Paula Nicolson – författare

What does it mean to be human? This critical text from a well-respected author captures and interrogates the many models which have been developed to explore and explain human behaviour. Informed by sociological, psychological and biological perspectives, the book plots the key stages of the life course from childhood through to older age.

This new edition from a trusted author team bridges the gap between psychological theory and social work practice. Revisited and re-structured to reflect the changing social work context, it provides an authoritative introduction to the key ideas, skills and research from psychology and highlights their role within effective social work practice.Whether you are a student or a practitioner of social work, this book is a vital and practical resource that will enhance your knowledge, skills and practice.New to this Edition:- Includes content which is of relevance across a number of social work modules- Contains new chapters on reflection and the psychological context of social work organisations- A range of new pedagogical features that support the practical application of the book

The psychology of women's health is an area traditionally controlled by male-orientated scientists, psychologists and doctors. Women by definition have been unquestioningly seen and treated as deviant from the male norm. This model has been challenged by feminist historians and sociologists, but not by psychologists who seem to have implicitly accepted the medical models, and emphasized the pathology in women's behaviour and emotions. In this book, women's views and their experience of their own health and health care are taken seriously, and analyzed within a psychological and a feminist angle. It includes chapters from psychologists who work in research, teaching and practice. Paula Nicolson and Jane Ussher are co-editors of "Gender Issues in Clinical Psychology". Jane Ussher is the author of "The Psychology of the Female Body" and "Women's Madness: Mysogyny or Mental Illness".

“This book provides a very good introduction to the key concepts and theories that inform and frame the current psychotherapeutic and counselling landscape. Each author has written on a selection of basic concepts as they are approached in their preferred therapeutic modality, resulting in an exciting and inclusive overview of both old and contemporary psychotherapeutic thought. In addition, each author is mindful of the importance of a critical appraisal of the various concepts and theories. Thus, this book will be extremely useful both for trainees and practitioners.” Dr Anastasios Gaitanidis, Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton, London, UK

“As well as being an invaluable source of knowledge about all aspects of counselling and psychotherapy, this book is a real pleasure to read. The authors have been able to capture the essence of ideas, traditions and key figures in a way that is accessible and a consistent source of delight and illumination. Highly recommended for anyone wishing to expand their psychotherapeutic horizons.”John McLeod, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of Abertay Dundee, UK

“This book does what it says on the tin, it highlights the key concepts and theories in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. It is a systematic and encyclopaedic voyage of all the central constructs in the field. It is very well written, snappy and thorough, but more important, it serves a vital need of putting in one place all the theories and concepts needed by anyone interested in counselling and psychotherapy.”Cary L. Cooper, CBE, Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health, Lancaster University, UK and President of BACP

“This is an invaluable guide for anyone wanting easily accessible information about counselling theory and practice. It will be as useful to trainees sitting as counsellors, as to experienced practitioners wanting to update their knowledge on the latest thinking.”Tim Bond, University of Bristol, UK

This helpful book offers a concise overview of core concepts within the four dominant approaches to counselling and psychotherapy: psychodynamic, humanistic-existential, cognitive behavioural and integrative. The book aims to assist you in developing your critical thinking and essay writing skills and includes:

Over 140 entries, each between 500 and 1200 wordsCritical and engaging discussions of core conceptsBiographical sketches of leading theorists, including: Freud, Jung and RogersUsing the popular alphabetical format, Key Concepts in Counselling and Psychotherapy is an ideal first source for students with an essay on counselling theory to write, a case study to analyse, a belief or assumption to challenge, or a question to explore. It will also appeal to practitioners or academics wanting to refresh their knowledge of theory and research.

Clinical psychology has traditionally ignored gender issues. The result has been to the detriment of women both as service users and practitioners. The contributors to this book show how this has happened and explore the effects both on clients and clinicians. Focusing on different aspects of clinical psychology's organisation and practice, including child sexual abuse, family therapy, forensic psychology and individual feminist therapy, they demonstrate that it is essential that gender issues are incorporated into clinical research and practice, and offer examples of theory and practice which does not marginalise the needs of women.

