What does neuroscience offer us in understanding cognitive therapy and person-centred therapy for depression? A realist synthesis review

A need for increased access to effective therapies for depression has been identified in the United Kingdom. There has been significant investment in Cognitive Therapy but a perceived lack of funding for alternatives. This study takes a pluralistic perspective in enquiring into what neuroscience offers us in understanding Cognitive Therapy and Person-Centred Therapy for Depression. This realist synthesis review provides a background of the theories, mapped for commonality in causality and therapy for depression. It examines neuroscience theory of depression and fMRI evidence of the effects of Cognitive Therapy and Person-Centred therapeutic concepts on the brain. This review highlights some of the limitations of scanning technology and the way that research within ‘schools’ interprets evidence from the perspective of a particular theory. This has led to evidence being presented for the case of cognitive control of emotion. The alternate hypothesis for emotional regulation was not tested in the studies reviewed despite being observed as the mechanism of change in drug therapy for depression. Since all disciplines and theories reviewed suggest the involvement of both cognitive and affective processes further research is suggested to clarify their interaction

Beyond Managerialism:Towards a Model of Humanistic-Management.

Abstract This thesis addresses a gap in knowledge about academic-management in higher-education, utilising a humanistic-management theoretical framework. This adds to knowledge about the complexity of structural and agential factors in higher-education management. Tensions between the valid structural needs of the organisation and the agential needs of managers and managed-academics must be continually balanced by academic-managers through ethical-reflection. The ontological position is pragmatic, appropriate to the applied nature of this practitioner research. The mixed-methods embedded case-study employed semi-structured interviews (with academic and professional-services managers at all levels in the hierarchy), a Qualtrics™ survey (of managed-academics) and document analysis. Qualitative data were coded in Nvivo ™, thematically analysed and compared by hierarchical and role level. Quantitative survey data were analysed in SPSS™ using non-parametric one-sample chi square tests and MS Excel™ using simple descriptive statistics. Where academic-managers were experienced by managed-academics as practicing humanistic-management (in keeping with concepts of dignity, wellbeing, humanistic communication and acting on their personal values), managed-academics reported higher levels of dignity and wellbeing and perceived that managers enacted the values of the university. Where humanistic communication was not experienced, all concepts were negatively impacted. Factors which either facilitate humanistic-management practice (humanistic communication and ethical-reflection) or impede it (structural barriers to trust and open communication) were found. Assumptions of policy-ownership and non-participatory policy implementation increase the hidden work of emotional labour for managers, whilst agential factors such as ethical-reflection and humanistic communication improve wellbeing. A model is presented which synthesises sub-concepts of humanistic- management. The model shows the relationship between organisational values, humanistic communication, wellbeing, psychological safety and dignity. It is recommended that academic-managers should be educated about these concepts and how to employ them to increase the likelihood that all who make up the university community experience dignity and wellbeing at work

Not All Managers Are Managerial: A Self-Evaluation of Women Middle-Managers' Experiences in a UK University

The focus of this small-scale self-evaluation is the implementation of a new middle-management role in a post-92 UK university. A realist appreciative inquiry was undertaken with five women who had been promoted to a middle-management role 18 months prior to the inquiry. This evaluation for knowledge offered an opportunity to reflect on experiences in practice and sought to understand the experiences of the women in this role and how they cope with the challenges middle-management brings. Particular challenges (instability-generating) accorded with existing literature and included: lack of role clarity, lack of pre-preparation for management role, colleagues’ views of management, including perceptions of women in management roles and malicious intent of managed academics in rare cases. Supportive factors (provisional-stability-generating) included: personal resilience, informal peer support, external support and reflection. The co-evaluators offered reflections for the future from this co-evaluation. These suggest that training may contribute to provisional-stability in role and should be considered for new entrants to middle-management. The alternative construct of humanistic management is proposed as a way of understanding these women’s values-based decision-making practices in complex situations

Protocol for a rapid review and document analysis considering Quality of life (QoL) outcome measures in Meningioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme survivors.

The review will identify clinical and academic literature that explore quality of Life (QoL) in Meningioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) survivors. Literature reviewed will explicitly utilise defined QoL measures to assess survivors’ quality of life. Publicly available survivor ‘stories’ (as published on two UK brain tumour charity websites) will be used for document analysis for comparison. The aim is to highlight whether the QoL measures used clinically and academically measure QoL in ways that are of most concern to survivors, including if they account for positive as well as more challenging QoL factors. Any resulting recommendations for patient pathway improvements will be made explicit

Protocol for a rapid review and document analysis considering Quality of life (QoL) outcome measures in Meningioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme survivors.

The review will identify clinical and academic literature that explore quality of Life (QoL) in Meningioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) survivors. Literature reviewed will explicitly utilise defined QoL measures to assess survivors’ quality of life. Publicly available survivor ‘stories’ (as published on two UK brain tumour charity websites) will be used for document analysis for comparison. The aim is to highlight whether the QoL measures used clinically and academically measure QoL in ways that are of most concern to survivors, including if they account for positive as well as more challenging QoL factors. Any resulting recommendations for patient pathway improvements will be made explicit

Protocol for a rapid review and document analysis considering Quality of life (QoL) outcome measures in Meningioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme survivors.

The review will identify clinical and academic literature that explore quality of Life (QoL) in Meningioma and Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) survivors. Literature reviewed will explicitly utilise defined QoL measures to assess survivors’ quality of life. Publicly available survivor ‘stories’ (as published on two UK brain tumour charity websites) will be used for document analysis for comparison. The aim is to highlight whether the QoL measures used clinically and academically measure QoL in ways that are of most concern to survivors, including if they account for positive as well as more challenging QoL factors. Any resulting recommendations for patient pathway improvements will be made explicit