Counsellor and Psychotherapist, MSc, MBACP, MBICA
1. Invitation to take part
You are invited to take part in a research study about how women experience infertility counselling in the UK. The research aims to understand women’s personal experiences of the counselling offered as part of their fertility treatment. It will identify themes including what participants felt was significant within the counselling process. The research is interested in counselling which includes emotional support.
Before you decide whether to take part, it is important to understand why the research is being carried out, and what it will involve. Please take time to read the information below and discuss it with others if you wish. If you have any questions at all, or want to clarify anything, please contact me, Ruth Paterson, at:
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All the information on this page is available to download in a Participant information Sheet
2. What is the purpose of the study?
Over 50,000 people go through fertility treatment in the UK every year. The experience can be challenging, and licensed fertility clinics are required by law to offer an opportunity for professional counselling. Less than half of patients take up counselling, and there is little academic research undertaken with those who do request counselling.
Current research tells us that generally people find counselling helpful, particularly when it is focused on emotional support. A deeper, more detailed understanding could inform how counsellors work with clients, how clinics offer counselling, or help other women considering counselling as part of their own treatment.
The project is a requirement for the researcher to pass the MSc Counselling and Psychotherapy (Professional Practice) at the University of Salford.
3. Who can take part?
If you have experience of counselling as part of your own fertility treatment, you have useful knowledge which could contribute to the study. To take part in the research, women need:
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To have had In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) in the UK
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To not be in active IVF/ICSI treatment at the time of the interview
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To have completed their latest IVF/ICSI cycle at least 3 months ago
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To have chosen to access counselling as part of their treatment
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To have had 2 or more sessions of individual or couples counselling
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To have concluded infertility counselling at least 3 months ago
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To feel they are emotionally safe to reflect on their counselling experience
4. Do I have to take part?
Taking part in the study is your decision and is entirely voluntary. If you agree to take part, but change your mind, you can choose to withdraw from the study at any point.
If you withdraw up to two weeks after your interview, then your data will be removed from the research.
If you withdraw more than two weeks after your interview, your anonymised data may be included in the research findings.
5. What will happen to me if I take part?
First, the researcher will arrange to talk to you by phone, to answer any questions and make sure the project is right for you. If you fit all the selection criteria and decide you want to take part, you will be asked to confirm your consent. You can download the consent form here.
You will be invited to take part in an individual interview, which should take around 60 minutes to complete and no longer than 90 minutes. You will be able to see the list of questions in advance. The interview will include time at the end to reflect on any issues that have arisen for you.
You can choose to meet face-to-face or have a Skype interview.
If you would prefer a Skype interview, we will arrange a convenient time for the interview to take place. There is some guidance here to help the interview run smoothly via Skype.
If you would prefer a face-to-face interview, then you will be invited to meet in a quiet, private room in the University of Salford Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre.
If you are not able to travel to Salford, but would still prefer to meet in person, then we may be able to find an alternative location. A suitable space would be a quiet, private room located in a safe, publicly accessible place. The researcher would look for somewhere mutually convenient. For example, we might use a counselling room in a local facility, or a small meeting room in a community centre.
The interview will be audio recorded. The researcher will transcribe it and remove any details that could identify you such as names, clinics or places. You will be offered the opportunity to receive a copy of the final report if you wish.
6. Expenses and payments
Participants will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket travel expenses for taking part, up to £30, on production of valid receipts.
7. What are the possible risks of taking part?
Fertility and counselling experiences can both be sensitive subjects, so there is a risk that taking part in the study interview could result in difficult emotions or psychological discomfort.
Think carefully about how this would feel for you, when you are deciding whether to take part. Consider what support you have in place and whether you want to revisit your counselling experiences.
There is a list of support organisations here that can help with issues related to fertility treatment.
8. What are the possible benefits of taking part?
The main benefit is in helping other people going through fertility problems, by identifying significant elements of infertility counselling, from the client point of view. This knowledge could help those providing counselling and emotional support to develop their practice and offer improved support.
Participants in similar studies have reported personal benefits. Sharing your experiences can be therapeutic; helping others can feel good, and you could gain self-awareness by reflecting on past experiences.
9. What if there is a problem?
If you have any concerns about this research, please contact the researcher in the first instance, Ruth Paterson, on r.paterson@edu.salford.ac.uk who will do their best to answer your questions.
Following this, if you have any issues or complaints, you can contact the research supervisor, Dr India Amos, by email at I.A.Amos@salford.ac.uk or by telephone 0161 295 3808
If the matter is not resolved, please forward your concerns to either of the Co-Chairs of the Health Taught Ethics Panel at the University of Salford;
Dr Linda Dubrow-Marshall: L.Dubrow-Marshall@salford.ac.uk or 0161 296 6988
Room C809, Allerton Building, Frederick Road Campus, University of Salford, Salford, M6 6PU
Dr Anna Cooper-Ryan: A.M.Cooper-Ryan@salford.ac.uk or 0161 295 5094
Room L812a Allerton Building, Frederick Road Campus, University of Salford, Salford, M6 6PU
10. Will my taking part be kept confidential?
Your personal information will be kept confidential. All data used in the study will be anonymised and given a unique code. Interviews will all be carried out by the same researcher, Ruth Paterson, who will audio record and transcribe the data herself. All identifying details will be removed, including names, locations and clinics.
Anonymised data may be reviewed by members of the research team or examiners. Electronic data files (e.g. contact details, selection questionnaire, audio files and transcripts) will be stored on the University’s secure F drive and accessed only by the researcher. Hard copy data (e.g. consent forms) will be kept in lockable document storage, accessible only by the researcher.
All publications of data will use pseudonyms and be written to disguise the identity of the participants. Data must be archived for a minimum of 3 years after the graduate award has been made, to allow for verification of data. It will be destroyed securely as soon as it is no longer needed.
If during our communication or interview you should reveal information about illegal activity, a risk of serious harm to yourself or others, or something a professional counsellor did that would be considered a serious breach of ethical guidelines, then the researcher may need to break confidentiality. The researcher would always aim to discuss this with you first.
11. What happens if I don't carry on with the study?
If you decide not to take part after reading this information, you don’t need to do anything else.
If you agree to take part, but later change your mind, you can choose to withdraw from the study at any point. You do not have to give a reason and this does not affect your rights in any way. You would do this by contacting the researcher at r.paterson@edu.salford.ac.uk confirming your decision.
If you choose to withdraw at any time up to two weeks after your interview, your data would be removed from the study and destroyed. If you withdraw more than two weeks after your interview, your anonymised data may be used in the research.
12. What happens to the results of the study?
The results of the study will form the researcher’s MSc dissertation, which will be submitted for assessment.
Results may be published in a peer reviewed academic journal or other publications such as the British Infertility Counselling Association journal. Findings may be shared in presentation at workshops or conferences or discussed publicly via other media such as a blog or podcast. The findings may also be included in future research.
In any of these cases, your data will be anonymised, meaning that you will not be identifiable.
13. Who is organising or sponsoring the research?
This project is a dissertation and the final requirement to complete the MSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy (Professional Practice) for the researcher. It is supported by the University of Salford.
14. Further information & contact details
If you have any questions or if you are interested in taking part then please contact the researcher:
Ruth Paterson
MSc Counselling & Psychotherapy
University of Salford
07516 980 565
The research supervisor is:
Dr India Amos
0161 295 3808