The scandal surrounding R.D. Laing’s work concerns both his life and his theories. Given that there is sufficient biographical material on Laing already in existence, this thesis focuses upon his theoretical contributions. No substantial review and critique of the criticism of Laing is currently in existence. The main objectives of this thesis are to evaluate the critiques of Laing, and to examine these in the light of his contributions to social theory. The critiques of Laing fall into three main categories: conservative critiques by psychiatrists, feminist critiques, and left-wing criticism. The methodological problems involved in the production of a critique are highlighted within each category of criticism. Some of the critiques of Laing constitute little other than criticism of the critic’s own misreading and misinterpretation of his work, which omit the lack of textual evidence to support the critic’s claims. The lines of development of key concepts within Laing’s work, and his intentions for his projects, may be ignored. Laing’s feminist critics view his work as prejudiced against women. This thesis examines the lack of validity within this assertion, and provides an original reading of Laing’s work as of benefit to women, through Laing’s central concern of making ‘madness’ intelligible. The importance of certain of Laing’s ignored texts, such as Reason and Violence, (1964) is highlighted through their centrality to his theoretical contributions. This thesis aims to debunk some of the myths surrounding Laing’s work, such as that it glorifies psychosis. Sedgwick, in particular, has been responsible for the promotion of some of these myths. The poverty of his critique is replicated by other critics, as is a similar poor approach to the production of criticism. Critiques of elements of Laing’s work which lie outside of the standardised criticism are provided, in which the attempt to avoid reproducing the same errors as the other critiques is made. The principles required for a coherent critique of an author’s work are elucidated.

The first paper is a systematic review of 12 qualitative studies to determine what factors are important in facilitating multicultural clinical supervision. Key themes included self-disclosure, knowledge and learning, acknowledging cultural issues and making them explicit, non-endorsement of stereotypic and/or prejudiced assumptions and behaviours, creating a safe space, developing personal awareness of identity and views, and listening to and respecting different perspectives. The qualitative literature exploring supervisors' and supervisees' experiences improves our understanding of how to promote effective multicultural supervision. A supervisory relationship in which supervisees feel safe to be open and honest about issues of culture, diversity and difference is a key factor in facilitating multicultural clinical supervision. The second paper focussed on the area of openness and honesty, and aimed specifically to gain an understanding of UK trainee clinical psychologists' experiences of (non)disclosure within the supervisory relationship. Twelve participants were recruited from five clinical psychology training courses in England. Semi-structured interviews were audiotaped and transcribed by the researcher. Data were analysed systematically using modified grounded theory, and a model of(non)disclosure developed. The supervisory relationship played a crucial role in either facilitating or hindering trainees' sense that it was safe to disclose. Developing a trusting relationship was particularly important when disclosure was perceived as difficult. Trainees who felt that disclosure could not be utilised safely, experienced a negative impact on learning and often sought support from other sources. Trainees' experiences of supervisors' response to disclosure had a significant impact on disclosure values and therefore their willingness to disclose in future supervisory relationships.

Stigma about mental health is often cited as a major reason why those who would benefit from treatment for mental health disorders do not seek help. It is suggested that potential consumers deny themselves treatment in order to avoid the resulting public discrimination and self- stigmatisation. However, the empirical evidence to support this theory is mixed. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the research on either side of the debate. Although some evidence for an association between attitudes, intentions and behaviour towards care seeking exists it is not conclusive. Typically, correlational studies are used so causation cannot be established. In addition, much research is limited by the sampling of non-clinical populations. The lack of established scales and universally accepted concepts of stigma reduce the amount to which studies are comparable. Thus, the research considered does not provide conclusive evidence that stigma negatively affects treatment seeking. However, further research is needed to investigate the mediating effects of different factors affecting care seeking and this may further our understanding of the role of stigma in treatment seeking.

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This doctoral thesis broadly explores lived experience of mental health "recovery" and narratives of experts by experience. Both "recovery" and "service user involvement" are key concepts in mental health service provision; however the thesis explores the contrast of rhetoric with lived experiences. The thesis comprises a literature review, a research paper and a critical review. In addition, a final section is dedicated to the ethical procedures undertaken prior to undertaking the research. The literature review adopts a meta-study approach in order to synthesise the findings of nine qualitative papers studying lived experience of mental health recovery in the UK. Three overarching concepts are suggested: "social relations", "life is changing" and "reclamation of experience". Additionally the methodological and theoretical aspects are critically appraised and implications for the recovery agenda considered. The research paper explores narratives of experts by experience who deliver training in partnership on the subject of personality disorder. A narrative framework led to a temporal understanding of how the role impacts on life stories. In particular the findings suggest that early experiences were characterised by powerlessness, which were followed by a process of identity changes as a professional 'self emerged in taking up the trainer role. These findings were linked to social identity theories and relevant political contexts. Finally, the critical review presents personal reflections and a further critique of the research process. This paper includes an exploration of the dialogue and interaction between researcher and participants and a consideration of the importance of narratives. Overall the thesis highlights the social construction of mental health experience and the impact of social, political and cultural contexts.

The thesis is an historical record of the beliefs held within the division of counselling psychology at the time of the data collection in November 1998. The broad area of interest is the provision of psychological services by counselling psychologists to individuals who have enduring mental health problems. This research topic was chosen for its personal relevance to the researcher, who at the time was employed as the sole psychologist within a CMHT. The researcher provided psychological therapy to individuals with enduring mental health problems as well as indirect psychological services to other members of the CMHT - supervision, training and liaison with other professionals providing care to service users. The following sections, and the items within them were included because of their relevance to, and association with, the research topic. They also provide the context for understanding the social, political and professional dimensions of the research findings.

Background: Despite the increased presence of clinical psychologists in paediatric services, including palliative care teams, there has been little research into their experience of working with children with life-limiting conditions. Existing studies have tended to focus mainly on the experience of medical professionals working in this area. Such studies have found that working with life-limiting conditions and child death has a significant impact on medical professionals, causing stress, burnout and feelings of professional failure. As clinical psychologists have a role in supporting the emotional needs of children, families and staff teams, it is important to explore their experiences, the impact that such work has on them, and any potential personal and professional implications. Aims: After identifying the above gap in the research, this study aimed to explore clinical psychologists‟ experiences of working with children with life-limiting conditions. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven qualified clinical psychologists who were working in hospital settings with children with life-limiting conditions. The transcripts of the interviews were then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Three superordinate themes emerged from the analysis: „The meeting of two worlds: When psychology and medicine converge‟, „Nobody is immune: Facing the challenges of working of life-limiting conditions‟ and „Balancing the rough with the smooth: Finding a way to manage‟. Implications & conclusion: Participants experienced challenges in having to adapt to a medical world and in facing emotional impacts however, they also reported positive experiences from their work. The study raised many implications for clinical practice including the need to potentially help psychologists to prepare for the possible changes required when practicing in a hospital setting. This could perhaps be incorporated more into clinical training or be provided as in-house training when starting in the post.