Dr Evangelia Maragkou

Help-seeking behaviours under a cultural context and the role of meaning-making in relation to the field of Counselling Psychology have been of academic interest over the last 30 years. This study explores British South Asian (BSA) individual’s experience of enabling help-seeking behaviours when living with depression and low mood. The aim of this study is to illuminate the meanings and values of contextualising help-seeking behaviours in relation to depression and low mood in a bi-cultural context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Six BSA individuals using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four super-ordinate themes emerged from the data. The findings highlight the tension between participant’s painful experiences of low mood/depression in their cultural context, and how some of their internalisation processes play a role in their help-seeking behaviours.

Bereavement and the role of meaning-making, in relation to the field of Counselling Psychology has only been of academic interest in the last 20 years. This study attempts to explore the experience of British Sri Lankan Tamil people when faced with bereavement-related grief. The aim of this study is to elucidate the meanings and values of contextualising bereavement within an ethnic minority group such as the Sri Lankan Tamil community who live and have adjusted to the British culture. Semi-structured interviews with seven British Sri Lankan Tamil people were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four super-ordinate themes emerged from the data: ‘The bereaved person’s vulnerability’, ‘Negotiating a bicultural identity’, ‘Growing in resilience’ and ‘Re-evaluating the purpose of life’. Findings highlight a tension between the participants’ personal pain of loss and how they negotiate this pain within a collective Sri Lankan Tamil community in the UK. Implications for Counselling Psychology and recommendations for future research are also discussed.