How do counsellors experience working with relatives of individuals with acquired brain injury?
As part of my MA in professional counselling, I am studying the area of emotional support for family members whose relatives have sustained a brain injury.
This is a qualitative study to explore the experiences of counsellors working in this area.
Approximately 200,000 people are admitted to hospital each year with acquired brain injury. This results in even larger numbers of relatives being impacted by a potentially life-long condition. Education support, peer support and socio-economic help for carers and families have gradually become more automatically included in holistic service provision but there is still a lack of recognition of the psychological distress for relatives.
When relatives do access counselling, I am interested in exploring what themes, needs and challenges the therapists then encounter. This study provides an opportunity to uncover and examine the nature of these interactions 鈥� to hear first-hand from the counsellors at the coal face.
Method:
This will involve reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured, on-line interviews. These would take up to 60 minutes of your time using Microsoft teams, securely linked to the Waverley Abbey College (WAC) Outlook account. You will be asked about your experience in working with relatives of people with brain injury. You will be able to withdraw at any time until the data analysis.
Participant criteria 鈥� You need to be:
鈥� resident in the UK
鈥� qualified in professional counselling to diploma level or above.
鈥� experienced in working with adults who bring issues relating to a relative who has an acquired brain injury and to have worked with such a client in the last 12 months
鈥� able to engage with online interviews in English via Microsoft teams
If you have had such a client and feel interested, I would really appreciate your involvement - many thanks!
Contact: tabitha.mathers@waverleyabbeycollege.ac.uk
You can view the participant information sheet here.