Description
Book SynopsisWritten for counsellors working in healthcare settings who want to develop their knowledge and undertake research, this book explores the range of benefits that can be generated by undertaking reflexive research.
Focusing on the condition of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which she has herself, Gillian Thomas demonstrates how this approach can develop knowledge of a condition, but also offer therapeutic benefits to clients by increasing understanding of their condition and the interaction between the physical and emotional aspects of living with a long term disease. She outlines how to develop ethically appropriate research methods, how to carry out reflexive research and reflects on the knowledge that she has gained from her own research, teasing out its benefits for those working with a range of diseases in healthcare settings.
This book will be valued by counsellors and other professionals working in healthcare settings, particularly those working with ongoing medical conditions.
Trade ReviewInspirational is a word which I find is often overused when it comes to book reviews, however, on this ocassion, I must begrudgingly agree with Kim Etherington's declaration in her foreword that this indeed is an inspirational book, and I would especially recommend it for those engaged in research requiring the management of research paradoxes such as those dealt with here. -- Sara Edwards, Chronic Illness
The condition of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a long history of misdiagnosis, misunderstanding and misconceptions. This book shines a revealing light on a subject that has for too long been hidden away in a dark corner. Extremely useful for anyone working with clients who have any form of long-term disease. -- HCPJ April 2009
If this book helps medical professionals see patients as people, it will have been extremely wothwhile. -- Therapy Today
A rare exemplar of counselling practitioner-research in an NHS setting, this work is a readable and engaging resource for anybody who wants to know more about being a counsellor or practitioner-researcher with people with chronic illness, or about the needs of people who have inflammatory bowel disease, whether as a person diagnosed with these conditions, health worker, family member, or service provider. -- Kim Etherington PhD, Professor of Narrative and Life Story Research, University of Bristol
Table of ContentsPreface. Foreword. 1. Introduction. 2. Methodology and methods. 3. A philosophical framework for researching clients' experiences. 4. The experience of the counsellor. 5. Physical, medical and social issues for clients. 6. Emotional and psychological issues for clients. 7. Reflections on reflexive research and ongoing counselling work. Appendix 1. Example of the `problem' assessment sheet. Appendix 2. Example of the `aim' assessment sheet. Appendix 3. Example 1 of `overall' assessment sheet. Appendix 4. Example 2 of `overall' assessment sheet. References. Subject Index. Author Index.
