Current employment

I currently work as an independent freelance Academic Consultant and as such have a number of roles. I write course material and teach psychology at the Open University (Social Science and Health and Social Care faculties). I occasionally work with other universities as a lecturer or examiner. For example, I supervised and examined post-graduate dissertations at the University of East London (School of Health and Bio-science).

I have a particular interest in qualitative research and how it can be applied in psychotherapy and other health care fields. To this end, I offer training, support, supervision and mentorship to both individual practitioners and institutions. In this role, I have been honoured by invitations to speak at various conferences and institutions in the United Kingdom and abroad. For instance, I was honoured to be asked to run a masterclasses at the Centre for Qualitative Research, Bournemouth University April 2006 and the Centre for Lifeworld Research, Växjö University, Sweden February 2008. I was also particularly privileged to be invited to teach a PhD summer school in the Psychology Faculty at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2004.

Current Research

At the moment I'm involved in some collaborative research (with Virginia Eatough) exploring the lived experience of connecting with a 'kindred spirit'. In addition, I continue to explore relational dimensions of research including the use of empathy and reflexivity. In previous phenomenological research projects I have studied 'the lived experience of receiving a cochlear implant', ‘the lived experience of having early stage multiple sclerosis’, ‘the lived experience of having mental health problems’ and ‘the life world of the occupational therapist’.

My writing and other scholarly pursuits are both my work and my hobby. I am currently engaged in a special collaboration with Ken Evans to develop a relational approach to qualitative research. Here, data is seen to emerge out of the researcher and co-researcher relationship, being co-created through the embodied dialogical encounter. Our book, which should be published next year (2009) is geared primarily to psychotherapists.

My book 'Qualitative research for health professionals: challenging choices' which I edited with Claire Ballinger, aims to convey something of the passion that underlies our commitment to qualitative modes of enquiry. The various contributors critically examine a variety of qualitative research methodologies and highlight the challenges that confront researchers who opt for the qualitative path. I am also co-editor (with Brendan Gough) of another textbook of relevance to qualitative research: 'Reflexivity: a practical guide for researchers in health and social sciences'. Comprising contributions from a range of researchers, this book is a practical guide to the use of reflexivity at different stages of the research process.

The books for which I am perhaps best known amongst occupational therapists are 'The practice of psychosocial occupational therapy' (1987, 1997, 2004) and 'Groupwork in occupational therapy' (1992). I have also contributed numerous chapters and articles to journals which cover a wide range of topics. Articles and chapters related to health care include holism, therapists’ perceptions of patients, professional power and the challenge of working in teams. Phenomenologically-orientated papers explore the lived experience of disability, empathy, embodiment and reflexivity.

Professional background

I started my career in 1978 as an occupational therapist working in the mental health field. During a spell in general psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital, London, I found myself drawn to psychodynamic treatment approaches and spent several years specialising in play therapy (at the Child and Family Psychiatry Unit, Maudsley) and group work (an interest I initially developed while working at the Henderson Hospital Therapeutic Community, Surrey). I returned to general psychiatry in 1990 when I was appointed Head Occupational Therapist at St. James’s Hospital, Leeds.

My academic career took root in the 1980s when I began lecturing as part of the Occupational Therapy Programme at the University College York St John, York. As this was the time when the occupational therapy was becoming a degree profession, I sought to do an Open University degree part-time. After gaining my Honours degree in Psychology, I turned away from clinical practice to become a full-time academic. I taught, and also contributed to the writing of, a number of Open University courses, including the first level Introduction to Social Sciences course (D103) and a third level course in Social Psychology (D317). At about the same time, I began my PhD: a phenomenological study which came to be titled The Lifeworld of the Occupational Therapist. Since completing my PhD in 1998 , phenomenology has become very special to me and the centre of my scholarly activity. I have also continued my teaching and writing role within the Open University – a role of continuing variety, stimulation and interest.

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