Practitioners and researchers working together in an intervention efficacy study
A fine example of synergy
Keywords:
Evaluation, stepped care, controlled study, ethics, collaborationAbstract
AbstractAll too often it is assumed that the differing priorities, values and ethics of practitioners and researchers are irreconcilable. This article describes the long, sometimes difficult and ultimately fruitful process of setting up an evaluation of the efficacy of the bereavement support service offered by Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland (CBCS). CBCS invited researchers from Utrecht University's Centre for Bereavement Research and Intervention to work with them to design and deliver a controlled trial that would compare outcomes for recipients of each of its three modes of 'stepped care' with those of a group of bereaved people receiving no care. The proposal raised a number of major ethical and practical issues, which were successfully resolved through open discussion and negotiation, providing a positive example of practitioner/ researcher collaboration in a research endeavour.
References
Birrell, J, Stevenson, H and Schut, H. 2006. The initial client interview, Perth: Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland.
Currier, JM, Neimeyer, RA and Berman, J. 2008. The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved persons: a comprehensive quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 134: 648–661.
Evans, C, Connell, J, Barkham, M, Margison, F, McGrath, G, Mellor-Clark, J and Audin, K. 2002. Towards a standardised brief outcome measure: psychometric properties and utility. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180: 51–60.
Gallagher, M, Tracey, A and Millar, R. 2005. Ex-clients' evaluation of bereavement counseling in a voluntary sector agency, Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory. Research and Practice, 78: 59–76.
Kazdin, AE. 2008. Evidence-based treatment and practice: new opportunities to bridge clinical research and practice, enhance the knowledge base, and improve patient care. American Psychologist, 63: 146–159.
Prigerson HG 2010 Personal communication with the authors .
Prigerson, HG and Jacobs, SC. 2001. “Traumatic grief as a distinct disorder: a rationale consensus criteria and preliminary empirical test”. In Handbook of bereavement research: consequences, coping and care, Edited by: Stroebe, MS, Hansson, RO, Stroebe, W and Schut, HAW. 613–646. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Schut, H and Stroebe, M. 2011. Challenges in evaluating adult bereavement services. Bereavement Care, 30(1): 5–9.
Schut, HAW and Stroebe, MS. 2005. Interventions to enhance adaptation to bereavement: a review of efficacy studies. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 8(s1): s140–s147.
Schut, HAW, Stroebe, MS, Bout van den, J and Terheggen, M. 2001. “The efficacy of bereavement interventions: determining who benefits”. In Handbook of bereavement research: consequences, coping and care, Edited by: Stroebe, MS, Hansson, RO, Stroebe, W and Schut, HAW. 705–738. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
