How do therapists experience being person-centred in their client work in a women鈥檚 prison?
Are you a person-centred Counsellor/Psychotherapist who has worked with women in prison?
If so, I would like to hear from you!
My name is Vicky Larkins, and I am an MSc student in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Salford. As part of my dissertation research, I am conducting a study titled 鈥淗ow do therapists experience being person-centred in their client work in a women鈥檚 prison?鈥�
I am seeking to recruit qualified person-centred therapists with experience of working with at female clients in a prison setting.
The study aims to develop insight into role the environment plays in the relationship built between client and therapist, from the therapists鈥� perspective; to develop understanding of the person-centred therapists鈥� perception of holding the Roger鈥檚 necessary and sufficient conditions for clients in prison; and to highlight differences noticed by person-centred therapists in their approach to therapy with clients in prison versus other settings.
Adopting a qualitative approach, this study will analyse interviews using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to identify and interpret patterns across the qualitative data set.
Eligibility Criteria
Participants must:
a) be qualified person-centred therapists
b) currently be in practice
c) have worked with at least two women clients in a prison setting within the past 5 years
d) be based in the UK
What Participations Involves
Participants will be invited to take part in a semi-structured interview, which will take up to one hour to complete. Interviews can either be conducted in-person, at the University of Salford Counselling Centre, or online, via Microsoft Teams.
Interviews will explore participants experience of working with women in prison as a person-centred therapist, the benefits and challenges of working from the person-centred modality and the impact of their experience on their therapeutic practice more generally.
Why this Research Matters?
Whilst there is awareness of the challenges women in prison face with their mental health, most research into counselling in prison focuses on the role of the prison environment and very little research exists specifically looking at counselling with women in prison. By engaging person-centred therapists in this research, I aim to provide an opportunity for deeper enquiry into the experience of person-centred therapists, as well as developing insight on the interplay between theory and practice. The findings will contribute to a growing body of knowledge and may inform future training for therapists.
If you have any questions or would like to participate, please contact me at v.j.larkins@edu.salford.ac.uk or my supervisor, Phil Eva, at P.K.Eva@salford.ac.uk. Thank you for considering this opportunity to contribute to an important and under-researched area of counselling and psychotherapy.
I look forward to hearing from you
Vicky Larkins