Gestalt Psychotherapists in the midst of personal grief encountering disenfranchised grief in their therapeutic practice

WHO AM I?

I am Mairead Barry and I am a pre-accredited Gestalt Psychotherapist. I am completing the Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy with the Gestalt Institute of Ireland and SETU. As part of this programme I am to engage in a collaborative embodied action inquiry with other practitioners about an area of interest related to therapeutic practice.

PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY

This study is about researching how Gestalt practitioners in the midst of grieving the death of a significant other while in clinical practice navigate therapeutic encounters with clients experiencing disenfranchised grief.

WHY THIS STUDY INTERESTS ME?

While continuing to develop my clinical practice I experienced a personal bereavement which amplified my interest in how other practitioners in the midst of grieving the death of a significant other navigate therapeutic encounters with clients experiencing disenfranchised grief.

WHO WILL THE RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS BE?

I am looking for Accredited Gestalt Psychotherapists and are active in clinical practice who have experienced the death of someone significant to them while active in clinical practice.

I am also looking for practitioners who have experience of working with clients where disenfranchised grief was/is a central theme in their work. Disenfranchised grief, are grief experiences that are ordinarily not “seen” or “acknowledged” in the social, cultural field we live in. Some examples of disenfranchised grief in the clinical situation can be, clients who, experience pregnancy loss; involuntary childlessness; deaths of significant others by suicide; the loss of a partner identifying within the LGBTQI+ community that is not acknowledged by the clients family/culture; the loss associated with ex-partners, step-parents; the losses associated with living with someone being diagnosed with progressive/degenerative/terminal illness; the losses associated with living with children with disabilities.

WHAT WILL TAKING PART INVOLVE? 

A single one-to-one co-inquiry session that will be 90-120minutes to take place in person in a venue near where you live.

There is the possibility of a follow up session (potentially online) to check with you the relevance and resonance of emerging themes after the initial stages of analysis (approximately 30-40 minutes).

HOW TO CONTACT ME

If you are interested I would be delighted to chat with you, and to answer any questions you may have. You

can email me on C00254499@setu.ie or ring the following mobile number: 0833147869.