Encouraging counsellors to engage in collaborative practice-based research (PBR).
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24135/nzjc.v42i1.4Keywords:
counselling, practice-based research, collaboration, outcome, clinical audits, private practiceAbstract
Increasing research productivity among practicing counsellors has long been an aim of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors as evidenced by several articles addressing the topic published in the New Zealand Journal of Counselling over the last 20 years. Similarly, in a profession increasingly pressured to be more accountable, it is no longer considered good enough for counsellors and counselling agencies merely to espouse the "art of counselling" perspective in justifying their practices. Instead, researching counselling, especially counselling impact, is vital to the wider acceptance of the profession. Such research depends, in large part, on encouraging more counsellors to participate in researching their own casework, either as individuals or as a member of a research team or group. This article references two examples of the second of those options (specifically, collaboration between a counsellor in private practice and outside researchers) to demonstrate that even rudimentary collaboration between counsellors and researchers can produce useful knowledge about the process and impact of counselling and can have positive effects on a counsellor's practice. Increased collaboration of this sort is one way to fulfil the need for counsellors and researchers to generate more practice-based research (PBR), especially outcome research (Sexton et al., 1997).
References
Attkisson, C. C., & Zwick, R. (1982). The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and correlations with service utilization and psychotherapy outcome. Evaluation and Program Planning, 5, 233–237.
Berg, I. K., (2004). Family based services: A solution-focused approach. WW Norton.
Bertham, P., Pitt, L., Ewing, M., & Carr, C. L. (2002). Potential research space in MIS: A framework for envisioning and evaluating research replication, extension and generation. Information Systems Practice, 13(4), 416–427.
Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Psychotherapy outcome: An issue worth revisiting 50 years later. Psychotherapy, 50(1), 52-67. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030898
Castonguay, L., Nelson, D., Boutselis, M., Chiswick, N., Damer, D., Hemmelstein, N., & Borkovec, T. (2010). Clinicians and/or researchers? A qualitative analysis of therapists’ experiences in a practice research network. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice and Training, 47, 345–354.
Cherry, K. (2020). Replication in psychology research. Verywell Mind, May 24. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-replication-2795802
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences, 2nd ed. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Cooper, M. (2017). Evaluating and auditing counselling and psychotherapy services: Some pointers. https://mick cooper.squarespace.com/newblog/2019/10/15/evaluatingauditing-counselling-and-psychotherapy-servicessome-pointers
Cornforth, S., & Parkin, F. (2002). Editorial comments. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 23(2), iii-iv.
Crocket, A. (2013). Articulating counselling in the context of registration and New Right Policy. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 33(2), 31–45.
Davidson, T. (2014). STRENGTH: A system of integration of solution-orientated and strengths-based principles. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 36(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.36.1.p0034451n14k4818
Duncan, B. L. (2012). The Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS): The Heart and Soul of Change Project. Canadian Psychology, 53(2), 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027762
Duncan, B., & Miller, S. (2000). The heroic client: Client directed, Outcomeinformed therapy. Jossey-Bass.
Duncan, C., Rayment, B., Kenrick, J., & Cooper, M. (2020). Counselling for young people and young adults in the voluntary and community sector: An overview of the demographic profile of clients and outcomes. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 93, 36–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12206
Gordon, R., & Hanley, T. (2013). Where do counselling psychologists based in the UK disseminate their research? A systematic review. Counselling Psychology Review, 28(4), 7–17.
Goss, S., & Rose, S. (2002). Evidence based practice: A guide for counsellors and psychotherapists. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 23(2), 67–76. Reprinted with permission of the editors from Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2002, 2(2).
Halvorsen, M. S., Benum, K., Oddli, H. W., Stänicke, E., & McLeod, J. (2020). How usual is treatment as usual? Experienced therapists’ reflections on participation in practice-based research. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 33(1), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2017.1397502
Henson, R. K. (2006). Effect-size measures and meta-analytic thinking in counselling psychology research. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(5), 601–629. https://doi.10.1177/0011000005283558
Henton, I. (2012). Practice-based research and counselling psychology: a critical review and proposal. Counselling Psychology Review, 27(3), 11–28.