Post-Natal Depression challenges the expectation that it is normal to be a 'happy mother'. It provides a radical critique of the traditional medical and social science explanations of 'post natal depression' by supplying a systematic feminist psychological analysis of women's experiences following childbirth. Paula Nicolson argues that, far from it being an abnormal, undesirable, pathological condition, it is a normal, healthy response to a series of losses.Post Natal Depression makes an important contribution to the psychology of women and feminist research and will be of interst to psychologists, social scientists, nurses and doctors.

We are so lucky; we can have everything: dazzling careers,financial success, happy and fulfilling emotional lives,well-adjusted children, a strong and supportive intimaterelationship, friends, a social life, be feminine and look lovelytoo. Can't we? No. Most women find themselves lacking somewhere and how much westruggle towards achieving all this depends on how much we'veabsorbed this 21st century myth. Dr Paula Nicloson is an expert on gender relations and reproductivehealth. She shows us how psychological theories explain women'sdesires and their experiences at home and work and offers solutionsto help us when the balance feels like it's tipping one way oranother. Easy to read and reassuring, keep it handy for when youhave to make decisions about home-life versus career, who you arenow and who you want to be in the future.

Despite changes to laws and policies across most western democracies intended to combat violence to women, intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) remains discouragingly commonplace. Domestic Violence and Psychology: Critical Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse showcases women’s harrowing stories of living with and leaving violent partners, offering a psychological perspective on domestic violence and developing a theoretical framework for examining the context, intentions and experiences in the lives of people who experience abuse and abuse themselves. Nicolson provides an analysis of survivors’ real-life stories, and thoughts about IPVA. The attitudes of the general public and health and social care professionals are also presented and discussed. The theoretical perspective employs three levels of evidence – the material (context), discursive (explanations) and intrapsychic (emotional). Domestic Violence and Psychology is divided into three parts accordingly, engaging qualitative data from interviews and quantitative data from surveys to illustrate these theoretical perspectives. Although many pro-feminist sociologists and activists firmly believe that any attempt to explain domestic violence potentially condones it, this book takes up the challenge to make a compelling case demonstrating how we need to widen understanding of the psychology of survivors and their intimate relationships if we are to defeat IPVA.The new edition has been updated to include the latest developments in IPVA research and practice, and in particular examines the impact of a violent and abusive family life on all members, including children. This is essential reading for students, academics and professionals interested in domestic abuse, as well as professionals and practitioners, including psychologists, social workers, the police, prison officers, probation staff, policy makers, and charity workers.

Despite changes to laws and policies across most western democracies intended to combat violence to women, intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) remains discouragingly commonplace. Domestic Violence and Psychology: Critical Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse showcases women’s harrowing stories of living with and leaving violent partners, offering a psychological perspective on domestic violence and developing a theoretical framework for examining the context, intentions and experiences in the lives of people who experience abuse and abuse themselves. Nicolson provides an analysis of survivors’ real-life stories, and thoughts about IPVA. The attitudes of the general public and health and social care professionals are also presented and discussed. The theoretical perspective employs three levels of evidence – the material (context), discursive (explanations) and intrapsychic (emotional). Domestic Violence and Psychology is divided into three parts accordingly, engaging qualitative data from interviews and quantitative data from surveys to illustrate these theoretical perspectives. Although many pro-feminist sociologists and activists firmly believe that any attempt to explain domestic violence potentially condones it, this book takes up the challenge to make a compelling case demonstrating how we need to widen understanding of the psychology of survivors and their intimate relationships if we are to defeat IPVA.The new edition has been updated to include the latest developments in IPVA research and practice, and in particular examines the impact of a violent and abusive family life on all members, including children. This is essential reading for students, academics and professionals interested in domestic abuse, as well as professionals and practitioners, including psychologists, social workers, the police, prison officers, probation staff, policy makers, and charity workers.

