Disabled people’s perceptions and experiences of accessing and receiving counselling and psychotherapy: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION: Evidence indicates that, compared with their non-disabled counterparts, disabled people are likely to face greater mental health challenges as well as significant inequalities in accessing appropriate therapeutic support. Currently, little is known about how disabled people perceive and experience counselling and psychotherapy, what barriers/facilitators to therapy delivery and/or therapy participation exist for disabled clients and whether clinicians sufficiently adapt their practice to meet the needs of this diverse but marginalised population. In this paper, we outline a proposal for undertaking a scoping review that aims to identify and synthesise current research relating to disabled individuals’ perceptions of accessibility and experiences of counselling and psychotherapy. The review aims to identify current gaps in the evidence base and inform how future research, practice and policy may develop and foster inclusive strategies and approaches which will support the psychological well-being of disabled clients accessing counselling and psychotherapy. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The undertaking and reporting of the proposed scoping review will be guided by the framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Systematic searches of the PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, EBSCO and Cochrane Library electronic databases will be conducted. Reference lists of relevant studies will be reviewed to identify additional studies. Eligible studies will be limited to those published from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2022 and in the English language. Empirical studies involving disabled individuals receiving and/or who have received a form of therapeutic intervention will be included. Data will be extracted, collated and charted, and will be summarised quantitatively through descriptive numerical analysis and qualitatively through a narrative synthesis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The proposed scoping review of published research will not require ethical approval. Results will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.