Sharon Cahill

Stories of relative privilege: power and social change in feminist community psychology.

Stories about community work in New Zealand and Scotland are presented to describe and reflect on issues central to feminist community psychology. Organizing a lesbian festival, Ingrid Huygens describes feminist processes used to equalize resources across Maori (indigenous) and Pakeha (white) groups. Heather Hamerton presents her experiences as a researcher using collective memory work to reflect on adolescent experiences related to gender, ethnicity, and class. Sharon Cahill chronicles dilemmas and insights from focus groups about anger with women living in public housing in Scotland. Each story chronicles experiences related to oppression and privilege, and describes the authors emotions and reflections. Individually and collectively, the stories illustrate the potential offered by narrative methods and participatory processes for challenging inequalities and encouraging social justice.

Managing Meaning and Belonging: Young Women's Negotiation of Authenticity in Body Art

It is a common-sense ideology that appearance is vertically representative, in that the outer surface reflects the inner self. This paper explores the impact of this ideology on womens understandings of their Body Art. Meaning and belonging were identified as central themes in accounts produced from two focus groups with young women in Glasgow, Scotland who had piercings and tattoos. Meaning was constructed through two alternative accounts. First, that Body Art is meaningful because it represents a particular and valued subjectivity (brave, independent, different). Second, that the current popularity in Body Art endangers the vertical representation of the first account, making Body Art meaningless. To claim a meaningful relationship with Body Art, our participants drew on discourses of subcultural knowledge, ‘Othering’, authenticity, and rights. These discourses show that authenticity continues to be an important account in youth cultures. Authenticity both worked to produce a meaningful personal identity, but also a ‘mythical mainstream’ that denied other young women discursive space from which to explore alternative subjectivities through Body Art.

Threshold 3: the feasibility of the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) for routine assessment of the severity of mental health problems

Background Evidence-based practice requires the development of measures which are suitable for everyday clinical use (‘feasible’). There is no consensus as to how to establish feasibility. Method The feasibility of a new assessment – the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) – for use when making referrals to mental health services was tested by training mental health teams in using the TAG and other standardised assessments, asking referrers to ten mental health services in London also to complete a TAG, surveying TAG users, and evaluating a feedback meeting at which TAG data were presented. Results One hundred and one (61 %) mental health staff received training, and 445 (74 %) referrers of 600 patients completed TAGs. Sixty-five (65 %) questionnaires from TAG users were completed, and 24 (80 %) people attending feedback meetings evaluated the TAG. These allowed the extent to which the TAG is brief, simple, relevant, acceptable, available and valuable to be investigated. Conclusion The TAG exhibited good feasibility when used by mental health staff, and moderate feasibility when used by referrers. This approach can be used to investigate the feasibility of other standardised assessments.

Threshold 2: the reliability, validity and sensitivity to change of the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG)

Objective:  This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG), a new assessment of the severity of mental health problems.

Building Secure Attachments for Primary School Children: A Mixed Methods Study.

Despite the wide implications of attachment theory there remains a lack of research exploring interventions which encapsulate the principles of an attachment-based framework in the school context. The aim of this research was to address this gap by implementing an intervention for a group of five primary-aged pupils with identified insecure attachment styles, and a key adult figure in the school context. The 10 week intervention consisted of weekly sessions based in a mainstream primary school. The research adopted a mixed methodology, with a predominant qualitative focus. The perceptions of children in relation to attachment concepts were explored both before and following the intervention. The findings revealed positive changes in the children’s behaviours and experiences, in that the children’s Internal Working Models were positively shifted, and impacted on their social and emotional behaviours.

The impact of dynamic assessment: an exploration of the views of children, parents and teachers

A qualitative research project was carried out to explore the views of children with special educational needs, their parents and teachers about one aspect of educational psychology practice: the dynamic assessment of cognitive skills. The research was carried out in a highly diverse and inclusive borough in East London, by Nicola Lawrence from Hounslow Educational Psychology Service, and Sharon Cahill from the University of East London. The views of nine children were sought through semi‐structured interviews regarding the process of dynamic assessment, supported with tools and techniques to facilitate discussion. The views of eight parents and seven teachers were also sought, through semi‐structured interviews and focus groups, regarding the psychological reports produced from dynamic assessment. Of the original findings acquired through thematic analysis of the data, those pertaining to the perceived impact of dynamic assessment of cognitive skills are reported. Dynamic assessment was reported to impact positively upon the childs emotional well‐being, self‐perceptions, approach to learning and social relationships, both directly, and through the subsequent intervention of parents and educators. Dynamic assessment, as well as providing instructionally useful information for parents and teachers, encouraged them to move beyond locating the problem within the child, to reconceptualising their special educational needs in context. As a result, parents and teachers became more positive and optimistic about the child, the current situation and the childs future. Dynamic assessment impacted upon the childs holistic needs, parenting and the development of inclusive practice in the classroom. It is concluded that from the perspective of service users, dynamic assessment forms a worthwhile and valuable part of educational psychology practice.

What kind of shoes does a social worker wear? A content analysis of four occupational prototypes

ABSTRACT Evidence suggests that occupational prototypes have an impact on career decisions, through the mechanism of self-to-prototype matching, yet the literature provides scant information about the nature of these occupational prototypes. This study examines the prototypes of four common occupational choices of psychology students in the UK (social worker, primary school teacher, occupational psychologist and clinical psychologist). Data were gathered through four focus groups (N = 24) and were analysed with a quantitative content analysis to produce descriptions of the four occupational prototypes. It was found that the occupational prototypes were detailed and multi-dimensional, incorporating a wide range of features not directly related to the job itself including information about clothing, leisure activities and home décor. Implications for career development theory and career practice are discussed.

Life after Stroke: Coping mechanisms among African Caribbean Women

In the UK, stroke is the third most common cause of death for women and the incidence in African Caribbean women is higher than that in the general population. Stroke burden has major consequences for the physical, mental and social health of African Caribbean women. In order to adjust to life after stroke, individuals affected employ a range of strategies which may include personal, religious (church) or spiritual support (i.e. prayer), individual motivation or resignation to life with a disability. This study explored these areas through the coping mechanisms that African Caribbean women utilised post stroke in the context of stroke recovery and lifestyle modification efforts needed to promote healthy living post stroke. A qualitative approach using interpretative phenomenological analysis was adopted. Seven women were recruited into the study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were audio recorded and were transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using a four-stage framework: familiarisation, sense making, developing themes, and data refinement and analysis. Three main themes on coping emerged: the need to follow medical rules to manage stroke, strength and determination, and the use of religion and faith to cope with life after stroke. These findings illustrate both a tension between religious beliefs and the medical approach to stroke and highlight the potential benefits that religion and the church can play in stroke recovery. Implications for practice include acknowledgement and inclusion of religion- and church-based health promotion in post-stroke recovery.