Background: The 'coming out' literature reveals there is a high degree of selectivity and fear of rejection around disclosure of sexual identity to others. It is suggested this distress can be particularly elevated around disclosure of sexual identity to the family. Recent research suggests that the age of disclosure around sexual identity within the family is shifting, but even with the recent growth of research within the lesbian, gay and bisexual community, researchers still do not fully understand the complexities of the 'coming out' process. Aim: This narrative study aimed to collect 'coming out' stories to better understand the process an adolescent goes through in disclosing their sexual identity to family. Participants: Seven participants were recruited through snowball sampling, four adolescents (one female and three male) who self-identified as lesbian or gay and three parents (three mothers) who had children that self-identified as lesbian or gay. Method: Participant stories were audio recorded in one semi-structured narrative interview, lasting up to 90 minutes. A narrative analysis was carried out drawing upon Labov's (1972) structural analysis and an adaption of Polkinghorne's (1995) narrative 'plots' to develop Thematic Concepts from the participant stories. Analysis: The structural analysis showed that participants did not restrict their stories to a single event of 'coming out' to the family. They spoke about 'coming out' experiences based around numerous chronological events across their life to date, and included evaluations of these. Five Thematic Concepts were developed from the seven participant stories - (1) the influence of self - a sense of knowing something; (2) the influence of the school environment; (3) the influence of culture and religion; (4) the influence of the digital age/new media; and (5) the influence of the family. Conclusions and Implications: Research literature suggests that 'coming out' should not be viewed as a one-time event, but an on-going process evolving across the lifespan. Historical and socio-political factors must also be considered in understanding the process of 'coming out'. With regards to clinical practice, this study suggests counselling psychology should be pro-active in advancing educative interventions to address heteronormativity and discrimination within society, as well as considering systemic approaches when working therapeutically with sexual minorities.

Aims and Rationale: Romantic relationships are recognised for playing a pivotal role for the emerging adolescent. These relationships are frequently reported to be detrimental to adolescent emotional and psychological well-being, though research focusing on adolescents’ romantic relationships in a clinical capacity is significantly restricted. This study endeavours to understand factors that affect youth in romantic relationships according to practitioners, and how these factors correspond to adolescents with no experience of therapy. These findings aim to broaden an understanding of the subject area, develop therapeutic practices and explore whether adolescents would benefit from counselling regarding their romantic relationships. Method: A mixed-method approach was used to carry out semi-structured interviews with 7 therapeutic practitioners to explore factors that affect adolescent romantic relationships. Themes extracted from a thematic analysis were used to develop an online q-sort survey with a non-clinical adolescent sample. Subjective viewpoints of 33 adolescents were quantitatively examined and triangulated with practitioners’ views. Results: The triangulated findings developed an understanding of factors that may affect adolescent adjustments to romantic relationships. Perspectives held by practitioners and those from adolescents, suggested key differences in developmental benefits, emotional and social adjustments and the role of adults. Similarities regarding the difficulties experienced by adolescent males were identified. Conclusion: Contributions of the findings go beyond whether counselling is appropriate or needed for adolescents in a romantic relationship. They add to an understanding of the discrepancies in the way romantic relationships are perceived by practitioners in affecting adolescents’ adjustments and development, as opposed to how young people actually experience these relationships.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic modality which is commonly argued to be oriented to a medical model, and so to diverge significantly in theory and practice from the traditional relational and humanistic roots of counselling psychology. A large body of literature and research exists which examines counselling psychologists’ professional identity in medical settings, but there appears to be a significant gap in the extant literature relating to how counselling psychologists experience professional identity specifically in the practice of CBT, a therapeutic modality which presently provides a considerable amount of employment for counselling psychologists. To address this gap, the present study sought to explore qualitatively whether counselling psychologists’ experience of their professional identity is affected by the inclusion of CBT in their practice. A sample of eight counselling psychologists who worked with CBT and had been qualified for at least five years were interviewed. Data gathered from the semistructured interviews were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a method selected because it is concerned with the detailed examination of personal lived experience and the meaning of experience to participants. The methodology was approached within the contextual constructionist epistemological framework. Three superordinate themes, each containing four subordinate themes, emerged from participants’ accounts: (i) components of professional identity; (ii) the contribution of CBT to the professional self; and (iii) how CBT compromises the professional self. The findings are discussed in relation to the relevant literature, and lines of enquiry that have emerged have been located in current postmodern literature, arguments and debates. One main conclusion of the present study is that feeling comfortable with CBT can CBT, Counselling Psychology and Professional Identity 3 depend upon practitioners’ initial training, personal experience, cultural background, personal characteristics and personal beliefs – that is, the professional self as emerging from the personal self. Clinical implications, methodological limitations, directions for future research and reflections upon the researcher’s reflexivity are presented.

