Estimating the therapeutic value of research in mental healthcare

I've had 3 pints and a few spliffs. I've been writing in the park. A bit of stuff about lots of stuff. Just thoughts.

This is something I was ranting about in other posts. Qualitative research could have therapeutic value. Good qualitative researchers are good listeners in my opinion. Being heard is good for people. It's part of the reason why all therapeutic tools work as well as human contact.

A researcher is non-directional and they do not carry the burden of achieving anything else other than insight. This is a powerful motivation for a person to listen and truly listen without judging another. This is because the truth is they are not there to help. They are there to learn about people by listening well.

This may make good qualitative researchers exceptionally effective at effecting good outcomes on the psychological distress measures. At least that is if it what is the aim of therapy.

The value of what they learn is also potent but I suggest it would be unethical to use this information in clinical practice. It must only be used for the purpose of academic research otherwise many people would chose not to be part of the research thereby invalidaity the value. The sample would have significant skew if the patient knew it would be used to inform clinicians involved in their care.