Fully revised and updated, Genealogy, Psychology and Therapy highlights the importance of genealogy in the development of identity, and the therapeutic potential of family history in cultivating wellbeing. The popularity of amateur genealogy and family history has soared in recent times. We will never know any of the people we discover from our histories in person, but for several reasons, we recognize that their lives shaped ours. Key approaches to identity and relationships lend clues to our own lives but also to what psychosocial factors run across generations. Attachment and abandonment, trusting, being let down, becoming independent, migration, health and money, all resonate with the psychological experiences that define the outlooks, personalities and the ways that those who came before us related to others. This new edition builds on the original book, Genealogy, Psychology, and Identity, by highlighting the work of Erik Erikson along with studies of the quality of attachment, historical social conditions especially war, forced migration, health inequalities and financial uncertainty, to enable a more detailed understanding of trauma and its long shadow, and to focus on how genealogy informs our identities and emotional health status, exploring the transmission of trauma across generations. The intergenerational transmission of trauma is examined using analysis of real-life family examples, alongside an assessment of a narrative therapy approach to healing. The book expands on how psychological practices together with genealogical evidence may impart resilience and emotional repair, and develops the discussion of the psychological methods by which we interconnect in a reflective way with material from archival databases, family stories and photographs and other sources including DNA. Showing how people can connect with archival material, using documents and texts to expand their knowledge and understanding of the psychosocial experiences of their ancestors, this book will be of interest to those researching their own family tree, genealogists and counsellors, as well as students and researchers in social psychology and social history.

Fully revised and updated, Genealogy, Psychology and Therapy highlights the importance of genealogy in the development of identity, and the therapeutic potential of family history in cultivating wellbeing. The popularity of amateur genealogy and family history has soared in recent times. We will never know any of the people we discover from our histories in person, but for several reasons, we recognize that their lives shaped ours. Key approaches to identity and relationships lend clues to our own lives but also to what psychosocial factors run across generations. Attachment and abandonment, trusting, being let down, becoming independent, migration, health and money, all resonate with the psychological experiences that define the outlooks, personalities and the ways that those who came before us related to others. This new edition builds on the original book, Genealogy, Psychology, and Identity, by highlighting the work of Erik Erikson along with studies of the quality of attachment, historical social conditions especially war, forced migration, health inequalities and financial uncertainty, to enable a more detailed understanding of trauma and its long shadow, and to focus on how genealogy informs our identities and emotional health status, exploring the transmission of trauma across generations. The intergenerational transmission of trauma is examined using analysis of real-life family examples, alongside an assessment of a narrative therapy approach to healing. The book expands on how psychological practices together with genealogical evidence may impart resilience and emotional repair, and develops the discussion of the psychological methods by which we interconnect in a reflective way with material from archival databases, family stories and photographs and other sources including DNA. Showing how people can connect with archival material, using documents and texts to expand their knowledge and understanding of the psychosocial experiences of their ancestors, this book will be of interest to those researching their own family tree, genealogists and counsellors, as well as students and researchers in social psychology and social history.

Clinical psychology has traditionally ignored gender issues. The result has been to the detriment of women both as service users and practitioners. The contributors to this book show how this has happened and explore the effects both on clients and clinicians. Focusing on different aspects of clinical psychology's organisation and practice, including child sexual abuse, family therapy, forensic psychology and individual feminist therapy, they demonstrate that it is essential that gender issues are incorporated into clinical research and practice, and offer examples of theory and practice which does not marginalise the needs of women.

The popularity of amateur genealogy and family history has soared in recent times. Genealogy, Psychology and Identity explores this popular international pastime and offers reasons why it informs our sense of who we are, and our place in both contemporary culture and historical context. We will never know any of the people we discover from our histories in person, but for several reasons we recognize that their lives shaped ours. Paula Nicolson draws on her experiences tracing her own family history to show how people can connect with archival material, using documents and texts to expand their knowledge and understanding of the psychosocial experiences of their ancestors.Key approaches to identity and relationships lend clues to our own lives but also to what psychosocial factors run across generations. Attachment and abandonment, trusting, being let down, becoming independent, migration, health and money, all resonate with the psychological experiences that define the outlooks, personalities and the ways that those who came before us related to others.Nicolson highlights the importance of genealogy in the development of identity and the therapeutic potential of family history in cultivating well-being that will be of interest to those researching their own family tree, genealogists and counsellors, as well as students and researchers in social psychology and social history.

