Therapists’ Beliefs and Perspectives on Working with Clients with Depersonalization Symptoms: A Thematic Analysis

Researcher’s name: Olivia Pinto

Researcher’s course: Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology

You are being invited to participate in a research study. Before you decide whether to participate, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and feel free to ask us if you would like more information or if there is anything that you do not understand. We would like to stress that you do not have to accept this invitation and should only agree to take part if you want to.

Thank you for reading this.

The study explores how qualified therapists understand depersonalisation symptoms and what it is like for them to work with clients who experience these symptoms. By focusing on therapists’ own accounts, the study aims to improve knowledge, training and support for practitioners working with depersonalisation in everyday clinical settings.

Depersonalization is a dissociative experience where a person feels disconnected from themselves, almost as if they are watching their own life from the outside. People often describe it as feeling like they are in a dream or a movie, or as if they are observing themselves rather than actually living in the moment. Common symptoms include feeling detached from the body, emotions, or thoughts, experiencing numbness or a sense that the body doesn’t belong to them, and noticing changes in time or memory, such as time moving too quickly or slowly. Emotions may feel flat or distant, and some people worry they are “going crazy,” although they remain aware that what they are experiencing is not reality. Episodes can last from minutes to longer periods and are often linked to stress, trauma, anxiety, or depression.

You have been invited because you are a qualified therapist (e.g. counselling psychologist, clinical psychologist, psychotherapist or similar) with at least two years of post-qualification clinical experience and you have worked with clients who showed depersonalisation symptoms. Therapists working exclusively in specialist dissociative disorder services will be excluded to ensure the focus remains on everyday therapeutic encounters rather than niche expertise.

You are under no obligation to take part in this research; this is completely your choice. Also, you are free to withdraw at any time during and up to two weeks after your interview without providing any reason or explanation and no disadvantage will be incurred. To withdraw, simply contact the researcher at [email protected].

If you agree, you will be interviewed online (via Microsoft Teams) at a time convenient for you. The interview will last about 60 minutes. You will be asked open-ended questions about your experience of working with clients who show depersonalisation symptoms. You can skip any question you do not want to answer. At the end you will be debriefed and given a support debrief sheet. Participant disclosures will remain confidential except in circumstances where there is concern about harm, abuse, or safety, in which case safeguarding obligations will apply.

The information you provide will be used solely for the purposes of this research project. You will complete a short demographic questionnaire via QuestionPro to convey interest in participating, after which you will be emailed the consent form and information sheet. Your interview will be transcribed and the text will be coded and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes across participants’ accounts. Recordings and transcripts will be stored on an encrypted and password-protected device and university storage system. Identifying details will be removed at the transcription stage. The aim is to understand how therapists conceptualise depersonalisation symptoms, what it is like to work with clients experiencing them, and what strategies or approaches they find helpful or challenging. The findings from this analysis will form the basis of the researcher’s doctorate thesis at the University of Wolverhampton. They may also be written up for publication in academic or professional journals, presented at conferences, or used in teaching or training materials. In all cases only anonymised data (with names and identifying details removed or changed) will be reported. Direct quotations may be used to illustrate themes but will be fully anonymised so you cannot be identified. Your data will not be sold, passed to third parties, or used for unrelated research. It will be handled in line with the British Psychological Society’s Code of Human Research Ethics (2014), its Internet-Mediated Research Guidelines (2021), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018).

Further information on how your data will be used can be found below:

There are no known physical risks associated with taking part. The interview will focus on your professional experiences of working with clients who present depersonalisation symptoms rather than your personal life. However, reflecting on challenging or emotionally intense clinical work can sometimes feel uncomfortable or bring up unexpected feelings. If at any point during the interview you feel distressed, uncomfortable, or prefer not to answer a question, you are free to pause, skip the question, or stop the interview entirely. There is no penalty for doing so. At the end of the interview you will receive a debrief sheet containing details of professional support services should you wish to discuss any issues that arise. The researcher will also monitor for signs of distress and will check in with you if needed.

Although you may not benefit directly, you may find it useful to reflect on your practice. Your contribution will help to improve understanding of how therapists can best support clients experiencing depersonalisation symptoms.

Results will be written up for a postgraduate research dissertation and may be submitted for publication or presented at professional conferences. Only anonymised data will be reported.

 Participation is voluntary. You may withdraw at any time up to two weeks after your interview without giving a reason. If you withdraw, your data will be removed and destroyed.

If you have concerns about the study you can contact the researcher or their supervisor using the details on this sheet. If you wish to complain formally you can contact the University of Wolverhampton’s Data Protection Officer. If you wish to raise concerns regarding research being undertaken by the University of Wolverhampton you may wish to contact the research integrity leads in the first instance: Dean of Research Culture and Postgraduate Research – Professor Laura Caulfield, [email protected]; Administrative lead, Senior Officer Governance & Integrity - Jill Morgan [email protected]. For more information regarding research integrity at the University please visit https://www.wlv.ac.uk/research/research-policies-procedures--guidelines/research-integrity/. Alternatively, the University of Wolverhampton has incorporated its policies and procedures for Anti-Bribery, Staff Interests, Public Interests, Fraud, and Whistleblowing into one Transparency Policy (https://www.wlv.ac.uk/about-us/governance/legal-information/corporate-compliance/transparency/). Please report any concerns to [email protected].”

Talking about professional challenges may have felt emotionally demanding. If you are left with any difficult feelings or concerns following your participation, please consider:

• Reflecting with a clinical supervisor or peer.

• Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/

For more information on depersonalization, you can visit: 

Mind -  https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/dissociation-and-dissociative-disorders/about-dissociation/#FeelingLikeYoureLookingAtYourselfFromTheOutside

https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/influence-and-participation-toolkit/lived-experience-newsletter/love-of-ones-fate-living-with-depersonalisationderealisation-disorder/

Mayo Clinic - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depersonalization-derealization-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352911

Questions during the interview will be focused on your understanding, beliefs, perspectives on depersonalization and the therapeutic approaches used. Some example questions are listed below:

- How do you understand the concept of depersonalization?

- How have clients initially described their depersonalization experiences to you?

- What thoughts and emotions have you experienced in relation to working with clients who experience depersonalization?

If you have any questions about the research, please do not hesitate to contact the researcher, Olivia Pinto ([email protected]), Roz Collings ([email protected]).