Research Working Group

Coordinators: Nimisha Patel and Nora Sveaass

Aims of the Research Working Group:

  1. To stimulate a range of research in the field
  2. To support and to facilitate relevant research
  3. To identify areas of good practice
  4. To document relevant research activities/publications
  5. To enable members to use research findings in a range of prevention strategies

Coordination of the Research Working Group:

2003-2004: Conrad Frey & Nora Sveaass (Blankenberg, Belgium; Cambridge, UK)
2004-2005: Nora Sveaass (Sinaia, Romania)
2005-2008: Nimisha Patel & Nora Sveaass (Geneva, Switzerland; Paris, France; Antalya, Turkey; Dublin, Ireland).

Summary of past activities:

Blankenberg, Belgium, 2003

  • discussion of ways to survey Network members on current research interests, activities
  • draft of questionnaire to distribute to Network members

Cambridge, UK, 2003

  • establishing aims of research working group
  • discussion and refinement of draft questionnaire

Sinaia, Romania, 2004

  • discussion of questionnaire survey and rationale
  • discussion of research proposal and practicalities on Chechnya (led by Medical Foundation), to use Network organization to access participants
  • discussion of research on ‚burn out‘

Geneva, Switzerland, 2005

  • Medical Foundation Chechnya research project and outcome
  • presentation of preliminary findings from questionnaire-based survey of research activities in Network
  • presentations from various members of their ongoing research interest, plans, ongoing research: Nora Sveaass, Christian Pross, Nimisha Patel, Marianne Lauritzen, Helena Ruuskanen,

Paris, France, 2006

  • presentation by Nimisha Patel of findings of survey based on a questionnaire developed and sent out to survey EN members‘ research activities and publications. It was agreed that the questionnaire would be re-distributed, perhaps annually, and Ulrik Jorgensen agreed to coordinate this in the future and to collate and feed back information on new research activities within the Network.
  • sharing ideas, dilemmas and difficulties in how to get started with research projects in rehabilitation centers.
  • presentation of completed research projects by:

– Conrad Frey and Thomas Hofer, Bern
– Gunilla Brodda Jansen, Copenhagen
– Goran Kinesevic, Belgrade

  • joint meeting with the Assessment and Documentation Group to discuss possible ways to work together in future.

Antalya, Turkey, 2007

  • review of work completed so far in Research Working Group: Nimisha Patel
  • discussion of findings, and implications, from surveying our members in 2005/6 (Nimisha Patel), and 2006/7(Ulrik Jorgensen) on new/existing research in our centers, research findings etc. Agreement to survey periodically, resources permitting, though frequent and future methods of surveying (briefer questionnaire and/or by telephone interview) to be reviewed.
  • developing a European research strategy: preliminary presentation and discussion: Nimisha Patel
  • discussion of collaboration with multi-centre research initiative on evaluating outcome in Denmark centres: Ulrik Jorgensen, Director of OASIS
  • discussion of implications of proposed study by CETT, Denmark on evaluation of psychological therapy: Marianne Lauritzen, Director of CETT.
  • discussion of implications and possibilities of collaboration on outcome tool for routine evaluation study: Nimisha Patel, Medical Foundation.
  • discussion of involving clients/users of our services in research and other aspects of our centre’s activities.
  • exploration of plans to create an e-mail ‚research forum‘ for research exchange
  • discussion of proposal to coordinate research theme for future Network conference/meeting, 2009 and agreeing Conference Planning sub-group.

Membership of research working group

The membership of the Research Working Group has increased substantially, though attendance has been varied at every meeting. An attempt to update an email list of all past members has been made. The Research Group is open to new members, although at the 2008 Dublin conference there will be no general Research Group discussion sessions, with the exception of closed meetings of the sub-group of the Research Working Group tasked with planning the content of the next conference in 2009.

The 2009 Conference-planning sub-group (on theme of research) consists of the following volunteers:
· Nimisha Patel
· Nora Sveaass
· Ulrik Jorgensen
· Marianne Lauritzen
· Vibeke Hallas