Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
I am a Senior Lecturer in Counselling and Director of the Strathclyde Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Clinic, a long-term research study investigating the process and outcome of person-centred-experiential therapy in practice.
The main focus of my own research is the concept of congruent functioning: a contemporary redefining of the process of psychological growth at the core of Rogers' person-centred theory. I am interested in the development of congruent functioning for clients in counselling and also counsellors in training.
I developed a model of congruent functioning from my work investigating the validity of the Strathclyde Inventory, a brief self-report instrument, using data collected from clients participating in counselling at the Strathclyde Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Clinic. Currently, I am working with international colleagues to explore the intercultural meaning and relevance of the Strathclyde Inventory.
I have developed expertise in systematic case study research, in particular the Hermeneutic Single Case Efficacy Design method, which is an innovative approach to investigating the outcome and process of psychotherapy within individual cases. Series of case studies using this method can be synthesized to produce insightful learning and improve practice. I am also interested in supporting counselling practitioners and service providers to expand their understanding of the value and limitations of using routine outcome measurement in their practice.
I am a co-editor of the international peer-reviewed journal, Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies (PCEP), and former Chair of the World Association for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies and Counseling (WAPCEPC).
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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‘Where do we begin?’ Developing collaborative story-based methods for working with counselling archives
Stephen, S. (Principal Investigator), Rasmussen, S. (Co-investigator), McGeachan, C. (Co-investigator) & Kirkpatrick, R. (Co-investigator)
1/09/26 → 30/06/27
Project: Internally funded project
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MAPPED: An investigation of Mechanisms of Action in oPtimal Psychological therapies for Episodes of more severe Depression in adults
Stephen, S. (Principal Investigator), MacIntosh, H. (Co-investigator), Flowers, P. (Co-investigator), Elliott, R. (Co-investigator), Murphy, D. (Co-investigator), Barkham, M. (Co-investigator), Hardy, G. (Co-investigator), Saxon, D. (Co-investigator) & McIlree, R. (Co-investigator)
1/02/24 → 31/08/27
Project: Internally funded project
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Collaborative case formulation work in emotion focused therapy: a process microanalytic study
Manastireanu, I. L., Elliott, R. & Stephen, S., 27 Aug 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Psychotherapy Research. 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
A clarification of seven logical fallacies that misrepresent person-centered therapy theory
Murphy, D., Stephen, S., Doyle, R., Moore, J., Wilson, L., Cunliffe, R., Hawkins, J., Ellingham, I., Marriott, S. & Heid, S., 15 Dec 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies. p. 1-19 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure)
Thesis
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The Strathclyde inventory as a measure of outcome in person-centred therapy
Stephen, S. (Author), Elliott, R. (Supervisor) & Dixon, D. (Supervisor), 30 Apr 2020Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis
Activities
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Dansk Carl Rogers Forum
Stephen, S. (Speaker)
4 Sept 2026Activity: Public Engagement and Outreach › Public Events
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Being human in a changing world. A person-centered-experiential perspective
Stephen, S. (Keynote speaker)
8 Jul 2026Activity: Talk or Presentation › Oral presentation