Practitioner Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy

In this thought-provoking text, Liz Bondi and Judith Fewell invite practitioners to move away from an approach to research that depends upon distance and objectification, and towards a method centred on practical wisdom developed through intense exploration of the lived experience of therapeutic relationships.Following a close examination of the flaws of dominant approaches to research in the field, the book provides a richly detailed exploration of a diverse range of subjective experiences, from both practitioners and clients.Written by a collection of authors with a wealth of experience in practice and academia, this insightful and evocative text will inspire anyone undertaking research in this field – be they students, educators or practitioners.

The authors offer a thoughtful and coherent discussion about the necessity of research outside the strictures of the medical model making an argument for more personal and experiential research being needed … I was impressed with the strength of the research that the authors used to consolidate their arguments.

Professor Liz Bondi divides her time between the School of GeoSciences and the School of Health in Social Science, where she is co-Director, at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests span counselling studies, feminism and emotional geographies. She is a counsellor accredited by COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland). Judith Fewell is a Lecturer in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh. A registered psychotherapist with the British Psychoanalytic Council, she works part-time for the adult psychotherapy service of the Scottish Institute. She is also accredited by COSCA as a counsellor and diploma level trainer.