Sarah Parry, a Clinical Psychology student from Lancaster University, has asked us to share information on her research project.
If you would like to find out more, please contact Sarah directly at:
Mrs Sarah Parry, FREEPOST: RTAU-SYXU-YCZZ, Furness Building, C16, Clinical Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YT.
parrys1@exchange.lancs.ac.uk
The following excerpt is taken directly from Sarah’s participant information sheet.
Download: Participant Information Pack
What are the experiences of therapeutic relationships on in-patient wards by people who dissociate?
I am looking for people who may like to take part in a piece of research I am undertaking for my thesis as a part of my Clinical Psychology Doctorate. The research aims to explore how people who dissociate experience therapeutic relationships with members of staff on NHS wards. I hope this will be an opportunity for stories to be heard and to inform practice.
You are eligible to take part in the study if:
- You have been on an in-patient ward, for any reason, for at least two weeks within the last two years.
- You had a therapeutic relationship with a member of staff such as a nurse, doctor or therapist.
- You experience dissociation and would be willing to complete a brief questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES II), so I can understand more about the extent to which you experience dissociation.
- You would be willing to spare up to two hours of your time to tell me about your experiences at any time before November 2014.
Do I have to take part?
No. It is completely up to you to decide whether or not you would like to take part. Regardless of your decision, your future involvement with NHS services will not be affected.
If you do decide to join the study, you can withdraw at any point. The information you provide in your interview will not be used in the analysis if you withdraw your involvement within two weeks of meeting with me.
What will I be asked to do if I take part?
You would initially be invited to complete a questionnaire called the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES II). Depending upon the outcome of this questionnaire, I will be in contact with you and may arrange an interview at a convenient time and location such as your local GP surgery, local community centre, offices of one of the charities involved in this research or other NHS building. You are most welcome to bring a companion with you to your interview, someone you trust if you think you may need some support.
The meeting will last up to 90 minutes, depending upon how much you would like to say. I will audio record our meeting with a digital voice recorder.
You do not need to bring anything along to our meeting or prepare beforehand. However, if you would like to bring anything with you such as a diary, drawing or notes you kept at the time or have written since you are very welcome to do so. If you would like to write anything before our meeting, please write in the first person and in your first language. As aforementioned, you do not need to bring anything along if you do not wish to.
Please bear in mind that our meeting would be a discussion about your experiences with NHS staff. Therefore, you may wish to consider whether you may want additional emotional support around our conversation. For example, you might wish to consider whether discussing your thoughts about taking part in the study with a close friend or health professional before and after our meeting may be helpful. Although it is unlikely you would require emergency emotional support, we would recommend you have an emergency contact person and telephone number with you before our discussion as a precaution.
Find Out More
Read more about Sarah’s study (including information on anonymity, what will happen with the results, expenses, ways of raising concerns about the study and the consent form) in the Participant Information Pack.
