https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/14680 2026-04-05T08:26:40Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121990 Title: Tales of hope : journeys towards recovery of people whose parent was diagnosed with mental health conditions Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the emergent themes from the lived experiences of the adult children of people with mental health conditions; emphasising counselling and other support structures so that through this, counsellors may offer improved therapeutic experiences. The conceptual framework guiding this study was founded on Narrative Constructionism, as people tend to tell stories about the way they experience their reality. Based on a qualitative design, three narrative interviews have been carried out with each of the five participants. The participants were all adult children of mentally ill parents, and were recruited through criterion sampling. Three different interview schedules were designed and the interviews were audio recorded for ease of reference. The data were analysed through thematic analysis. Self-reflexivity, trustworthiness and ethical considerations were borne in mind from the initial phase of this inquiry. Various themes emerged but the four overarching themes that were identified are ‘a mother like no other’, ‘the child’, ‘stigma’ and ‘support’. This study underscores the importance of the therapeutic relationship in counselling based on trust, empathic understanding, congruence and unconditional positive regard, for the provision of a corrective emotional experience. It is being recommended that services focus on the people within the patient’s system too rather than viewing the patient in isolation. This needs to be sustained by further research projects so as to evaluate the need, management and outcomes of such services. This study also asks for the counselling profession on a local level to be acknowledged as one of the helping professions in the mental health sector and in other sectors. Description: M.COUNSELLING 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121834 Title: What aids and what hinders adolescents who are reluctant to engage in the counselling process Abstract: The aim of this research is to highlight the counsellors’ and the adolescents’ perception of what aids and what hinders the engagement phase in counselling when facing reluctant adolescents. Reluctance in this study is understood as the lack of will to engage in therapy. The experiences of six experienced counsellors, who have worked with adolescent clients, were analysed alongside those of five adolescents who were identified as having been reluctant in the engagement phase by the practitioners. Both participant groups were recruited on a voluntary basis. The critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954) was used to identify helpful and hindering incidents that emerged through the semi-structured interviews for both counsellors and adolescents and then the results compared. From the data analysis, reflection is placed upon what adolescents and counsellors considered as helpful in the engagement phase with reluctant adolescents, and also what was considered as hindering. With regards to the findings it was evident that certain tools and creativity aid the engagement phase. However counsellors seemed to emphasize tools more that adolescents. Adolescents gave importance to basic counselling skills such as empathy, understanding and general interest. Adolescents also highlighted problem free talk as a skill that aids engagement. Counsellors also made reference to negative methods of approach such as being paternalist or authoritative. On the other hand, adolescents’ reference to negative events were lack of sensitivity, such as counsellors being in a hurry, looking at the watch and the incorrect involvement of third parties. Description: M.COUNSELLING 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55156 Title: Tip or snitch : the world of informants and police discretion Abstract: The world of informants has always attracted interest and speculation. Policing would be impossible without intelligence and so the police rely on informants to provide valuable information about the societies they seek to control. In this modern era of proactive policing, the need for guidance on managing informants and information is indispensable. Covert sources have always been protected under the secret umbrella and treated under controlled settings which significantly are created, shaped and maintained to become official hidden sources of the police. The tricky business of informant handling and management will be discussed in relation to the discretionary police powers which include issues of trust, confidentiality, secrecy and accountability. Using a number of open-ended questions which were forwarded to a number of Europol liaison officers, this research inquires the police practices in obtaining information. Manipulation and overpowering of police officers and ethical issues are also highlighted in this study. This research will also deal with how information is managed and how it is and can be utilised within the criminal justice system. In conclusion, this study generates recommendations that take into consideration the practical, legal, operational and guidelines of best practices in managing informants for Malta Police. Description: B.A.(HONS)CRIMINOLOGY 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/36982 Title: The experiences behind early school leaving Abstract: This research aims at shedding light on the experiences of Early School Leavers (ESLers) and their families; experiences which are very often disregarded or merely neglected when tailoring policies and strategies to combat the problem of early school leaving (ESL) ( Council of the European Union, 2011; Ministry of Education and Employment, 2012; Traag, 2012; European Commission, 2013). This research, hence seeks to qualitatively obtain information related to the causes and consequences of ESL, extrapolate data on the background of ESLers and their families as well as to give voice to their feelings, prospects, perspectives and experiences. The semi-structured interviews carried out, pinpoint several shortcomings in the local educational system, including the focus on knowledge-based subjects, with little, if any, opportunities to learn vocational subjects. Amongst other reasons, ESLers feel that they had not even been given a fair chance to succeed in education and almost all advocate towards the re-implementation of the traditional trade schools. Furthermore, their working-class parents suggested an increase in communication between the school and the home. Apart from lacking the necessary skills and confidence to actively involve themselves in their children’s school lives, a deficit has also been felt in terms of the father figure in the lives of these ESLers. All in all, ESL was not a decision ESLers consciously made, but rather a continuous process of disengagement from the early years of schooling. In fact, ESLers conveyed not being able to put up with long hours of sitting down, doing homework and studying and tried to avoid having to do with anything pertaining to school; most particularly when referring to school as an experience at home. These individuals seem to have also been deprived of sufficient role models, especially since the teachers’ role was not associated with anything happening outside school. Moreover, in the school years, experiences of bullying were prevalent and may have played a significant role in the complex interplay of factors contributing towards the prevalence for ESL. As a result, the participants have had, and still have an absence of aspirations towards their future and most were characterised by an immense lack of selfconfidence. In light of the participants’ own experiences, opinions and suggestions, this research further posits recommendations for practitioners and policy makers as well as indicates opportunities for further research. Subsequently, additional research and implementation of effective initiatives promoting adequate parental skills, education and involvement is essential. Apart from the incorporation of alternative pathways including those with an adequate amount of accredited vocational subjects within compulsory schooling itself, greater bridging between compulsory and postcompulsory education and between school and the world of work is needed, along with the role of ‘intervention specialists’, for example, who monitor, offer continuous guidance and act as point of reference to those in need of it, particularly beyond compulsory schooling. Description: M.FAMILY STUD. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z