Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyse transprofessional family work theoretically and empirically. The aim was to deepen the knowledge regarding factors, which contribute or restrain transprofessional family work. In this study the family work is the Social and Health Care collaboration with families with children. The transprofessionality is the jointly agreed assessment of the family situation and the support they need that has been formed in partnership with the professionals and the family. The study was implemented with multiple constituency evaluation with Q Methodology. The statements (N=212) of the concourse of the transprofessional family work was compressed with theoretical pattern to the Q sample (N=44), which represents the main dimensions of the study topic. The participants of the Q sessions (N=34) were selected discretionarily according to multiple constituency evaluation from all key groups, which had interests to the study topic. The Q sessions provided the Q sort and the recorded interview, which represented the subjective perspective of the each participant. Data was analysed with PQMethod-software and the result of the factor analysis formed further three factors, which illustrated the three different discourses from the transprofessional family work. The first discourse emphasized client orientation and the importance of the training and skills in the partnership between professionals and families. The second discourse highlighted the significance of the leadership in the assessment of the transprofessional family work. There were issues in the interaction between people. The third discourse highlighted the structures and processes of the collaboration, which were managed by the skillful professionals without follow-up or supervision or any special guidelines for teamwork or networking practice. According to the consensus from the discourses, a good transprofessional family work is advanced by the families experience that the encounter has been authentic and they have had the chance to be heard in an open interaction with professionals. The working practices which strenghten families´ own resources, advance commitment to common objectives. Family work must be developed by observing the services as a whole from basic services to special services. The transprofessional family work is restrained by high turnover of workers, different viewpoints in customer orientation approach, and interaction difficulties between partners. Confidentiality is not an obstacle. The increasing of staff or time resources was not seen necessary, however leadership role needs clarification. The results of this study can be utilized when developing working practices, methods and an education of the Social and Health Care transprofessional family work. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli analysoida sosiaali- ja terveystoimen moniasiantuntijaista perhetyötä teoreettisesti ja empiirisesti sekä tavoitteena oli syventää tietoa moniasiantuntijaista perhetyötä edistävistä ja estävistä tekijöistä. Tässä tutkimuksessa perhetyö on sosiaali- ja terveystoimessa tehtävää yhteistyötä lapsiperheiden kanssa ja moniasiantuntijuus ammattilaisten ja perheen välisessä tasavertaisessa yhteistyökumppanuudessa syntynyt yhteinen käsitys perheen tilanteesta, tarvittavasta tuesta ja sen arvioinnista. Tutkimus toteutettiin monitahoarviointina käyttäen Q-metodologiaa tutkimusmenetelmänä. Moniasiantuntijaisen perhetyön keskusteluavaruuden väiteuniversumi (N=212) tiivistettiin teoreettisen mallin avulla tutkimusaiheen pääulottuvuuksia sisältäväksi väiteotokseksi (N=44). Koetilanteisiin valittiin harkinnanvaraisesti monitahoarvioinnin periaatteita noudattaen osallistujat (N=34) kaikista niistä avainryhmistä, joilla oli intressejä tutkittavaan aiheeseen. Koetilanteissa saatiin jokaiselta osallistujalta hänen subjektiivista näkökulmaansa edustava Q-jaottelu ja nauhoitettu haastattelu. Aineisto analysoitiin PQMethod-tutkimusohjelmalla, ja faktorianalyysin tuloksena muodostui kolme faktoria, jotka kuvasivat kolmea erilaista moniasiantuntijaisen perhetyön diskurssia. Ensimmäinen diskurssi korosti asiakaslähtöisyyttä sekä koulutuksen ja osaamisen merkitystä yhteistyössä ammattilaisten ja perheiden kanssa. Toisessa diskurssissa korostui johtajuus moniasiantuntijaisen perhetyön seurannassa ja arvioinnissa. Työelämässä nähtiin vuorovaikutuksen ongelmia. Kolmannessa diskurssissa korostuivat yhteistyön rakenteet ja prosessit, jotka vahvan ammattiosaamisen omaavat työntekijät hoitavat ilman johdon tehokasta valvontaa ja ohjausta tai erityistä ohjeistusta tiimi- ja verkostotyön käytännöistä. Diskurssien konsensuksen mukaan hyvää moniasiantuntijaista perhetyötä edistää asiakasperheiden kokemus aidosta kohtaamisesta ja kuulluksi tulemisesta avoimessa vuorovaikutuksessa ammattilaisten kanssa. Perheen omia voimavaroja vahvistavat työmenetelmät edistävät sitoutumista yhteisiin tavoitteisiin. Perhetyötä tulee kehittää tarkastelemalla palvelukokonaisuuksia peruspalveluista erityispalveluihin. Moniasiantuntijaista perhetyötä estävät työntekijöiden vaihtuvuus, erilaiset näkemykset asiakaslähtöisyydestä sekä yhteistyökumppaneiden väliset vuorovaikutusongelmat. Salassapitovelvollisuus ei ole este. Henkilöstö- tai aikaresurssien lisäämistä ei nähty merkittävänä tekijänä, mutta johdon rooli vaatii selkeyttämistä. Tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää kehitettäessä sosiaali- ja terveystoimen moniasiantuntijaisen perhetyön toimintakäytäntöjä, työmenetelmiä ja koulutusta.

