Our blog co-editors Jess and Franciska are handing over the reigns. Meet Craig Owen and Emer Cartwright!

Written by Franciska Neuhäuser. This blog explores the complexities of negotiating personal health decisions amidst political contexts. Franciska shares from her autoethnographic research where she considered how health, autonomy, and belonging were experienced and negotiated during the pandemic

Written by Bella van Hattum and Tracy Morison. Emergency Departments often face challenges in addressing the emotional and physical needs of patients experiencing threatened miscarriage. Although these encounters are prioritised lower clinically, the relational complexities and emotional labour in providing care under constraints are significant. This blog reports on recent research exploring these complexities using Feminist Relational Discourse Analysis.

Written by Emily Young. This blog explores how sexism in contemporary healthcare can be traced to the historical origins of Western medicine. Emily argues that the marginalisation of women’s bodies is not an accident of modern medicine, but a feature of its foundations.

This blog written by Anna Theresa Schmid explores the concept of abortion accompaniment, shifting the perspective from an individual experience to communal support. It highlights how communal care transforms abortion into a shared process, challenges stigma, and promotes reproductive justice through relational practices that foster trust and collective empowerment.

Written by Jaimie Veale. The government’s ban on puberty blockers for gender-affirming care marks a troubling shift: politicians are now making decisions that should sit with clinicians working alongside young people and their families or whānau.

Written by Tracy Morison. Let’s be honest: reflexivity is one of the most overused and under-explained terms in qualitative research. We all say we’re being reflexive—often in a neat little paragraph in the methodology section—but what does that actually look like in practice? This post is a practical (and hopefully honest) attempt to answer that question.

Written by Katrina Messiha. In this blog, the author advocates for critical realism as a philosophical approach to better understand the complex nature of health issues and to guide the co-creation of public health interventions.

In this blog, Craig Owen & Emma Butel share findings from their recent research analysing TikTok videos related to #ostomy and #IBD. They discuss how young "ostomates" use the platform to share vital health education about stomas and IBD while combating stigma.

This episode was recorded by Brett Scholz, with WendyStainton-Rogers. In this third episode of Volume Two, Wendy looks back on receiving the ISCHP lifetime achievement award (2023), shares her plans f...

In this blog, Lauren Alexis advocates for balancing standardised tools with personal connection, support and nuanced understanding in child safeguarding practices within healthcare.

Written by Dave Nicholls. Re-published with permission from ParaDoxa. A recent article published in Physiotherapy Theory & Practice found that US-based physical therapy programs allocate, on average, just five hours to teaching qualitative research.

This episode was recorded by Brett Scholz, with Gareth Treharne. In this second episode of Volume Two, Gareth reflects on his research and teaching, his experiences of attending ISCHP conferences, and...

Anjuli Muller's research explores participatory public engagement and co-production within women's health in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Emphasizing care, the project facilitates vulnerable conversations through 'Cuppa & Cake' sessions, fostering social connections.

The Operative Word · Episode

Written by Joseph Mwita Kisito. Empirical research has shown that, from socio-economic and cultural perspectives, poverty often presents different outcomes for girls and boys, with girls being particularly disadvantaged, not only in the present but across generations. In this blog, Joseph reflects on gender pressure and poverty across the life course and points towards gender-responsive policies that address these issues.

For guidance on how to register, click here and click through the guide.  Join us in Ireland for the 14th conference of the International Society for Critical Health Psychology (ISCHP) at the Universi...

How to make a submission Ensure that you consult the abstract submission guidelines. Scroll down this page to the online submission form and be sure to complete all relevant sections. Please make sur...

For guidance on how to register, click here and click through the guide.  Join us in Ireland for the 14th conference of the International Society for Critical Health Psychology (ISCHP) at the Universi...

For guidance on how to register, click here and click through the guide.  Join us in Ireland for the 14th conference of the International Society for Critical Health Psychology (ISCHP) at the Universi...

a global community of members interested in critical health psychology