Psychology

Dr Janet Smithson

Dr Janet Smithson

Senior Lecturer in Psychology

 J.Smithson@exeter.ac.uk

 Not Known

 Washington Singer 202

 

Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK

Overview

I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology.

Research DIrector for the Doctor of Clinical Research, the Doctor of Clinical Practice (Research) and Doctor of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice Programmes. 

Interests and expertise

Qualitative research methods: I have expertise in a wide range of qualitative research methods and analytic approaches. I am particularly interested in cross-cultural and cross-national research methodologies, in online research methods, and in Discourse, Narrative and Conversation Analysis.

Much of my research has focused on equality, diversity and social justice issues, especially gender issues, in policy, in law, in the workplace, and in the home.  Current research interests include the study of migrant issues, especially in forced migration and refugee contexts, both in the UK and internationally.

Ehealth and online interaction: I conduct studies into the design and evaluation of online interventions for a wide variety of health and mental health conditions (including self harm, eating disorders, chronic pain). I have published widely on discourse and conversation analysis of communication on online forums, blogs, social media and websites.

Qualifications

B.A.(Hons) in Philosophy and Psychology, University of Oxford.

Ph.D.in Cognitive Science, University of Manchester.

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

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Research

Research interests

Qualitative research methods: I have expertise in a wide range of qualitative research methods and analytic approaches. I am particularly interested in cross-cultural and cross-national research methodologies, in online research methods, and in Discourse, Narrative and Conversation Analysis.

Much of my research has focused on equality, diversity and social justice issues, especially gender issues, in policy, in law, in the workplace, and in the home.  Current research interests include the study of migrant issues, especially in forced migration and refugee contexts, both in the UK and internationally.

Ehealth and online interaction: I conduct studies into the design and evaluation of online interventions for a wide variety of health and mental health conditions (including self harm, eating disorders, chronic pain). I have published widely on discourse and conversation analysis of communication on online forums, blogs, social media and websites.

Research projects

My current research focus is on development of accessible online resources to help separating parents negotiate child arrangements - the “Family Dispute Resolution Toolkit”, based in the School of Law (University of Exeter) with Dr Leanne Smith. Research is funded by the ESRC Impact Accelerator fund, in collaboration with Citizens’ Advice Teignbridge.

Research grants

  • 2018 MRC
    Establishing a mixed methods research network for cross-national research in trauma-related mental health with Colombia.
  • 2011 Economic and Social Research Council
    'Mapping Paths to Family Justice'. Over three years, during which major reforms to the Family Justice System will take place, the research team will compare the use of the Alternative Family Dispute Resolution mechanisms of mediation, solicitor negotiation and collaborative law. They will look at how widely used these currently are, how the relative merits of these processes are perceived by clients and practitioners and whether particular processes are better suited to particular styles of couple or dispute.
  • 2011 National Institute for Health Research SDO Programme
    How can frontline expertise and new models of care best contribute to safely reducing avoidable acute admissions?
  • 2010 Nuffield
    'Exploring Perceptions of Pre-Nuptial Agreements' considers public attitudes and psychological considerations of the possible introduction of binding pre-nuptial agreements in English Family Law, which is currently under consideration by the Law Commission.

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Publications

Books

Barlow A, Hunter R, Smithson J, Ewing J (2017). Mapping Paths to Family Justice: Resolving Family Disputes in Neoliberal Times. London, England, Palgrave Macmillan.
Nilsen A, Brannen J, Lewis S, Smithson J (2002). Young Europeans, work and family: Futures in transition. London, Routledge.

