Supporting practice based evidence in the COVID-19 crisis: three researcher-practitioners’ stories

ABSTRACT

This paper describes three linked reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, a mix of pragmatic change and reflection that can be seen as action research. Our case studies, stories, come from the UK, Spain and Ecuador and describe three different but overlapping actions all focused on making available or using online questionnaires and drawing on counselling, psychology and psychotherapy ideas and practices and technological solutions to help address the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown. We believe these experiences have implications for our professions.

KEYWORDS:

• Coronavirus
• pandemic
• online therapies
• online questionnaires
• psychological first aid
• technophobia

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to many colleagues, in all three countries, too numerous to name individually, who supported this work.

Disclosure statement

CE is a trustee of CORE System Trust but receives no funding from that position. No other conflicts or significant disclosures apply.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This is unfunded research.

Notes on contributors

Chris Evans

Chris Evans retired from clinical work as a Consultant Medical Psychotherapist in 2016.  His clinical work over 32 years was mainly with eating disorders, personality disorders and forensic psychotherapy.  As well as his Royal College training in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy he trained in Group Analysis and Family/Systemic Psychotherapy.  He now works as a freelance research holding a visiting chair at the University of Sheffield.  Much of his research work has been around psychometrics, statistical issues in change and outcome measurement the CORE (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation, www.coresystemtrust.org.uk) system.

Pablo Sabucedo

Pablo Sabucedo is clinical psychologist and integrative psychotherapist providing both online and face-to-face psychotherapy. He is currently based at the Department of Psychology of the University of Roehampton, and his research interest lies in the relationship between culture, mental health and psychotherapy.

Clara Paz

Clara Paz is a Researcher at Universidad de Las Américas in Quito, Ecuador. She holds a PhD in personality and behaviour from University of Barcelona. Her primary research interests include the use of change measures and their implementation in mental health services. Currently, she is leading the creation of a Practice Research Network in Latin America. Follow her on Twitter @clarapaz.