Conference Agenda

Story Completion as Qualitative Methodology

Metaphors in mental health communication - qualitative analysis of presuicidal interactions

In literature on qualitative methodology, triangulation of methods is considered to provide different perspectives or put different lenses on a phenomenon of interest. It is however time intensive to investigate a research question or data from different angles. Moreover, it can be challenging to combine different methodologies that each have their own ontological and epistemological assumptions. As such, it is not a common practice and few research papers present methodological triangulation examples.

In this symposium we aim to discuss four examples of studies investigating different mental health related research questions through different methodologies. On the one hand, the examples present combinations of methodologies focusing at different levels of analysis, i.e. cross case versus case level. On the other hand, the combination of more descriptive-interpretative methods (e.g., thematic analysis) versus more structural language-oriented approaches (e.g., narrative analysis, conversation analysis) are illustrated.

Perinatal mental illness (PMI) is a major health concern during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. It affects many parents during what is often perceived as a joyous time. While social support and peer exchange can be invaluable during this significant transition, stigma - particularly in the Austrian region of Tyrol - often hinders open discussions about perinatal mental health (PMH) challenges. This talk presents findings from a qualitative study exploring how mothers experience and navigate PMH challenges within their social networks. It is part of a broader research project aiming to improve support for new parents. The project was inspired by a mother’s journey of struggling to find adequate formal support, leading her to establish a local self-help group. Based on 13 semi-structured interviews analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, we report two overarching themes: (1) when expected joy meets unexpected struggles and (2) social and peer support: valued yet complex. Our findings highlight the emotional rollercoaster of mothers with PMH challenges and the critical role of lived experience in shaping meaningful support. These insights call for community-driven peer initiatives and more open discussions to reduce stigma and better meet the needs of new parents.

The interaction between mental health and relationships remains understudied, particularly regarding how couples navigate their relationship when one partner faces mental health challenges. This research examines how couples, where one partner has a mental disorder, perceive their relationship through metaphoric language.

This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 12 couples (24 participants) living together in relationships. The sample included 8 women and 4 men with mental illness, and their partners (8 men, 4 women), aged 24-68, with relationship duration ranging from 5 to 37 years.

Analysis revealed that couples view their relationship as a shared journey, reflecting their partnership in facing illness together and experiencing mutual growth through challenges. The journey metaphor emerged as a representation of their shared experiences, encompassing love, acceptance, empathy, and mutual commitment. This metaphor enables couples to reframe mental crisis situations as opportunities for personal and couple growth, strengthening their belief in their ability to cope and grow stronger together.

The findings contribute to understanding how couples create meaning in the face of distress, suggesting that the journey metaphor could serve as a valuable therapeutic tool in mental health contexts. This perspective offers new insights for clinical interventions and relationship support in mental health settings.

Parenting a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) in Malaysia is shaped by systemic, social, and cultural barriers. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of 16 parents in Malaysian Borneo and Perak, focusing on their wellbeing, access to support, and cultural influences.

Thematic analysis identified six interconnected challenges:
1) Inaccessible support services—long waiting times, financial strain, and geographic barriers force parents to seek informal alternatives;
2) Communication difficulties—non-verbal challenges lead to frustration, misinterpretation, and social withdrawal;
3) Pervasive daily impact—caregiving responsibilities disrupt relationships, routines, and self-care;
4) Emotional and psychological toll—stress, stigma, and internalized blame worsen parental wellbeing;
5) Parental identity and advocacy—parents navigate isolation but develop resilience through peer networks and advocacy roles; and
6) Cultural constructions of disability—collectivist values both support and stigmatize, shaping caregiving experiences.

Findings challenge assumptions that community structures always provide support, highlighting the need for peer-support integration, rural outreach, and stigma reduction. Considering Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the interaction between different systems is clear, with a need for multi-level interventions, not least to address distress placed in the parents that is related to lack of support and social stigma.

In our grounded theory-based qualitative study, we explore how relationship-regulation processes among family members either support or undermine individuals’ emotional and mental well-being, ultimately shaping the succession process in first-generation family businesses.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with incumbents and successors from twelve first-generation family firms, our grounded theory analysis produced a substantive theoretical model rooted in the interview data. We found that intrafamily succession is driven by relational negotiation processes that revolve around three main areas: establishing a shared identity between incumbent and successor, co-constructing their understanding of succession, and defining the family rules that guide the process.

In our proposed model, their common construction is metaphorically depicted as a bridge built “brick by brick,” emerging from ongoing relationship-regulation efforts. Negotiations around shared identity form the foundation of this common construction, while negotiations over family rules provide its structural framework.

Overall, the findings point to a dynamic, relationship-focused perspective on succession in which planning is not the central mechanism; rather, relationship negotiations and family members’ mental and emotional health and well-being play a pivotal role in shaping the succession’s success.

Despite increasing recognition of paternal perinatal mental health (PPMH), with research showing that approximately 1 in 10 fathers experience mental health issues during this period, fathers' experiences remain overlooked in research and practice. This study explores how fathers in Austria navigate PPMH challenges and available support. Fourteen qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of fathers' experiences, with thematic analysis used to analyze the data. Participants described several barriers to seeking (professional) help, including stigma, societal expectations of fatherhood, traditional gender norms, and a lack of father-inclusive services. Many fathers hesitated to seek support due to societal pressures and the belief they should be strong and priortize supporting their partner over their own wellbeing. While fathers relied on informal support networks, such as family, friends, and peers, for (emotional and) practical support, the availability and effectiveness of these networks varied. Fathers' approaches to PPMH were shaped by their mental health experiences, how they interpreted these, and societal pressure to neglect their own needs, affecting how they expressed emotions. These interviews highlight the need to rethink PPMH support, with a focus on greater visibility of fathers and co-parents in perinatal care and developing interventions tailored to their unique needs.

There is a lack of qualitative research in a clinical setting that investigates the experiences of couples facing financial stress, and how this shapes their quality of life and couple dynamics. During a previous study with this population, we noticed that the participants reflected on existential questions such as freedom and determinism in a way that warranted closer analytic attention. Using existential philosophy to understand such material holds promise, as it allows the researcher to use interpretations from outside the clinical and sociological literature most often used to make sense of these phenomena. Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophy was chosen for this specific topic, as she wrote about the ambiguities of being both a determined and self-constituting subject in The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947). In this study, we use de Beauvoir’s thinking to re-analyse qualitative interviews with six couples, previously analysed using Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The couples are highly distressed, report financial stress and are interviewed during residential couple therapy. Their accounts illustrate how narratives of loneliness and inter-connectedness, freedom and determinism co-exist and illuminate each other in surprising ways. Implications for couple therapy are considered. The methodology is discussed in relation to IPA and Critical post-intentional phenomenological inquiry (CRIT-PIP).

This talk will explore problematic practices in reflexive thematic analysis (TA) – based on our reviews of published TA research across 7 health-related journals – and highlight examples of good practice. In this exploration, we emphasise the concepts and practices of methodological congruence, reflexive openness and being a knowing researcher. Methodological congruence – also known as methodological coherence, methodological integrity and paradigmatic congruence – captures the way different parts of a research project fit together to form a coherent and harmonious whole. This means our research questions, philosophical assumptions, understanding of researcher subjectivity, treatment of data and quality practices are all in conceptual alignment. Reflexive openness – more widely known as transparency – highlights the importance of qualitative researchers offering a transparent and comprehensive account of their research practice. For some, this can entail revealing some of the 'mess' and 'behind the scenes' of the research process rather than offering a seamless and polished account of the research. Both methodological congruence and reflexive openness are facilitated by researchers who recognise the importance of, and strive to become, what we call knowing practitioners – which includes having a sound understanding of the conceptual underpinnings of their research, being deliberative and reflexive in their choices, and being able to communicate these to others. We end by briefly highlighting two quality tools – the RTARG and the BQQRG – that we have developed to support researchers in conducting methodologically congruent and reflexively open reflexive TA.

Theoretical background: The diagnostic process is a crucial development in the history of illness, which shapes the personal history of patients, and indeed their very identity. Aim: Although a number of qualitative studies have attempted to explore aspects of personality disorder as a lived experience, no idiographic study of such a phenomenon has been conducted on a sample in Hungary with a focus on the actual subjective experience within the diagnostic process. The research questions include: How do psychiatric patients experience, and what meaning do they give to, their treatment in the institution? How do they interpret the diagnosis they receive? How does the diagnosis affect their identity? Methods: interpretative phenomenological analysis was used in analyzing semi-structured interviews. This study involved 6 participants, 4 women and 2 men, aged 19-32, treated in an acute psychiatric ward. Results:Three primary themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: 1)The drift and vulnerability creating the road to psychiatry 2)The diagnostic process and the experience of psychiatric inpatients, and 3)The turning point in self-awareness.Conclusions: A key condition for recovery is the acceptance and integration of an appropriate diagnosis into patient identity, significantly facilitated by the attitude and approach of caregivers during the psychiatric stay.

As a qualified clinical psychologist, working at the University of Southampton, and in my role as a research supervisor, I have some key reflections to discuss about the experiences of an insider researcher. This presentation looks to reflect on my experience of completing my qualitative doctoral thesis in 2011 on the topic of the experiences of people whose partners have taken their own lives. As a relatively new, early career researcher, and in the role as an insider researcher, having lost my partner to suicide in 2006, I faced many challenges as well as positive personal growth. Nearly 15 years on, I can better reflect on the experience, the impact it had on me and the research and offer some reflections about the support that can help others in similar positions; both researchers and supervisors.

The present study explores the immediate needs of survivors from the massacre that happend in Israel on October 7^th, 2023. During the events citizens were exposed to tangible danger and were evicted from their homes without knowing if, or when, they will return.

