ABSTRACT
Psycho-social and psychoanalytic research is interested in “researching beneath the surface” of individual experience and social relationships in the context of professional social work, social care practice, and clinical and therapeutic work of all kinds (Clarke & Hoggett, 2009). But what exactly does this mean? And how do you set about doing it? What faculties and skills are involved? How can we be sure of our methodological ground in this endeavour? What are some of the things we have discovered through this endeavour? These are some of the questions I engage with in this chapter. Most of the live research material in this chapter is drawn from work with, or the work of, doctoral students on the Professional Doctorates in Social Work and Social Care at the Tavistock. The process of generating a distinctive psychoanalytic method of research owes as much if not more to them, and their deep engagement with the research process, than it does to me.
