Why research this?
It is being recognised more and more how important and helpful therapy can be for children who have experienced difficulties in their lives. Because of this, there has been lots of research done looking at what it's like for the children when they have their own therapy. However, not much research has been done into what this is like for the parents of these children.
When a child goes for therapy, it can be a very difficult time for the parents, and can result in many different feelings and emotions. For some parents, it can cause many painful and confusing emotions. For other parents, it may be a more positive experience.
I think it is important to give all parents the chance to talk about their experience of this, whether it has been negative, positive, or a mixture of both. By researching this, all staff working in children's services will be able to be more understanding, more aware, and more considerate of what this is like for the parents of the children who they work with. This will hopefully make the experience of having a child in therapy better, easier, and more positive for all parents, and will help professionals to understand how to improve this experience, and to improve children's services.
This research has been granted ethical approval by City University, and is being supervised by
Professor Carla Willig (Professor of Psychology, Research Co-ordinator).
