Research online 2021: Theories, approaches and disorders
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Watch recordings related to working with different theories, approaches and disorders.

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Symposium: Arts for the Blues

Depression affects a large number of adults in the UK, often resulting in referral to mental health services within the NHS. A new creative psychological therapy, Arts for the Blues, has been developed integrating evidence-based approaches with arts psychotherapies. The aim of this symposium is to present the development of Arts for the Blues and to showcase current research, building its evidence base.

Dr Joanna Omylinska-Thurston provides an introduction to the Symposium presentations.

Symposium paper 1

A new creative evidence-based intervention for depression (Arts for the Blues) – pilot workshops in IAPT with clients with depression and therapists

Professor Vicky Karkou and Dr Joanna Omylinska-Thurston present a new creative evidence-based intervention drawing on CBT, counselling for depression and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as arts psychotherapy to widen clients’ choice.Ìý

Download Arts for the Blues – Pilot workshops in IAPT handout (pdf 1.21MB)

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Symposium paper 2

Arts for the Blues: the development of a new creative group psychotherapy for depression

Dr Joanna Omylinska-Thurston, Dr Scott Thurston, Jo Leather, Rachel Calleja and Emma Perris combine creative psychological therapy with arts psychotherapies in three levels.

Download Arts for the Blues – Development of new creative group psychotherapy handout (pdf 2.68MB)

Symposium paper 3

Creative psychotherapeutic flow: Flow in a creative arts psychological intervention

Ailsa Parsons explains that psychological flow describes the sense of being immersed in a challenging yet enjoyable activity, sometimes referred to as being in the zone¹. This study evaluates the importance of flow in a psychological evidence-based and multimodal creative psychotherapy workshop (Arts for the Blues), and the effects of the workshop on mood change and personal goal attainment.

Download Arts for the Blues – Creative psychotherapeutic flow handout (pdf 2.5MB)

Symposium paper 4

Arts for the Blues for survivors of coercive control in cultic groups

Dr Linda Dubrow-Marshall presents a creative intervention within a pluralistic framework, designed to help people to improve their mood. Previously, this has not been offered to people who have experienced coercive control in the context of a cultic or extremist group. The researchers evaluated people's progress towards attaining personal goals, their psychological flow, acceptability and the feasibility of the intervention. The facilitators also reflect on their experience of offering this workshop.

Download Arts for the Blues –Survivors of coercive control in cultic groups handout (pdf 225kb)

Conclusions

Dr Joanna Omylinska-Thurston concludes the Symposium presentations.

Transforming laughter: An exploration of therapists' responses to client laughter

Research paperÌý

Kirstin Bicknell (winner of the CPCAB Counselling Research Award 2020) presents this under-researched area of counselling and psychotherapy where there is a lack of definition of different laughter types. The research explored therapists’ experience of their differing responses to client laughter, including physical sensations, affects and countertransference responses as well as therapeutic interventions around laughter. This paper aims to elucidate some different laughter types and provides the beginning of an exploration into how laughter relates to the therapeutic relationship.

Download Laughter in Therapy handout (pdf 647kb)

Approaching dissociation in the therapy setting through the lens of counselling therapy

Discussion paper

Angela Baslari approaches dissociation through the lens of counselling psychology, by exploring how cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) might fit into the philosophy of counselling psychology and what this suggests for delivering therapy to patients with dissociation. The three main areas of study were:

• assessment and formulation
• therapeutic interventions and containment
• looking forward and working towards uncomfortable feelings

Download Approaching dissociation therapeutically handout (pdf 573kb)

Critical perspectives on cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp)

Discussion paper

Ishba Rehman presents an analysis of CBT for psychosis (CBTp), from a critical lens. A rationale for selecting this topic and a review of relevant literature on psychosis, including its aetiology and symptomology, are also explored. Critical and reflexive perspectives on CBTp, including cultural and religious perspectives, based on Ishba's own position as a minority ethnic trainee-counselling psychologist, are discussed.

Download Critical perspectives on CBT for psychosis handout (pdf 559kb)

On the spectrum and in the room: Exploring experiences of traumatic stress in autistic women and implications for the counselling process

Discussion paper

Cloie Parfitt explores themes and challenges for autistic women such as social interactions, sensory sensitivities, trouble regulating emotions, barriers to receiving an autism diagnosis and accessing appropriate support. This participatory action research project will work directly with autistic women with self-reported histories of psychological trauma.

Download On the spectrum and in the room handout (pdf 1MB)

A literature review exploring the efficacy of person-centered counselling for autistic peopleÌý

Discussion paper

Lisa CromarÌýexplores the efficacy of person-centred counselling (PCC) for autistic people, due to the high prevalence rate of poor mental health in the autistic population. Lisa highlights that although the research in this area is minimal, what is available demonstrates that PCC, with adaptations could be a highly effective modality for the autistic client group.

Download A literature review efficacy of person centred counselling handout (pdf 1.83MB)