Sex and relationships with regards to people with learning disabilities is an important area of research for two overarching reasons; the promotion of social equality for people with learning disabilities, and to promote safety. Many people with learning disabilities have the support of paid staff to enable them to live independent lives. Support-staff’s attitudes and opinions towards sex and relationships can have an impact on the type of support they provide. This study sought to explore what informs support-staff understanding of their role with regards to provision of support around sex and relationships, how learning disability support-staff conceptualise their role with regards to providing this support, and what conflicts arise as a result of their adopted role. The study employed a qualitative design, using semi-structured interviews with a sample of 11 support-staff from across South East England. A critical realist epistemology was adopted and a thematic analysis used to analyse the data. Three overarching themes emerged; ‘Definition of support work’, ‘Moral and value judgement’, and ‘Enablement and empowerment’. Support-staff discussed the changing nature of the support-staff role and how understanding of the overall support-staff role impacts on the type of provision towards sex and relationships. Support-staff identified the personal and value laden nature of decisions around sex and relationships, drawing on societal norms, family values and legislation to inform their role. Support-staff demonstrated a willingness to support people with learning disabilities with regards to sex and relationships and identified ways in which they could be enabled and empowered to do so such as organisational changes, clear guidance and support from external professionals. The findings have implications for clinical change in organisations and cross professional working in this area. Further research could take a more action focused approach to enable and empower support-staff in the arena of sex and relationships.

Are speaking and writing very much alike, or significantly different, and how do spoken language skills relate to writing? These are important questions, with implications in both theoretical and practical domains. However, notwithstanding a modest, but growing body of research, the nature of the relationship between spoken and written language continues to remain somewhat opaque at this point in time. The aim of this thesis was to explore the relationship between spoken and written language in a group of Year 5 children (aged 9 -10) within two UK primary schools. The investigation was framed by an alternative construction of a Simple Model of Writing closely mirroring the structure of the model used to represent the Simple View of Reading (SVR). In the proposed model, variability in written language skills is seen to be substantially predicted by spoken language and transcription skills. Seventy-four Year five students, aged nine to ten, attending two primary schools in the South of England kindly provided samples of their spoken language, written language, and transcription skills (spelling and handwriting). The data was analysed using a range of statistical measures designed to identify relationships between variables, with a primary focus on the relationship between spoken and written language. Analysis of the data confirmed the theoretical premise of the model, but suggested that, at this point in their education, spelling had a greater effect than spoken language skills on writing quality.

Although the body of literature exploring issues important for the lives of trans people has explored different forms of oppression, there is currently a paucity of research exploring responses to oppression specifically for young trans people. This research works with young trans people as ambassadors who contribute to the research design, analysis and procedure as participatory action researchers. Responses to oppression may be important to understand if we are to contribute to the changes needed at wider levels. For example community, institutional and social levels. The aims of this project are to join with young people who identify as trans, through meeting with them at a trans community interest group. By working in partnership with ambassadors we drew upon liberation psychology to guide the project and as a result we co- created and co-facilitated a group session. This session invited 5 other young trans people to talk about their lives. The research aim was to create a context to enable young people to tell stories of the everyday forms of resistance to oppression. This was done through the aid of a poster and by using the metaphor of a theatre stage to guide their story whilst also providing a safe position from which to tell it, and was named ‘The Theatre of Life’. These stories were analysed using a ‘narrative analysis’ where participants and ambassadors were involved in quality checks. The results found were primarily that the ‘Theatre of Life’ session can generate stories of resistance from young trans people. Their collective story of resistance was named ‘A Chorus of Self-Love As a Radical Act’. It explores the importance of queer community, overshadowed aspects of identity, finding safety and inspiring others to initiate social change beyond the trans community. The results also identify relevant audience members with whom these stories will resonate in order to create social action (community, institutional and political), as well as for therapeutic use. The results also produce opportunities for sharing stories using the creative arts (e.g. theatre, performance, art, spoken word, poetry) for increased impact and wide reach.