A survey exploring the needs of these trauma survivors was conducted a month after October, on purpose of gaining understanding of the types of help that will be beneficial for them. It included both quantitative questions in order to examine the concrete needs of the evacuees, and open-ended questions whose purpose was to let the evacuees express their needs in their own words. 800 people responded to the quantitative questions, and less than a 100 responded to the qualitative part.

The analysis of the survey generates several central themes, including concrete and existential loneliness that is present in the evacuees' stories. The need to regain a sense of control over their lives, to be the ones who tell their stories, stood in the basis of the survivors' narratives. They expressed a wish to create a bridge of agency between the lives that they had before the trauma, and the lives that they have at present, as evacuees.

Narrative inquiry assumes that lives are communicated in a storied mode. Tthis assumes a construct that has a basic plot. The presentation discusses giving titles to life narratives to understand the meaning of trauma and distress in attempting to achieve of control and mental health. It is based on qualitative data from two research projects conducted in Israel: One with 20 abused Muslim women, ranging in age from 19 to 30 years, and the other with 20 Jewish women, survivors of incest. Each interviewee was asked to choose a title for her life story and elaborate on its meaning. The results indicate that titles integrate two functions: the first reflects the interviewees’ struggle to face and make sense of helplessness and powerlessness due to past experiences of seemingly meaningless pain; the second reflects the interviewees’ struggle to construct the future, including a map of tasks, vision, and existential mission. The two functions are intertwined in the titles and reflect the need to achieve mental well-being.

The discussion of the titles for life narratives is based on the conception of Sartre's “fundamental project” as a dialectic one involving past distress arising from trauma and the creation of meaning.

Psychologists experience mental health difficulties at rates similar to the general population, including non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). In this mixed-methods study (convergent parallel design), we explored the lived experiences of psychologists in Australia who have a history of NSSI, including how these experiences impact their work; decisions about disclosure to supervisors, colleagues, and clients; and choices concerning scar concealment. Ninety psychologists (65 provisional, 25 general) participated in an anonymous online survey that collected quantitative and qualitative data. Few psychologists had disclosed their NSSI history to supervisors (7.8%), colleagues (29.1%) or clients (2.2%). NSSI-related scar concealment (e.g. client work, supervision) was common in professional contexts. Four themes were generated using reflexive thematic analysis: 1) Just one part of me, 2) Stigma fuels fear, 3) A history of value that need not be told and 4) Walking the tightrope of disclosure. This study challenges assumptions that psychologists are immune to the conditions they treat, an assumption that needs to be disputed openly in training and research. Findings have implications for psychology and supervisory training, including how to cultivate safer, inclusive learning spaces that destigmatise lived experiences of mental health difficulties. These findings may inform future guidelines and combat stigma associated with NSSI.

This presentation focuses on how we can educate clinical psychology students to become reflexive practitioners by building on theories and concepts from rhetorical studies. Rhetorical studies of mental health (Reynolds, 2018; Melonçon et al., 2020) theorize and examine how language creates certain understandings of our mental health and how these understandings become persuasive and influence how we act upon our or others' ‘healthy’ or ‘ill’ bodies/minds. My contribution is based on a research project in which master students in clinical psychology rhetorically analysed cultural constructions of ‘mental health (problems)’ in Ellen Forney's autobiographical graphic novel 'Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and me' (2012). A qualitative content analysis of students’ reflective reports reveals that some students take a position of rhetorical othering, where being rhetorical and subjective or situated is only attributed to the Other (here: the patient) and personal assumptions are left unquestioned. Nevertheless, most students take a position of rhetorical listening, using rhetorical concepts to reflect on their own assumptions and on the different cultural logics, and the ethical and political ramifications of these logics, in which psychological practice and knowledge on ‘mental health (problems)’ are inevitably embedded. I conclude with some recommendations to implement 'rhetorical reflexivity' in the classroom.

This research project explores the psychological dimensions of social spaces in acute inpatient wards, understanding and making sense of how inhabitants interact within both existing and newly developed environments. Acute wards are collective care spaces, monitored and supported by clinical staff, where individuals with diverse backgrounds and support needs coexist. These social spaces play a crucial role in fostering interaction and aiding recovery. However, despite their therapeutic importance, little research has focused on the lived experience of these spaces.

Drawing on mental health and cognitive neuroscience research, this project seeks to capture the emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations, and perceptions of inhabitants as they engage with traditional and contemporary environments. Two studies have been conducted: the first employs a visual qualitative approach using photo production in a current hospital setting, while the second utilises virtual reality to simulate a new environment. A multi-perspective interpretative phenomenological analysis is underway to understand how patients and staff experience existing social spaces and their perceptions of new (albeit virtual) ones.

By adopting an ecological approach, this research aims to deepen our understanding of these unique and complex spaces, highlighting their vital role in inpatient care.

Mixed-race identity remains under-researched in mental health and psychotherapy literature, despite mixed-race people being one of the largest and fastest-growing racialised groups in the world. Like all therapists, mixed-race therapists need to reflect on how their racial identity may come into their therapeutic practice, to help navigate dilemmas, yet without research and discussion there is no context or support for this. Using a qualitative semi-structured interview design, I generated and analysed 10 mixed-race therapists’ accounts, asking: How do mixed-race therapists experience their racial identity in the therapeutic professions? Reflexive thematic analysis yielded two main themes: How does my mixed-race identity fit into my therapeutic practice? and Entering the therapeutic profession compounds feelings of being alone, othered and confused as a mixed-race person. These themes highlight othering of mixed-race therapists in therapeutic professions, compounded by binary conceptualisations of racial identity which exacerbate practice-based dilemmas. This demonstrates the importance of intersectional approaches to conceptualising racial identity. As the presenter, I hope to make space for discussion of qualitative research methods and approaches to therapeutic training, development, and practice that value and welcome experiential differences in identity. The University Research Ethics Committee of the University of Manchester granted ethical approval for this research.

Neutral themes may develop into highly sensitive ones in a troubled world. New authoritarianism is a societal context in which the values of the helping professions become threatened, potentially leading to derailment and deprofessionalization. Academics in social work with diverse research backgrounds from different Hungarian universities have conducted a community autoethnography (CA) session to study their notions concerning the impact of emerging far right ideologies on social work and reach a deeper understanding of the problem. Practicing CA acknowledges the importance of researchers’ own experiences and requires systematic, detailed and honest observations, ongoing reflections and interpretations. Here, we have explored how our professional community construes this specific theme and proceed towards a common conceptualization to facilitate further research. The method has resulted in a rich material, also promoting trust and collaboration in a research team where not every member knew each other but were connected by their common professional values. In this study, the verbatim transcription of the discussion was analysed and then complemented by the participants’ subsequent reflections. The emerging conceptual network shows the unique strengths of the method. Ethical challenges inherent in CA are also raised in the presentation.

In my presentation, I will report on the current status of my ongoing qualitative research, with the unhidden intention of finding some order in the archetypal creative chaos. I explore the nature of the transcendental, spiritual experiences associated with women's bodily experiences during childbirth – such as pain, altered states of consciousness. My research questions - my hermeneutic journey - revolve around motherhood, childbirth, the female body in social context, and the archetype of the female healer - the healing woman. This archetype seems to include both maternal and divine aspects. There are a number of references in the Jungian analytical psychology literature that may be useful for understanding this, including artistic and mythological contexts. "In childbirth, women are God’s partners." (Mohás, 1998) – what does this sentence mean for us in the 21st century? In my lecture, I will follow this thread from the Hungarian psychologist Lívia Mohás (quoted above), and I will use three mythological female figures, Lilith, Circe and Kinnaree to introduce my self-hermeneutic journey, via autoethnography (Williamson, 2018) and photovoice (Budig et al, 2018).

Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's life that may involve significant physical and psychological changes. Healthcare plays a crucial role in managing symptoms and improving quality of life. However, many women report inadequate care, shortcomings in the doctor-patient relationship, and a lack of personalized support. This qualitative study aims to investigate Hungarian menopausal healthcare experiences using thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with twelve women aged 45–55. The research examines key shortcomings in menopausal care, characteristics of the doctor-patient relationship, symptom management strategies, and factors that may contribute to a dignified menopausal experience. Preliminary findings suggest that women often feel the healthcare system provides insufficient information and support. The doctor-patient relationship is frequently perceived as unsupportive, with communication barriers. Participants emphasized relying on self-management strategies, including lifestyle changes and alternative therapies. These initial results indicate a need for improvements in menopausal healthcare. Enhancing medical education, strengthening patient information, providing psychological care, and improving physiological symptom management could significantly contribute to improvement of the quality of life for menopausal women.

Women and especially mothers often do most of the unpaid care responsibilities within the family. An uneven division of caregiving duties can increase the risk of psychological stress. Based on 20 interviews with mothers experiencing mental illness, we conducted a thematic analysis from a gender-theoretical perspective to examine ways in which these mothers relate their mental health and their role as mothers with associated caregiving duties. While some mothers perceive motherhood as a source of motivation and a positive influence on mental wellbeing, many highlight the negative connection between caregiving and mental health. The findings reveal a range of perspectives on this relationship. For some, motherhood and caregiving are perceived as triggers for mental illness; others describe them as additional stressors that exacerbate existing mental health issues. Additionally, although some mothers regard their mental health as independent from caregiving, care-related situations are frequently referenced when describing the nature and severity of their mental health. Across all three perspectives, societal expectations surrounding maternal roles and caregiving responsibilities emerge as key factors shaping these women’s experiences of mental health. The findings contribute to the analysis of mental health by considering the gendered parenthood and the resulting unequal distribution of caring responsibilities.

