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Carr, Alan
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Carr, Alan
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Carr, Alan
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- PublicationA national survey of clinical psychologists in IrelandThe results of a 1993 survey of 111 clinical psychologists practising in Ireland are presented in this paper.
337 - PublicationThere is no need to feel any anxietyThese three textbooks are designed specifically for people studying undergraduate abnormal psychology at North American universities. Two focus predominantly on adult abnormal psychology, while Abnormal Child Psychology is exclusively about abnormal child psychology. All three would serve as useful resources for undergraduate psychology courses on this side of the Atlantic.
109 - PublicationThe development of clinical psychology in the Republic of IrelandIn Ireland clinical psychology emerged in the mid-1950s as an integral part of the public health service for people with mental health problems and intellectual disability. The structure of the profession and training system which evolved were based on the UK model. The number of clinical psychologists, the range of specialisms in which they work and roles that clinical psychologist fulfil have developed significantly especially during the 21st century. PSI, psychologists within the public health service, and the four clinical psychology training programmes have worked together to foster the growth of the profession. Clinical psychology research and textbooks have been published by Irish clinical psychologists, and they have also had significant media presence. Clinical psychologists also had a significant impact on major societal issues such as CSA. Statutory registration is the next major profession development on the horizon for the profession of clinical psychology in the Republic of Ireland
1061 - PublicationInsights into challenging behaviourThese five text books are designed specifically for students taking undergraduate courses in abnormal psychology. One of these books--Paul Bennett’s--is from the UK. The other four are written by authors based in the USA. All five would serve as useful resources for undergraduate psychology courses on this side of the Atlantic. However supplementary reading would be essential to add a European or British dimension to the four North American volumes.
152 - PublicationHarassment of clinical psychologists by clientsIn this survey conducted in 1997 and 1998 it was found that over two thirds of 137 clinical psychologists working in Irish Health Boards and Voluntary Bodies had experienced at least one sexual, physical and verbal potentially negative interaction with a client. The frequency with which particular negative interactions occurred differed across specialities. Seeking support from colleagues, addressing the issues raised by the negative interaction with the client, and taking self-protective measures were the most commonly used problem-solving coping strategies. Reframing negative interactions as therapeutic issues rather than sexual, physical or verbal aggression was the most common reappraisal strategy. Problem-solving based coping strategies were perceived to be the most effective. Negative interactions with clients and harassment by clients were unrelated to clinical psychologists stress levels as assessed by the GHQ-28.
265 - PublicationThe development of family therapy in IrelandIn Ireland family therapy is a small profession, with under 200 registered therapists. The Irish family therapy movement began in the mid-1970s. By 1980 the Family Therapy Network of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Branch of the UK Association Family therapy had been founded. At present there are three main family therapy training centers in Ireland: two in the south (the Mater University Hospital, affiliated to University College Dublin and Clanwilliam Institute) and one in the north (at Queen’s University Belfast). There is no statutory registration and licensing of family therapists in Ireland. Accredited professional family therapy programs in Ireland are 4-year part-time courses culminating in masters level qualifications. A primary degree in medicine, nursing, psychology, social science or education is a prerequisite for entry. Family therapists in Ireland work in both private practice and the public health service. Most family therapists in the public sector are employed as social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists or nurses, and conduct family therapy as part of their broader professional roles. Couple therapy in Ireland is provided by family therapists, and also by voluntary couple counselors based in networks of local centers, some of which were originally religiously affiliated, without a formal connection to national family therapy associations. The three major future challenges for Irish family therapy are creating a research infrastructure, developing a career structure in the public health service, and introducing statutory registration.
1649Scopus© Citations 5 - PublicationClinical psychologists' rolesA survey of all clinical ps ychologists employed by eight health boards in the Republic of Ireland in 1994/1995 was conducted and the response rate was 54%. The views of the 67 respondents on their actual, desired and expected future work roles are described in this paper. There were clear differences between the actual roles of respondents and their desired roles. Respondents wanted more responsibilities in the areas of service planning and organisation; teaching and supervision; research and evaluation; and public relations. They wanted fewer face-to-face clinical responsibilities in the areas of child protection assessment and therapy; child psychiatric difficulties and child learning difficulties. They also wanted less routine administration.Differences between respondents’ actual roles and the roles they realistically expected they would be required to fulfil in the future were similar to those between their actual and desired role responsibilities with a few notable exceptions. They expected there would be little change in their responsibilities for child protection assessment and therapy, despite their desire to reduce their responsibilities in these areas. A content analysis of responses to openended questions underlined respondents’ view that the unique contribution of clinical psychology to the Health Boards may shift from the current emphasis on face-to-face clinical service delivery to the provision of a broader consultancy service in the future.
427Scopus© Citations 1 - PublicationFamily therapy and clinical psychologyThe results of a survey of 111 clinical psychologists in the Republic of Ireland along with some comparable data from US and UK surveys were used to address a series of questions about the link between family therapy and clinical psychology. Family therapy was not a clearly identifiable sub-specialty within clinical psychology in Ireland. Family therapy theoretical models were used by more than a quarter of the Irish sample to conceptualize their work but by less than a tenth of US and UK respondents. In all three countries about a tenth of treatment time was devoted to the practice of family therapy. In Ireland, the use of family systems models, family assessment interviews and family therapy was more common within the child and family specialty than within the mental handicap or adult mental health clinical psychology specialties. The experience of live supervision and participation in family or couples therapy were important formative factors in the development of some clinical psychologists. Further training in systemic consultation, particularly in situations where an abuse of power has occurred, was identified in the survey as a priority area for continuing professional development. The evolving relationship between family therapy and clinical psychology is discussed in the light of these findings.
378 - PublicationPsychosocial profiles of Irish children with conduct disorders, mixed disorders of conduct and emotion and emotional disordersThis paper reports on a retrospective archival study. Forty-one conduct disorder cases, 20 cases with mixed disorders of conduct and emotions and 23 emotional disorder cases were compared on demographic, behavioural and contextual variables. The pattern of treatment received by each group and their therapeutic outcomes were also compared. The three groups had similar demographic characteristics but distinctive psychosocial profiles. Conduct disordered cases showed a predominance of covert behaviour problems and came from anomalous family situations with inadequate parental control. They received family therapy and were more likely to drop out of treatment. Mixed disorder cases showed more behaviour problems overall and more overt behaviour problems. They came from families where there was inadequate parental control and anomalous family situations. They received more child focused individual therapy and parent focused therapy than other cases. Emotional disorder cases showed fewer behavioural problems overall and fewer overt behavioural problems in particular. These cases tended to be characterized by familial overinvolvement in the child’s problems. They received family therapy and child focused therapy and showed greater improvement than cases from the other diagnostic groups.
572Scopus© Citations 3 - PublicationClinical psychology and child protectionIn this 1998 postal survey of 140 clinical psychologists working in eight Health Boards and Voluntary agencies in the Republic of Ireland, it was found that clinical psychologists from child mental health, adult mental health and services for people with physical and intellectual disabilities were involved in child abuse and protection work. Clinical psychologists' child protection work spanned a number of domains including validation, general assessment, risk assessment, treatment of victims and offenders, consultation with other disciplines, administration and report writing, prevention, research and providing staff support.
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