Dr Christine Kupfer

Research Overview

My research and teaching interests centre on pluralistic therapy with a particular focus on culture and spirituality, informed by social theory, education and psychology.

Current Research

A central strand of my on-going research features projects on the intersections among pluralistic therapy, culture, and spirituality.

I am currently leading a meta-analysis of working with client preferences and contributing to another systematic review on within-treatment preferences. 

I am also working towards theoretical developments of pluralistic practice that connect psychotherapy with ideas developed from social theory and philosophy. 

As co-editor of Pluralistic Practice, which is an open access peer-reviewed journal, I engage with current debates, support the advancement of scholarship in this field, and work towards closing the research-practice gap in counselling.

My research on spiritual crises has led to several new and developing projects. I have recently completed a study on therapists’ experiences with clients undergoing spiritual crises, and am working on a book project on the Dark Side of Meditation.

Past Research

My research aims to develop pluralistic theory and practices of counselling. For example, my co-authored article on creative and qualitative inquiry, social justice and decolonisation was published by Frontiers in Psychology in 2021. Articles that explain and further develop pluralistic therapy appear in the Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy (published in 2023), and the Handbook of Postmodern Therapies (in press), and I am also preparing a co-authored book on 100 Key Points and Techniques of Pluralistic Therapy, which is under contract with Routledge.

Funded by the German National Academic Foundation, my doctoral research on Rabindranath Tagore’s humanistic view of self-actualization on holistic wellbeing, critical pedagogy, and the integration of spirituality. This research resulted in my monograph on Tagore’s pedagogical insights into human nature and a series of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, such as my article on Tagore and psychotherapy published in 2023.

I have carried out an ethnographic study of children’s mental health in India, which was published in Social Science & Medicine, and a qualitative study of German patients learning about Indian healing practices (Ayurveda) and applying this to their mental health. 

Knowledge Exchange

I regularly present at international and interdisciplinary conferences and deliver invited public-facing talks and share research through podcasts, as part of cultural events and newspaper articles. 

I have organised various interdisciplinary academic as well as public conferences and workshops for diverse audiences, and a range of research and knowledge exchange activities across topics such as spiritual crises, child psychiatry, and events that connected Indian and British culture through dance, music, theatre, and talks.

The Pluralistic Therapy and Philosophy group, and the Spirituality and Mental Health group, which I organise, both meet on a monthly basis.

Teaching Responsibilities

I teach on the DCouns/MPhil/MSc in Counselling, and contribute to the Mindulness MSc.