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All Outputs (124)

Exploring therapists' and psychology students' constructions of sexual refusal in heterosexual relationships: A qualitative story completion study (2021)
Journal Article
Shah-Beckley, I., & Clarke, V. (2021). Exploring therapists' and psychology students' constructions of sexual refusal in heterosexual relationships: A qualitative story completion study. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(4), 946-956. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12388

Anxieties about sex and sexual problems are widespread and are often brought to counselling and psychotherapy. Research has found that even practitioners without specialist training often work with sexual difficulties because of the prevalence of suc... Read More about Exploring therapists' and psychology students' constructions of sexual refusal in heterosexual relationships: A qualitative story completion study.

Staying strong: Exploring experiences of managing emotional distress for African Caribbean women living in the UK (2021)
Journal Article
Graham, R., & Clarke, V. (2021). Staying strong: Exploring experiences of managing emotional distress for African Caribbean women living in the UK. Feminism and Psychology, 31(1), 140-159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353520964672

The ‘strong Black woman’ (SBW) is a Western cultural stereotype that depicts African heritage women as strong, self-reliant, independent, yet nurturing and self-sacrificing. US research indicates that this stereotype negatively impacts the emotional... Read More about Staying strong: Exploring experiences of managing emotional distress for African Caribbean women living in the UK.

‘Rarely discussed but always present’: Exploring therapists’ accounts of the relationship between social class, mental health and therapy (2021)
Journal Article
McEvoy, C., Clarke, V., & Thomas, Z. (2021). ‘Rarely discussed but always present’: Exploring therapists’ accounts of the relationship between social class, mental health and therapy. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(2), 324-334. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12382

With a few exceptions, the subject of social class has rarely been addressed in counselling and psychotherapy research. This study seeks to contribute to redressing this omission by exploring therapists’ accounts of how social class operates within t... Read More about ‘Rarely discussed but always present’: Exploring therapists’ accounts of the relationship between social class, mental health and therapy.

Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches (2020)
Journal Article
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), 37-47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360

Thematic analysis methods, including the reflexive approach we have developed, are widely used in counselling and psychotherapy research, as are other approaches that seek to develop ‘patterns’ (themes, categories) across cases. Without a thorough gr... Read More about Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches.

The online survey as a qualitative research tool (2020)
Journal Article
Braun, V., Clarke, V., Boulton, E., Davey, L., & McEvoy, C. (2021). The online survey as a qualitative research tool. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(6), 641-654. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1805550

Fully qualitative surveys, which prioritise qualitative research values, and harness the rich potential of qualitative data, have much to offer qualitative researchers, especially given online delivery options. Yet the method remains underutilised, a... Read More about The online survey as a qualitative research tool.

One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? (2020)
Journal Article
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2020). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328-352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238

Developing a universal quality standard for thematic analysis (TA) is complicated by the existence of numerous iterations of TA that differ paradigmatically, philosophically and procedurally. This plurality in TA is often not recognised by editors, r... Read More about One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?.

To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales (2019)
Journal Article
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2021). To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13(2), 201-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1704846

The concept of data saturation, defined as ‘information redundancy’ or the point at which no new themes or codes ‘emerge’ from data, is widely referenced in thematic analysis (TA) research in sport and exercise, and beyond. Several researchers have s... Read More about To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales.

Being both narrative practitioner and academic researcher: A reflection on what thematic analysis has to offer narratively informed research (2019)
Journal Article
Lainson, K., Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Being both narrative practitioner and academic researcher: A reflection on what thematic analysis has to offer narratively informed research. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, 2019(4),

What opportunities are there for narrative practitioners to engage in academic research whilst retaining an alignment with poststructuralist ideas, feminist commitments and narrative practice principles? This paper considers Virginia Braun and Victor... Read More about Being both narrative practitioner and academic researcher: A reflection on what thematic analysis has to offer narratively informed research.

Counselling formerly heterosexually partnered gay fathers raised with religion (2019)
Journal Article
Earley, E., Clarke, V., & Moller, N. (2020). Counselling formerly heterosexually partnered gay fathers raised with religion. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 48(6), 768-779. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2019.1679351

© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Formerly heterosexually partnered gay fathers raised with religion are an under-researched group of LGBTQ parents. This group have potentially complex coming out journeys, which... Read More about Counselling formerly heterosexually partnered gay fathers raised with religion.

Feminist qualitative methods and methodologies in psychology: A review and reflection (2019)
Journal Article
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2019). Feminist qualitative methods and methodologies in psychology: A review and reflection. Psychology of Women Section Review,

How does the current state of the field of feminist qualitative psychological research reflect and enact the methodological characteristics and values of feminist research – principally, the values of reflexivity, methodological diversity and innovat... Read More about Feminist qualitative methods and methodologies in psychology: A review and reflection.

