The role of beliefs in adult experiences of trauma therapy

This thesis portfolio comprises three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical paper, and appendices.Part One: Systematic Literature ReviewThe systematic literature review explored the impact of client-therapist ethnic matching in therapy. This exploration mapped across different aspects of the therapeutic journey. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria following a systematic literature search. The use of narrative synthesis allowed for qualitative and quantitative literature to be integrated into findings. An established quality assessment checklist was utilised by the researcher to appropriately assess the qualities of the identified papers. The review focused on session attendance, symptom and functional improvement, and the therapeutic relationship. Methodological differences, clinical implications and areas for future research are discussed.Part Two: Empirical PaperThe empirical paper explored the role of beliefs in adult experiences of trauma therapy. Five participants completed semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was utilised to analyse the qualitative data. Five main themes emerged: ‘beliefs about identity, self-perception, and inner conflict’, ‘beliefs about empathy as an attribute of compassion, ‘beliefs about gender, safety, and stereotypes’, ‘beliefs about growth, coping, and psychological resilience’ and ‘belief systems, meaning making and flexibility’. Interactions across themes also surfaced, with considerations as to how narratives influenced specific aspects of each theme. Clinical implications, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.Part Three comprises the Appendices