Researcher Development Initiative (RDI), 2005 - 2010

01/11/07 - 31/03/09

The project is now completed and the final report was submitted in June 2009. The project included five one day workshops across the UK that introduced counselling and psychotherapy trainers to the research methods requirements in the new curriculum for counsellor training. A five day summer school was offered during the summer of 2008 (and repeated in 2009 independently of the project) that attracted 25 trainers who much appreciated learning about research methods in their area and how to teach them.

The project produced a fantastic resource entitled 'Training counsellors and psychotherapists in research skills:

a manual of resources' by John McLeod, Robert Elliott and Sue Wheeler. This manual contains a wide range of research training resources that can be used for teaching counsellors and psychotherapists. There are lectures, PowerPoint presentations, information handouts and leaflets and experiential exercises. Some of these resources may be used in routine counsellor and psychotherapist training sessions and others specifically for research methods training.  While much of the material has an academic level of Masters degree in mind, many of the resources have wide applicability, from undergraduate level to doctoral study. The manual takes an experiential approach to research training, encouraging students to learn by doing rather than listening. It is also firmly rooted in the belief that all counsellors and psychotherapists need to understand and be involved with research in some way.

This resource is now available to purchase priced at £30 for BACP members and £35 for non members available from the BACP book orders department on 01455 883300.

There is also a website that informs trainers about possible training in research methods offered by ESRC and other organisations.   Please see project website: http://www.bacp.co.uk/ research/esrc_rdi/

Principal Investigator: Professor Sue Wheeler, University of Leicester, Institute of Lifelong Learning
Co-Investigator: Nancy Rowland, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Contact Details

Professor Sue Wheeler, University of Leicester, Institute of Lifelong Learning

Email: sw103@le.ac.uk
Tel: 0116 252 5905