This thesis critiques and describes the prevalent discourses regarding notions of 'difference' in counselling psychologist's talk. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants and were tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed. Participants were asked to speak about notions of 'difference' in their counselling psychology practice. Transcripts were then coded and analysed using a critical discursive psychological approach which looked for prevalent interpretive repertoires, ideological dilemmas and subject positions. This critical discursive psychology approach seeks to employ a twin focus of discourse analysis, attending to both the micro and macro levels of interactions and constructions. The prevalent discourses were described and critiqued by the researcher. Analysis of transcripts provided a rich range of possible constructions of 'difference' and were then grouped into headings and subheadings and presented to the reader. These notions of 'difference' are explored in relation to counselling psychology practice and the impact that they may have on therapeutic relationships. Interpretive repertoires included constructions of where 'differences' originate, how dimensions of 'difference' were constructed, positive and negative constructions of 'difference', 'difference' in relation to notions of power and prejudice and finally professional discourses on 'difference'. This thesis addresses how important it is for counselling psychologist's to analyse the discourses and constructions available to them so that their clients' are facilitated in the therapeutic encounter and so that practitioners' constructions of 'difference' do not hinder therapy. This study contributes to highlighting the need for counselling psychology's continued commitment to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practices.

This study seeks to qualitatively explore and understand counselling psychologists experience of subjective and objective countertransference within individual therapy and how this affects the counselling process. Historically the available literature suggests that the development of countertransference has been dominated through theoretical papers rather than empirical research. The complex nature of countertransference amongst practitioners can often cause controversy and debate when it is further broken down into subjective and objective factors. Not only does this impact the therapist, the client and the working alliance, but also the larger systems operating around these variables. This study provides a rich and detailed examination of subjective and objective countertransference through the methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Six counselling psychologists participated in a face-to-face semi-structured interview revealing countertransference in three parts; subjective, objective and contributory factors giving rise to seven superordinate themes. ‘Subjective’ Super-ordinate revealed ‘Professional, Personal and Reactors’. ‘Objective’ Super-ordinate found ‘Clients life outside the analysis’ and ‘Contributing Factors to Countertransference’ Super-ordinate encapsulated ‘Service restrictions, Therapeutic Relationship and Training’. These findings support several conceptual and theoretical published papers, however this empirical investigation adds to the literature through further informing clinical practice. It does so by separating parts of countertransference, digging deeper into those parts in an isolated way showing the affective processes, techniques, the interplay of evoked feelings to better manage countertransference in the moment of experiencing it and overall how this impacts the therapeutic relationship. Future research could consider exploring how counselling psychologists in the UK focus their attention on distinctive parts of subjective and objective countertransference (subjective countertransference thoughts, subjective countertransference feelings and subjective countertransference behaviours, as well as objective countertransference thoughts, feelings and behaviours separately), further research would also benefit from qualitative investigations of subjective and objective reactions when working with certain populations, for example, diagnosis/symptom-specific individuals, certain demographics and/or investigating couples or family systemic groups and whether this has any impact on the working alliance, therapeutic technique, intervention and outcome. Potential clinical implementation include counselling psychologists becoming better positioned to recognise when subjective and objective countertransference is occurring, what to do with it through the application of techniques and how to maintain a ‘good enough’ working alliance.

