THE COUNSELED-DECIDING-SELF IN SEPARATION AND CUSTODY - AN ANALYSIS OF NARRATIVE

This paper explores the potential of research approaches that differ from the positivistic-experimental mode of inquiry. Various qualitative research methods are explored in support of using the narrative mode for researching and understanding human experience. A selection of findings from a study that explored the ''counseled-deciding-self'' (someone who makes decision with help from counseling, in this case about custody during separation) is presented to illustrate the use of a qualitative research approach which took guidance from one particular method: Denzin's (1989) Interpretive Interactionism. In the study, clients and counselors told their experiences or gave their views in unstructured retrospective interviews. These were analyzed and presented in an integrated descriptive-interpretation of client, counselor and literature perspectives of custody decision-making, separation and counseling. Custody decisions did not feature as central in the counseling process, confusion was experienced between counselling and mediation, matters need to be seen in the context of people's wider lives, and recognition needs to be given to the developmental nature of separation with counselling sessions provided to suit.