Henton, I. (2020). Introduction to a special section on practice-based research and counselling psychology, Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 33(1), 1–7. https://doi.10.1080/09515070.2019.1570081
Henton, I., & Midgley, N. (2012). ‘A path in the woods’: Child psychotherapists’ participation in a large randomised controlled trial. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research: Linking research with practice, 12(3), 204–213. https://doi.10.1080/14733145.2012.678270
Hughes, C., Barr, A., & Graham, J. (2019). Who comes to the school counsellor and what do they talk about? New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 39(1), 40–70.
Koerner, K., & Castonguay, L. G. (2015). Practice-oriented research: What it takes to do collaborative research in private practice. Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), 67–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2014.939119
Lucock, M., Barkham. M., Donohoe, G., Kellett, S., McMillan, D., Mullaney, S., Sainty, A., Saxon, D., Thwaites, T., & Delgadillo, J. (2017). The Role of
Practice Research Networks (PRN) in the Development and Implementation of Evidence: The Northern Improving Access to Psychological Therapies PRN Case Study. Administration and Policy in Mentalt Health and Mental Health Services, 44, 19–931. https://doi.10.1007/s10488-017 0810-5
Manthei, R. (2004). Encouraging counsellors to become active researchers and users of research. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 25(1), 70 81.
Manthei, R. (2005). The work of a Christchurch Community Counselling Centre: How successful has it been with clients? New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 26(2), 70–87.
Manthei, R. (2012). Counselling effectiveness at a city counselling centre. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 32(1), 37–55.
Manthei, R. (2015). Evaluating counselling outcome: Why is it necessary? How can it be done? New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 35(1), 60–85.
Manthei, R. (2017). A portrait of counselling: A comparison of private practice and agencies. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 37(2), 20–36.
Manthei, R., & Nourse, R. (2012). Evaluation of a counselling service for the elderly. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 32(2), 29–53.
Manthei, R. J., & Tuck, B. F. (2021). Conducting practice-based research with a counsellor in private practice. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, https:// doi.org/10.1002/capr.12500
Manthei, R., Tuck, B. F., Crocket, A., Agee, M. N., & Gardiner, B. (2020). The case for increasing the number of counsellors in secondary schools.
New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 40(2), 3–19.
Mapel, T., & Simpson, J. (2011). Mindfulness-based stress reduction research in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 31(2), 21–34.
Mueller, M., & Pekarik, G. (2000). Treatment duration prediction: Client accuracy and its relationship to dropout, outcome, and satisfaction. Psychotherapy, 37(2), 117–123.
Morkides, C. (2009, July 14). Measuring counselor success. Counseling Today. http://ct.counseling.org/2009/07/measuring-counselor-success/
NZQA (1995). Quality assurance for degrees and related qualifications. Appendix Four. New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
Owler, K., & Sturt, C. (2017). The “senses” know best: Exploring the role of Life Code Matrix™ in assessing individual strengths and improving personal relationships. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 37(2), 56–78.
Paton, I. (1999). The nature and experience of private practice counselling in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 20(1), 1–23.
Sexton, T. L, Whiston, S. C., Bleuer, J. C., & Walz, G. R. (1997). Integrating outcome research into counseling practice and training. American Counseling Association.
Shadish, W. R., Matt, G. E., Navarro, A. M., Siegle, G., Crits-Christoph, P., Hazelrigg, M. D., Jorm, A. E., et al. (1997). Evidence that therapy works
in clinically representative conditions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 65(3), 355–365. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.65.3.355
Schäfer, T., & Schwarz, M. A., (2019). The meaningfulness of effect sizes in psychological research: Differences between sub-disciplines and the impact of potential biases. Frontiers in Psychology, 11 April. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2019.00813
Skourteli, M. C., & Apostolopoulou, A. (2015). An interpretative phenomenological analysis into counselling psychologists’ relationship
with research: Motives, facilitators and barriers – a contextual perspective. Counselling Psychology Review, 30(4), 16–33.
Thomas, A. (1996). Clinical audit: Setting professional standards for counselling services. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 9(1), 25–36.
Vassar, M. & Holzman, M. (2013). The retrospective chart review: Important methodological considerations. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 10(12), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2013.10.12
Wakefield, S., Kellett, S., Simmonds-Buckley, M., & Stockton, D. , Bradbury, A., & Delgadillo, J. (2021). Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) in the United Kingdom: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 10-years of practice-based evidence. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 1–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12259