Journal articles

Evans A, Griffith GM, Smithson J (2024). What Do Supervisors’ and Supervisees’ Think About Mindfulness-Based Supervision? a Grounded Theory Study. Mindfulness, 15(1), 63-79. Abstract.
Zhao M, Ford T, Smithson J, Wang P, Karl A (2023). Self-Compassion in Chinese Young Adults: its Measurement and Measurement Construct. Assessment, 30(7), 2074-2089. Abstract.  Author URL.
Mullan J, Smithson J, Walsh N (2023). The experiences of physiotherapy independent prescribing in primary care: Implications for practice. Primary Health Care Research and Development, 24 Abstract.
Scutt E, Langdon-Daly J, Smithson J (2022). Experiences of eating difficulties in siblings of people with anorexia nervosa: a reflexive thematic analysis. JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, 10(1).  Author URL.
Ankrett S, Smithson J, Limond J, Behn N, Wade SL, Wilkinson L, Adlam A-LR (2022). Understanding and supporting peer relationships in adolescents with acquired brain injury: a stakeholder engagement study. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 33(6), 1090-1119.
Zhao M, Smithson J, Ford T, Wang P, Wong NYB, Karl A (2021). Self-compassion in Chinese Young Adults: Specific Features of the Construct from a Cultural Perspective. Mindfulness, 12(11), 2718-2728. Abstract.
Parker C, Smithson J, Limond J, Sherbersky H, Butler C (2021). Student and supervisor experiences of the Systemic Practice Scale (SPS): a discourse analysis. Journal of Family Therapy, 43(4), 793-818. Abstract.
Richards J, Smithson J, Moberly NJ, Smith A (2021). “If it Goes Horribly Wrong the Whole World Descends on You”: the Influence of Fear, Vulnerability, and Powerlessness on Police Officers’ Response to Victims of Head Injury in Domestic Violence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13). Abstract.
Weightman E, Smithson J (2020). Containment? an investigation into psychoanalytic containment in the NHS in relation to someone with a diagnosis of personality disorder. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 33(4), 248-265.
Smithson J (2020). How Mediation Works: resolving conflict through talk. Studies in Interactional Linguistics. JOURNAL OF PRAGMATICS, 159, 98-99.  Author URL.
Greville-Harris M, Smithson J, Karl A (2020). What are people's experiences of orthorexia nervosa? a qualitative study of online blogs. EATING AND WEIGHT DISORDERS-STUDIES ON ANOREXIA BULIMIA AND OBESITY, 25(6), 1693-1702.  Author URL.
Limond J, Wade SL, Vickery PJ, Jeffery A, Warren FC, Hawton A, Smithson J, Ford T, Haworth S, Adlam A-LR, et al (2019). Clinical and cost-effectiveness of teen online problem-solving for adolescents who have survived an acquired brain injury in the UK: protocol for a randomised, controlled feasibility study (TOPS-UK). BMJ Open, 9(8). Abstract.  Author URL.
Hunter R, Barlow A, Smithson J, Ewing J (2018). Law, Discretion, Gender and Justice in out-of-court financial settlements. Australian Journal of Family Law, 32/1
Smithson J, Barlow A, Hunter R, Ewing J (2017). The Moral Order in Family Mediation: Negotiating Competing Values. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 35(2), 173-196. Abstract.
Chatrakul Na Ayudhya U, Smithson J (2016). Entitled or misunderstood? Towards the repositioning of the sense of entitlement concept in the generational difference debate. Community, Work and Family, 19(2), 213-226. Abstract.
Smithson J, Lewis S, Cooper C, Dyer J (2016). Flexible Working and the Gender Pay Gap in the Accountancy Profession. Work, Employment and Society, 18(1), 115-135. Abstract.
