Investigating clinicians' understandings and opinions regarding dissociative seizures, and exploring their experiences of providing interventions for individuals with this condition

Section A
A systematic literature review concerning the understanding and opinions of relevant clinicians regarding dissociative seizures, and their experiences of working with this client group. Findings indicated that there was an inconsistent and limited understanding of DS, and that clinicians could harbour inaccurate and stigmatising views. Limited sample representativeness and use of unvalidated questionnaires were prominent methodological issues. Clinician education and greater acceptance of the uncertainty that arises from attempting to treat DS is indicated. Future research should make greater use of qualitative methodologies to achieve greater depth of understanding, and there should be further consideration of therapist experiences.

Section B
A qualitative study exploring the experiences of CBT therapists delivering a structured CBT intervention within the context of an ongoing randomised controlled trial. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve therapists, and transcripts were analysed using Thematic Framework Analysis. The analysis suggested that the clinicians observed a considerable degree of clinical complexity in their clients, but that could effectively apply the manualised approach. Nevertheless, they perceived limitations, suggested there was a need for flexibility, and held that successful interventions must be formulation-driven. These findings will be used alongside those from the RCT in a process of triangulation.