From my Australian childhood, through my dad’s work, I understood the value of empowering parents to meet and recognise their baby’s unique personhood. My research career has led me across the world, and also investigating this important topic. One in five women and one in ten men develop a mental illness during the perinatal period, yet many go unrecognized due to stigma, reluctance to seek help, and structural barriers. We explore historical and social factors influencing early and supportive perinatal mental healthcare in Tyrol, Austria. Based upon symbolic interactionism, and using semi-structured interviews (n=33), we examine how shifting meanings of pregnancy, parenthood, and mental health shape contemporary care. Thematic analysis, combining inductive and deductive approaches, identifies service gaps and opportunities for improvement. Findings indicate persistent stigma, traditional gender roles, and inadequate early intervention pathways. While awareness of perinatal mental distress has increased, expectations of parenthood have intensified. Fathers are rarely included in services, and psychiatry’s legacy of institutional mistrust deters help-seeking. Peer support and normalisation are valued but underutilized. Despite multiple organizations providing care, services remain fragmented, unevenly distributed, and not always able to provide holistic family focused services. Findings inform co-design efforts with stakeholders to develop locally relevant solutions.

This contribution presents a multidimensional qualitative research protocol designed to explore the role of dance therapy in the psychological care of migration-affected women who are survivors of sexual violence. The protocol was crafted to provide a comprehensive understanding of how dance therapy interventions could benefit this population.

To investigate the integration of dance therapy into a multidisciplinary care, semi-structured interviews were conducted with both participants in dance therapy workshops and professionals involved in their care.

Longitudinal qualitative data collection assessed the direct impact of dance therapy on psychological processes and organization. Over a year, participants underwent three sessions at six-month intervals, including a semi-structured interview, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), self-report questionnaires, and the Rorschach test (interpreted using the French School method).

The diversity of tools employed reflects the complexity of the research subject and underscores the importance of qualitative methods in clinical psychology research. Semi-structured interviews uncovered challenges rooted in social context, personal experiences of violence, and psychological distress. Longitudinal qualitative analysis provided deeper insight into underlying psychological processes and organization, with a focus on attachment strategies, defense mechanisms, and trauma. These findings are illustrated through a detailed clinical case study.

This symposium examines the interplay between memory, narrative, and identity, emphasizing their selective and socially constructed nature (Ricœur 2003). Drawing on insights from Halbwachs, Foucault, Ricœur, and Assmann, it highlights how memory operates within social frameworks and power structures, shaping what is remembered and forgotten (Halbwachs 1992 [1924], Foucault 1971). Memory actively organizes not only the past but also the present and future, playing a central role in constructing coherent identities (Assmann 2007). These dynamics are crucial for fostering resilience and supporting mental health through adaptive remembering. Understanding these processes provides a foundation for addressing contemporary challenges in resilience and identity formation.

We use in our presentations this conceptual framework to analyse interviews with mothers and their adolescent children who escaped to Germany from the war in Ukraine.

Introduction: Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrate substantial ToM impairment reflected in their language use. In order to effectively take part in social interactions, perspective taking and mental state attribution expressed via deictic expressions and mental state terms are of utmost importance.

Objectives: Analysing the most commonly used deictic expressions and mental state terms may help describe the severity of linguistic disturbances and determine whether patients’ language use reflects cognitive or affective ToM impairment.

Methods: The corpus involves 40 guided interviews including 20 individuals with schizophrenia and 20 controls. The interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed in Hungarian and centred around Hemingway’s short story entitled The End of Something. The qualitative analysis targeting the identification and classification of collocations associated with the interviewees’ mentalizing processes was performed with Sketch Engine corpus analysis tool.

Results: Patients with schizophrenia referred the least commonly to the interpersonal aspects of the context, and made significantly less references associated with the characters’ cognitive mental states. Based on their language use, patients’ affective ToM skills were relatively intact, whereas cognitive deficits were more apparent.

Conclusions: The findings may add to future language therapeutic interventions targeting the enhancement of patients’ social reintegration, particularly via improving cognitive ToM skills.

Patients with functional somatic syndromes (FSS) may present with complex biopsychosocial histories, high interpersonal burden, and are often perceived as hard to treat. Yet, interpersonal processes leading to psychotherapy impasses in FSS have been barely studied in-depth.

Because case studies can offer unique insights into complex psychotherapy processes from an interpersonal perspective, we compare psychotherapies of two patients, who were treated by the same therapist and characterized by opposite (poor and good) alliance. We examined how different alliance scenarios were connected to the symptomatic domains of FSS, depression, and interpersonal problems. We combined the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method with qualitative analyses according to methodology of theory-building case studies.

The results suggest that poor alliance led to therapist’s resignation and contributed to deteriorating of patient’s FSS, depression, and interpersonal functioning. While in the case of good alliance, the patient partially improved on depression and interpersonal functioning, FSS complaints still persisted, and patient’s focus shifted more towards the somatic domain. This demonstrates that good alliance alone may be not sufficient for achieving a sustainable progress in FSS.

It is especially interesting that qualitative data delivered superior insights into interpersonal dynamics as compared to pre-constructed categories of the CCRT and quantitative data.

This presentation explores psychological therapists’ experiences of humour in sessions with clients diagnosed with a terminal illness. In considering the extensive research uncovered involving humour and death, comparatively little was found in the field of terminal illness, humour and the psychological therapies, and none specifically on therapists’ experiences of these phenomena. Bruner’s (1991, 2004) narrative approach is used to examine six psychological therapists’ experiences which elicited: participating therapists’ personal experiences of humour compared to those experiences with clients; how preconceptions of working in terminal care shaped their experiences of humour once they were experienced therapists; the nature of working with terminally ill clients; the nature of humour as a hindrance and/or help; the differences between humour with clients in terminal settings compared to other settings; and finally, what therapists have learned through their experiences. The findings are presented as the script of a play and then analysed by looking at not only the content of participants’ narratives but also how they were told, paying close attention to character, plot, temporality, and situatedness.

This paper explores the multifaceted challenges encountered while researching a highly vulnerable population—suicide attempt survivors—within a government hospital setting. Drawing on existential phenomenological interviews with 15 survivors, the study examines not only their lived experiences of despair, resilience, and transformation but also the internal conflicts and ethical dilemmas I faced as a researcher. Despite a year of clinical experience prior to data collection, I grappled with profound questions of death, hopelessness, and competence, while confronting burnout and the blurred boundaries between professional empathy and personal vulnerability. Employing reflexive writing as a methodological tool, I critically interrogate my own presence and grounding in the field, illuminating the interplay of connection and disconnection inherent in this sensitive research context. This self-reflexive approach underscores the emotional labour involved in qualitative mental health research and highlights the importance of reflexivity in navigating ethical complexities. Ultimately, the paper advocates for more nuanced research methodologies that acknowledge the subjectivities of both participants and researchers, thereby contributing to the advancement of rigorous, empathetic, and ethically sound qualitative inquiry in mental health.

As lecturers in the advanced training program for psychiatric nurses (60 ECTS), we explored how engaging students as co-researchers could deepen their understanding of research methods and evidence-based clinical practice within recovery-oriented care. The training program is organized with an interplay between theoretical and practical models. Rather than limiting the teaching to traditional lectures, we incorporated hands-on research training. We guided the students through the key elements of the research process. In a mini-version, the students conducted systematic literature searches, designed and carried out qualitative interviews, analyzed data, and presented their findings through research posters and invitations to co-write an article in a professional journal.

Using different methods including surveys, Delphi evaluation, and student reflections we examined the students learning about recovery and conditions that supported or hindered research-based learning in clinical settings.

Findings indicate that the hands-on approach fostered critical reflection and deeper discussions on recovery-oriented care, while practical constraints such as time pressure, competing clinical responsibilities, and varying levels of leadership support affected students' ability to carry out and engage in the research activities within clinical practice.

Emotionally demanding research (EDR), including qualitative research, brings unique risks for researchers’ mental health. Researchers can be those within or outside of academia (e.g., peer researchers), where lived experience is increasingly recognised as important in shaping the research. However, EDR must be conducted within a psychologically informed culture to avoid harmful mental health effects. Strategies have been identified to protect researchers’ mental health in EDR (Quinton et al., 2025). This study investigated the acceptability and feasibility of implementing these strategies across academic and non-academic contexts. 20 participants across research sectors and EDR disciplines completed an online survey on their views of strategies’ (1) acceptability, feasibility, and utility, and (2) barriers and enablers towards their implementation. Open-ended responses were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Reflexive diaries and advisory group meetings further informed the analysis. Preliminary themes generated were: the need for further tailoring, supplementary educational resources, and the dependency on organisational resource. Strategies were perceived as acceptable and feasible but tailoring and resource is essential to ensure their effectiveness for the researcher and their context. This study contributes towards a better understanding of how to implement a more inclusive research culture for researchers’ mental health in EDR.

Paramedics work under extreme stress and in such conditions the risk of traumatisation and vulnerability is increased. From a psychological point of view, it is an important question which cases they identify as trauma, how individual trauma is transformed into a narrative and become part of their personal and professional identity, and what self-protection strategies they have developed during their careers to cope with emotionally stressful situations.
In our research, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six Hungarian paramedics, which were interpreted by interpretative phenomenological analysis. The focus of our analysis was the experience of trauma deriving from emergency situations, as well as individual characteristics and ways of coping with trauma.
In the stories told by the ambulance workers, we identified risk factors of traumatisation such as personal involvement, parallels with their own lives, and difficulties in experiencing overwhelming emotions emerged during patient care. The master themes of trauma recovery and self-protection include a sense of "I have done everything", the importance of individual meaning-making or the need to share trauma.
The aim of our research is to better understand the qualities of individual experiences in order to improve the effectiveness of interventions to support the mental health of ambulance workers.

