The Counseling Psychologist

This article presents an overview of various strategies and methods of engaging in qualitative data interpretations and analyses in counseling psychology. The authors explore the themes of self, culture, collaboration, circularity, trustworthiness, and evidence deconstruction from multiple qualitative methodologies. Commonalities and differences that span across approaches are explored. Implications for how researchers address qualitative data analysis and interpretation in counseling psychology training and research are discussed.

This article is a guide for counseling researchers wishing to communicate the methods and results of their qualitative research to varied audiences. The authors posit that the first step in effectively communicating qualitative research is the development of strong qualitative research skills. To this end, the authors review a process model for developing such competence and emphasize the importance of research paradigm and philosophy-of-science knowledge for the competent researcher. The authors present characteristics of strong qualitative writing and highlight the concept of “thick description.” The article includes a recommended structure for presenting the qualitative study and provides suggestions for targeting writing for different audiences. The authors conclude with suggestions for graduate students considering conducting qualitative dissertations.

Qualitative research has become increasingly perceived as well suited to the advancement of counseling psychology, yet opportunities for formal training in qualitative inquiry remain inconsistently available within and across graduate programs. For the potential contribution of this approach to counseling psychology to be realized, graduate students need routine access to adequate and appropriate coursework. In this article, the author shares a design and rationale for an introductory course in qualitative research, describes typical challenges faced by students, and offers strategies for fostering student learning and success. Limitations of the approach are discussed and recommendations offered based on lessons learned from practice.

This article contains reflections provoked by the articles in this volume of The Counseling Psychologist. As a relative outsider to counseling psychology, the author thoroughly enjoyed immersing herself in these contributions and then extracting a set of thoughts inspired by the writers.