Mentalizing refers to a capacity to think about others or oneself in terms of intentional mental states (e.g. beliefs, desires, feelings). Mentalizing is particularly important in the early parent- infant relationship as it is thought to be the process underlying sensitive parenting and the foundation for healthy Mentalizing refers to a capacity to think about others or oneself in terms of intentional mental states (e.g. beliefs, desires, feelings). Mentalizing is particularly important in the early parent- infant relationship as it is thought to be the process underlying sensitive parenting and the foundation for healthy sychotherapy at enhancing PEM; 2) examine PEM and its associations with parental representations, infant attachment, maternal mental health, infant development and parent-infant interactions; and 3) conduct Thematic Analysis (TA) to investigate the elements of change in implicit and explicit parental mentalizing during early caregiving. This research intended to produce findings that could contribute to advancing clinical interventions aimed at fostering positive relationships with parents and their infants. In the current study, PEM was coded on data from a study in which mothers with mental health problems and their young infants (< 12 months) had been randomly allocated to parent-infant psychotherapy (n = 34) or treatment as usual (n = 31 ). The current project's quantitative findings revealed that PEM ignificantly improved over a 12-month period in both conditions (parent-infant psychotherapy and treatment as usual). PEM was significantly associated with maternal mental health, and parent-infant interactions, but was not associated with parental representations, infant attachment or infant development. TA investigated the processes of change in implicit and explicit mentalizing over the course of a year and produced two main themes: "From Turbulence to Synchronicity" and "The Outside World and Transformations". Analysis revealed that when change occurred, the relationship between parent and infant was transformed towards synchronicity within the dyad and towards resolution and re-engaging with the world outside the dyad. Findings suggest that clinical interventions could benefit from integrating embodied and reflective processes into the therapeutic process to increase parental mentalizing and enhance the wellbeing of infants and their families.

There is an immense amount of research, most of it quantitative, on the topics of romantic relationships, romantic secrecy, bicultural difficulties, acculturation, and issues for individuals who are in the first or second generation of immigration. However there is a paucity of published research on the personal experiences of bicultural, specifically British Indian, people in secret romantic relationships. This research attempts to address the gap by exploring these experiences to gain deep insights into issues for second-generation British Indian women who are in romantic relationships that they choose to keep secret from their first-generation parents. The hope is to help expand the knowledge base of counselling psychologists in this area, and to increase awareness both of the mental health of bicultural women and of the issues they might face. For this study, the qualitative approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to interview, and analyse the transcripts of, a homogenous sample of six British Indian women. They were born in the United Kingdom and raised by parents who had emigrated from other countries. They were aged 20 to 22 and, at the time of the interviews, were all in long-term relationships kept secret from their parents, except for one participant who had ended her secret romantic relationship. The following three superordinate themes and their subordinate themes emerged from the data: Biculturalism - A double life - The culture clash - The negotiation of personal values Dependent Decisions - The particular choice of a partner - Holding on to one’s virginity - Retaining the image of a good Indian girl Freedom - Experiencing the short-lived freedom to date - The costs of being in a secret romantic relationship - The right time to reveal the secret romantic relationship The research findings indicate that the experiences of British Indian women in secret romantic relationships are complex, and suggest limitations on the women’s autonomy as they make decisions that are dependent on other people’s happiness. Their psychological distress is a product of psychosocial and bicultural issues, inter-generational conflicts, intense pressure, and stressors that have an effect on their well-being and how they manage their relationships. The research suggests that bicultural clients may be attracted to therapy to aid them through any bicultural stress or potential familial conflicts they may experience. Counselling psychologists are well placed to work with this particular client group due to their understanding of the psychological issues surrounding the group, allowing practitioners to tailor their therapeutic interventions appropriately. Moreover the research findings could be used to encourage British Indian women to be more open about their feelings regarding their hardships by raising their awareness. Future research might include a follow-up study on how this sample of British Indian women experience their secret romantic relationship during the next few years. Furthermore a study following the experiences of British Indian men in secret romantic relationships could shed new light on this relatively hidden world. Additionally further research, in the light of this study, on the culture-clash that first-generation parents experience with their second-generation children may also be revealing. The research outcomes illustrate the importance of providing the support that bicultural women need, as their difficulties are not always articulated openly, making them less evident to healthcare professionals. It is hoped that this contribution to research in counselling psychology offers fresh understandings and might prompt an increased awareness of issues facing clients from this culture.