The effectiveness of Sexual Offending Treatment programmes has generally been measured through evaluating intervention content and reoffending rates. In response to the growing call to explore the role of therapeutic process in facilitating meaningful change on these programmes, this thesis considers how interpersonal dynamics may influence programme effectiveness from the perspective of the group member. This offers the opportunity to consider the impact of how we work, rather than what we do. The critical literature review uses a pluralistic framework to present relevant existing research and identify gaps in practice-based knowledge in the field of sexual offending intervention from a Counselling Psychology perspective. While the literature suggests interpersonal ingredients important to this process, it offers little information regarding where, when and how these qualities are effective. Furthermore, little is understood about the impact of relational dynamics between the facilitators and group members in creating a facilitative environment. This reveals broad gaps in research relating to a neglect of the client’s experience of these interactions and how they are conceptualised in their change process. This research therefore uses a social constructivist grounded theory method to generate data exploring these process issues. The results highlight the value of facilitators fostering a dynamic and balanced core interpersonal process that is sensitive to the unique context of these group interventions. This offers a foundation for group member engagement and effective group functioning relevant to subjective change. The implications for theory and practice are discussed, highlighting how a Counselling Psychology presence in this field has the potential to enhance practice. The study is concluded with reflections of the study’s limitations and areas in need of further research.

Since the recession has hit Greece, individuals have not only experienced financial loss but they have seen their whole life overhauled by the crisis. The purpose of this study is to explore how young Greeks who have recently graduated, or who are about to graduate, perceive their lives and futures at this time of severe economic crisis. More particularly, I tried to focus on their feelings (such as worries and hopes) about how the recession has impacted their lives and their feelings regarding their futures. Research has shown that during periods of recession, young individuals are affected the most and for that reason I chose this population as the target group of my research. Coming from the perspective of developmental and life-span theories that in order to achieve healthy psychological development, individuals need to go through particular tasks during their life span; I was particularly interested to see how the recession has psychologically affected young individuals who, even though they have recently ended two of the main markers that identify their transition to adulthood (education and gaining a professional qualification) due to the recession they were unable to move to the stages which are employment and financial in-dependence. I wanted to listen to these individuals’ stories and see how they perceive their lives and futures and what their feelings are during the period of recession. In a narrative framework, following an unstructured interview and asking the participants one main question, ‘What are your thoughts and feelings about your life and your future during the period of recession?’, the participants were allowed to express their stories and what they considered as important, creating in that way unique narratives that represented their own processes. The main themes that were identified from the stories are: ‘Their career choice and their hopes for employment prospects’, ‘Broken dreams and collecting the pieces’, ‘Impact of recession on the individual’, ‘Impact of recession on other aspects of their life’ and ‘Participants’ feelings about their future’. Presenting and exploring the participants’ stories I attempted to gain a better understanding and awareness of how the recession has impacted them psychologically, investigating their psychological needs finding ways to support them. The realisation of the significant losses that were described by the participants drove the researcher to turn to bereavement counselling theory trying to identify ways to psychologically support individuals who experience similar losses and clinical interventions were suggested.

This study examines how Taiwanese senior counsellors with substantial experience of ch’i-related exercise (CRE) perceived the influence of their regular CRE on their counselling practice. I am interested in the perceived influence of CRE on both self-care and professional practice. In this studyn this studyn this study n this study n this study n this study, CRE, CRE, CRE, CRE, CRE refers to any refers to any refers to any refers to any ch'i enhancing exercise that coordinates movement with breathing and inner concentration wherein ch'i is a first order concept used by practitioners and regarded by them as an embodiment of ideas related to human life and human existence and able to be experienced and refined through any ch'i related exercise. CRE is a set of practices and an intrinsic part of local culture in Taiwan which in recent years, has become popular practice in Taiwanese society. There are growing numbers of counselling professionals involved in regular CRE in recent years. Studies examining the effects of CRE indicate the benefits of CRE on practitioners' global health and personal growth. However, no previous study has investigated the influence of the long-term regular use of CRE on counsellors‟ self-care and counselling practice. The narrative research design for this study was developed from a post-structural theoretical perspective located in the domain of social constructivism. The data were co-constructed between the researcher and 12 senior Taiwanese counsellors with substantial CRE experience using a semi-structured in-depth interview approach. Interview data were analysed using the structure-based approach developed by William Labov in the field of socio-linguistics. The study reveals an overall benefit of regular involvement in CRE for practitioners' global wellbeing and personal growth counsellor' self-care. The research findings also reveals the potential of ch’i to be used as a way of expressing health and illness and a way of understanding in therapy and CRE to be lived out in therapy as an embodiment. I argue that collectively the narratives, as a whole, give evidence of an increasing integratin of the ideas and practices of ch’i into counselling practice in contemporary Taiwan. This might even make up a new form of integrated and culturally appropriate practice, what I term "a new way of healing." These are therapeutic practices which value the potential of CRE for counsellor's self-care and personal growth; recognize the integral whole of the human person; promote conscious use of the knowledge and experience of ch’i and CRE in therapy as an important aspect of the therapeutic use of self. Implications for practice such as the potential of CRE to be introduced into counsellor training programmes for counsellors' preparation or ongoing education are provided. Recommendations for future research such as the development of a new healing modality based on the research findings are offered.

