Doctorate in Clinical Psychology: Main Research Portfolio

: 1) Clinicians’ experiences of using a reflecting team in systemic contexts: a systematic review and thematic synthesis; 2) Keeping track of (un)diagnosed autism: a service evaluation of autistic people accessing an adult community mental health psychology team; 3) A qualitative exploration into clinicians’ experiences of piloting the Reflecting Team Utterances framework as a reflective tool in clinical settings.

Abstract

The Reflecting Team Utterances (RTU) framework was developed to promote reflexivity within the systemic reflecting team. The framework requires further evidence of its acceptability and effectiveness for clinicians.

This study adopted an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach to explore four clinicians’ experiences of piloting the use of RTU framework within their clinical work.

Three main themes were identified: ‘meta-reflection’, ‘finding balance’, and ‘frustrations and hopes’. The results suggest that clinicians value the self-reflexivity promoted by the framework, but could find it difficult to engage with the framework due to internal and external factors.

The implications of introducing new frameworks/tools within systemic therapy and suggestions for the development of the framework are discussed. Future research using quantitative approaches are needed to further extend the evidence base for the use of the RTU framework.

Date of Award	10 Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Chloe Constable (Supervisor)