Doing Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Student Resources
Weblinks
Exploring the research literature - key websites
An interesting way to develop a sense of what is happening in the field of counselling and psychotherapy research is to explore the websites associated with key researchers and research groups. The sites listed below represent only a sample of the internet resources of this type that are available.
Heidi Levitt
http://www.umb.edu/academics/cla/faculty/heidi_levitt
Jonathan Adler
https://sites.google.com/site/jonathanmadler/
Bill Stiles
http://www.users.miamioh.edu/stileswb/
Joshua Swift
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/psych/faculty/joshua-swift.cfm
Jennifer Callahan
https://faculty.unt.edu/editprofile.php?pid=1074&onlyview=1
Louis Castonguay
http://psych.la.psu.edu/directory/faculty-bios/castonguay.html
Andrzej Werbart
http://w3.psychology.su.se/staff/anwe/indexeng.html
Robert Elliott
https://www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/courses/counselling/staff/elliottrobertprof/
Laco Timulak
http://tcdlocalportal.tcd.ie/pls/public/staff.detail?p_unit=psychology&p_name=timulakl
Research on mindfulness
http://www.mindfulexperience.org/
Clinical Psychology Unit, University of Sheffield (Michael Barkham, Gillian Hardy)
http://www.shef.ac.uk/clinicalpsychology/research/psychological-therapies
Clara Hill (and research labs at University of Maryland)
Research organisations - key websites
A valuable way to learn about research is to become active in a society or professional association that supports research. These organisations usually run conferences and training workshops, and may also publish research resources and support research networks.
The main international ‘umbrella’ body is SPR. In addition to the organisations listed below, there exists a wide range of national and topic-specific research networks and groups.
Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR)
http://www.psychotherapyresearch.org
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
http://www.bacp.co.uk/research/
Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI)
Open-access research tools
Outcome measures
Instrument | Factors Assessed | Internet Source |
---|---|---|
CORE outcome measures (5, 10 or 34 items) | Overall level of psychological difficulties | http://www.coreims.co.uk/ |
Outcome Rating Scale (ORS; 4 items) | Global psychological difficulties | http://www.talkingcure.com/ |
PHQ-9 (9 items) | Depression | http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40025272/ |
GAD 7 (7 items) | Generalized Anxiety Disorder | http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40026141/ |
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) | Overall difficulties – anxiety and depression subscales |
http://www.depression-primarycare.co.uk
|
Self-Understanding of Interpersonal Patterns Scale (SUIP-R) | Self-understanding of maladaptive interpersonal patterns | http://www.med.upenn.edu/cpr/instruments.html |
Change Interview | Client’ experience of change | |
Simplified Personal Questionnaire (PQ) | 10-item individualised change measure | |
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): | 14 item positive mental health | |
Perceived Stress Scale | 10 item life stress |
Process measures
Instruments | Factors Assessed | Internet Source |
---|---|---|
Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAq-II) | 19-item scale: therapeutic alliance | http://www.med.upenn.edu/cpr/instruments.html |
Helpful Aspects of Therapy (HAT) Form | Open-ended descriptions and ratings of most/least helpful events in session | http://www.experiential-researchers.org/instruments.html |
Revised Session Reaction Scale | 24-item scale: task reactions, helpful reactions, hindering reactions | http://www.experiential-researchers.org/instruments.html |
Working Alliance Inventory – short form | 12-item scale: client-therapist agreement around bond, goals and tasks and overall quality of alliance | |
Client preference scales | A range of instruments | http://www.pluralistictherapy.com |
Session Evaluation Questionnaire | 21 items: depth, smoothness, positivity, arousal | http://www.users.muohio.edu/stileswb/ |