Smithson J, Chatrakul Na Ayudhya U, Sullivan C (2016). From theory to impact: bringing work-life initiatives into the mainstream. Community, Work and Family, 19(2), 129-133.
Barlow A, Phoenix A, Brannen J, Elliott H, Smithson J, Morris P, Smart C (2016). Group Analysis in Practice: Narrative Approaches. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 17(2). Abstract.
STOKOE EH, SMITHSON J (2016). Making Gender Relevant: Conversation Analysis and Gender Categories in Interaction. Discourse & Society, 12(2), 217-244. Abstract.
Mullan J, Smithson J, Frampton I (2016). Pioneering independent prescribing in physiotherapy in the UK – journey into the unknown. Physiotherapy, 102, e170-e170.
Lewis S, Smithson J (2016). Sense of Entitlement to Support for the Reconciliation of Employment and Family Life. Human Relations, 54(11), 1455-1481. Abstract.
Lishman E, Cheston R, Smithson J (2016). The paradox of dementia: Changes in assimilation after receiving a diagnosis of dementia. Dementia (London), 15(2), 181-203. Abstract.  Author URL.
SMITHSON J (2016). ‘Full-timer in a Part-time Job’: Identity Negotiation in Organizational Talk. Feminism & Psychology, 15(3), 275-293. Abstract.
Owens C, Sharkey S, Smithson J, Hewis E, Emmens T, Ford T, Jones R (2015). Building an online community to promote communication and collaborative learning between health professionals and young people who self-harm: an exploratory study. Health Expect, 18(1), 81-94. Abstract.  Author URL.
Smithson J, Holmes J, Gillies F (2015). Integration, assimilation or transformation: Introducing therapists to qualitative research methods, a focus group study. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling Abstract.
Smithson J, Barlow A, Hunter R, Ewing J (2015). The “child’s best interests” as an argumentative resource in family mediation sessions. Discourse Studies: an interdisciplinary journal for the study of text and talk, 17(4), 1-15. Abstract.
Chatrakul Na Ayudhya U, Smithson J, Lewis S (2014). Focus group methodology in a life course approach - individual accounts within a peer cohort group. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 17(2), 157-171. Abstract.
Hunter J, Barlow A, Smithson J, Ewing J (2014). Mapping Paths to Family Justice: matching parties, cases and processes. Family Law, 1404-1411.
Jones RB, Smithson J, Hennessy C (2013). Failures and success in using webcasts, discussion forums, Twitter, and email to engage older people and other stakeholders in rural ageing. The Journal of Community Informatics, 10(1).
Barlow A, Hunter R, Smithson J, Ewing J (2013). Mapping Paths to Family Justice: a national picture of findings on out of court family dispute resolution. Family Law, 306-310.
Pedersen S, Smithson J (2013). Mothers with attitude - how the Mumsnet parenting forum offers space for new forms of femininity to emerge online. Women's Studies International Forum, 97-106.
Smithson J, Jones RB, Ashurst E (2012). Developing an online learning community for mental health professionals and service users: a discursive analysis. BMC Medical Education, 12(1). Abstract.
Barlow A, Smithson J (2012). Is modern marriage a bargain? Exploring Perceptions of Pre-Nuptial Agreements in England and Wales. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 3(24), 304-319.
Smithson J, Hennessey C, Means R (2012). Online interaction and "real information flow": analysis of an interdisciplinary research forum. Journal of Research Practice, 1(8).
Sharkey S, Smithson J, Hewis E, Jones R, Emmens T, Ford T, Owens C (2012). Supportive interchanges and face-work as 'protective talk' in an online self-harm support forum. Communication and Medicine, 9(1), 71-82. Abstract.
