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Professor Carla Willig

Honorary Visiting Professor

School of Health & Medical Sciences Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Contact details

About

Overview

Professor Carla Willig graduated from the University of Manchester in 1986. She then embarked upon postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge where she was awarded an MPhil in Criminology in 1987. She stayed at Cambridge in order to conduct her doctoral research into the 'Social Construction of AIDS Knowledge' which she completed in 1991.

Professor Willig has held teaching positions at the University of Plymouth (1991-93) Middlesex University (1993-99) and City University London (1999 onwards). From 2001, she undertook additional training at Regents College, London, and qualified as an Existential Counselling Psychologist in 2005.

Specialisms: Qualitative Research Methods; Existential Counselling Psychology

Professor Willig's research interests include qualitative research methodology and its application to health and counselling psychology research. She is interested in the relationship between discourse and experience, and the development of innovative research methods with which to investigate and theorise this relationship. This is linked to her interest in existential approaches to psychotherapy and counselling.

A major theme in her work to date has been a concern with research methodology. She has published empirical and theoretical papers and book chapters concerned with epistemological and methodological questions. She is the editor of 'Applied Discourse Analysis. Social and Psychological Interventions' (1999) published by Open University Press and the author of the best-selling textbook 'Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology. Adventures in Theory and Method' (2001, 2008, 2013, Open University Press), a fourth edition of which is due to be published in 2021 (McGraw Hill/ Open University Press). She is the editor (with Wendy Stainton-Rogers) of the 'The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology', first published in 2008, with a second edition in 2017.

She is the author of 'Qualitative Interpretation and Analysis in Psychology' (2012, McGraw Hill/ Open University Press) which is concerned with the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges associated with the use of interpretation in qualitative research.

Professor Willig is an associate editor of the Journal of Health Psychology, a member of the editorial board of Qualitative Research in Psychology, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Psychological Therapies.

She is a member of the British Psychological Society including full membership of the Division of Health Psychology and the Division of Counselling Psychology. She is also registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and is a member of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology and the Society for Existential Analysis.

Teaching

Undergraduate

- Qualitative Research Methods

Postgraduate

- Existential Approaches to Counselling Psychology
- Qualitative Research Methods

Research

Professor Willig's research interests include qualitative research methodology and its application to health and counselling psychology research. She is interested in the relationship between discourse and health related practices. She is also interested in phenomenological research methods and the exploration of the meanings and quality of embodied experiences. This is linked to her interest in existential approaches to psychotherapy and counselling.

A major theme in her work to date has been a concern with research methodology. She has published empirical and theoretical papers and book chapters concerned with epistemological and methodological questions. She is the editor of 'Applied Discourse Analysis. Social and Psychological Interventions' (1999) published by Open University Press and the author of the best selling textbook 'Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology. Adventures in Theory and Method' (2001, 2008, Open University Press), a third edition of which is due to be published in 2013 (McGraw Hill/ Open University Press). She is the editor (with Wendy Stainton-Rogers) of the 'The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology' (2008).

Professor Willig's most recent book is concerned with the theoretical, practical and ethical challenges associated with the use of interpretation in qualitative research ('Qualitative Interpretation and Analysis in Psychology', 2012).

Professor Willig is an associate editor of the Journal of Health Psychology. She is a member of the British Psychological Society including full membership of the Division of Health Psychology and the Division of Counselling Psychology. She is also registered with the Health Professions Council and is a member of the International Society of Critical Health Psychology.

Publications

Publications by category

Books (10)

  • Borcsa, M. and Willig, C. (Eds.), (2021). Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783030653309.
  • Willig, C. (2020). Foreword.
  • Willig, C. (2012). Qualitative Interpretation And Analysis In Psychology. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). ISBN 9780335241415.
  • Gallo-Lopez, L. and Rubin, L.C. (Eds.), (2012). Play-Based Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Routledge.
  • Willig, C. (2008). Introducing qualitative research in psychology. Open University Press. ISBN 9780335221158.
  • Willig, C. and Rogers, W.S. (2008). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research in psychology. Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9781412907804.
  • Marks, D., Murray, M., Evans, B., Willig, C., Woodall, C. and Sykes, C. (2005). Health psychology. Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9781412903370.
  • Willig, C. (2001). Qualitative Research In Psychology: A Practical Guide to Theory and Method. Buckingham: OUP.
  • Marks, D., Murray, M., Evans, B. and Willig, C. (2000). Health psychology. Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9781412903370.
  • Willig, C. (1999). Applied discourse analysis. Open Univ Pr. ISBN 9780335202263.