“Never Say Never?”: Heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women’s accounts of being childfree (2019)
Journal Article
Hayfield, N., Terry, G., Clarke, V., & Ellis, S. (2019). “Never Say Never?”: Heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women’s accounts of being childfree. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(4), 526-538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684319863414

Feminist scholars have identified a “motherhood imperative” in Western cultures, where heterosexual women are understood to both want, and have, children. However, social shifts have resulted in a decrease in pronatalism as well as an increase in soc... Read More about “Never Say Never?”: Heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women’s accounts of being childfree.

Novel insights into patients’ life-worlds: the value of qualitative research (2019)
Journal Article
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Novel insights into patients’ life-worlds: the value of qualitative research. Lancet Psychiatry, 6(9), 720-721. https://doi.org/10.1016/+S2215-0366%2819%2930296-2

Livingston et al.’s paper amply demonstrates the rich potential of qualitative methods to provide insight into the life-worlds of patients, and analysis of hitherto un(der)explored facets of mental and physical health conditions. The publication of t... Read More about Novel insights into patients’ life-worlds: the value of qualitative research.

Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis (2019)
Journal Article
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806

Since initially writing on thematic analysis in 2006, the popularity of the method we outlined has exploded, the variety of TA approaches have expanded, and, not least, our thinking has developed and shifted. In this reflexive commentary, we look bac... Read More about Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis.

Exploring attachment incoherence in bereaved families’ therapy narratives: An attachment theory-informed thematic analysis (2019)
Journal Article
Willcox, R., Moller, N., & Clarke, V. (2019). Exploring attachment incoherence in bereaved families’ therapy narratives: An attachment theory-informed thematic analysis. Family Journal, 27(3), 339-347. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480719853006

Attachment theory predicts that family bereavement leads even securely attached individuals to experience temporary attachment insecurity. This paper explores how incoherence, a narrative marker of attachment insecurity, is displayed in the talk of f... Read More about Exploring attachment incoherence in bereaved families’ therapy narratives: An attachment theory-informed thematic analysis.

Editorial introduction to the special issue: Using story completion methods in qualitative research (2019)
Journal Article
Clarke, V., Braun, V., Frith, H., & Moller, N. (2019). Editorial introduction to the special issue: Using story completion methods in qualitative research. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 16(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2018.1536378

What is story completion? How come I’ve never heard of it? Can it be useful for me as a qualitative researcher? A relatively unknown method for qualitative data collection, story completion has a long history of use in psychotherapy practice and (qua... Read More about Editorial introduction to the special issue: Using story completion methods in qualitative research.

Breaking gendered boundaries? Exploring constructions of counter-normative body hair practices in Āotearoa/New Zealand using story completion (2018)
Journal Article
Jennings, E., Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Breaking gendered boundaries? Exploring constructions of counter-normative body hair practices in Āotearoa/New Zealand using story completion. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 16(1), 74-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2018.1536386

© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Do women with body hair continue to evoke disgust? Are men without body hair read only as athletes and/or gay? To explore contemporary sense-making practices around apparently counter-normative gendered b... Read More about Breaking gendered boundaries? Exploring constructions of counter-normative body hair practices in Āotearoa/New Zealand using story completion.

Living with alopecia areata: An online qualitative survey study (2018)
Journal Article
Davey, L., Clarke, V., & Jenkinson, E. (2019). Living with alopecia areata: An online qualitative survey study. British Journal of Dermatology, 180(6), 1377-1389. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.17463

© 2018 British Association of Dermatologists Background: Living with alopecia areata (AA) totalis and universalis (collectively referred to here as AA) involves unpredictable, sometimes rapid hair loss. There is currently no effective treatment and p... Read More about Living with alopecia areata: An online qualitative survey study.

How can a heterosexual man remove his body hair and retain his masculinity? Mapping stories of male body hair depilation (2018)
Journal Article
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2019). How can a heterosexual man remove his body hair and retain his masculinity? Mapping stories of male body hair depilation. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 16(1), 96-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2018.1536388

© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This study explores the gendered body hair removal norm and the meanings of male body hair by examining young people’s sense-making around male body hair removal. The novel technique of story completion w... Read More about How can a heterosexual man remove his body hair and retain his masculinity? Mapping stories of male body hair depilation.

Therapists’ and non-therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study (2018)
Journal Article
Shah-Beckley, I., Clarke, V., & Thomas, Z. (2020). Therapists’ and non-therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 93(2), 189-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12203

© 2018 The British Psychological Society Objectives: Little research has examined the discourses that shape therapists’ sense-making around heterosex. This paper explores the discourses of sexuality and gender underpinning therapists’ and non-therapi... Read More about Therapists’ and non-therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study.