An assessment of EE therapy from the service users' perspective.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An assessment of Existential Experimentation therapy from the service users' perspective in primary care.
IRAS ID
224451
Contact name
Katherine Chekkie Julia Kauntze
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
EASE Wellbeing
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 27 days
Research summary
Existential Experimentation (EE) is an individualised short-term psychological intervention, designed for primary care. The EE intervention is existentially-informed and was developed to promote wellbeing and recovery. Studies suggest that EE therapy is effective at reducing symptomatology, perceived psychological distress and attaining client-determined goals (see Rayner and Vitali, 2015). Similarly, the initial qualitative data on client-determined goals attained across EE therapy, allows for positive optimism (Rayner & Sayer, 2016). However, the qualitative data is limited and the service users' experiences of EE therapy has not been explored. Therefore, assessing the EE intervention from the service users’ perspectives is key to inform current provisions of EE therapy, and for any further development of EE therapy in primary care, in order to ensure that service users are receiving the best care. This study aims to gain an understanding into the service users’ experiences of EE therapy; to assess what were the more and less useful aspects and capture what and how change took place across therapy. Eight participants, who have recently experienced EE therapy, will be interviewed post-therapy about their experience. Each participant will have two semi-structured interviews; one initial interview and a three month follow-up interview. The participants will be recruited from and interviewed in a primary care setting. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis will be used to analyse the data, in order to highlight convergences, divergences and nuances in the participants' experiences of EE therapy. This research will provide practise-based evidence that can inform the current and future service delivery of the EE intervention and psychotherapy in primary care more generally. This study will form part of the researcher's Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling and Middlesex University.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0215
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion