Summary of Research

In 2023, the University of Otago introduced the first university-based eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) training programme in NZ, and one of a handful of such programmes internationally. The current study aims to evaluate this programme by examining the classroom-to-community transfer of learning and the barriers and facilitators to uptake among graduates. To provide more context for the data, this study will also explore post-training uptake among clinicians who received their EMDR training from other providers in NZ. This research has the potential to improve the delivery of EMDR training in NZ using insights from people who received it. 

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You are warmly invited to participate in a study that aims to explore your uptake of EMDR therapy following training and the barriers and facilitators to this uptake. The principal investigator is Jacky Siu, a Doctor of Clinical Psychology student at Massey University. His supervisors are:

• Dr. Elliot Bell (Associate Professor – School of Psychology, Massey University; Registered Clinical Psychologist)
• Dr. Simon Bennett (Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Psychology Training – School of Psychology, Massey University; Registered Clinical Psychologist)
• Dr Zara Mansoor (Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist – Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Wellington)
• Dr Susanna Every-Palmer (HoD and Consultant Psychiatrist – Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Wellington)

Project procedures

You will be required to complete an online questionnaire that primarily requires Likert scale responses and some open-ended answers. It will not obtain any information that can directly identify you. Therefore, you will remain anonymous to the research team and other participants. The questionnaire will take roughly 5 – 10 minutes to complete.

Why participate?

This study is part of a wider project evaluating the University of Otago’s EMDR Special Topics courses. The evaluation aims to examine whether these courses meet the needs of the community and train its students to become competent, culturally responsive EMDR therapists in Aotearoa New Zealand. Although you did not complete your EMDR training at the University of Otago, your responses will provide richer context for the data overall. Additionally, insights into your post-training uptake of EMDR therapy alongside perspectives on what was helpful or unhelpful for uptake will inform future delivery of EMDR training at the University of Otago and across Aotearoa.

Who can participate?

You are eligible to participate if you have completed any level of EMDR training in New Zealand.

What are the possible benefits of participating?

Communicating your experiences of the classroom-to-community transfer of EMDR therapy including any difficulties – could allow you to contribute information that may enhance EMDR training and uptake in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What are the possible risks of participating?

We do not anticipate the anonymous, online questionnaire to cause any psychological or physical distress.

What will happen to the information collected during this study?

Once you have submitted your responses, you will be unable to withdraw them. Your anonymous responses will be stored securely on password-protected Massey University servers. All data will be stored for seven years and subsequently deleted from the Cloud, as per Massey University policies.

Your responses will be published in the principal researcher’s Doctoral thesis, which will be publicly available in an online repository. However, the data will be anonymous. Therefore, no identifiable information about you will be released. Similarly, articles published in academic journals may result from the principal researcher’s thesis, but the data included will be anonymous.

Anonymity and confidentiality

As outlined, your responses are anonymous. However, you can request a comprehensive summary of the study’s findings by providing a name and e-mail address. If you choose to do so, you may de-anonymise your participation in the study. However, contact data will be acquired and stored separately from study data. Therefore, they cannot be linked, and the primary study data will always remain unidentifiable.

What are your rights?

Participation in this study is voluntary. If you choose to participate, you will have the right to:

• Ask the principal researcher any questions about the study at any time
• Stop participating at any time without explanation. However, please note that you will be unable to withdraw your responses once you have submitted them
• Decline to answer any question
• Request access to your information held by the research team

Ethics

This project has been evaluated by peer review and judged to be low risk. Consequently, it has not been reviewed by one of the University’s Human Ethics Committees. The researcher(s) named above are responsible for the ethical conduct of this research.

If you have any concerns about the ethical conduct of this research that you want to raise with someone other than the researcher(s), please contact Massey University Human Ethics by email: humanethics@massey.ac.nz

Please Note: The title of this research has changed since ethics was approved. However, the ethical approval is still vaild

How can you take part?

If you would like to participate please click the following link:
https://massey.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0ufR8sJnmSXhFPM

For More Information

Thank you for your time and efforts. If you would like more information, please contact:

Principal Researcher
Jacky Siu
DClinPsych candidate
Massey University
jacky.siu.1@uni.massey.ac.nz

Alternative Contact
Associate Professor Elliot Bell
Massey University
E.Bell1@massey.ac.nz