A Brief Background on Research at SPCP

Research within the School of Psychotherapy & Counselling Psychology (SPCP) has mainly taken place informally over the last twenty years, on an independent basis, with staff developing individual research interests and at times coming together as collective groups contributing chapters on specific topics in edited books published.

The result has seen a series of monographs as well as edited collected works by groups of staff members being published. These publications and the quality of teaching contributed to the recognition of our unique brand.

The benefits of these type of research groups are evidenced in publications where various, often diverse theoretical and philosophical perspectives are applied in the understanding of psychotherapy and counselling psychology theory and practice. Such pluralism goes far to reinforce the School’s integrative ethos.

Phenomenology & Existentialism

Phenomenology and existentialism underpin SPCP’s research stance as perspectives that place emphasis on the human condition and embrace not just the psychological, but social dimensions of what it is to be human. SPCP’s reputation and brand developed as a result of this unique stance to research and scholarly activity mirrored in the range of publications produced over the years.

Scholarly activities in the form of conferences and seminar and workshop series running for several years have offered opportunities for the community, the alumni, students and staff to be involved in continuous professional development activities, positively contributing to a sense of community sharing of ideas and knowledge of the field of psychotherapy and counselling psychology.

What kinds of questions are being addressed by the research centre?

As a group of scholars with diverse research interests the strands that bring us together are being developed in the following research areas:

1) Guidance and Counselling for Migrants and Psychotherapy & Counselling Psychology Services in Europe

This project involves a number of SPCP scholars and students. A grant was received to establish links with other European partners with the view of identifying ways to support migrants. Two proposers (Maria Luca and Pavlos Filippopoulos) who are members of this group have put together a research proposal to investigate existing service provision in European countries.

Interviews with migrants are being carried out in different European countries. A Number of Doctorate students are associated with this project.

2) Doctorate standards in Counselling Psychology

Maria Lucas’ and Pavlos Filippopoulos’ work is at the early stages of development. We plan to develop a comprehensive text that explores the issues facing Doctorate students training to become chartered counselling psychologists and identify key standards students are required to achieve and how to achieve them. We plan to invite international scholars to write key chapters on specific themes under the core theme of Doctorate Standards. We anticipate that a project such as this could take until 2014 to complete.

3) The Body in Psychotherapy – new psychotherapy perspectives

Rosalind Pearmain and Mike Harding prepared a book proposal that explores how different therapists understand and work with the body in psychotherapy. Authors have submitted their chapter proposals to the two editors.

This research stream focuses on how clients express distress through the body, how physical symptoms become means of psychological expression, how therapists work with body communications and implications for practice. This research addresses multiple perspectives, integration and multiple levels of conceptualising the body.

4) Working clinically with different sexualities and a variety of sexual issues

Desa Markovic, Dominik Ritter and Maria Luca have been engaged in research exploring sexuality and sexual clinical issues for a number of years. This research has led to various publications (see CV’s of members of this research stream). We would like to further our existing analysis into more rigorous, substantial research that critically addresses how therapists work with sexualities and sexual issues that culminates in an edited text capturing the research interests of more proposers.

5) Relational psychotherapy, relational research, embodiment, integration

In the past a number of the proposers in this proposal have been engaged in exploring the value of relationality in psychotherapy and counselling psychology approaches as well as in qualitative research.

The research into a modern grounded theory method for psychotherapy researchers by Maria Luca has culminated in a publication in 2009 and in teachings for staff at Regent’s College, Doctorate and Masters students. The theme has been integrated into her research supervision of students. John Nuttall is currently researching a relational frame and Elena Manafi consciousness and subjectivity in embodied therapy.

As a research stream our research has been published and has been disseminate through conference presentations and integrated into our course teachings.

6) Cross-cultural counselling psychology training and practice

Pavlos Filippopoulos’ research on perceptions and experiences of trainees of counselling psychology has laid the foundations for further research that will link up with the research stream on standards in counselling psychology doctorates. His research has been published in the European Journal of Counselling Psychology in 2009. Pavlos continuous to develop this theme, now involving other SPCP staff and students.

7) Post-modern and social constructionist theories in counselling psychology

Elena Manafi has researched philosophical aspects of post-modern and social constructionist theories due to be published. Post-modernism in psychology and psychotherapy is a research theme common to all proposers and it informs teaching, practice and research.

Page last updated 11/12/2010