The popularity of amateur genealogy and family history has soared in recent times. Genealogy, Psychology and Identity explores this popular international pastime and offers reasons why it informs our sense of who we are, and our place in both contemporary culture and historical context. We will never know any of the people we discover from our histories in person, but for several reasons we recognize that their lives shaped ours. Paula Nicolson draws on her experiences tracing her own family history to show how people can connect with archival material, using documents and texts to expand their knowledge and understanding of the psychosocial experiences of their ancestors.Key approaches to identity and relationships lend clues to our own lives but also to what psychosocial factors run across generations. Attachment and abandonment, trusting, being let down, becoming independent, migration, health and money, all resonate with the psychological experiences that define the outlooks, personalities and the ways that those who came before us related to others.Nicolson highlights the importance of genealogy in the development of identity and the therapeutic potential of family history in cultivating well-being that will be of interest to those researching their own family tree, genealogists and counsellors, as well as students and researchers in social psychology and social history.

The NHS continues to undergo a series of reforms with an increasing emphasis on user 'choice' and 'empowerment' of health service users, with the requirement that all aspects of health care operate from an 'evidence' or 'knowledge' base. This text presents a variety of research methods that have been used to elicit users' views of health care, including health forums, public opinion surveys and focus groups. It provides a critical overview of key contemporary research issues and methodologies, and will be a valuable resource for anyone doing research with consumers of health services.

Work organizations are a major site of gender politics for professional women and men, and although there are more women in senior positions than ever before, these increased opportunities have not been gained without psychological consequences. Evidence-based and theoretically driven, the new edition of Gender, Power and Organization raises important questions about gender and power in the workplace, and the psychology of women’s advancement. Twenty years on from the first edition, it re-examines gender relations at work and asks why, despite many years of feminist critique and action, we are able to understand the dynamics of the workplace but fail to make them more representative. The struggles women face in professional and public life remain intense, not least because many men experience an increasing sense of threat to their long-term aspirations and professional positions.Using examples from recent research and the author's own consultancy experience, this important volume offers a fresh exploration of the psychology of gender and power at work, from the development of gender identities and roles, to explanations of bullying and sexual harassment in the organization. It offers an accessible survey of the subject for professional managers and students of leadership, psychology, management, sociology, gender, and women’s studies.

Work organizations are a major site of gender politics for professional women and men, and although there are more women in senior positions than ever before, these increased opportunities have not been gained without psychological consequences. Evidence-based and theoretically driven, the new edition of Gender, Power and Organization raises important questions about gender and power in the workplace, and the psychology of women’s advancement. Twenty years on from the first edition, it re-examines gender relations at work and asks why, despite many years of feminist critique and action, we are able to understand the dynamics of the workplace but fail to make them more representative. The struggles women face in professional and public life remain intense, not least because many men experience an increasing sense of threat to their long-term aspirations and professional positions.Using examples from recent research and the author's own consultancy experience, this important volume offers a fresh exploration of the psychology of gender and power at work, from the development of gender identities and roles, to explanations of bullying and sexual harassment in the organization. It offers an accessible survey of the subject for professional managers and students of leadership, psychology, management, sociology, gender, and women’s studies.

This is a highly practical handbook aimed specifically at medical and health care professionals. The book begins with an overview of the main issues of counselling and communication looking also at the importance of self-care from both a personal and organizational perspective. Basic counselling and communication skills are followed by their application to specialised settings including sexual health, child health, infertility and rehabilitation.

This book rethinks the way psychological knowledge of domestic violence has typically been constructed. It puts forward a psychological perspective which is both critical of the traditional `woman blaming’ stance, as well as being at odds with the feminist position that men are wholly to blame for domestic abuse and that violence in intimate relationships is caused by gender-power relations. It is rather argued that to neglect the emotions, experiences and psychological explanations for domestic violence is to fail those who suffer and thwart attempts to prevent future abuse.Paula Nicolson suggests that domestic violence needs to be discussed and understood on several levels: material contexts, including resources such as support networks as well as the physical impact of violence, the discursive, as a social problem or gendered analysis, and the emotional level which can be both conscious and unconscious. Drawing on the work of scholars including Giddens, Foucault, Klein and Winnicott, and using interview and survey data to illustrate its arguments, Domestic Violence and Psychology develops a theoretical framework for examining the context, intentions and experiences in the lives of women in abusive relationships, the men who abuse and the children who suffer in the abusive family. As such this book will be of great interest to those studying social and clinical psychology, social work, cultural studies, sociology and women’s studies.