‘An exploration of how staff understand/navigate boundaries in EIPS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of how Lead Practitioners understand and navigate boundaries in Early Intervention in Psychosis Services’
IRAS ID
274036
Contact name
Alexandra Bone
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Salomons Institute of Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christchurch University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 27 days
Research summary
While the benefits of Specialised Early Intervention services for first episode of psychosis compared with routine care have been widely acknowledged(Garety et al., 2006; Harvey, Lepage & Manna, 2007), recent research has indicated that disengagement is an on going concern. Studies examining facilitators and barriers to engagement in Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services point to the relationship between case manager and service-user, and aspects relating to boundaries within this as a key facilitator or barrier(Greenwood et al., 2013; Tindall, Francey & Hamilton, 2015).
As there is little formal theory for clinicians regarding boundaries beyond fairly black and white professional codes of conduct or trust policies (particularly for disciplines other than psychology/therapy), this study aims to develop a grounded theory to explore the nuances and subtleties of managing boundaries within this unique service model. It will examine how Lead Practitioners (case managers) in Early Intervention in Psychosis services in East Sussex develop their understanding and practice around boundary management, given the inherent challenges(e.g. a power imbalance between clinician/service-user,respecting privacy versus assertive engagement, drawing the line between supporter/friend etc.)
Qualitative, semi-structured interviews would be conducted with Lead Practitioners (LP)'s in EIP services at Sussex Partnership sites in East Sussex to explore the following areas:
-What do LP's understand by the concept of ‘boundaries’? How do they define the term/what do they think is the point of them?
-How do they navigate boundaries with service-users in their clinical practice? What has informed their decision- making?
-What are the benefits and particular challenges around boundaries that LP's face in EIP services? How do they overcome these challenges?It is estimated interviews will last no longer than 1 hour. Recruitment will continue until theoretical sufficiency in the data is reached, with a predicted sample size of around 12-16 participants. Interviews will be analysed using grounded theory(Charmaz,2014).
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A