In this communication I present some preliminary findings of one part of my ongoing qualitative research which aims at discovering various aspects of the psychoanalytic training as it is practiced according to the Eitingon training model of the International Psychoanalytical Association.

According to the Eitingon psychoanalytical training model, the supervisors of the candidate are different from her/his training analyst, so the supervisory experience is detached and different radically from the training analytic experience. In the Hungarian training model, however, the training analyst and the first supervisor is the same person and, sometimes, the first supervision is a natural continuation of the candidate’s personal analysis. This method was still practiced in the Hungarian Psychoanalytical Society until quite recently.

Based on an earlier survey (Ajkay 1988) I conducted five interviews with those members of the Hungarian Society who were still trained in this method. The interviews are analyzed by mixed methodology using narrative analysis and grounded theory. That results seem to imply that, contrary to the commonly accepted view, the overdetermined nature of the relationship between the candidate and the training analyst does not diminish the candidate’s learning experience and professional maturation.

Mental illness is widespread among adults and remains the foremost cause of years lived with disability. Despite its importance, there is a scarcity of research on person-centered care (PCC) from the viewpoints of mental health service users, particularly within clinical community mental health services. This study sought to investigate the potential for enhancing PCC through the lived experiences of individuals with mental health conditions who use local community mental health clinics (CMHC) in Malta.

A qualitative research design was utilized, following the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Ten participants from Malta, who frequently visit CMHCs, were recruited through intermediaries. Each participant took part in an interview, conducted at a mutually convenient time and location. These sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for subsequent analysis.

The analysis identified three main themes: quality care, emotional support, and partnership and collaborative care, each comprising various sub-themes. The study illuminated both the strengths and shortcomings of the existing system and their implications for a PCC-oriented healthcare approach. The findings emphasize the importance of continuous education, practice, and research in PCC within this domain. Furthermore, the research offers healthcare professionals (HCPs) a chance for ongoing professional development in accordance with the latest PCC principles.

This paper maps the experiences of the Vastaamo’s data breach victims by analysing their stories through the lens of temporality. The Finnish psychotherapy centre Vastaamo fell victim to a data hack in 2019 and more than 30 000 clients were affected. While this incident is often considered as an extraordinary tragedy, cybersecurity breaches in the healthcare sector are growing and personal mental health data makes a valuable form of data on the dark web. In this presentation, I examine the anonymous accounts (N=100) provided by the data hacking victims through the lens of temporality. I especially focus on the ways in which the writers themselves draw connections between datafication of health care, their leaked personal information and mental (ill)health. Further, as the personal data generated in the past may potentially continue to ‘haunt’ the victims in the future in several ways, I discuss the leaked data as ‘haunting data’ with their own multitemporal (after)lives. The paper provides insights to the multiple ways in which datafication comes to matter in mental health care, paying particular attention to the ways in which digital temporalities entangle with mental (ill)health.

Recent developments in critical health communication research emphasize the need for critical inquiry into the different ways in which media actively co-construct what constitutes 'mental health/illness'. In this presentation, I respond to Lynch and Zoller’s (2015) suggestion to turn to rhetorical studies to examine how language constructs specific cultural understandings of mental health/illness and mental health literacy and how, at particular moments, these constructions become persuasive to particular audiences and particular causes. My contribution is based on a research project I coordinated in which a group of interdisciplinary researchers studied the rhetorical construction of 'mental health/illness' in newspapers and magazines in six European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Greece, Norway and Sweden) and how these constructions relate to specific understandings of mental health literacy. Our rhetorical analysis reveals that we cannot unambiguously assume that biopsychiatric discourses or discourses aimed at empathy and understanding are either exclusively stigmatizing or exclusively empowering and destigmatizing. We consequently call for a critical conception of mental health literacy arguing that all mental health news socializes its audience in specific understandings of and attitudes towards mental health and that discourses on mental health/illness can work differently in varying contexts.

This qualitative study explores healing processes often referred to as "miracles" experienced by individuals who have faced significant personal or environmental adversities, including exposure to war. We examine these transformative experiences not as supernatural events, but as methodological processes emerging from integrating mentalization and spiritual contemplation practices.

Mentalization, the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of oneself and others, fosters self-understanding and improves mental health. Mindfulness, as a foundation of spiritual contemplation, cultivates present-moment awareness and self-acceptance, offering documented mental and social benefits. Together, these approaches create a bridge between scientific understandings of mental health and spiritual traditions. Through analyzing practitioners' narratives of perceived "miracles," this research investigates how the integration of these approaches contributes to mental health and relationship quality, emotional regulation and meaning making.

This qualitative part of a larger mixed-methods study, employs semi-structured interviews and self-reported questionnaires, utilizing thematic analysis for the interview transcripts. The findings advance our understanding of holistic recovery processes. They reveal how personal experiences illuminate pathways to hope, connection, and comprehensive healing while challenging the perception of "miracles" healing by highlighting its methodological foundations.

Purpose: Exploring the adaptation and acculturation experiences of Russian-speaking young people reporting non-suicidally self-injurious behaviour and mental health difficulties. In addition, the study aims to better understand their experiences of stress and coping strategies.
Method: Russian-speaking adolescent immigrants were included in the study in Hungary. Adolescents who had experienced at least one episode of nonsuicidal self-harm or mental difficulties were included. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, and interviews related to the experience of immigration were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Instruments: We used the Mini -International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents, the Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire (DSHI), and interviews about the experience of immigration. The interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We highlighted five interviews with adolescents who were identified as having at least one non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour and mental health difficulty.
Results: The adolescents' experiences were organised around six themes. Through the themes presented, the stressors associated with immigration and adolescents' coping strategies are visible.
Conclusion: From a mental health perspective, potentially stressful circumstances are embedded in an immigration context. Understanding them can be used for targeted culturally sensitive prevention.

Second generation immigrant youths are commonly oriented more to the culture of the country of migration than to the culture of their country of origin.In contrast to the main trend in the literature this was not found to be the case among the 20 participants in this phenomenological study of 18 year old transnationalist female high school graduates. The transnationalist disposition of the immigrant population from the Former Soviet Union, which means that the migrants are guided by two cultural codes, is at the root of this phenomenon.The enmeshed structure characteristic of Post-Soviet Jewish families took a serious toll on the participants' ability to adjust successfully to the receiving culture. Though these girls, born in Israel, have never set foot on Russian(term used at large) territory, the family ambience programmed them to prioritize the Russian way in all spheres of life.The paper examines how this tendency negatively affected their day to day interactions and life routine in the receiving society and chances for effective accomodation.

Roma people are often socioeconomically vulnerable due to exclusion and violence perpetrated by majority societies. A recent integrative review indicated a lack of studies about Roma mental health. To our knowledge, this is a first study exploring the topic with a Roma forced-displaced community. We aim to explore meanings, factors, and needs regarding mental health and forced displacement following perceptions of Roma currently in Hungary due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Descriptive qualitative method was applied following a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Nine individual semi-structured interviews were conducted by two non-Roma researchers in August 2024 in shelters accommodating Roma forced-displaced families. Interviews lasted around 30 minutes and were audio recorded to enable verbatim transcription. The interviews are in the transcription and analysis phase. Forced displacement consequences to mental health state were noted, such as: 1) feeling stressed and helpless due to the difficulties and uncertainties regarding accommodation, 2) feeling sadness and inferiority for being discriminated against in various contexts. Positive mental health state was related to family well-being and connection. Coping mechanisms included working, doing favorite activities, and talking to, being listened to, and being encouraged by significant people. Results can be informative for contexts supporting Roma and displaced people.

The earthquake on February 6, 2023, had devastating effects on Turkey (Dal Zilio & Ampuero, 2023). This study examines the collective trauma experiences of Turkish sojourners in Hungary following the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake. It focuses on how the participants perceived their situation before and after the disaster, and the emotional and psychological challenges they faced while living abroad. The study adopts an exploratory approach to understand how various factors shape their trauma experiences in the context of living in a foreign country.

Eighteen Turkish sojourners over the age of 18 residing in Hungary were recruited online, with demographic data collected via Qualtrics. Participants then took part in one-hour semi-structured interviews, discussing their experiences of the earthquake, their lives before and after the event. Ethical protocols were followed to ensure participant well-being, and all interviews were recorded with consent. Data analysis is being conducted using Atlas.ti, following a reflexive thematic analysis approach, grounded in the framework of Braun and Clarke (2006), and applying it as outlined by Byrne (2022) to explore the nuances of complex, lived experiences.

While the themes are still being refined, current findings highlight key areas, including Experiencing the Earthquake (with subthemes related to initial reactions, loss, and grief); Coping and Social Support (addressing strategies like emotional distancing, resilience, and communal coping); Media Exposure (encompassing concerns about increased media coverage, violent content, and misinformation); and Social Interactions and Cultural Challenges (examining reactions from Hungarians, international communities, and issues of empathy and cultural differences). This ongoing analysis aims to provide insights into the challenges faced by sojourners in post-disaster contexts and offer valuable implications for future support systems

Qualitative research methodologies—ranging from narrative and phenomenological approaches to grounded theory, ethnography, and case studies—are typically structured to provide researchers with organized frameworks for inquiry. However, these methodologies are often rooted in Eurocentric and Western paradigms, reflecting the perspectives and priorities of the Global North. This raises critical questions about the cultural sensitivity and applicability of such methods in contexts shaped by different cultural values and traditions, such as those in the Global South. How can qualitative researchers creatively adapt their approaches to better integrate and respect cultural nuances? Should research observations adhere to universal norms, or should they instead be filtered through culturally specific lenses? Drawing on personal experiences as qualitative mental health researchers in the Global South, this presentation explores strategies for making qualitative mental health research more culturally sensitive and responsive, ensuring that cultural contexts are not only acknowledged but are central to the research process.

