Phenomenology for Therapists: Researching the Lived World

“Phenomenology – when it is done well –discloses, transforms and inspires. That is why it excites me, why I am passionate about it . . . Fortunately, this does not need to stand in the way of readers making use of this otherwise excellent book in their own way and for their own practice-relevant research needs.” (Counselling Psychology Review, 2 June 2012)

“The many current research examples provide a useful and easy-to-read description of what is possible in phenomenological research. This book is a wonderful addition to qualitative methodology texts and I would recommend it as a standard text for anyone considering counselling/ psychotherapy research.” (Therapy Today, 1 December 2011)

Linda Finlay invites readers to engage with the world of phenomenology in lively, intellectually stimulating, and moving ways. She is a trustworthy guide who provides a good conceptual map of the area. In addition, she provides a very practical sense of the territory when walking its major routes. Using many relevant examples that therapists will recognise, this book demonstrates how a phenomenological approach to research is consistent with core therapy values and practices.
―Les Todres, Professor of Qualitative Research, Bournemouth University, UK

Finlay does a superb job of demonstrating how phenomenological research and therapeutic practice complement each other. She provides powerful examples of qualitative research that deepen our understanding of human existence and inform clinical practice. Psychotherapists who read her book are likely to be enticed by the possibility of doing research, no longer viewing it as a practice better left to academics.
―Steen Halling, Professor of Psychology, Seattle University, USA