Papers one and two have been prepared for submission to the journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. Paper one provided a review of studies investigating staff views about psychosocial aspects of recovery in psychosis. Fifteen studies met the criteria for the review. The first eight studies investigated staff views about recovery in psychosis more broadly. The remaining studies were grouped together according to similarities of recovery themes being investigated. Each study was summarised and critiqued with regards to their findings and limitations. Limitations to the review are also considered. The overall literature is evaluated and discussed with regards to clinical implications and suggestions for future research. Paper two investigated staff and service user views about mindfulness-based cognitive therapy groups for psychosis (MBCT). Q-methodology was used to explore participants’ beliefs about a range of views about MBCT for psychosis and to compare similarities and differences between views. Staff and service user data were analysed separately. Analysis resulted in a single consensus factor for staff views, and four factors for service user views about MBCT for psychosis. Overall, the staff sample strongly disagreed that mindfulness is harmful but were uncertain about its usefulness in the treatment of psychosis. The service user sample advocated the utility of mindfulness interventions for promoting wellbeing and reducing the symptomatic distress associated with psychosis. Paper three provides a critical reflection of the systematic review (paper one), and the empirical paper (paper two). An appraisal of the research process as whole is provided, in addition to how findings from paper one and paper two relate to the wider context of theory, research and practice.

Background. Paper I: Published guidelines and policies continually promote the importance of increasing service-user involvement in health care services. Q-methodology has become a popular method for revealing the subjective perspectives of patients who use health services, yet there is currently no review considering the potential issues of using Q-methodology with clinical populations. Paper II: Measuring the quality of care for people using neurorehabilitation services is a complex area requiring reliable methods. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is used widely in dementia care settings to help improve person-centred care and with appropriate evaluation may be usefully applied to neurorehabilitation settings. Aims. Paper I [literature review] examined studies which used Q-methodology with clinical populations, with a particular emphasis on the potential adaptations required to ensure its reliable use. Paper II [research study] explored the acceptability views of staff and patients for the pilot use of DCM in a neurorehabilitation setting. Paper III attempted to critically appraise these papers, as well as the research process overall. Methods. Paper I reviewed 29 studies, published over a 20-year period, using a narrative synthesis. Paper II conducted DCM on an acute neurorehabilitation ward, and evaluated the acceptability of DCM using Q-methodology with 23 staff and 10 patients on the ward. Results. Paper I identified a number of considerations for the effective application of Q-methodology with clinical populations. Paper II, reporting on the factor analysis, indicated a 'consensus' viewpoint, where all participants indicated positive acceptability for the use of DCM in a neurorehabilitation setting, with additional factors indicating some potential changes to the tool for increasing acceptability in the future. Paper II also indicated the potential for Q-methodology to be useful with a neurorehabilitation in-patient population. Conclusion. Paper I indicated the potential worth of Q-methodology for use with clinical populations. It also indicated guidelines which researchers might consider when using this method with clinical populations in the future. Paper II revealed promising results for the acceptability of DCM in a neurorehabilitation setting, though further research is required to explore this further. It also confirmed the value of Q-methodology with patients within a neurorehabilitation setting, similarly to those in Paper I. Paper III explored the relevance of Papers I and II in adding to the literature independently, but also the unequivocal link regarding the use of Q-methodology with clinical populations.

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is an empirically supported and developmentally appropriate counseling intervention for young children. Despite the clinical effectiveness of CCPT with children, no known study has been conducted in which parents were surveyed or interviewed regarding the services they have received as a part of their children’s participation in CCPT. Therefore, this study was designed to gain a better understanding of parents’ reported needs and expectations in CCPT. This study utilized Q-methodology in which participants completed a Q-sort by actively sorting 40 items on a continuum of least important to most important. Items included services and processes regarded by CCPT scholars and child therapy practitioners as being important to working with parents. Data was collected from 19 parents of children receiving CCPT services in a community-based counseling clinic. Participants included 16 females and 3 males; 15 Caucasian and 4 Hispanic; and 14 biological parents, 2 adoptive parents, and 3 other biological caregivers. Data was analyzed using centroid factor analysis, and results revealed a one factor solution representing 18 of the 19 participants. Eighteen parents reported similar beliefs regarding the processes they consider most and least important to their experience in working with child-centered play therapists. In general, parents’ beliefs aligned with CCPT philosophy, particularly in regards to respecting children’s natural pace of development and healing. Furthermore, parents shared preferences for play therapists who demonstrate expert knowledge and training and who understand the individual needs of their children. Discussion includes implications for the practice of CCPT and training of future play therapists, limitations of the study, and implications for future research.

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The demand for audiobooks is higher than ever--and increasing each year, surpassing the growth rate of electronic books, print books, and the US economy overall. Audiobooks have long been used to aid adolescent and struggling readers; however, recent studies have revealed that the majority of audiences consume audiobooks for the purpose of entertainment and relaxation. Despite this, much of the research available on audiobooks still applies to audiobooks as they are used in education. The purpose of this study was to understand the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of people who love listening to audiobooks. The study was conducted using Q methodology, a behavioral research approach that combines quantitative and qualitative methods in order to measure audience perspectives. The results produced four factors: (a) Busy Bookworms, who listen because they do not have time to sit down and read; (b) Non-Readers, who enjoy audiobooks because they dislike reading physical books; (c) Experience Lovers, who listen so they can be immersed in a world of their own; and (d) Entertainment Seekers, who view audiobooks as a reward to motivate them to accomplish mundane daily tasks. The results of this study also revealed nuanced multitasking behaviors, as well as psychological gratifications for audiobook consumption.

Mathematics education has gone through multiple reform efforts over the last century and continues to be the target of improvement efforts. Past changes in curriculum and goals have sometimes led to heated debates between various stakeholders. Knowing the views of different stakeholders can help determine what common ground there is between these different groups and where areas of disagreement might arise. Parents are especially important to understand because they have been influential in past reform efforts. Despite the importance of parents' opinions, little research has been conducted concerning their perspectives on the importance of mathematics teaching. Using Q-methodology, I was able to discern major beliefs about mathematics teaching held by parents including the most and least important reasons for teaching mathematics, as well as the commonalities and differences in parents' perspectives.

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