Abstract

Written for counsellors working in healthcare settings who want to develop their knowledge and undertake research, this book explores the range of benefits that can be generated by undertaking reflexive research.

Focusing on the condition of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which she has herself, Gillian Thomas demonstrates how this approach can develop knowledge of a condition, but also offer therapeutic benefits to clients by increasing understanding of their condition and the interaction between the physical and emotional aspects of living with a long term disease. She outlines how to develop ethically appropriate research methods, how to carry out reflexive research and reflects on the knowledge that she has gained from her own research, teasing out its benefits for those working with a range of diseases in healthcare settings.

This book will be valued by counsellors and other professionals working in healthcare settings, particularly those working with ongoing medical conditions.

Gillian Thomas, PhD, has been a specialist counsellor in the gastroenterology department of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust for over fifteen years. She co-founded the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease In-Contact helpline for people living with IBD, and serves on NACC committees. She lectures and publishes widely on the subject of IBD.
…a rare exemplar of counselling practitioner-research in an NHS setting … this work is a readable and engaging resource for anybody who wants to know more about being a counsellor or practitioner-researcher with people with chronic illness, or about the needs of people who have inflammatory bowel disease – whether as a person diagnosed with these conditions, health worker, family member, or service provider.
Kim Etherington PhD, Professor of Narrative and Life Story Research, University of Bristol