Therapeutic Relationship for Individuals with a Learning Disability
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the Factors Influencing the Therapeutic Relationship for Individuals with a Learning Disability
IRAS ID
346286
Contact name
Steven McDonald
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
10.17605/OSF.IO/QDVHS, Open Science Framework DOI
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 24 days
Research summary
There are 1.5 million people in the United Kingdom who have a Learning Disability (LD) (Powell et al., 2020), and research has previously outlined that people with a LD (PWLD) are at higher risk than the general population of experiencing mental health problems (Cooper et al., 2007). Evidence has supported the use of psychological therapies to support PWLD regarding their mental health, though the research is limited (Willner, 2005) and of low quality (Tapp et al., 2023). More specifically, the therapeutic relationship has emerged as an important factor for individuals with LD when considering psychological therapy (Evans and Randle-Philips, 2018). Nevertheless, historically, PWLD have been excluded from receiving psychological therapy (Banks, 2003; Evans and Randle-Philips, 2018). Additionally, there is a demand for research to explore the experience of psychological therapies for this group (Evans and Randle-Philips, 2018; Lewis et al., 2015; Nind, 2008).
With this considered, the current research aims to explore the factors that influence the development of the therapeutic relationship for PWLD. The study will aim to ask approximately 10 PWLD who have experience receiving psychological therapy about what was important for them when developing a relationship with their therapist. Each participant will be invited to engage in an individual interview with the chief investigator, and a constructivist grounded theory approach will be used to create a new theoretical model that illustrates this concept. It is hoped that this model will support clinicians who provide therapy to PWLD and support PWLD to feel more prepared to commence psychological therapy.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
25/ES/0118
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion