We are inviting manuscript submissions for a special issue of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies (PCEP) on Case Studies.

Case studies are the bridge between practice and research. They provide a method for research in which the complexity of the process and outcome of psychotherapy and counselling can be explored and examined. At the same time, they tell the story of an individual therapeutic experience, offering an opportunity to reflect on and develop theory and practice for experienced and student therapists, academics and practitioners alike. Moreover, case studies provide a medium for enabling potential clients and commissioners of services to gain insight into what actually happens inside the therapy room.

Recent developments in systematic case study methodologies have increased the credibility of case studies as a research method. Indeed this is an area at the cutting edge of psychotherapy research and many PCE scholars are making significant contributions to these developments (e.g. Bohart & Humphreys (2000), Stiles (2007), Elliott et al (2009), Stinkens et al (2009)). Guidelines for publishing good quality case studies are currently in development: see McLeod (2010) for a description of the principles of systematic case study research which form the basis of the proposed guidelines. Journals devoted to case study research have been introduced (e.g. Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy).

Until now, PCEP has published case studies on an occasional basis. In keeping with the principles of the WAPCEPC, the goal of this Special Issue is to demonstrate the process and outcomes of different forms of practice across the full spectrum of PCE in the format of systematic single case studies.

We invite new case studies that illustrate the diversity of both PCE and the systematic case study format. We hope that practitioners as well as academics will be represented amongst the authors of papers in the Special Issue.

All papers will go through the usual peer-review process for PCEP articles, so revisions may be requested, and acceptance of your paper cannot be guaranteed.

Papers should be no more than 7000 words (including references). In order to do justice to the in-depth nature of a case study, appendices to the case study may be included. These will be made available to readers online.

Susan Stephen will be the guest editor for this special issue. She can be contacted at susan.stephen @ pce-world.org for more information and to discuss your potential contribution. Please contact Susan by 31st October 2012 with your expression of interest in contributing to the Special Issue. Manuscripts should be submitted by 31st July 2013.

Please circulate this invitation to anyone you think may be interested.

References

Bohart, A.C. & Humphreys, C. (2000). A qualitative 'adjudicational' model for assessing psychotherapy outcome. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Society for Psychotherapy Research, Chicago, Illinois.

Elliott, R., Partyka, R., Wagner, J., Alperin, R., Dobrenski, R., Messer, S.B., Watson, J.C. & Castonguay, L.G. (2009). An adjudicated Hermeneutic Single Case Efficacy Design study of experiential therapy for panic/phobia. Psychotherapy Research, 19, 543-57.

McLeod, J. (2010). Case study research in counselling and psychotherapy. London:Sage.

Stiles, W.B. (2007). Theory-building case studies of counselling and psychotherapy. Counselling and Psychotherapy Review, 7, 122-7.

Stinckens, N., Elliott, R. and Leijssen, M. (2009). Bridging the gap between therapy research and practice in a person-centered/experiential therapy training program: the Leuven Systematic Case Study Protocol. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 8, 143-62.

The administration of the election for the Board of WAPCEPC is the responsibility of an independent election committee of three members; Allan Turner (Coordinator), Vera Alves and Tatsuya Hirai. They are not members of the present Board and they are not candidates for the new Board.

An election for Board members will be held in May 2012 and we are now inviting nominations for the new Board.

The board of the WAPCEPC is an executive Board. It looks after the day–to-day management of the Association - the administration, finances, PCEP, membership, website and Newsletter, and any other tasks that further the aims of the Association.

The board reflects the variety of nationalities, cultures and traditions in PCE, but does not represent or favour any particular group of members or interests.

If you are interested in standing as a candidate, or if you want to nominate someone as candidate, please contact any of the board members to talk about what is involved in being a Board member. Further information about the election and about how to make a nomination can be found here.  

Nominations should be sent as an email attachment to [election @ pce-world.org].   The nomination form can be downloaded here.

Nominations have to be received by the 1st April 2012.

Notes: Candidates must be current members of the WAPCEPC. They should be able to commit at least two hours per week to the work of the Board.  Board meetings are usually conducted by e-mail, in English, with meetings by Skype arranged as required. The first meeting of the 2012-14 Board will take place in Antwerp, Belgium, on Sunday 8th July 2012, prior to the beginning of the PCE 2012 Conference. If the finances of the Association allow it, the 2012-14 Board may arrange to meet in person during 2013.  Meetings usually occur three times each year.  As part of their personal statement, candidates are asked to indicate which of the tasks of the Board they would be suited to undertake.

* Proposers must be current members of WAPCEPC

Board election nomination form

With our major biennial conference PCE 2012 due to take place in Antwerp, Belgium, in July this year - and plans for PCE 2014 already in development by our colleagues in Argentina - it is time for WAPCEPC members to begin thinking about the organization of the following PCE conference, due to take place in 2016. The WAPCEPC board invites members to consider whether you and your colleagues may be willing to host this meeting of the international PCE community in your country.

