Inspired researchers who want to do things differently
Clinically trained professionals who see that the narrative nature of practice is hardly reflected in “the evidence-base,” if at all
The observation that outside psychology a wealth of qualitative research methods are used and far developed
These are three experiences that brought us, a group of scientists with clinical experience and interest, together. Together we came together to learn, deepen, and disseminate qualitative research for a qualitative evidence-base for the mental health community.
The mission of KOG
The KOG is a collective of critical thinkers, engaged caregivers, enthusiastic researchers, experiential meaning makers and passionate science innovators. Our mission is to help anyone with a desire, intention or action to do qualitative research for and in the mental health field get started.
The KOG does so through three pillars:
- LEARNING:
KOG offers freely accessible knowledge transfer through its website. We provide navigation of the literature and training and data sessions for students and professionals.
- DEPARTMENTS:
KOG organizes seminars with guest speakers who explain qualitative methodology from their own research. We share inspiring thought-provoking examples.
- CONNECTIONS: KOG provides a platform where members can connect in collectives, seek out co-authors and stay abreast of ongoing lines of research in the mental health field.
Through these pillars, KOG facilitates a knowledge network for qualitative research in the mental health field. In doing so, we offer an answer to the increasingly loud call to deepen and broaden the highly quantitative-oriented psychological field. That answer is not just shouting from the sidelines. Change you don’t get, change you have to do. No more islands, but together in action for an evidence-base that fits the mental health system.
How KOG came into being
In 2018, we met informally as a reading group around a student who wanted to do qualitative research on psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Bursting with energy, we rolled out, delighted at the connection we found with each other in critical and constructive thinking about mental health, mental wellness and the formative power of words. We formed ourselves as a “qualitative cartel,” and soon grew at the seams.
On the one hand, we met to guide our students in qualitative research for their master’s theses. In Dutch curricula, qualitative research is rarely taught and nowhere accepted for graduation in clinical psychology, so we joined forces to do teach our students and together overcome the hurdle of exam boards.
On the other hand, we told each other about our own studies, our routes in the methodological literature, obstacles and opportunities in interpreting, writing out and publishing qualitative research. We read together, we formed small teams for team-based coding, and regularly swirled out in our critical-philosophical reflections on practice. We also noted that as quantitatively trained scholars making the paradigm shift to the qualitative research paradigm, we all fell into the same traps. And we realized that our experience could be a stepping stone for other researchers looking for the stories in and about the mental health system.
All this knowledge and expertise, learned, read and experienced, we have been carrying informally for years. Positive enthusiastic responses strengthened us to make our informal qualitative cartel a body that can help not only ourselves but also other researchers along the way. Thus was born the “Qualitative Research Collective Mental Health Care. By establishing KOG as an association, we can start to fan out, and really shape the movement toward a quality evidence-base together.
Collective in action
As a member of the Qualitative Mental Health Research Collective, you connect with rich thinking, a rich tradition, and an enriching future for the mental health field. Becoming a member helps not only you, but especially the mental health community in need of depth and specialization. Joining means supporting the movement toward a balanced evidence-base. So join in!
On this website, we present what we collect as a collective:
- Practical information and explanation of methods, to get started immediately with qualitative research in the mental health field.
- Advice and background articles to enhance the quality of qualitative research.
- A platform for exchange between researchers, experts by experience, practitioners and others interested in qualitative mental health care.
- Advice and support from the wide and varied expertise within the collective.