Navigating a wall of invisibility
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- Title
- Navigating a wall of invisibility
- Creator
- Michelle Gershoni
- Date
- 2022
- Abstract
- Research suggests that there is limited awareness of Selective Mutism (SM) in children and its treatment interventions among healthcare professionals and the general public. Research studies investigating the epidemiology and aetiology of this phenomenon, and available interventions, including factors contributing to limited access to these interventions, are explored. Parents of children with SM in the United Kingdom (UK) are often advised to implement parent-led behavioural interventions, in place of interventions delivered by professionals, however there is as yet no research exploring their experiences of delivering these interventions. This study investigates the experiences and needs of parents in the UK who have delivered behavioural interventions for their children with SM. It aims to enhance our understanding of this community’s experiences and needs; to increase awareness of SM and its representation in research; to identify areas for further research; and to reflect counselling psychology’s social justice agenda, by enabling the voices of parents currently under-represented in empirical research to be heard. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children with SM and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis (2006, 2019) within a critical realist paradigm. Under a broad contextualising theme “Navigating a wall of invisibility,” three superordinate themes were identified: “No choice: ‘I'll just do what I have to do,’” “Voices that matter in the battle to be heard,” and “Being a parent-expert.” These findings highlight that, in a context of limited awareness, children with SM are denied support both within the UK National Health Service (NHS) and within the education system, and their parents struggle to advocate for them in these contexts. In their assumed role as parent-experts, parents face significant challenges and caregiver burdens. Recommendations for policy change to enhance school-home relationships, and to increase awareness and training relating to SM amongst healthcare professionals, including counselling psychologists, are provided.
- Subject
- Counselling
- Psychology
- Selective mutism
- Extent
- 203 pages
- Format
- Publisher
- Regent’s University London
- degree
- DPsych Counselling Psychology
- Language
- English
- Date Issued
- 2022
- Type
- Report
- Rights Holder
- Michelle Gershoni and Regent’s University London
- Item sets
- Theses or Dissertation