This study explores the experiences of interpreters involved in the psychological support of Ukrainian refugees and highlights the challenges they face in therapeutic settings. Additionally, it examines the role of supervision groups in providing emotional and professional support.

Methodology: Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), we conducted semi-structured interviews with six interpreters (five women and one man) who have worked for 1.5 to 2 years at a foundation offering psychological and psychiatric assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

Findings: Five key themes emerged: (1) Traumatic experiences—interpreters are frequently exposed to distressing narratives, increasing their risk of secondary trauma. (2) Support systems—while monthly supervision is available, it does not fully address interpreters’ specific needs. (3) Role ambiguity—therapeutic interpreting lacks clear role definitions compared to legal settings, leading to uncertainty. (4) Helping as motivation—the drive to assist others serves as both a motivational and protective factor. (5) Professional identity—interpreters struggle to balance ethical principles with the emotional demands of therapy.

Discussion: The findings highlight the need for tailored supervision groups to help interpreters process emotional challenges and strengthen their professional resilience. Additionally, they provide important, concrete recommendations for supervision groups based on interpreters' experiences.

The role of interpreters within the counselling room is an integral part of accessing therapy for clients and therapists that do not share a common language. The use of interpreters allows survivors of sex trafficking to access therapeutic services.

The purpose of this study is to look at the experiences of interpreters in a counselling setting working with survivors of sex trafficking. Therapists that work with trauma have training and supervision that enables them to work with complex trauma. There is no requirement for interpreters to have training or supervision when working in a counselling setting.

This qualitative study, using an interpretative phenomenological analysis, interviewed eight interpreters working in the UK and Ireland. For the purpose of this review, three of the eight participant’s data from the interviews were analysed.

Findings revealed four overarching group experiential themes and six subthemes. The emerging themes were as follows: ‘My world, their world, The emotional impact of the horror, My skills are needed, and, We are not machines’.

Once analysis of all eighth participants is completed, it is hoped that findings from this study will provide interpreter and trauma psychotherapy services with guidelines and support when working with complex trauma in counselling settings.

Religiosity and faith are among the perennial issues of humankind. How do those worshippers, who frequently visit the church practice their faith outside of it? Faith is an integral part of everyday life for many, still it is challenging to capture the nature, meaning and individual variations of lived religiosity and faith practice.

The study aims to uncover deeper layers of religiosity through a qualitative investigation conducted among Catholic believers over the age of 70. To achieve this, in addition to verbal accounts we employed tools suitable for visual representation. Thus, the research focuses on identifying which objects and events participants encounter in their daily lives and the way our participants imbued them with additional religious significance.

The method used was the Photovoice method combined with Thematic Analysis. Participants were asked to take photographs regularly of objects, people, and situations that represent their everyday lived religion and faith over three weeks. They used their own smartphones or cameras provided for the study. After collecting photographs, semi-structured interviews were conducted to map the representations of religion and faith. Through the photographs and interviews, we gain insights into participants' experiences related to the transcendent, their faith, and their religious practices.

Britain’s socio-political and health crises have confronted people with a prolonged and multifaceted uncertainty, which is known to be a trigger for negative mental health outcomes such as stress, anxiety and depression (Massazza et al, 2022). In this presentation, we consider the impact of Britain’s exit from its former union, followed by the pandemic’s disruption to existing forms of community and sense of safety, on people’s mental health. Specifically, we explore ways in which arts-based research tools may promote mental health through community-building, creativity and self-reflection.

We draw from an arts-based research project investigating mental health in Brexiting Britain by means of online collage-making workshops in the aftermath of Brexit and the beginning of the pandemic. Drawing on the idea of the ‘borderlands’ epistemology, we explore the way in which collage-making and reflective writing enabled a space of live inquiry into questions around the ‘undecidability’ of belonging and identity. Attending to ‘juxtaposition’ and ‘overlapping’ (Vaughan, 2005) as embodied in the making of collage, we explore arts-based research as a material attempt at making meaning of a more fragmented sense of experience, and ultimately, contributing to more positive mental health outcomes.

Introduction: Relaxation and imaginative techniques are vital components of the diverse psycho-oncology toolkit, aiding cancer patients in achieving psychological well-being. At Semmelweis University’s Institute of Behavioral Sciences Healing Imagination Group, oncology patients are trained in progressive relaxation and guided imagery.

Aim: This study aims to explore the experiences of patients valuate their goal attainment, and identify factors that could contribute to further development of the group program.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach will be used. Quantitative data is collected through questionnaires administered at the beginning and end of the 12-session group program (e.g. to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances).

The qualitative component involves semi-structured interviews, which will be analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to examine the impacts of the group, as well as the participants’ experiences and coping mechanisms.

Results: The study is ongoing from 2024 to 2025. To date, interviews with 10 participants (mean age: 49,3 years, males: 10%) have been completed. Preliminary results based on IPA will be presented.

Conclusions: Evaluating the Healing Imagination group is crucial for its development and integration into regular Hungarian psycho-oncology practices. This research aims to optimize the group’s structure and contribute to the broader psycho-oncology toolkit.

Popular memes often paint a similar picture about older adults using digital devices: technophobes who cannot keep up with the changing world of digitalisation. However, the number of older internet users grows rapidly, even on platforms associated with the younger generations, such as TikTok. Older adults contribute to internet discourses on various topics; therefore, it is important to broaden our understanding of their online activities.

This presentation aims to exhibit, using qualitative approaches, how Hungarian older adults above sixty use TikTok to reflect on their age and ageing through content creation. Utilising the Visual and Verbal Video Analysis and Discourse Analysis method, four topics emerged: reflection on age, negative experiences (including mental health issues), depiction of stereotypes, and humour. In contrast to the international results, these videos depict social disadvantages more often and interpret stereotypes in particular ways. The videos speak from different social positions, legitimating the sociological statement that there is no uniform image of older adults. Furthermore, our presentation shows an example of a qualitative analysis of social media short videos.

The analysis focuses on how sociocultural contexts of permanent liminality (Szakolczai, 2001; 2017) with their sustained chaos and absurdities impair meaning making and expose culture members to frequent experiences of liminal hotspots. The latter term has been introduced by Stenner (2017), and is defined as an impasse in transitions, resulting in enhanced affectivity and suggestibility. Using epistemic discourse analysis as a method, the author studies the discursive patterns of Hungary’s soft dictatorship on a prototypical sample of contemporary political speeches, films, and jokes. Results indicate that the absurdities inherent in double bind discourse, as well as floating and empty signifiers are powerful discursive means to halt constructive transformations. On a societal level, this is the shared experience of living in a troubled world – with an enhanced probability of exploitation through manipulation. On the personal level, such contexts and cultural practices lead to the disintegration of the dialogical self and the development of a vulnerable, defensive, or fake identities. The implications of these domestic findings can be generalized to today’s rapidly expanding global-level contexts of permanent liminality with their tormenting liminal hotspots.

Background: Seclusion and restraint continue to be used despite evidence of their harmful effects in healthcare settings. This study aims to develop a systemic, decision-oriented model to understand and mitigate these practices within the French healthcare system.

Methods: The study uses a modeling-based approach to explore systemic factors affecting coercive practices in psychiatric care. It involves two phases: (1) creating a Coercion Descriptive Model (CD-Model) from literature reviews and qualitative surveys to outline influencing factors; (2) developing a Coercion Quantitative Model (CQ-Model) by quantifying the CD-Model, assigning weights through expert evaluations, and assessing hospitals' ability to reduce coercion.

Results: The CD-Model outlines four hierarchical dimensions and 24 factors that affect coercion-related decisions, offering a detailed framework for analysis. The CQ-Model enhances this by introducing 11 supervision indicators through mathematical aggregation, providing precise tools for organizational evaluation.

Conclusion: By synthesizing qualitative insights and quantitative assessments, these models equip healthcare managers to critically examine and reform practices related to coercion. This research marks a significant step towards systemic change in mental health practices, emphasizing the role of qualitative methods in developing operational frameworks to decrease coercive measures in mental healthcare, encouraging further mixed-methods research for deeper understanding and application.

This study examines contact severance phenomena between parents and children in high-conflict divorced families through an ecological-systemic lens. Using a qualitative-ethnographic methodology, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 participants, including professionals and family members. The analysis was based on the Dialectical-Constructivist approach. The research aims to develop an innovative theoretical model mapping the various systems influencing contact severance phenomena, including welfare, legal, psychological, health, and educational systems. Initial findings identified three central axes: (1) systemic splits and mutual sabotage versus cooperation needs, (2) visibility issues and professional-parental self-positioning, and (3) systemic chaos versus planning and professional responsibility. Results indicate that understanding and treating contact severance requires considering the complex interactions between family dynamics and institutional systems. The findings emphasize the need for enhanced collaboration among and between systems, and for development of specialized expertise development in therapeutic, health, legal and education domains to address this challenging phenomenon effectively.

Self-harm is a major cause of morbidity and the strongest predictor of suicide worldwide, disproportionately affecting deprived communities and people with mental illness. Factors linked to self-harm are common in violence. Registers can provide long-term data that can inform prevention strategies, track emerging trends, and monitor the effectiveness of interventions. The aim of the study reported here was to understand stakeholders’ perspectives on setting-up and running a self-harm and IPV register. So far, we have completed 26 online semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders. Preliminary analysis of data using reflexive thematic analysis indicate that that stakeholder groups differ in their interpretations of key concepts such as self-harm, IPV and mental health and how they relate to each other, as well as the type of information to be collected. Stakeholders agree on the challenges of collecting, sharing, and using meaningful information – including at individual (e.g. asking questions about IPV), organisational (e.g. decisions about data sharing) and policy level (e.g., funding arrangements). Preliminary findings highlight the need to raise awareness of drivers of and links between self-harm and IPV, and the need of engagement work with key stakeholders to develop a shared understanding and vision of a registry.

