At the outset of this program, I had little understanding of how research could make you a better counsellor. However, my experience has shown me that empirically-supported approaches to therapy are essential. I used to think that good therapy came from a sense of ‘knowing’ what was right in the moment. While I still think there is value in this, one must be very careful with introducing an intervention because it ‘feels right’. For example, if a client is depressed, a counsellor may be inclined to explore that depression, and allow the client to sit in it, week after week, to give the client a space to ‘vent’. However, research tells us that this can be detrimental, because this is not creating change, or allowing the client to develop coping skills. More directive approaches, such as solution-focused therapy might be more appropriate (this of course should be decided on a case-by-case situation). In moving forward in counselling, I will continue to research my approaches, and their relevance for my client’s concern.
One area of counselling that interests me is bereavement, mostly because of my work at the funeral home as a funeral director's assistant. Although I am unsure if this is a type of counselling I would like to do solely, I find researching it fascinating! During our Research Methods course, I researched interventions for traumatically bereaved individuals. I decided to undertake this project because I had worked on many funerals for children and young people, as well as victims of accidents and suicide. I always wondered how it would be possible for these individuals to move on from such a horrific trauma.
One area of counselling that interests me is bereavement, mostly because of my work at the funeral home as a funeral director's assistant. Although I am unsure if this is a type of counselling I would like to do solely, I find researching it fascinating! During our Research Methods course, I researched interventions for traumatically bereaved individuals. I decided to undertake this project because I had worked on many funerals for children and young people, as well as victims of accidents and suicide. I always wondered how it would be possible for these individuals to move on from such a horrific trauma.
One of the most helpful experiences I had in our research course was ‘dissecting’ a website for its accuracy and validity. We went through a ‘check-list’ from the
University of Calgary Berkley's website to decide if the website was legitimate enough to use in our research. I still use a shortened version of this checklist when I am conducting research. It is important to ask yourself the following questions before taking an article or webpage as legitimate research:
1. Is it somebody’s personal page?
2. What type of domain does is come from?
3. Is it published by an entity that makes sense?
4. Who wrote the page?
5. Is the page dated? Is it current enough?
6. What are the author’s credentials?
7. Are sources documented with footnotes or links?
8. If reproduced information (from another source), is it complete, not altered, not fake or forged?
9. Are there links to other resources on the topic?
10. Who links to the page?
11. Is the page listed in one or more reputable directories or pages?
12. What do others say about the author or responsible authoring body?
13. Why was the page put on the web?
14. Might it be ironic? Satire or parody?
15. Is this as credible and useful as the resources available in print or online through the library?
Source: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
University of Calgary Berkley's website to decide if the website was legitimate enough to use in our research. I still use a shortened version of this checklist when I am conducting research. It is important to ask yourself the following questions before taking an article or webpage as legitimate research:
1. Is it somebody’s personal page?
2. What type of domain does is come from?
3. Is it published by an entity that makes sense?
4. Who wrote the page?
5. Is the page dated? Is it current enough?
6. What are the author’s credentials?
7. Are sources documented with footnotes or links?
8. If reproduced information (from another source), is it complete, not altered, not fake or forged?
9. Are there links to other resources on the topic?
10. Who links to the page?
11. Is the page listed in one or more reputable directories or pages?
12. What do others say about the author or responsible authoring body?
13. Why was the page put on the web?
14. Might it be ironic? Satire or parody?
15. Is this as credible and useful as the resources available in print or online through the library?
Source: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
During my undergraduate degree at York University, I had the opportunity to create a thesis as partial fulfillment for my bachelor's degree in psychology. Since I was working at the funeral home at the time, I was interested in death anxiety. Along with my thesis supervisor, Dr. Stephen Fleming, I decided to look at the relationship between death anxiety, attachment and self esteem. I was surprised in my findings, as there was little relationship between death anxiety and attachment style. I did, however, find a relationship between self esteem and death anxiety in that people with low self-esteem tend to have higher death anxiety. Below is my poster presentation that sums up my research:
Reference:
Goodwin, J.C. & Goodwin, K.A. (2012). Research In Psychology: Methods and Design, 7th Edition. New York, NY: Wiley and Sons.
Goodwin, J.C. & Goodwin, K.A. (2012). Research In Psychology: Methods and Design, 7th Edition. New York, NY: Wiley and Sons.