‘Engaging’ well in psychological therapy is generally associated with more positive clinical outcomes. However, the literature shows little agreement on how to define, conceptualise and measure engagement. Few studies focus primarily on engagement, and those that include engagement measures within other designs rely mainly on single behavioural indicators, such as whether between-session tasks (e.g. ‘homework’ in cognitive behavioural therapy) were completed, or the number of sessions attended. Although pragmatic, I suggest these indicators do not capture the full sense of what engagement means and that taking a broader perspective is likely to be helpful in advancing research and clinical practice. I present a conceptual model of engagement in psychological therapy that aims to draw together relevant theoretical ideas and combine them with observations from clinical practice. This proposes that engagement can be understood as three distinct facets: engagement with the therapist, engagement with the therapy approach, and the practical, behavioural indicators of engagement. I suggest this offers a comprehensive way to conceptualise and understand engagement that may prove helpful for clinicians and researchers. I aim to advocate for further research in this area and for applying the ‘empirically grounded clinical interventions’ approach to therapy processes, not just therapy content. This could help further our understanding of the engagement process, which may play a critical role in driving successful therapy outcomes.

Voluntary mental health support services play an important role in public health. However, long-term retention of volunteers is a major challenge. The present study aimed to understand the reasons for reduced volunteer engagement and retention loss in a UK mental health charity. Twenty-two participants from two populations (new volunteers and leavers) were engaged in semi-structured interviews to (1) longitudinally explore new volunteers’ expectations and experiences in their new role; and (2) explore reasons for stopping volunteering. Using constructivist grounded theory, we found key barriers to engagement among volunteers in this sector: unmet needs and values, unclear or demanding commitments, and reduced confidence in the role. Addressing these barriers through clearer expectations, stronger social connection, and processes that build confidence and coping (e.g., additional training) may enhance engagement and retention. Our findings suggest areas where targeted adjustments could enhance volunteer engagement and retention.

With alcohol use disorder rising in England, evaluating the impact of interventions used in services is important. This evaluation was conducted in a third sector drug and alcohol service within South England. It aimed to explore the association of a structured cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) group and engagement for service users in early recovery from alcohol use disorder, comparing outcomes with a previously unstructured psychosocial group. A mixed-methods approach compared the groups. Both groups lasted 12 sessions. Self-reported alcohol consumption, psychological health, physical health, and quality of life were measured using the Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOPs; Marsden et al., 2008). Quantitative data were analysed from 47 service users in the unstructured group and 43 in the structured CBT group. Qualitative analysis explored four service users’ feedback from the structured CBT group through interviews, using thematic analysis. Significantly more participants completed the structured CBT group (93.02% vs 74.47%). Structured group participants, on average, attended 50.97% of sessions, compared with 25.53% in the unstructured group. Mixed-model ANOVAs (repeated measures and between subjects) showed an improvement in psychological health, quality of life, and physical health regardless of the intervention type. Both groups also reduced alcohol consumption. Qualitative analysis identified two emerging themes, accessibility and a sense of belonging, alongside several subthemes. While both groups improved treatment outcomes, findings suggest a structured CBT group may be associated with more engagement and facilitate greater retention in treatment.

Key learning aims

1. (1) To understand how engagement and treatment outcomes differ between a structured CBT group and an unstructured psychosocial group in the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

2. (2) To identify potential mechanisms in a structured group which may influence engagement and treatment outcomes in the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

3. (3) To reflect on differing ways to measure effectiveness of a group in community drug and alcohol services.

This study tested the hypothesis that caregiver scaffolding and child engagement are tightly coupled during shared book reading’s word-learning moments. It also examined whether this coupling is consistent or variable across print and digital reading media. Word-learning episodes were coded from a corpus of videorecorded shared-reading interactions between caregiver–child dyads (N = 78, children’s age range = 4;0–5;11). Results support the prediction that scaffolding and engagement are coupled during word-learning moments. This coupling was robust across reading media. Further, child age was a significant predictor of engagement. These findings confirm that engagement is a critical social interaction mechanism involved in the scaffolding process that supports word learning.

Working with a national U.S. sample and data collected from our work with the nonprofit bridging organization Living Room Conversations, we counter the assertions of conflict profiteers. People in the U.S. are far less polarized than imagined, there is a great deal of trust in the election system, and a subsequent “reveal” strategy of this common ground thus becomes as, if not more, important than the need to “bridge” imagined chasms between citizens. With this strategy in place, those interested in or involved with bridging can further set the conditions for democratic dialogue by designing interventions that involve more and different kinds of people in their work, focusing on long-term impacts, and stretching definitions of participation from dialogue to civic action.

The display of ancestral human remains in museums is a contentious ethical issue, raising concerns around the dignity and respect for ancestral lived lives versus the role of remains for education and scientific enquiry. Against the backdrop of recent debates sparked by the deinstallation of ancestral remains at several museums (e.g., the removal of the Shuar tsantsas at the Pitt Rivers Museum) and revisions of national and international ethics codes, this essay explores the role of two methodologies – a trial and interactive workshop – in producing inclusive spaces to support ethical decision making and practice. Digital participation technologies were used to support an accessible mode of participation that was anonymous – allowing attendees to express opinions about emotive and challenging subjects, such as ancestral human remains. For both examples, attendees and participants identified key priority and action areas for the sector and within their places of work. The activities will contribute to a wider research project that is investigating value and ethical disagreements and polarization within museums.

This study conducted an approximate replication of Teravainen-Goff (2023) to validate the Intensity and Perceived Quality of Engagement Scale for university students in the Japanese EFL context. Teravainen-Goff (2023) developed this scale based on an action-oriented definition of engagement and proposed a novel approach to measuring engagement among secondary school language learners in the UK. The study identified an 18-item, five-factor structure from a pool of 36 items through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In this replication, we examined the validity and reliability of Teravainen-Goff’s scale in a different context, focusing on the replicability of the EFA results. We undertook this replication because engagement is context-dependent and EFA results can vary across samples. We compared the factorial structure with that of the initial study while modifying the target language and participant demographic. Results revealed a 22-item, six-factor structure with good fit. Although the same underlying factors emerged, several notable differences were observed. This approximate replication provided stronger evidence for the psychometric properties of the scale in a new context. Transparent documentation of modifications to the initial study and systematic comparison offered a promising approach to building robust evidence for engagement research and improving the rigour of questionnaire-based research overall.