This presentation draws upon an article that analyses the digital screen as a health technology. In particular, the study in question asks how screens as a part of therapy settings or counselling practices materialise – or fail to materialise – care. The empirical data comprise interviews with Finnish therapy and counselling professionals, whose experiences with technology during the COVID-19 pandemic were my original interest. Adopting a sociomaterial approach to technology use, it scrutinises not only how screens are used, but also how screens themselves act and operate. This approach foregrounds the screen as ‘multiple’, complicating a dichotomous understanding between in-person therapy and remote therapy. The paper argues that the screen operates in a variety of ways that might either facilitate or degrade care and is an essential part of more-than-human care in digitalised societies. Acknowledging the agential capacities of all matter, it also conceptualises screens as ‘vibrant matter’.

Background: Individuals with self-harm experience often face challenges when interacting with healthcare professionals. A lack of understanding and inadequate support can worsen their distress and, in the worst cases, lead to coercive measures. The SAFE-app has been developed as a platform where individuals with self-harm experience can educate others about their perspectives and needs, promoting a more understanding and supportive healthcare approach.

Method: SAFE-app is the result of a co-produced action research project, where individuals with self-harm experience actively contributed to its development. The project employed qualitative interviews, workshops, and iterative design to ensure that the app’s content and functions reflect users’ experiences and needs.

Results: SAFE-app highlights the importance of respect, understanding, and a genuine willingness to help in healthcare interactions. It provides a platform to foster dialogue on improving responses to self-harm. Preliminary findings suggest that the app raises awareness, shifts attitudes from “fixing” to “being,” and promotes a more empathetic approach among caregivers.

Conclusion: SAFE-app integrates experiential and scientific knowledge into healthcare practice, fostering more supportive and meaningful interactions. This project underscores the importance of including user voices in healthcare development to enhance understanding and improve responses to self-harm.

Perinatal mental health conditions often go unrecognized, especially in rural regions like Tyrol, Austria, where stigma surrounding mental illness impacts help-seeking behavior. Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) developed an online Mental Health Checklist for Expecting and New Parents, which was designed as a non-diagnostic self-screening tool to support early recognition of mental health challenges. Their tool was co-designed with their community of parents to ensure it was accessible, safe, and useful for families. This talk presents our study plan which aims to explore the feasibility and acceptance of implementing an adapted version of the PANDA self-screening tool in Tyrol, with a particular focus on its potential to empower individuals in a high-stigma environment to seek help in the early stages of their illness. We will use qualitative methods, including focus groups with parents with lived experience of perinatal mental illness and experts in the perinatal field, to assess perceived usability, barriers, and facilitators of the tool. Insights gained from this study will inform adaptations to better align with the needs of the target population. By evaluating the role of self-screening in perinatal mental health, this research seeks to contribute to a more accessible and stigma-sensitive approach to early intervention.

Abstract

The novel study sought to explore the lived experiences of adolescent victims of cyberbullying receiving counselling interventions during this period through an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) lens. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of ten high school students (seven females and three males) who had attended at least five counselling sessions during the pandemic as victims of cyberbullying. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using IPA guidelines. We explored five personal experiential themes, and eighteen subthemes were identified from the analysis: 1) Intensified emotional turmoil from cyberbullying pointed out the deep emotional and psychological distress cyberbullying took on adolescents, particularly during the pandemic. 2) Navigating internal and external hurdles in seeking support outlined the barriers, such as privacy concerns and technical issues. 3) Counselling as a Crucial Support System emphasized how counselling assists in dealing with the impact of cyberbullying. 4) An Evolving Sense of Self-Perception explored the positive changes in self-identity and emotional resilience that emerged through counselling. 5) Sense of Sustained Development and Personal Growth illustrated their self-commitment to continue follow-up sessions. This study emphasized that virtual counselling emerged as a vital resource for personal growth and development during the pandemic.

Suicidality and self-harm among young people in Rwanda remain underexamined, despite high reported rates and limited available support. This qualitative study explores the perspectives of young people, parents, and healthcare providers, examining how self-harm is understood, responded to, and shaped by social and cultural contexts.

Through inductive thematic analysis of interviews with 102 participants, we identify poverty, family conflict, stigma, and community rejection as key risk factors, while peer support, spirituality, and family relationships emerge as protective. Findings highlight how self-harm functions as a coping strategy, a response to distress, and a form of communication, yet community beliefs about shame and spiritual causation often exacerbate distress rather than reduce it.

Conducting research in this setting required critical reflexivity, particularly in navigating deeply personal and contested meanings of self-harm. Researchers’ professional backgrounds in psychology at times contrasted with local conceptualizations of distress, necessitating open discussion and collaborative interpretation with Rwandan team members. This experience reinforce the need for participatory, culturally embedded interventions that align with local understandings of mental health, distress, and healing. The centrality of the role of culture to cause, emotional experience, perceptions, and help-seeking for young people underscores the vital need for community integrated interventions.

Current study explores the residual impact and potential transformation following a suicide attempt, investigating how survivors reconstruct their identity and meaning in life. Employing a narrative inquiry approach grounded in existential phenomenology, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight suicide attempt survivors. The analysis foregrounds the subjective experiences of participants as they navigate the aftermath of their attempts. Emerging themes include “Accepting One’s Survival for and Through Others,” which highlights the significance of interpersonal connections in fostering a sense of purpose; “Moving from Self-Shame to Self-Acceptance,” illustrating the transformative shift from internalized stigma toward self-compassion; and a “Retrospective Altered Meaning of Life,” reflecting a re-evaluation of personal values and life goals post-attempt. These narratives reveal a complex interplay between suffering and growth. The findings underscore the importance of addressing survivors’ existential struggles in clinical interventions and suicide prevention programs. By centering the lived experiences of survivors, this research contributes to a nuanced understanding of recovery processes and highlights the transformative potential inherent in confronting and transcending suicidal behaviors.

In psychiatry symptoms reported by the patient are deemed important to arrive at a diagnosis and decide for the best pharmacological therapy or psychoeducational or psychosocial intervention.
Usually, little attention is given to how the patients live their condition, to their experience of reality, especially when considering subjects with psychotic symptoms.
Yet the importance of the lived experience of psychosis is increasingly emphasized both for research purposes and to improve therapeutic interventions.
This project, based on the theoretical model of narrative medicine, was conducted on six subjects with psychotic episodes (subjects had different DSM-V diagnosis), in clinical remission in the moment of the study. Aim of the study was to give voice to the patients to describe their life before, during and after the most critical moment. They wrote their stories following a standard narrative track, using also images as metaphoric expression of their emotions.
The narrative process favored the development of self-awareness in the patients helping them to reframe the subjective experience of psychosis in the larger frame of their life. Storytelling led them to reflect on their inner qualities which promoted the recovery process. Finally, they could reflect on their relationship with either family members and healthcare personnel.

Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans every year. Most of us agree that there are many factors that are likely to contribute to a person’s chance of having the bipolar disorder. disorder. This presentation may help the researchers to probe into many unknown dimensions of bipolar disorder as this is a living biography by a patient who has been diagnosed with s chronic bipolar disorder. The patient M is a highly qualified professor and researcher in Medical Physics. M has been diagnosed as early as the symptoms of mental sickness has been overtly exposed as the family is well acquainted with experts in the field of Psychiatry. M has been on medication for the past 29 years with considerable improvement in his mental health. BADDS has four dimensions, each rated as an integer on a 0 - 100 scale, that measure four key domains of lifetime psychopathology: Mania, Depression, Psychosis and Incongruence. Two more attributes to the existing four will be presented. It took nearly 18 years to prescribe the BEST MEDICINE that comforted him. M concludes that family, correct medication, devotional religious practices were the best contributors for maintenance and also Pseudo- Cure.

Reference

https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/publications/the-bipolar-affective-disorder-dimension-scale-badds-a-dimensiona

Background, objectives: Our exploratory research examines posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the clinical population of oncology. The question is what PTG dimensions appear, what factors help patients move towards a PTG-path, and what resources are attributed to the positive changes.

Methodology: The research involved 70 cancer-patients. Data-collection’s been going on for a year at clinics and on the internet. We use qualitative and quantitative tools.

Results and conclusions: The results show 85% of the patients experienced PTG. The strongest increase was on the ‘self-efficacy’ subscale. We could detect no significant differences between the groups in terms of gender, social support, presence/absence of symptoms, time since diagnosis. We mainly see the explanation in the fact that confronting the fragility of life may be enough to experience PTG. We explored a new factor of PTG: becoming a better person. The aspects mentioned are increased joy, helpfulness, trust, a deeper ability to express and experience love, awareness, etc. The positive change was attributed to being able to maintain activity, have someone to share feelings with, collect adequate information, and to use the experience of successfully processed traumas as a resource. The implications of the research may contribute to the psychological care of cancer patients.

The 'positive health' concept has gained recognition in the Netherlands* primary care and is spreading to other health-/social care areas. The spider web provides a method for self-assessment of subjective health, encouraging patients to reflect on themselves and serving as a basis for a dialogue beyond routine care. Many patients appreiate it, and many professionals feel relieved and supported when persorming their primary tasks as helpers. The 'positive health' tools seem suitable for strenghening a paradigm shift, drawing on existing resources and sustainable effectiveness: a promising apporach for applying the salutogenesis model.

However, there is a lack of information about the concrete interactions in the #alternative dialogue'. Therefore, we initiated a pilot project for the real-life analysis of positive health discussions based on assuming, that the corresponding research results can promote the implementation of 'positive health' and support the further development of target group-specific training. We started in the context of an existing working group on the initial medical history in general practice. The presentation will outline the process structure for the initial medical history, show why this could be followed by a positive health conversation, and illustrate this with a case study based on the analysis of videotaped conversations.

