Research digest
Therapy Today, July/August 2023

News and resources from the BACP Research team

Dr Andrea Anastassiou, Research Fellow

As an early career researcher, I have already been fortunate enough to work on a variety of research projects. These include evaluations aimed at getting young people into meaningful employment, public health research into childhood obesity and investigations with survivors of crime.

‘My previous research experience also builds on my PhD, which examined the mental health effects of forms of digital violence including aggravated teen sexting and e-harassment. Although these projects span disciplines, subjects and methodologies, they share aims of developing services, reducing barriers to support, and empowering service users and survivors to share their stories.

‘It was a desire to continue this meaningful work that brought me to my Research Fellow role at BACP. Although I am still relatively new to the Association, I am delighted to have already been involved in several fantastic research projects that aim to support practitioners in developing their practice and, ultimately, result in better mental health outcomes for clients. These include collaborations with universities, charities and consortiums exploring mental health support and provision for different client groups. I have already learned so much about the profession in my first six months and look forward to continuing to develop my research career at BACP.’

We’ll be hearing from other members of the BACP research team in upcoming issues.

Research bites

To mark Alcohol Awareness Week (3-9 July), this issue’s papers from BACP’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Research journal focus on recent research with clients affected by addiction.

Psychodynamic therapy for problem gambling

This study introduced and evaluated a psychodynamic addiction model (PAM) in the form of a brief relational psychodynamic treatment protocol designed for a group of patients in an NHS problem gambling clinic who had not responded to CBT and had other addictions or co-morbidities. Seventy-two patients were offered 12 sessions of therapy by four psychodynamic counsellors. Results were assessed using scores from a pre- and post treatment patient health questionnaire, the generalised anxiety disorder-7 and the problem gambling severity index. Weekly feedback and supervision from counsellors and patients were used to assess the treatment model. The results highlighted that PAM was associated with reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as in gambling severity, suggesting that a brief relational psychodynamic approach was successful in the treatment of difficult-to-treat gambling addictions. Therapists who delivered the protocol provided positive feedback.

Read more: Mooney A et al. The piloting of a brief relational psychodynamic protocol (psychodynamic addiction model) for problem gambling and other compulsive addictions: a retrospective analysis.

Counselling for addiction problems in young people

This study compared the effectiveness of pluralistic counselling and counselling as usual in young people experiencing addiction problems. This randomised controlled trial included 64 young people aged between 12 and 25. Of those, 31 received pluralistic counselling and 33 counselling as usual. No significant differences were found between the two on their impact on psychological distress in clients at the end of therapy and three months following treatment. These findings are not unexpected due to the small sample size in the study, but the research provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of both types of counselling.

Read more: Joyce P et al. Pluralistic counselling versus counselling as usual for young people presenting with addiction issues: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Online therapy for alcohol problems

This study explored the experiences of clients with alcohol problems using online therapy. Interviews with 15 clients were conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when online counselling was optional. Online therapy was found to offer some clients a safe place (their own homes) in which to have counselling, with access to home comforts. Clients expressed an ability to form a therapeutic bond with their therapist while also reporting that the distance could facilitate disclosure. The ability to end the call and walk away from therapy was constructed as empowering, but the author recognises that this has implications for how challenge and, potentially, rupture may be managed within the therapeutic relationship. Overall, the research highlights that engagement with online therapy is highly individualised.

Read more: Atkinson L. ‘In my own comfort zone’: clients’ experiences of relational aspects of online therapy for alcohol problems.

Our 29th Annual Research Conference, ‘Global issues in counselling and psychotherapy research, policy and practice’, was held on 19-20 May 2023. If you missed the conference you can still access the on-demand content, including keynote presentations on the psychological wellbeing of refugees, and therapy with clients experiencing climate anxiety. Details can be found at
Our postgraduate research forum is a platform for counselling and psychotherapy master’s and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, or anyone thinking about undertaking postgraduate research. Here you can exchange ideas, discuss your research interests, pool advice and become involved in a peer support network.
Dr George Salaminios, Senior Research Fellow at BACP, will be presenting his research on mentalization and psychosis risk at the 14th International Conference on Early Intervention in Mental Health held in Lausanne, Switzerland, 10-12 July 2023. Learn more from IEPA's website.

In the spotlight

‘We are delighted to be funding client-focused projects’

Dr Clare Symons, Head of Research at BACP, talks to us about BACP’s new initiative to offer funding for counselling and psychotherapy research that will have meaningful impact for clients.

Can you tell us a bit about the funding offered?

We were delighted to launch new research grants at our Annual Research Conference in Leeds in May. With a total grant pot of £120,000, we are seeking applications for funding for projects that will deliver to our priority theme of client-focused research and which will also demonstrate a commitment to integrate participation of people with lived experience as part of the research process.

What types of research grants are you offering?

We are offering two types of grant to support research that aligns with research priorities that we have identified through consultation with members and researchers. One research grant is aimed particularly at supporting collaborative research groups, including universities, independent researchers, practitioners and third sector organisations. The second grant type will facilitate research conducted on existing datasets relevant to counselling and psychotherapy.

Where can we find more information on these grants and how to apply?

The call for applications is now open and the deadline for submission is 1 September 2023. Applications that are within scope will be assessed by our independent grants peer review panel. To find out more about the grants, criteria, our research priorities and the application process, see our awards page or contact the BACP Research team directly via email.

In each issue a practitioner, postgraduate student or academic will tell us about how their research may inform therapeutic practice.