First Steps in Practitioner Research

Pete Sanders retired after 30 years practising as a counsellor, educator and clinical supervisor. He has written, co-written and edited 14 books on counselling, psychotherapy and mental health. He is a trustee of the Soteria Network UK Paul Wilkins is a person-centred academic, practitioner and supervisor. He has written several books on counselling and psychotherapy and is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Social Change at Manchester Metropolitan University.

I had the strangest feeling as I started to read the manuscript. Within a few pages I began to ask myself if Pete or Paul had invisibly sat on my shoulder during my classes, taken note of the issues that had confused the students, that they had worried about, struggled with and/or needed to know - and then gone away determined to address all of their questions and concerns - Dr Leonie Sugarman, Reader in Applied Psychology, University of Cumbria A uniquely valuable resource for students in the field of counselling and the helping professions. Succinct, comprehensive and highly accessible, it provides a wonderful support for those taking the first steps towards conducting, and understanding, research. Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling, University of Strathclyde - this is the book I have been waiting for...a user-friendly book on research which is specific to the helping professions. I am delighted to see it in print. Rosemary Smith, Moray College - a no nonsense, practical and intelligent guide through the key issues involved in undertaking research - It is jam packed with valuable information and provides clear explanations of a wide range of methodologies and perspectives - all presented in an accessible way. The sections on understanding statistics are especially clear and will prove incredibly useful to practitioners who may find quantitative research daunting. Dr. Helen Spandler, Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Lancashire - the whole point is to entertain, draw in, seduce, or somehow lure nervous counselling students into the whole research thing. Robert Elliot, Professor of Counselling at Strathclyde University, Past President of the Society for Psychotherapy Research Practitioners conducting psychotherapy and counselling gain unique perspectives as they work with people confronting and overcoming obstacles that life has placed in their paths. A puzzle is how practitioners can convey their perspectives systematically to others. In this volume, two acknowledged leaders in the field, Pete Sanders and Paul Wilkins, point the way. They are accomplished writers who know their audience as well as their craft - Sanders and Wilkins do not avoid complexity, but they explain complex concepts plainly, pointing out which ideas are essential for beginners and which can be left for later. Jargon is demystified. Bill Stiles, Miami University, Editor of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies and Past President of the Society for Psychotherapy Research

• What is research and why bother? Quantity versus Quality Asking Questions Measuring Things Using Numbers to Describe Things Quantitative Research Methods Approaching Qualitative Research Collecting Stories Understanding Contemporary Psychotherapy Research Methodology Understanding Contemporary Psychotherapy Research Reports Getting Started On Your Own Research - and Telling Other What You Found Doing Research Ethically