Barbara Rawlings

A CULTURE OF ENQUIRY: RESEARCH EVIDENCE AND THE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY

This paper presents data from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 published studies of therapeutic community effectiveness using controls, including 8 randomised control trials. Meta-regressions suggest that the two types of therapeutic community, democratic and concept-based, and the age of the study, are the key sources of heterogeneity in the collection of studies analysed. Otherwise, heterogeneity is low and the meta-analysis confirms the effectiveness of therapeutic community treatment with overall summary log odds ratio for the 29 studies of −0.512 (95% ci −0.598 to −0.426).

Using focus groups to seek the views of patients dying from cancer about the care they receive

The prime purpose of the study was to investigate whether focus groups were a practical way of seeking the views of dying people and whether the information collected added to that collected by more established methods.

Transient therapeutic communities: the “living-learning experience” trainings

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe transient therapeutic communities (TCs) and their value for training. Design/methodology/approach – This is a descriptive account which includes the findings of two field study evaluations, and direct participant feedback. It is an exploration of the application of TC and group analytic theory to transient TCs. Findings – The transient TC format is an excellent training format for creating a powerful and effective environment for learning and personal development in the very short time frame of three days. Practical implications – These courses are a very efficient and effective way of promoting reflective practice, enabling environments, and emotionally safe working practices. The trainings are useful for a wide range of people from mental health professions, those working in human resources, and those in senior positions in industrial, commercial and public sector fields. Social implications – This paper will raise awareness that target-driven training ...

Training for democratic therapeutic community staff: a description and evaluation of three experiential workshops

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate three experiential training workshops, each set up as three-day transient therapeutic communities, and established to train therapeutic community staff. Design/methodology/approach The author carried out participant observation of all courses and analysed these using thematic analysis. The description is provided in Part 1 of the paper. The evaluation, in Part 2 was based on written feedback from participants and from assessment against relevant audit criteria. Findings All three workshops achieved their aims of providing participants with an authentic TC resident’s experience. Additionally, each offered personal understandings of how participants felt and why they felt that way in the community setting. Research limitations/implications This was largely a piece of qualitative research, carried out in the field, to achieve depth of description and understanding rather than statistical outcomes. Some numerical scores were derived from feedback forms. Further analysis of feedback from future workshops will strengthen findings by increasing the numbers of respondents. Practical implications The workshops should continue largely as they are, although there may be some small changes to the designs. They achieve the aim of advancing the understanding of TC staff members. Originality/value The paper is based on three earlier unpublished reports and is new published research of interest to trainers in the fields of mental health and experiential learning.