Emerging Framework for Strathclyde Therapy Research Center

Entry for 10 September 2006

We (Lorna Carrick, Lorna Patterson and Sheila McKenzie) are developing complementary proposals for a therapy research clinic that would encompass three different components and functions. The first two would link to, carry forward or encompass the Tayside Clinic in Dundee, developed by John McLeod, Dave Mearns, and Mick Cooper, with funding from the Carnegie Endowment and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Social Anxiety Treatment Development Study: This study would develop Person-Centered/Process-Experiential treatments for social anxiety, currently an important area of treatment development for CBT and one which has been virtually ignored by humanistic approaches. However, there is some research evidence that indicates that a pure PCT approach may be less effective with anxiety problems, and thus that PC/E approaches require further development in order to become more effective. On the other hand, problems of social-interpersonal withdrawal and poor self-worth have been part of the focus for PCT since its beginning.

Strathclyde Practice-Based Research Clinic. This component would involve the development and testing of a practice-based research protocol that could be implemented as part of a requirement for all diploma students to see at least one client in a such a protocol, either as part of a placement, or through the new clinic. This would be put forward as a training innovation, meant to provide an example for other postgraduate counselling and psychotherapy training courses.

Strathclyde Psychotherapy Service. The third component would be a fee-for-service clinic for Counselling Unit professional staff to see clients, with an overhead charge going to maintain the whole thing. Clients seen in this component would be offered opportunities, as appropriate, to take part in either of the other two research protocols.

We are working on complementary funding proposals for the first two components, and hope to submit them this week. At least on the work side of the settling-in process is moving forward!