysis. A documentary analysis of the three existing LA pathways for the assessment of ASC was complemented with a quantitative demographic analysis of data relating to the regions in which each participant worked.Analysis and integration of findings revealed areas of commonality and difference in EPs appraisals of the impact of EMCF. Nonetheless, each participant’s examination of EMCF led them to make adjustments in their direct work with a child and in their consultation with parents. Participants’ considerations of EMCF were rarely systemic or evidence based but instead drew upon heuristics and idiographic knowledge. Implications are discussed.
How should applied psychologists conceptualise an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and its predictive validity?
Authors: Hassall Richard 
Published: January 2023

Aim:Many educational and clinical psychologists are involved in autism diagnosis services, yet there is no clarity about the nature of the disorder underlying what they believe they are diagnosing. This paper therefore aims to examine some typical assumptions about the implications of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis.Rationale:This conceptual review questions whether ASD represents a distinct kind of disorder, in view of the substantial changes in definitions of autism over the past 50 years. This is addressed from the perspective of philosophy of science by considering whether ASD constitutes a natural kind with explanatory and predictive value.Findings:Research studies have failed to identify any distinct cognitive abnormality which uniquely characterises autism. There are no interventions specifically for people with an ASD diagnosis which, when available, are not also effective for those with other conditions. Outcomes for those with the diagnosis may be more varied than hitherto supposed and may depend on other variables apart from the diagnosis itself.Limitations:It is impossible to cover all relevant research for a fully comprehensive overview of the field in a paper of this length. However, most of the research and review papers cited are of recent date.Conclusions:It is difficult to see ASD as a distinct natural kind of psychological disorder. The outlook for those diagnosed is often hard to predict. Psychologists therefore need to be cautious about the manner in which they communicate diagnoses to avoid overly gloomy prognostications.