The purpose of the thesis was to evaluate a positive psychology intervention called the ‘three good things in life’ technique (Seligman, Steen, Parker and Peterson, 2005). The research used a case study approach, within one school and the technique was implemented with one year five and one year six class (nine to eleven year olds), who completed the ‘three good things’ technique for one week. The research focused on an analysis of the completed booklet, a focus group with six pupils, teacher interviews and individual parental feedback interviews. Overall there were forty-two pupils from the two year groups who participated in the research and completed the ‘three good things’ booklet (Seligman et al., 2005), six pupils took part in the focus group, two of the pupils’ parents participated in the interviews and the two class teachers were interviewed. The results of the thematic analysis and data triangulation showed that all pupils enjoyed using the technique and reported positive experiences in self-administrating the ‘three good things’ booklet and wanting to carry on doing the technique beyond the one week period. Feedback for the technique was very positive, as reported by pupils, teachers and parents. Increases in pupil positive self-reflection and prosocial behaviour were noticed by pupils and class teachers, although there were no changes with negative behaviours, as the classes did not have pupils with behavioural needs. In the booklet the pupils wrote about how they were improving in key subjects, but also social behaviours were logged such as helping each other, and the pupils developing their personal skills or traits. There were also participant recommendations for improving the booklet including the option of pupils customising the booklet. It is important to note that future research will need to focus on quantifying the amount of noted improvements in behaviour or progress that the pupils make when using the ‘three good things in life’ technique (Seligman et al., 2005). It is also important to note that the research was of a preliminary nature with a small research group, and therefore it will require further research to add to its evidence base. Overall, this study has demonstrated some potential benefits of the ‘three good things’ technique (Seligman et al., 2005) and the ease of using it with children and also within education. Further research can expand on this initial qualitative analysis and provide further information for future studies and debate.

This action research study aimed to improve practice by identifying the barriers of using multimedia self-advocacy tools with young people with Cerebral Palsy, and developing strategies to overcome these challenges. A literature review highlighted the limited evidence in the area of self-advocacy for young people with Cerebral Palsy, as well as demonstrating the benefits of emancipatory qualitative methodologies. The planning of the research was person-centred, and carried out with immense thought towards the Children and Families Act (2014), and other relevant codes of practice. Three young people with Cerebral Palsy were recruited in a special educational setting. The action research cycle, in conjunction with a measurement of active participation known as the ladder of participation, were utilised to provide a framework for a collaborative working partnership between researcher, facilitator and participant. Thematic analysis was employed to treat the subsequent data. The results demonstrate that multimedia self-advocacy tools can be beneficial for young people with Cerebral Palsy, and establishes adaptations that successfully increased participation. These findings have the potential to inform the researcher’s own professional practice and that of the wider EP community; the strategies implemented by institutions; and policy, including legislation, at a national level.

