Research Request: Investigating professionals’ perspectives on the use of somatic therapies as a method to support individuals affected by trauma
Research Summary:
The objective of this research is to explore the role of somatic therapeutic approaches in supporting individuals who have experienced trauma from the perspectives of social and healthcare professionals.
The research will focus on:
(1) Examining the professionals’ definitions and understandings of somatic and movement therapies;
(2) Identifying somatic interventions currently being used in trauma work in Aotearoa;
(3) Describing the strengths and challenges of utilising somatic and movement interventions with clients; and
(4) Exploring the future aspirations for Aotearoa practitioners using somatic and movement therapies.
Participation Criteria:
• Currently working as a social service or health professional in Aotearoa (e.g., general practitioner, registered nurse, social worker, community support workers, Māori health workers, psychologists, occupational therapist, counsellor etc.)
• Minimum of two years’ experience in health or social services providing support to individuals who have experienced trauma.
• Have used some form of somatic therapy with clients in the past two years.
Invitation to Participate:
Kia ora, My name is Deborah Galloway-Riwhi, and I am a student in the Master of Applied Social Work at Massey University. As part of my study, I am conducting research to investigate the use of somatic therapies as a method to support individuals affected by trauma. For this research, somatic therapies are inclusive of but not limited to Dance and Movement Therapy (DMT), Somatic Experiencing (SE), Trauma-Informed Yoga, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Trauma Informed Breathwork, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – Tapping Techniques and indigenous interventions such as Mirimiri and Romiromi.
I would like to invite three to five professionals to participate in an individual interview of appropriately 45 to 60 minutes via face-to-face, zoom or skype at a mutually agreed place/medium, date and time.
The interview will be a semi-structured interview with specific questions around the research topic. The interview questions will be distributed before the interview for you to review.
If you are interested in participating or have any questions please contact:
Deb.Galloway-Riwhi.1@uni.massey.ac.nz
Your rights and privacy:
All data relevant to the research will be saved as soon as it is obtained, and it will be stored at safe place with password access only accessed by me, the student researcher. Confidentiality will be assured through a careful process to de-identification in the final report. The audio record will be deleted after the transcript is completed and confirmed. All other data including the consent form of this research will be shredded or deleted after the examination of the research report.
You are under no obligation to accept this invitation. If you decide to participate, you have the right to:
• Decline to answer any question.
• Withdraw from the study until signing the authority to release the transcript.
• Ask any questions about the study at any time during participation.
• Provide information on the understanding that your name will not be used unless you give permission to the researcher.
• Be given access to a summary of the project findings when it is concluded.
• Ask for the recorder to be turned off at any time during the interview.
Student Researcher
Deborah Galloway-Riwhi
Master of Applied Social Work
Massey University Palmerston North
Phone: 0277383332
Email: Deb.GallowayRiwhi.1@uni.massey.ac.nz
Research Supervisor
Associate Professor
Polly Yeung
School of Social Work
Massey University Palmerston North
(06) 356 9099 ex 83514
p.yeung@massey.ac.nz
Paper Coordinator
Associate Professor
Kathryn Hay School of Social Work
Massey University Palmerston North
(06) 356 9099 ex 83518
k.s.hay@massey.ac.nz
This project has been evaluated by peer review and judged to be low risk. Consequently, it has not been reviewed by one of the University’s Human Ethics Committees. The researcher(s) named above are responsible for the ethical conduct of this research.
If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research that you wish to raise with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact Prof Craig Johnson, Director, Research Ethics, telephone (06) 356 9099 ex 85271, email humanethics@massey.ac.nz
Date published: 10 March 2024
Date closes: 25 May 2024