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Training clinical psychologists to be able to work with those who will use their services in ways that are not 'othering' or stigmatising and that facilitate a safe, compassionate and accepting place from where psychological therapy can be undertaken, is an essential task for trainers. Although simulation training is widely used in some healthcare professions, it is a relatively new method in clinical psychology training. In this article we describe a simulation training exercise as one effective way to achieve the goals described above.

This paper reports on the results of a study exploring sibling stories of parental mental distress and the societal discourses that may have contributed to the adult siblings' sense‐making. Four sibling pairs were purposively recruited and interviewed, using a narrative inquiry approach. Two main plots were constructed through analysis of the participants' narratives: 'The story of us' and 'We are who we are because of what happened'. Results highlighted that the identity construction of each sibling and the collective identities of the sibling pairs are influenced by the parental mental health context. The findings also suggest a change in the siblings' meaning‐making from childhood to adulthood. These findings are considered along with the implications for systemic practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situated in the context of existing literature on wounded healers and the use of self in therapy, the aim of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of psychological therapists who experienced the death of a parent in childhood. Seven psychological therapists from a range of professions and therapeutic modalities participated in semi-structured interviews exploring how this experience impacted them personally and professionally, in their therapeutic work. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, three master themes emerged: 'A loss beyond words'; 'Navigating in a strange landscape'; and 'Something lost, something gained'. Areas of convergence and divergence between these findings and previous theory and research are discussed, particularly with respect to literature on grieving and the self of the therapist. Implications for therapeutic practice, supervision and training are highlighted, including the importance of self-reflection and supervision in facilitating the use of self, and the value of therapeutic training incorporating self-of-the-therapist work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidentally killing or feeling responsible for another person's death constitutes an event that is different from many typical traumatic stressors in that the responsibility for causing the trauma is located in the person themselves, rather than another person or persons. Research exploring the perspective of those who have accidentally caused a death is extremely sparse. This study aimed to gain an insight into the lived experiences of people who have caused an accidental death. Five participants were recruited through an on-line advertisement; all were drivers directly involved in a road traffic accident that occurred unexpectedly, without intention and resulted in a person's death. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to analyse data collected through semi-structured interviews. Three main themes emerged from the participants' accounts: trying to make sense of a life changing moment; struggling to cope with the trauma of causing a death, and a changed sense of self. These findings highlight the considerable and enduring trauma associated with causing an accidental death, and emphasise the need to develop appropriate interventions to help alleviate this psychological distress.

The importance of the involvement of parents in treatment approaches for children and young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) has been consistently highlighted within the literature. Despite this, very little is known about their lived experiences of their relationship with their child following HSB and their representations of meaning remain largely unexplored. Semi-structured interviews with six parents were conducted to address this gap in the literature. Interviews were examined using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), resulting in five main themes; Feelings evoked: "it's disturbing to be honest"; Searching for meaning: "where is this coming from?"; Child's identity as fragmented: "you never knew what you got"; Wanting distance: "I just couldn't bear to be around him"; and Moving forwards; "I gave him a cuddle". Policy and clinical practice implications are discussed including the importance of systemic approaches to intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, Clinical Psychologists (CPs) work in a variety of settings within the National Health Service (NHS), often within Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs). Problem-Based Learning (PBL) within CP training at the University of Hertfordshire (UH) offers unique opportunities to combine scientist-practitioner and reflective-practitioner models to learn about group dynamics from the personal experience of working within an experiential learning group. Further, given Trainees work three days per week on placement within MDTs in the NHS, the learning gained within a ‘safer’ PBL context can be utilised within these clinical settings. For two years, Trainees at UH have to work in small PBL groups with five or six members learning to work together to achieve a goal (four assessed presentations) negotiating their own personal and professional journey, as well as a group journey. Consequently, PBL offers trainees opportunities to learn (1) how individuals work within a group; (2) how personal experiences influence this process; (3) how others influence them and are influenced by them; and (4) how a group of diverse individuals conceptualise, understand and convey case vignettes to an audience. Within these groups, many Trainees learn to speak out, reflect, listen attentively, empathise, validate and accept diverse experiences. Further, when differences dominate they often learn to negotiate these, finding a way to maintain effective team working in order to complete the presentation. Focusing on the conflict that can occur within (any) group, this paper explores themes from the reflective narratives of six trainees: parallels and differences between MDTs and PBL groups, striving for and achieving authenticity; and conflict as a ‘swear’ word. We conclude that exploring the role PBL can play in training individuals to work effectively in teams may be of benefit within the training of other professional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Articulated via an interplay of internal and external dialogues between the ‘author’ and imaginary/real-life characters, this piece offers a reflection on the state of the clinical psychology profession in the UK. Drawing purposefully on the narrative structure ofLife of Pi, a common theme emerging in these dialogues is a concern that the profession is in danger of being devoured by a dangerous lack of tolerance for diverse models of psychological therapy. LikePi, some in the profession will require courage to survive in the company of such intolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]