Being a parent at midlife often entails the management of significant biological, cognitive, emotive, and psychosocial changes. This is often accompanied by increased responsibility in the home and work domains. Those who are parents at midlife will often have a child in adolescence, whose cognitive maturation may pose additional challenges to the status quo of an established family system. For twenty years, researchers have recognised the potential interaction of midlife themes in the parent with the challenges of parenting an adolescent. However, no studies to date have explicitly investigated the presence of these midlife themes, their possible interaction with the parent-child relationship, and the effects on parental wellbeing. 89 participants: 72 mothers and 17 fathers, completed an online questionnaire, comprised of measures of depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem and satisfaction with life. The questionnaire also included devised questions on two key themes of midlife: growth and decline, and facing one’s own mortality, along with questions identifying the presence of protection and resilience factors, and the quality of the parent-child relationship. It was hypothesised that a) there would be differences in psychological wellbeing between parents parenting a firstborn child in adolescence, as opposed to a different life stage b) that mothers would score lower in psychological wellbeing than fathers, and c) that those parenting a child in the adolescent transition would show lower levels of parental sense of competence than those parenting a child at a different life stage. Psychological wellbeing scores were largely within an average range, but significant differences were found in depression and stress: the MLA group (16-22 years) reported significantly less depression than the IEC group (0-8 years), the AT group (9-15 years) and the AD group (23+ years). They also reported lower levels of anxiety and stress, and higher levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life than the other three groups, but these differences were non-significant. The IEC group reported significantly more stress than the other three groups. They also reported lower levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life than most other groups. These differences were non-significant, however. No significant differences in wellbeing were found between mothers and fathers. Across all age categories, parental sense of competence was within an average range and no significant differences were found across child ages. Medium to strong agreement was found for the majority of the questions relating to midlife themes, and the parent-child relationship was found to be largely rewarding, but also less fulfilling in some aspects. The study provides an indication of differences in parental psychological wellbeing, according to the age of the firstborn child. It also shows similarities of experience with regard to midlife themes, and areas for further investigation in the nature of the parent-child relationship. This has implications for counselling psychologists working with midlife parents, as it reveals the complexities of parenting at this life stage, and the need to consider developmental issues regarding the life stage of the parent and child simultaneously. Suggestions are made for further research.

The impact of technology has been a key interest in gambling literature. Quantitative research studies appear to be prominent in the gambling field identifying positive correlations between positive attitudes towards gambling and problem gambling. Given the increased coverage of gambling in the media and the advances in technology, young people are more exposed to the behaviour. Young adults at the age of 18 are legal to gamble anywhere, it would be important for us to understand how they perceive gambling in order to shape support services for young people with problem gambling. This study aims to shed light on young adults’ perspectives of gambling and its representation in the media using a qualitative design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 10 participants between 18-25 years of age as they were deemed as young adults. Thematic analysis (TA) was used to analysis the transcripts. The analysis revealed three main themes; ‘Temptation’, ‘Stay Away’ and ‘What Would Others Think?’. Each theme consisted of four subthemes which illustrates how the participants perceived gambling and the factors that contributed to their perspective and understanding. The research findings illustrated that society and the media play a vital role in providing the participants with details of gambling. Participants all appeared to be enticed by advertisements and chances of winning in gambling but displayed ambivalence due to the consequences and stereotypes in gambling. There appeared to be evidence of a dilemmatic element in regard to gambling which was understood as the participants battling with common-sense. The research highlights a need to raise awareness of the consequences of gambling amongst young people and shape support services to acknowledge the tensions that gambling clients may face. The limitations of the study, implications for Counselling psychologists and recommendations for future research are presented.

A sea change occurred in the nineteenth century regarding how homosexuality was viewed. Same sex acts were pathologised, criminalised and essentialised. These negative discourses were assimilated by Christian doctrine, mapping these essences back into Scriptural texts and condemning those who call themselves gay and lesbian Christians. This has had profound effects on individuals within the Evangelical tradition with its emphasis on biblicalism, who then have to negotiate their religious and homosexual identities. The present study examines the processes involved in negotiating Christian and homosexual identities through the use of Dialogical Narrative Analysis. This is a narrative constructionist approach which looks beyond stories themselves, to examine how stories act in the lives of protagonists and the narrative resources protagonists utilise in their stories. Eleven lesbian and gay Evangelical Christians were interviewed about their stories of identity negotiation in Christian settings opposed to homosexuality. These were analysed to identify the underlying typologies of process which lead to a variety of outcomes for gay and lesbian Christians. Analysis revealed that there are two essentialist narratives at work in a protagonist's story: an assertive monological faith narrative which threatens foreclosure; and same sex attractions which become necessary to story through a gay/lesbian narrative. The proximity of relationship between these narratives determines five typologies of process: Same sex attraction invisibility; inchoate recognition of same sex attraction; narrative identity battles; dormant faith or sexuality; and 'I am what I am'. These narrative types of process function to help sustain a protagonist's identity, and shed light on the work the protagonist's story does in identity construction. The study suggests that the loosening of monological faith narratives by opening up narrative space, allows protagonists to remake their identities with authentic fabrications and thereby hold their own, countering the threat of finalisation.