The aims of this study were to explore partners' experiences of living with a loved one with bipolar disorder and how they coped with these experiences. Another aim was to explore whether these individuals felt that Counselling Psychologists could play a role with care-giving tasks and their own psychological needs. Five individuals, who were currently living with, or had been living with, a partner with bipolar disorder, volunteered and participated in a semi-structured interview. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as described by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009). A table of super-ordinate and sub-ordinate themes was created as a result of this analysis. Partners' experiences are characterised by various phases which partners could move around and between. This was referred to as the 'cycle of changing illness awareness'. This theme adds to the existing literature. As partners moved around and between these phases they experienced different emotions, employed different coping strategies and had experiences of being 'in it together' interchangeably with being 'isolated and alone'. This research concludes that partners' experiences of caring for a loved one with bipolar disorder do not follow a linear, predictable path and as a result, professionals working with caregivers need to be aware of which phases of the 'cycle of changing illness awareness' partners are in when offering interventions. The analysis also suggests that partners cope differently when their loved one is manic and depressed. However, further exploration is still needed.

Background: The recent uprisings in Syria have displaced many individuals within and outside the country. Despite the large number of people affected by the war, little research captures their experiences. The literature in this area is predominantly of a statistical nature. This is problematic in the field of Counselling Psychology, which moves away from diagnosis to focus on individual experiences. Aim: The aim of this study is to understand the subjective experiences of Syrian refugees in the UK, particularly the strategies that have aided them in coping with these experiences. Research has indicated therapeutic benefits for the communication of coping strategies. Methodology: The research utilised a qualitative methodology, adapting principles of Narrative Inquiry. A total of three males participated in the research. Each participant was asked one opening question prior to beginning his story. Prompting questions were developed according to the content of each narrative. Each interview was transcribed and analysed in Arabic, which was the language spoken in the interviews. An inductive thematic analysis was utilised to analyse each transcript independently. Analysis: Each participant's story was presented separately, as the themes from each narrative differed from the rest. Essam's narrative was identified as consisting of five principal themes; 'Situation in Syria', 'Searching for a Better Place to Settle', 'Journey from Jordan to the United Kingdom', 'Support and Coping Strategies' and 'Feelings'. Mustafa's transcript was analysed as containing four principal themes; 'Experiences of the War While in Syria', 'Support and Coping Strategies', 'Impact of the War on Health' and 'Coming to the United Kingdom'. Talal's interview was analysed as covering six principal themes; 'Political Opinion', 'Experience of Being in the Army', 'Working to Help and Guide Others', 'Escaping from Syria', 'Life in the United Kingdom' and 'Support and Coping Strategies'. Conclusion: This research generates further understanding of the subjective experiences of Syrian refugees residing in the United Kingdom, which can inform future psychological interventions with this population. The participants' descriptions of various coping strategies that helped them with their experiences may help guide practitioners to understand potential barriers to treatment. Furthermore, cultural differences were identified which could also aid in understanding why Syrians may not attempt to access psychological support. Recommendations are suggested for working psychologically with Syrian refugees, alongside acknowledging limitations of the research and suggestions for further investigation and practice.