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) significantly impacts patients' quality of life including their intimate relationships, yet little is known about how couples navigate their shared lived space and relationship dynamics in the context of this illness.

Objectives: This ongoing research aims to explore the relational processes that help or hinder IBD patients and their partners' well-being in their shared lived space.

Methods: The study employs qualitative methodology using experience mapping through semi-structured interviews with 14 couples. Data analysis follows Grounded Theory to explore couples' lived experiences with IBD.

Preliminary Results: Analysis reveals an emerging narrative of relationship adaptation through the regulation of proximity-distance influenced by IBD symptoms. This story unfolds across four dimensions: temporal (shared history with illness), spatial (illness defining relationship boundaries), emotional (illness as a shared roller coaster), and regulatory (finding balance). Our findings suggest that couples respond to and actively shape their relationship dynamics across these dimensions, continuously forming their patterns of closeness and distance as they transform their experience with chronic illness.

Implications: These findings will contribute to the development of psychological interventions considering both relationship dynamics and socio-physical environment in supporting couples affected by chronic illness, ultimately enhancing their capacity for mutual adaptation and support.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a major chronic disease, disrupts glucose processing due to insulin deficiency (type 1) or insulin resistance (type 2). Effective management requires active patient engagement regardless of type. The illness narratives, stories told by patients about their experiences related to the disease, can help to protect or modify identity. This study examines illness narratives in DM1 and DM2 patients using the McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants per group (DM1: M_age=24.6, SD_age=2.8; DM2: M_age=64.8, SD_age=3.3). Thematic content analysis was performed by three analysts. Differences were identified in the manifestation of DM and the process of acceptance among DM1 and DM2 patients. However, similar trends were observed in the daily management of DM. Patients' active coping is influenced by their social networks. Interactions with individuals living with the disease and trusted professional guidelines have been identified as key factors in ensuring appropriate self-management. Furthermore, the increased knowledge about diabetes among the general population enhances patients' feelings of safety, support and understanding. A key finding was that all patients think that DM is a condition that can be live with, and it allows a good quality of life with sufficient motivation and active self-management.

Qualitative reviews play a crucial role in synthesizing research, offering nuanced insights, and advancing theoretical understanding. However, concerns about their rigor often arise due to subjective interpretations, varied methodologies, and potential biases in synthesis. By examining best practices in qualitative literature synthesis, including transparent methodology, systematic data extraction, and critical appraisal, we argue that rigor is achievable when reviews are conducted with methodological reflexivity and coherence. We discuss strategies such as thematic synthesis, meta-ethnography, and framework analysis to enhance the credibility, dependability, and confirmability of qualitative reviews. Additionally, the role of researcher positionality and reflexivity in maintaining analytical depth is considered. This discussion aims to provide scholars with a clearer understanding of how to balance flexibility with systematic rigor, ensuring that qualitative reviews contribute meaningfully to academic discourse while maintaining methodological integrity.

The research explores the experiences of pedestrians who are reliant on some form of device during their strolls or commutes. What challenges do people with reduced or modified mobility using devices like wheelchairs, pushchairs or crutches face with? What aspects of the space, of their own movement, of other passers-by are in focus for them? What are the differences and similarities of experiences in relying on various devices?

To observe the interviewees' movements and to consider the accompanying verbal accounts, go-along interview was chosen as data collecting method. On-site observations and the experiences of our informants and the interviewers were recorded in field notes.

After analyzing and coding the field notes inductively, the main topics that emerged were infrastructure deficiencies, positive and negative examples of assistance, and spatial and temporal constellations that require outstanding awareness. Walking is both a locomotion and an interactional achievement in our understanding, so we interpreted our data deductively through Goffman's concept of interactional order, considering both the physical requirements and the ritual constraints of locomotion with devices.

The study documents both differences and similarities of the problems our interviewees faced regarding their spatial mobility and their well-being, interpreted within the conceptual framework of interaction order.

It is widely understood that supportive social relationships play a significant role in mental health. Despite this, more people in developed nations now live alone or with impoverished social environments than ever before, and psychological research continues to rely on traditional research methods that emphasise individualist, didactic therapeutic modalities. In a counselling psychology doctoral thesis that uses a novel focused-ethnography design, we aim to better understand community groups that have deliberately built housing environments that bring people together, referred to as “cohousing." Using observations, interviews and field notes from living in a cohousing community we ask: how do co-housing communities and their members experience and address mental health disorder and distress? Key findings address 1) the methods by which communities protect their members from common mental health difficulties, 2) the importance of homogeneity and intentionality in community design, 3) the impact of deconstructing "defensible" private spaces, and 4) conflict and resolution. The presenter of this talk hopes to engage conference delegates in a discussion about how novel qualitative research methods in counselling and psychotherapy such as ethnography can understand the social causes of psychological distress.

Most qualitative studies focus on either cross-sectional or narrative data. However, there is a growing trend towards longitudinal designs also using a qualitative approach. This presentation will review the methodological choices related to such a study where we examine the experience of change over a period of approximately four years for people with a complex dissociative disorder (CDD). We follow six individuals at three interview points: before, 6 months, and 2 years after a psychoeducative skills training group.

We chose LIPA because it is suitable for exploring a range of temporal experiences, such as health interventions. In LIPA, it is crucial to have an analytical perspective that shifts between focusing on the case, theme, and time. We became concerned with how their longings for the future in the first interview interacted with the changes that actually occurred. Their aspirations for life guided our analysis and presentation of the results. Restoring the sense of 'next' (Bohart, 1993) seems to hold significant influence on the participants. The approach ensured a unique focus on each participant's changes while also identifying shared prospective categories across the 6 participants. Theoretical, conceptual, methodological and ethical questions are discussed.

Narcissism—whether considered a psychiatric illness or a personality trait—involves self-related cognitions and emotions, as well as interactions between persons. Therefore, to understand narcissism, a conceptualization of both intra- and interpersonal processes, and their systemic relations is needed. In the presentation, I will offer such conceptualization, extending the psychological model of narcissism of Morf and Rhodewalt by Erving Goffman’s micro-sociology. In the light of this model, I will discuss a string of empirical studies, employing conversation analytical and experimental methods which elucidate the ways in which self-related cognitions and affects are played out and reproduced in interpersonal interactions.

Compulsory care for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by relational themes with the tension between the need to trust in order to recover and the power dynamics of coercive practices operating at the heart of treatment, especially in crisis care. Surprisingly, empirical evidence for this type of care is a) mostly lacking and b) flawed by primarily focusing on quantitative methods. Compulsory care is controversial given its negative impact on adolescents and their families. Finally, ethical dilemmas are commonplace in compulsory care while the time and space to discuss these dilemmas in detail is usually lacking in crisis care. Therefore, this paper focuses on presenting three case reports wherein an alternative treatment policy was applied in crisis care following ethical dlimmas in treatment. Conceptual implications for the treatment rationale for anorexia nervosa will be discussed based on qualitative analyses of the recovery process of the three cases. Furthermore, future qualitative studies will be discussed in order to further develop the field of compulsory care for AN.

Comorbidity between eating disorders (EDs) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has long been investigated. Recent meta-analyses reported lifetime prevalences of OCD in EDs ranging from 13.9% to 18%, with up to 40% in follow-up studies (Drakes et al., 2021; Mandelli et al., 2020). Despite the extensive quantitative research focusing on the nature of this comorbidity and potential contributing mechanisms, there is a lack of qualitative studies. Given the heterogeneity of symptoms in both disorders and the adverse outcomes associated with the co-occurrence of OCD and EDs (Sallet et al 2010), a qualitative exploration of lived experiences could provide deeper insights into this association and how individuals experience this relationship. Therefore, this study aims to understand how individuals who have both OCD and EDs make sense of and experience the comorbidity. Employing interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), semi-structured interviews were conducted with six individuals diagnosed with both OCD and an ED across the UK. Interview questions focused on receiving diagnoses, their interactions and impacts, and the contributing factors to the comorbidity. Transcriptions of the interviews have been completed, and the analysis is currently in progress. The final findings derived from the IPA analysis will be presented at the conference.

Background and Aims: Conflicts among healthcare professionals directly affect patient care, highlighting the need to understand their characteristics. Self-justification, a common yet understudied conflict indicator, was the focus of this study. We aimed to develop a qualitative method to analyse its features using narratives from healthcare professionals across cultures.

Methods: We analysed previously recorded semi-structured interviews of 25 doctors and 25 nurses from Hungary (transcribed) and from the USA (field notes). The analysis identified expressions of self-justification and avoidance of self-justification.

Results: We identified 371 expressions indicating self-justification and 42 indicating avoidance in the Hungarian conflict stories and categorized them into 10 self-justification-related categories and one avoidance category. In the U.S. sample, 210 expressions of self-justification and 40 of avoidance were similarly coded. The most common category in both samples was Judgement, typically involving negative evaluations of others. Hungarian doctors accounted for 71.7% of self-justification expressions, compared to 28.3% by nurses, while the U.S. sample showed no significant difference. Unresolved conflict narratives in both samples featured more self-justification and fewer avoidance expressions.

Discussion: Self-justification in conflict narratives may impede constructive conflict resolution. Supporting healthcare professionals in recognizing and addressing self-justification tendencies is therefore vital for fostering effective conflict resolution.

While the negative effects of financial scarcity on health are well-known, the positive impacts of financial resources on recovery are less explored. Quantitative methods demonstrate that money alleviates many adverse effects of scarcity. However, I argue that the positive impact of money should be studied qualitatively, where money not only mitigates scarcity but also serves as a source of freedom. For this, I employ Amartya Sen's capability approach.

