Phenomenology for Therapists

Linda Finlay is a freelance Consultant offering training and mentorship on how to apply qualitative research in health care. In addition to her psychotherapy practice, she also teaches psychology and writes with the Open University. Her books include Groupwork in Occupational Therapy (1993), The Practice of Psychosocial Occupational Therapy (3rd edition, 2004), Qualitative Research for Health Professionals: Challenging Choices (ed. with C. Ballinger, Wiley Publishers, 2006), and Relational-Centred Research for Psychotherapists (with K. Evans, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).

About the Author vii Preface ix

Part I The Phenomenological Project: Concepts, Theory and Philosophy 1

Introduction to Part I 3

1 Phenomenology: Bridging the Practice–Research Divide? 5

2 The Phenomenological Project 15

3 The Body in Lived Experience 29

4 Philosophical Foundations 43

5 The 'Phenomenological Attitude' 73

Part II Phenomenological Research Approaches 85

Introduction to Part II 87

6 Descriptive Empirical Phenomenology 93

7 Hermeneutic Phenomenology 109

8 Lifeworld Approaches 125

9 Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis 139

10 First-Person Approaches 149


11 Reflexive-Relational Approaches 159

Part III PhenomenologicalMethods in Practice 177

Introduction to Part III 179

12 Planning the Research 181

13 Gathering Data 197

14 Relational Ethics 217

15 The Process of Analysing Data 227

16 Producing the Research 247

17 Evaluating Research 261

Appendix 273

References 275

Index 295