Abstract:
This qualitative study investigated senior level staff (Senior Therapists), front-line staff
(Instructor Therapists), and parent perspectives on parent-therapist collaboration within Intensive
Behavioural Intervention settings. Two senior staff interviews, two parent interviews, and a
focus group with therapists were conducted to examine how parents and therapists currently
interact within IBI settings, parent and therapist expectations of each other, factors that promote
and barriers that impede parent-therapist collaboration, and how parent-therapist collaboration
might be improved. A constant comparative analysis by question within and across cases
revealed five prominent themes of 'Role Definition', 'Perspective-taking/Empathy', 'Trust',
'Open Communication', and 'Consistency'. Additional similarities and differences were
discovered between parent and therapist perspectives such as the need for clear parentprofessional boundaries, the importance of maintaining client privacy, and respect. Implications
of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