My research examines the rehabilitation allowance provided by Kela to support recovery. Through interviews with 78 participants, I analyze the allowance’s role in promoting health and recovery.

The rehabilitation allowance alleviates constant worry about income, improves health, and facilitates better nutrition and sleep. It supports professional development by reducing the mental pressures related to academic progress. Additionally, the allowance helps build financial skills, breaking cycles of debt.

From the capability perspective, income transfers should not be based on the notion that scarcity motivates everyone towards goals like studying and saving money. Instead, for those experiencing mental distress, these should be individual choices enabled by rehabilitation allowances. When money provides opportunities and freedoms, studies can progress quickly, and individuals can start saving and even investing money.

This paper explores the complexities of involving adult survivors of child maltreatment in research, with a focus on the value of lived experience, the empowering potential of participation, and the need for sensitivity when addressing emotionally charged topics.As part of COST Action CA19106, we surveyed self-selected survivors and volunteer students from Hungary, Israel, Macedonia, Romania, and Turkey on their interpretations and research expectations.

In line with the conference’s themes of storytelling and qualitative inquiry, it examines how survivors share their personal narratives, shedding light on their trauma and healing. These narratives offer invaluable insights that inform mental health care and contribute to a deeper understanding of survivors’ experiences, which might otherwise be overlooked.

The therapeutic value of storytelling in research provides participants with an opportunity for healing while offering critical insights into mental health challenges. This process fosters new pathways to healing for both individuals and the community, contributing to improvements in support systems. The paper also addresses ethical challenges, emphasizing the importance of anonymity, confidentiality, ongoing informed consent, and the right to withdraw without consequences.

Ultimately, it underscores the importance of respecting survivors' privacy and emotional boundaries while ensuring their meaningful contribution to research and efforts for social change.

This contribution presents the qualitative part of a multidisciplinary study (psychology, sociology, law), the first of its kind in France, on online child pornography offenders. Our aim is to better understand the personal experiences, the personality and psychic functioning of those involved in online pedopornography.

The research protocol requires 30 voluntary adults convicted of offences related to online child pornography (viewing, downloading, filming). Participants were interviewed in care centers at the beginning of their treatment. The protocol includes two clinical interviews (the first focusing on the “life story” model; the second on their practices) and the projective tests (Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test, interpreted according to the French School method). The results are analyzed from a psychodynamic approach.

Using this qualitative methodology, the project aims to explore how these people represent and explain their relationship with online child pornography; to understand the meaning and subjective (and intersubjective) underlying logic of these practices - beyond “profiles” or general classifications.

Short clinical cases illustrate our initial hypotheses.

Identifying psychic fragilities and resources will enable us to investigate the potential for changing, and to consider therapeutic strategies that refers to individuals themselves, rather than to their types of behavior or preferred victims.

Research with adult survivors of child maltreatment (CM) is considered sensitive and uneasy for researchers but is essential for the understanding of survivors’ needs and their healing process. In the COST19106 consortium, we interviewed CM survivors from Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Hungary to follow how they interpret their experiences and identify themselves within the duality victim-survivor.

Based on the theoretical grounding of Georg Simmel’s social types, Mazur (2024) discusses victimhood between dichotomies like weakness/strength, sameness/difference, institutionalization/individualization experiences, and apology/versus unforgivable. Analysing the interviews and focus groups, we captured the survivors’ identification between victimhood and survivorhood, and how this is linked with research participants' needs and healing process. Several accounts mentioned the non-conflictual and dynamic aspects of the seemingly dichotomous concepts of victim and survivor, which might become dominant by turns, depending on the developmental life stage and the treatment process they went through. The presentation will discuss the themes connected to self-identification as a victim or survivor, like feeling included or excluded, taking responsibility for their healing, and preventing CM in society, as well as the potential of participatory research, that can empower survivors of CM to engage in forms of social activism.

Background

Therapeutic climbing is increasingly used to treat mental health disorders, yet its subjective benefits remain underexplored. This qualitative study investigates the lived experiences of individuals undergoing therapeutic climbing to uncover its therapeutic potential.

Methods

Outpatients diagnosed with anxiety disorders or comorbid anxiety and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) participated in eight 90‐minute therapeutic climbing sessions led by trained therapists. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted to capture their views and experiences, and the data were analyzed using thematic content analysis.

Results

Participants described a range of positive experiences, barriers, and transfer effects. Key positive themes included a sense of mastery, enhanced group cohesion, and improved cognitive focus—reflecting successes in overcoming anxiety, building trust, and maintaining present-moment awareness. Reported barriers comprised both psychological challenges (e.g., heightened anxiety) and physical limitations (e.g., exhaustion). Notably, participants experienced lasting improvements in calmness, persistence, and motivation, suggesting sustained benefits beyond the climbing sessions.

Discussion

These findings highlight the multifaceted impact of therapeutic climbing on anxiety and PTSD. In addition to corroborating previous quantitative evidence on symptom reduction and self-efficacy, the study reveals unique benefits such as reframing anxiety and fostering social trust. Integrating qualitative perspectives is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of climbing interventions’ therapeutic potential.

In a world where adolescent mental health is increasingly fragile, capturing students’ lived experiences requires more than quantitative data alone. This paper presents a longitudinal study in a private school in Greece, where three years of survey data revealed concerning trends but lacked depth in explaining students’ distress. To bridge this gap, we turned to storytelling—conducting semi-structured focus groups with middle school, high school, and IBDP students. Using Thematic Analysis, we uncovered key themes: Emotional Turmoil in Adolescence, The Fine Line Between Teasing and Bullying, and The Desire to Connect with Adults. However, beyond these themes, a crucial meta-insight emerged: the very process of engaging with students qualitatively reshaped our understanding of their struggles. Students expressed frustration with the impersonal nature of surveys, revealing how they sometimes answered dismissively to signal distress. Their narratives exposed the limitations of our quantitative approach, prompting a fundamental redesign of our data collection methods—one that now integrates qualitative inquiry to foster a more meaningful dialogue on student wellbeing. This study underscores the power of qualitative research in not only uncovering hidden dimensions of mental health but also in reshaping the ways we listen, interpret, and respond.

Recognizing that agriculture and food systems offer a range of integrated services, this study explores how a certain local farmer can contribute its best to the social, educational, civic and nutritional impacts of its local food system activities in urban settings.

Participatory action research (PAR) is a scholar–activist research approach that emphasizes experiential knowledge to tackle problems stemming from unequal social systems and develop alternatives. The first author via the cooperation with the second author were working more than one year long in a certain local food community to generate new knowledge and drive social change.

After five years, we recognized how the certain farm changed its model within the local food system (farmer-to-consumer interaction) and altered its social relationship structure (peer-advising network), or reinforced some elements of its projects whereas finished others (collective action-reflection). As a result, we observed, analyzed, reflected on our actions and their impact to gain insights, refine understanding of the social change.

As a result of the research, we can see that researchers have various opportunities to support sustainable development in the local level via PAR, particularly through their involvement in local dialogues.

The talk explores how metaphors influence our understanding of problematic situations and help individuals negotiate solutions within shared socio-cultural contexts. Even though the category of metaphor gained some prominence in investigating mental health issues and in therapeutic discourse, cognitive and corpus linguistic approaches to metaphor still have the potential to make a valuable contribution to qualitative research in psychology. The primary goal of the talk is to explain the concept of metaphor as a crucial element of distributed and emergent cultural cognition, as introduced by Sharifian. In this framework, the representation of the world is continually (re)negotiated among members of cultural groups.

Metaphor, as a conceptual mapping process, systematically highlights aspects of our experiences. Beyond its mere representational function, it also conveys an evaluative attitude and grounds subjective experience in intersubjectively shareable frames of reference. Therefore, metaphors play an important role in creating and sustaining a shared understanding of what is going on with us. This intricate function of metaphors in addressing and resolving troubles is illustrated in the analysis of metaphorical expressions found in online posts about suicidal thoughts and intentions.

This autoethnography explores my lived experience with postpartum psychosis in Malta, focusing on the intersection of personal, familial, and professional narratives. Through a qualitative lens, this research incorporates the voices of key collaborators: my mother, husband, sister, former Head of School, my perinatal psychiatrist, and midwife present during my hospital admission. The results reveal that my experience with postpartum psychosis,while profoundly personal, is also shaped by broader social dynamics, including cultural, systemic, and relational influences. For example, despite the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health in Malta, which led me to conceal my pre-psychotic depression, I received significant material support from my close network. However, no one detected the warning signs of depression until the condition escalated into a full-blown psychotic episode. This may have been partly due to my efforts to mask my depression, influenced by the idealised narrative surrounding motherhood. Emotionally, I did not feel entirely ‘safe’ with those around me, reflecting how my attachment style contributed to the situation. My avoidant tendencies may have played a role in the progression of my condition. The findings also highlight that severe stressors served as unavoidable triggers. Additionally, the midwives lacked experience with postpartum psychosis. My treatment improved after diagnosis. My twin sister, a midwife, also helped to ensure that I received treatment at the main state hospital in a gynae ward together with my baby while other mothers with postpartum psychosis are to this day separated from their babies and referred to a psychiatric hospital. I critique this preferential treatment as I am aware that keeping the baby with the mother in a mother and baby unit is a treatment of choice in these circumstances. All Maltese mothers should benefit from such a service, and not only persons like me who have family members who advocated for the best service I could get. This study's strengths include the use of autoethnography to capture my lived experience with postpartum psychosis, the incorporation of the father's perspective, and the contributions of my co-storytellers. Policy recommendations include improving family-work policies, evidence-based training for healthcare professionals on maternal mental health, integrating family therapists and peer experts into care services, and ensuring equitable treatment for all patients.