Smithson J, Britten N, Paterson C, Lewith G, Evans M (2012). The experience of using complementary therapies after a diagnosis of cancer: a qualitative synthesis. Health (London), 16(1), 19-39. Abstract.  Author URL.
den Dulk L, Peper A, Cernigoj Sadar N, Lewis S, Smithson J, van Doorne-Huiskes A (2012). Work, family and managerial attitudes and practices in the European workplace: comparing Dutch, British and Slovenian financial sector managers. Social Politics: international studies in gender, state, and society, 2(18), 300-329.
Smithson J, Garside R, Pearson M (2011). Barriers to, and facilitators of, the prevention of unintentional injury in children in the home: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research. Inj Prev, 17(2), 119-126. Abstract.  Author URL.
Sharkey S, Jones R, Smithson J, Hewis E, Emmens T, Ford T, Owens C (2011). Ethical practice in internet research involving vulnerable people: lessons from a self-harm discussion forum study (SharpTalk). J Med Ethics, 37(12), 752-758. Abstract.  Author URL.
Smithson J, Sharkey S, Hewis E, Jones RB, Emmens T, Ford T, Owens C (2011). Membership and boundary maintenance on an online self-harm forum. Qual Health Res, 21(11), 1567-1575. Abstract.  Author URL.
Jones R, Sharkey S, Ford T, Emmens T, Hewis E, Smithson J, Sheaves B, Owens C (2011). Online discussion forums for young people who self-harm: User views. Psychiatrist, 35(10), 364-368. Abstract.
Smithson J, Sharkey S, Hewis E, Jones R, Emmens T, Ford T, Owens C (2011). Problem presentation and responses on an online forum for young people who self-harm. Discourse Studies, 13(4), 487-501. Abstract.
Jones R, Sharkey S, Smithson J, Ford T, Emmens T, Hewis E, Sheaves B, Owens C (2011). Using metrics to describe the participative stances of members within discussion forums. J Med Internet Res, 13(1). Abstract.  Author URL.
Smithson J, Paterson C, Britten N, Evans M, Lewith G (2010). Cancer patients' experiences of using complementary therapies: polarization and integration. J Health Serv Res Policy, 15 Suppl 2, 54-61. Abstract.  Author URL.
Barlow A, Smithson J (2010). Legal assumptions, cohabitants’ talk and the rocky road to reform. Child and Family Law Quarterly, 3(22), 328-350.
Pedersen S, Smithson J (2010). Membership and activity in an online parenting community. , 1, 88-103. Abstract.
Sümer S, Smithson J, Das Dores Guerreiro M, Granlund L (2008). Becoming working mothers: Reconciling work and family at three particular workplaces in Norway, the UK, and Portugal. Community, Work and Family, 11(4), 365-384. Abstract.
Sullivan C, Smithson J (2007). Perspectives of homeworkers and their partners on working flexibility and gender equity. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, 18(3), 448-461.  Author URL.
Smithson J, Stokoe EH (2005). Discourses of Work-Life Balance: Negotiating 'Genderblind' Terms in Organizations. Gender, Work and Organization, 12(2), 147-168.
Smithson J, Lewis S (2000). Is job insecurity changing the psychological contract?. Personnel Review, 29(6), 680-702.
Smithson J (2000). Using and analysing focus groups: Limitations and possibilities. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 3(2), 103-119.
LEWIS S, SMITHSON J, BRANNEN J (1999). Young Europeans' Orientations to Families and Work. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 562(1), 83-97.
SMITHSON J, DÍAZ F (1996). Arguing for a collective voice: Collaborative strategies in problem-oriented conversation. Text - Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Discourse, 16(2).