There are published guidelines and a procedure for establishing a venue for the PCE conference, which can be found here in our website. Members who are interested in convening the conference in 2016 are invited to indicate their interest by sending a proposal letter to Makiko Mikuni at  [makiko.mikuni @ pce.world.org]  by 31st March 2012.

In their letter proposing to host PCE 2016, members should present their team, their competences in scientific, administrative and financial matters, and their plans concerning the site of the conference. Please contact Makiko if you have any questions about the requirements outlined within the PCE conference guidelines.

Following the deadline for proposals, the board will publish the letters in the newsletter and will arrange for members to vote on the proposals. Voting may take place in the General Assembly (Antwerp, 9 July 2012) or it may be done electronically. Details of the voting procedure in place for a decision on the venue of PCE 2016 will be published in the newsletter and on the website.

The Board of the WAPCEPC is seeking a new editor of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, following the decision by Bill Stiles to retire from this role. The new editor would be working with the two continuing editors: Mick Cooper, and Michael Behr.

Criteria and a procedure for the selection of a new PCEP editor were agreed by the Board and editors at a meeting on 29th June 2010. The criteria and procedure can be found here.

Publishing the PCEP journal is a highly important part of the contribution that the WAPCEPC makes to supporting and promoting the work of person-centered and experiential practitioners around the world. We welcome all candidates who can demonstrate that they meet the criteria identified for the role of PCEP editor. Please share this information with your colleagues.

Candidates for the role of PCEP editor should send their C.V (containing sufficient information to show how you meet the identified criteria) to Graham Westwell, (WAPCEPC Board Member) at the following email address:

[graham.westwell @ pce-world.org]

by 6 May 2012.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The WAPCEPC Board

Criteria and procedure for selecting PCEP editors

We are inviting manuscript submissions for a special issue of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies (PCEP) on Incongruence.

Incongruence refers to a mismatch/distortion between organismic experience and awareness. It has been usually seen as a negative state or attitude, which creates misunderstanding and hinders therapeutic change. Incongruence carries negative connotations: a sign of vulnerability, maladjustment, defensiveness, lack of awareness, unintentional withholding of inner experience, falseness or even deceit and distortion of the true response. Therapist incongruence has been considered a factor that can negatively impact therapeutic outcome.

The goal of this special issue is to promote better understanding of the personal, interpersonal and intrapersonal elements that affect the experience and manifestation of incongruence in a therapeutic encounter. We invite articles that address these aspects as they appear in theory, research, or practice. We hope to expand our understanding of what triggers or brings up incongruence in a therapeutic encounter and how clients and/or therapists experience and deal with such moments.

We particularly encourage the report of new qualitative or quantitative data or measures that concern this concept, and we welcome new theoretical formulations and models.
Submissions from all schools of PCE are highly encouraged.

All papers will undergo the usual peer-review process for PCEP articles, so revisions may be requested, and acceptance of submissions cannot be guaranteed.

Soti Grafanaki will be the guest editor for this special issue. She can be contacted at [sgrafanaki @ ustpaul.ca] for more information.

Please circulate this invitation to anyone you think might be interested.

Articles should be sent by 15th July, 2012, with no more than 7000 words (including references).

All submissions should be made online at PCEP's new ScholarOne site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rpcp

Looking forward in receiving your submission,

Soti Grafanaki, Ph.D
Saint Paul University
Canada

PCEP call for papers Incongruence

We are inviting manuscript submissions for a special issue of Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies (PCEP) on non-directivity.

Non-directivity is, nowadays, a vexed concept in the person-centered and experiential approaches. There is much debate and controversy about its definition, theoretical meaning, clinical effectiveness, and application to wider contexts. The goal of this special issue is to promote a constructive and ground-breaking debate among scholars, researchers, and practitioners regarding the concept and practice of non-directivity. We are inviting articles that go beyond what has already been written on this topic, that is, we are expecting new material rather than rehashed arguments. We welcome critical perspectives on non-directivity, as well as those that advocate its relevance and value. We would encourage particularly the report of new qualitative or quantitative data. For instance, you might want to compare your ideas on nondirectivity to detailed observations on a case material so that the theory on nondirectivity could be elaborated, expanded, confirmed or disconfirmed.

Beth Freire will be the guest editor for this special issue. She can be contacted at beth.freire @ pce-world.org for more information.

All papers will go through the usual peer-review process for PCEP articles, so revisions may be requested, and acceptance of your paper cannot be guaranteed.

Articles should be sent by 1st December 2011, with no more than 6000 words. All submissions should be made online at PCEP's new ScholarOne site [http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rpcp]. This site is in construction at the moment but it will be ready to receive submissions soon.

Please circulate this invitation to anyone you think might be interested.

Many thanks,

Beth Freire