Feeling Out of Place in Clinical Practice? Have you ever felt "in-between" or without a clear sense of place in your professional identity as a counsellor or psychotherapist? This study invites you to explore that experience, and what it might mean for the way you show up in clinical practice.
About the Research
This MSc research, conducted at the University of Edinburgh, investigates how a practitioner's felt sense of placelessness (of not having a stable or rooted place in their professional identity) shapes their clinical presence and therapeutic role. The study draws on the Kurdish concept of B锚cih卯 (meaning: the felt sense of being without a rooted place) as a theoretical lens to explore this universal, yet often unspoken, experience of displacement in practice.
The research aims to give voice to something many practitioners may quietly recognise: that sense of being "in-between" (whether culturally, professionally, or existentially) and what that means for those who hold space for others.
Who Can Take Part?
You may be eligible to participate if you:
鈥� Are a qualified counsellor or psychotherapist (UK registered), or a trainee currently in clinical placement
鈥� Reside and practise within the UK
鈥� Resonate with a felt sense of placelessness or not having a clear sense of belonging in your professional identity
What's Involved?
Participation involves a single, confidential 60-minute interview. Interviews are conducted online via Microsoft Teams, or in-person for participants based in or near Edinburgh. The conversation will explore your personal and professional experience in a reflective, open-ended way. There are no right or wrong answers. Participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw at any time without consequence, and all data will be fully pseudonymised to protect your identity.
Why Does This Research Matter?
Questions of belonging, identity, and displacement are deeply relevant to contemporary counselling practice, particularly as the profession becomes increasingly diverse. Yet the inner experience of the practitioner in relation to these themes remains largely unexplored in the literature. This study aims to begin filling that gap, and your experience could make a meaningful contribution.
Ethical Approval
This study has received full ethical approval from the University of Edinburgh School of Health in Social Science Research Ethics Committee.
Interested?
If you would like to take part or find out more, please contact the lead researcher: Mehmet Sercan Erbecer MSc International and Cross-Cultural Counselling Studies University of Edinburgh.
For more information, please see here.
To view the participant information sheet, please see here.