Chapters (18)

  • Willig, C. (2023). Diversity with a Purpose. The Routledge International Handbook of Innovative Qualitative Psychological Research (pp. 14-25). Routledge.
  • Willig, C. (2021). Using Researcher Reflexivity and Multiple Methods to Study the Experience of Cancer-Related Distress. Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health (pp. 83-101). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783030653309.
  • Willig, C. and Borcsa, M. (2021). Conclusion: Qualitative Research in Mental Health: Reflections on Research Questions, Methods and Knowledge. Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health (pp. 251-261). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783030653309.
  • Borcsa, M., Willig, C. and Schröer-Werner, S. (2021). Introduction: Qualitative Research in Mental Health—Innovation and Collaboration. Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health (pp. 1-11). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783030653309.
  • Willig, C. and Billin, A. (2011). Existentialist-informed Phenomenology. In Harper, D. and Thompson, A.R. (Eds.), Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health and Psychotherapy Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9780470663707.
  • Willig, C. and Billin, A. (2011). Existentialist-Informed Hermeneutic Phenomenology. In Harper, D. and Thompson, A.R. (Eds.), Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health and Psychotherapy: A Guide for Students and Practitioners (pp. 117-130). Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9780470663738.
  • Willig, C. (2008). Discourse Analysis. In Smith, J.A. (Ed.), Qualitative psychology Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9781412930833.
  • Willig, C. (2004). Discourse Analysis and Health Psychology. In Murray, M. (Ed.), Critical health psychology Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 9780333990346.
  • Willig, C. and Drury, J. (2004). Acting With: Partisan Participant Observation As a Social Practice Basis For Shared Knowledge. In Paré, D.A. and Larner, G. (Eds.), Collaborative practice in psychology and therapy Routledge. ISBN 9780789017857.
  • Willig, C. (2003). Discourse Analysis. In Smith, J.A. (Ed.), Qualitative psychology Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9780761972310.
  • Willig, C. (2002). A Discourse Dynamic Approach to the Study of Subjectivity. In Marks, D. (Ed.), The health psychology reader Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9780761972716.
  • Willig, C. (2001). En Kritisk Realistik Ansats Pa Socialt Konstruktionistisk Arbete. Socialkonstruktionistisk psykologi ISBN 9789144015873.
  • Willig, C. (1999). Beyond Appearances: A Critical Realist Approach to Social Constructionist Work in Psychology. In Nightingale, D.J. and Cromby, J. (Eds.), Social constructionist psychology Open Univ Pr.
  • Willig, C. (1998). Social Constructionism and Revolutionary Socialism- A Contradiction in Terms ? In Parker, I. (Ed.), Social constructionism, discourse, and realism Sage Publications Ltd. ISBN 9780761953777.
  • Willig, C. (1997). Trust As Risky Practice. In Segal, L. (Ed.), New sexual agendas NYU Press. ISBN 9780814780756.
  • Willig, C. and Roiser, M. (1996). Marxism, the Frankfurt School and Working Class Psychology. In Parker, I. and Spears, R. (Eds.), Psychology and Society Pluto Pr. ISBN 9780745308791.
  • Willig, C. (1994). Marital Discourse and Condom Use. In Aggleton, P. and Davies, P.M. (Eds.), AIDS: Foundations for the Future Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9780748402281.
  • Willig, C. Perspectives on the Epistemological Bases for Qualitative Research. In Cooper, H. (Ed.), The Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology APA Handbook.

Conference papers and proceedings (5)

  • Enoch, J., Subramanian, A. and Willig, C. (2024). Combining Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Template Analysis: Reflecting on affordances and challenges. Association of European Qualitative Researchers in Psychology 2024 (EQuiP) 26-28 June.
  • Enoch, J., Subramanian, A. and Willig, C. (2024). If I don’t like it, I’ll just pop the phone down!”: Reflecting on participant and researcher experiences of telephone interviews conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2024 Qualitative Health Research Network Conference 28-29 February.
  • Enoch, J., Subramanian, A. and Willig, C. (2023). Living on the edge of distress: experiences of people with age-related macular degeneration navigating the hope-despair continuum. 9th Qualitative Research in Mental Health Conference (QRMH9) 31 August-2 September.
  • Gerada, M., Willig, C., Challenor, J., O'Driscoll, A., Ahmed, B. and Eatough, V. (2021). "Feeling at home" in an experiential research group. Qualitative Research in Psychology in Europe (EQUIP2021) 16-19 June.
  • WILLIG, C. MARITAL DISCOURSE AND CONDOM USE. .

Journal articles (58)