From Rogers (1961) to Stern (2004) counselling and psychotherapy practitioner-researchers have identified special moments of psychological contact within psychotherapeutic relationships that are recognisably different. These moments have a particular relational quality of 'oneness' and have been seen as indicators of movement towards change and development: a greater understanding of these seemingly palpable, but ineffable, moments may therefore contribute to the wider ideal of improvement in the art and science of psychotherapeutic praxis. Using a bricolage of visual and performance methodologies, this inquiry sought to capture psychological therapists' experiences of these 'moments of meeting' in the form of sculptural artefacts. Approximately forty co-researcher/ participants were an opportunistic sample taken from professionals attending two counselling/ psychotherapy conferences. In wishing to discover the most appropriate format for dissemination of the first cycle of inquiry, the author embarked on a second cycle that offers a discovery of the data as a script, incorporating a personal narrative of his own research journey and the words of a further half dozen colleagues. This script was then performed to another conference audience of just less than twenty counselling professionals: an audio-visual record of this performance is provided. It is suggested that the credibility of this research relies predominantly on the catalytic validity (Lather, 1986a) created through the research process and ongoing dissemination, which encourages a holistic appreciation of the cognitive, emotional, and physiological impacts of the data. This work does not seek to demonstrate findings, nor even explication, so much as offer description and opportunity: the author invites the target audience (psychotherapeutic practitioners) to immerse themselves in the images, the narrative, and the accompanying audio-visual digital files.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:665152 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Gallant, Mike |
| Publisher | University of Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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