Chapters

Smithson J (2021). Conclusion: Future Directions in Analysing Digital Interaction. In  (Ed) Analysing Digital Interaction, Springer Nature, 205-215.
Smithson J (2021). Future directions in analysing digital interaction. In Meredith J, Giles D, Stommel W (Eds.) Analysing digital interaction.
Smithson J (2019). Group Interviews. In Atkinson P, Delamont S, Hardy MA, Williams M (Eds.) SAGE Research Methods Foundation.
Barlow A, Hunter R, Smithson J, Ewing J (2017). Access to What? LASPO and Mediation. In Flynn A, Hodgson J (Eds.) Access to Justice and Legal Aid Comparative Perspectives on Unmet Legal Need, Oxford: Hart Publishing Limited, 239-253. Abstract.
Hunter R, Barlow A, Smithson J, Ewing J (2015). Paths to Justice in Divorce Cases in England and Wales. In Maclean M, Eekelaar J, Bastard B (Eds.) Delivering Family Justice in the 21st Century, Oxford: Hart Publishing Ltd, 145-162. Abstract.
Smithson J (2015). Using Discourse Analysis to Study Online Forums for Young People Who Self-Harm. In  (Ed) The Palgrave Handbook of Child Mental Health, 384-401.
Evans S, Jones R, Smithson J (2014). Connecting with older people as project stakeholders: Lessons for public participation and engagement in rural research. In  (Ed) Countryside Connections: Older People, Community and Place in Rural Britain, 221-243.
Peper B, den Dulk L, Cernigoj Sadar N, Lewis S, Smithson J, van Doorne-Huiskes A (2013). Capabilities for work-life balance Managerial attitudes and employee practices in the Dutch, British and Slovenian Banking sector. In Hobson B (Ed) The agency and capabilities gap in work-life balance: across European and Asian societies and witin work organizations, 206-237.
Nilsen A, Das Dores Guerreiro M, Kovacheva S, Smithson J (2012). Comparing transitions to motherhood across contexts. In  (Ed) Transitions to Parenthood in Europe: a Comparative Life Course Perspective, 41-65.
Smithson J, Lewis S, Kovacheva S, Den Dulk L, Peper B, Van Doorne-Huiskes A (2012). Supports and constraints for parents: a gendered crossnational perspective. In  (Ed) Transitions to Parenthood in Europe: a Comparative Life Course Perspective, 89-105.
Smithson J (2012). Using and analysing focus groups: limitations and possibilities. In Walden G (Ed) Focus Group Research.
Pedersen S, Smithson J (2010). A study of membership, activity and interactions in an online parenting community. In Taiwo R (Ed) Handbook of research on discourse behavior and digital communication.
Lewis S, Smithson J (2009). Work-life initiatives and organisational change in a UK private sector company: a transformational approach?. In  (Ed) Work, Families and Organisations in Transition: European Perspectives, 97-112.
Barlow A, Burgoyne C, Clery E, Smithson J (2008). Cohabitation and the law: myths, money and the media. In Park, A, Curtice, J, Thomson, K, Phillips, M, Johnson, M (Eds.) British Social Attitudes: the 24th report, London: Sage, 29-52.
Smithson J (2007). Using focus groups in social research. In Alasuurtari (Ed) The Sage Handbook of Social Research Methods, 356-371.
Purcell C, Lewis S, Smithson J, Caton S (2007). Work–life balance, best practices and healthy organisations: a European perspective. In  (Ed) Building more Effective Organizations: HR Management and Performance in Practice, 228-251. Abstract.
Stokoe EH, Smithson J (2002). Gender and sexuality in talk-in-interaction: Considering a conversation analytic perspective. In McIlvenny P (Ed) Talking Gender and Sexuality, John Benjamins Publishing, 79-110. Abstract.

Conferences

Smithson J (2019). Experiences of family mediation in the UK: what do mediators and participants think of the mediation process, and what are the implications for mediator training and practice?. Conflitti, fiducia e mediazione: percosi di ricera e di formazion.
Jeffery A, Wilks J, Mitchell S, Cocking L, Smithson J, Adlam A (2019). The challenges of conducting an online paediatric study (Teen Online Problem Solving for adolescents who have survived a brain injury in the UK: a feasibility study (TOPS-UK).  Author URL.
Smithson J (2018). Discourses of gender nonconformity, stigma and mental health practices in the UK. Qualitative Research in Mental Health 7. 20th - 22nd Sep 2018.
Smithson J (2016). Keynote address: Identity, authenticity and legitimacy: How can we tell if online talk is “genuine” and what are the methodological and ethical implications?. 4th international interdisciplinary symposium, Micro-analysis of Online data (MOOD-S). 15th - 16th Sep 2016.
Ewing J, Hunter R, Barlow A, Smithson J (2015). Children's voices: Centre-stage or side-lined in out-of-court dispute resolution in England and Wales?. Socio-Legal Studies Association. 31st Mar - 2nd Apr 2015.

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Supervision / Group

Postgraduate researchers

  • Lesley Denise Boswell
  • Emily Brown
  • Amelia Casas Pardo
  • Vanessa Cecil
  • Edward Copestake
  • Rachael Exley
  • Sharon Frazer
  • Maria Gascon-Ramos
  • Nicola Godwin
  • Eleanor Hall
  • Lucy Holmyard
  • Teplong Ibrahim
  • Mary Lister
  • Chuey Loh
  • Deborah Mbabazi
  • Elizabeth Murphy
  • Karon Oliver
  • Aneta Pac
  • Mary Penwarden
  • Esther Pettit
  • Eleanor Scutt
  • Sevilay Sitrava
  • Nicholas James Spinks
  • Sook Yong
  • Agnieszka Zalewska

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Office Hours:

I work for Exeter University Mon, Tues, Thurs.

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