Atrapos.eu » Research Participants

another interview (the theme of ’subcultures’)

atrapos — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:48:23 +0000

Today i had another research interview here in Manchester with a Greek, male counselling psychologist living and working in the UK. What was mostly interesting in this case was that this participant was clearly locating himself in the various subcultures that he seems to associate with. For example, when talking about his frequent visits to his original culture (Greece), he said that there is the little rural town in the North of Greece where he grew up and his mum not lives there, there is the urban capital of Athens where most of his friends are and the other urban centre (salonica) where hsi brother and other friends live. In terms of belonging he expressed a sense of confusion but also said that he is aware of the different aspects of himself (in terms of mannerism etc) that emerge when at each of those places (more…)

Data collection dilemmas (supervision)

atrapos — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:27:32 +0000

As i move along, i encounter people that i can interview for the PhD. I am aware of being anxious about a number of things, dilemmas i need to answer before i proceed: (more…)

Feedback from participant!

atrapos — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:32:39 +0000

It seems that I am attracting the right people for my research and getting positive feedback which confirms the need for it really! I will interview an Austrian counsellor next week who now practices in the UK, in an email she said: ” am really excited about your research. I have not really explored this aspect with anyone else in great depths, except in supervision a bit. I look forward to meeting with you and found your questions very stimmulating!! I also want to thank you for sending me your powerpoint notes, I am working with someone at the moment, where your writing will be so helpful!!!”

Such words really show me that counsellors moving between counsellors are paradoxically not given much opportunity to explore their experience and its meaning, i feel stimulated by how people respond to my project and am glad i can contribute in useful ways. The last comment shows also the value of it for the clients as well…the dyad can meet more easily when in touch with the liminality of identity and way of living…

More interviews!…in transit again

atrapos — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:54:03 +0000

It’s been a while i have written on the blog…when in my homeland i get so much distracted by so many issues on the side of the PhD that it is hard to find time to write. This is also due to the fact that i do not have much of a ‘personal space’ when in GR. However I have done two research interviews during the past few days. One with a Greek clinical psychologist who trained and practised in the UK and the US before returning to GR about 2 and a half years ago and another counsellor/psychotherapist who trained and worked in the UK, currently practising in Athens. They both offered very ‘rich’ data…i need to get my head down and do the transcriptions as the data is pilling up now and i need to keep on track with the process WHEN IT HAPPENS.

I am taking a plane soon…in a liminal space again…this is always followed by a mixture of feelings (excitement, frustration, tiredness, confict, relief, anticipation, fear, joy….so much contradiction really!)

Email dialogue with P.D.A: Greek national transgenerational PTSD…

atrapos — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:55:10 +0000

I have been having a very interesting conversation via email with P.D.A who i met at a conference in Greece in November 2006. He is a counsellor of mixed heritage (one parent is Greek and the other Austrian I think) and he has spend periods living in other countries. We reflected on culture and cultural identity, cross-cultural relationships etc and how we find those elements affecting counselling practice etc. What is mostly interesting is this mutual diagnosis of a kind of national transgenerational PTSD (Post-traumatic stress dis.) triats that seem to charcterise our Greek nation, resulting from historical and ‘personality’ reactions of the nation. Here i record some of our dialogue: (more…)

Sufi poem arrived at the right time…thanks A. !

atrapos — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:17:41 +0000

ii feel humbled when i realise that i can actually receive help myself from a research participant (similar feeling to when i am feeling i am growing as a result of working with clients in counselling…). I had written an email to A. (now in canada) about my experience of our interview. in that email, i kind of cimmunicated to him that i am in a process of finding new perspectives etc and how his experience was so much different than mine. JHe wrote back, offering a sufi poem which just spoke inside me, just at the right time, when feeling low, and needing sth to uplift me togo though the panel. Here it is: (more…)

Myself as research participant

atrapos — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:36:22 +0000

As I am thinking about the choice of Heuristic Research as methodological stance for my PhD, I can see more and more the importance of reflexivity and acquiring a perspective and way of being at all stages of the research where i can find a balance between my ‘own story’ of the phenomenon I am exploring and that of the co-researchers. (more…)

Interviews so far (reflections…”How to” from now on?)

atrapos — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:20:05 +0000

I feel the need to write down a brief summary of all the interviews i have done so far to get a clearer view of the broader picture.Here we are: (more…)

Interview with Abd. 20.6.2007

atrapos — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:06:51 +0000

Last week William introduced me to a colleague who is visiting the UK for a short period, after having immigrated to Canada (host culture) and working there as a therapist. This was such a unique opportunity to interview him for the research. We arranged to have an interview today. I feel amazed by how powerful a research interview can be, even when it is with somebody that you meet for the first time. So much rich data came out of the encounter and i feel enriched by it (although I notice that i tend to feel quite exhausted and hungry, after conducting a research interview…i guess it’s cause it involves deep processing and level of engaging). I wish i could dedicate time to hear the recording today and make notes about it but i know that i need to stay focused on preparing the panel presentation so, i have to postpone that for later. (more…)

Interview with M.

atrapos — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:46:59 +0000

I did a research interview with participant M. today to pilot the interview schedule (from fresh) as i have prepared it for the review panel proposal. Thw whole process flew really well, i enjoyed it and felt that there is a lot of interesting data in there. Soon after the ineterview, I listened carefully to the tape and made notes about the process and the interaction and also recorded the main themes and ideas drawn from the interviewee’s responses, to capture the initial ‘feel’. I do not have the time to do the fully detailed verbatim transcript right now but i produced a 6-page ’summary’ document for this interview as ‘individual depiction’ in heuristic terms, whilst also recording some significant quotes using the participant’s actual words (tried to keep close to M’s own words when writing up my notes anyway). I emailed those ‘filednotes’ to my supervisor and his comments were very positive actually. I have to go back and do a bit more work on my proposal now, also need to finalise the other documents required for the panel and print them off for William to sign before submission to Debbie on Friday.

I sent my process notes about the intreview with M. to William, with the following note on my email:

“ i did an interviw with M. yesterday to pilot the interview schedule i recently prepated…it was really so interesting but also engaging…deep process, it exhausted me but also inspired me…..difficult to differentiate the different dynamics within (my relationship to the topic, my personhood,my counsellor in me, the researcher…and hearing another Greek talking about all this)… you re right: the professional impact also brought up the personal stuff,big way…and of course the two greeks doing the interview when in England brings up so much…..everything is data, how wonderful and owverwhelming at the same time…i feel on edge but also touched and moved,loads going on”
and he responded by saying:

“This is interesting data and PhDable. I thought about Pittu’s Esatern/western dimesnions and how you Greeks seemed to be at the eastern end of his table and then Marina uses a metaphor that Pittu used in his last meetign and interview with me – Chameleon.”

Good to have the blog space to record all this