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Nic Coitir, Siobhán (2022) "It's a kind of a privilege": clinicians' experiences of delivering community-based group therapy to men who have sexually offended - an interpretative phenomenological study. Doctoral thesis, London Metropolitan University.
Background:
Therapists delivering psychological treatment to men who have sexually offended do valuable work preventing future harm to potential victims, society, and the clients themselves. Despite the critical nature of their work, therapists' experiences of delivering group therapy to this cohort, are relatively unexplored. Furthermore, many studies focus on the ramifications of the work without exploring what therapists want to tell us about their experience. This study endeavoured to bridge the research gaps and identify therapists' holistic experiences of their work.
Aim:
To explore therapists' experiences of delivering community-based, group therapy, in Ireland, to men who have sexually offended.
Method:
Using qualitative methods, 6 participants, all qualified clinical/forensic psychologists and psychotherapists, were interviewed using semi-structured format. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith et al., 2009) to gain psychological insight into their professional experiences.
Findings:
Findings yielded rich and novel data about clinicians’ experiences of their work. Analysis identified two superordinate themes: i). The potential for trauma and ii). The potential for growth. A number of novel findings were identified not least that participants were working in a humanistic, process-oriented manner with this population. They described the need for therapeutic acumen, discrete traits and interpersonal skills to navigate the complex and precarious nature of this approach. Management of work-related risks, including negative attitudes from others and impact on the nuclear family required several tiers of support particularly their reliance on emotionally close and trusting co-therapist relationships. While the potential for trauma, both direct and indirect was reported by the participants, they emphasised that working in a therapeutically in-depth way with this population provided opportunity for vicarious posttraumatic growth. The findings are discussed in terms of extant literature. Study limitations and implications for future research and clinical practice are addressed.
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