Qualitative Training
Expert Training, Coaching, and Consultancy in Qualitative Research
Welcome
I’m Dr Karen Lumsden – a social scientist with over 20 years’ experience using qualitative research methods to lead projects in academic and non-academic settings.
Whether through training, coaching, mentoring, or consultancy, when we work together you will learn how to implement qualitative research methods in an engaging, interactive, and supportive environment.
More than anything, I am passionate about making qualitative research methods accessible, to support individuals and organisations to apply them in real-world settings to inspire change.
Qualitative Research Services
Training
Small group training courses, delivered online or face-to-face, to help you improve your skills across various aspects of the qualitative research process.
Coaching & Mentoring
For PhD students, academics and social researchers feeling overwhelmed or stuck, I offer bespoke coaching and mentoring to help you move forward and achieve your version of career and/or research success.
Consultancy
From project design to data collection and analysis, I can help your organisation run a research project from beginning to end.
My Story
As a long-time social scientist working in academic roles, I have built up almost 20 years’ experience of delivering training and support on qualitative research and evaluation projects both within academia and through my work with various research organisations and stakeholders.
From the first day, I was hooked! I loved watching people look beyond the theory and gain confidence and understanding in the qualitative methods, so they could apply them in the context of their own research.
After several years of balancing training with my academic posts, I decided to go all in on offering qualitative training, coaching, and consultancy services to academics, organisations, and individuals.
My training is always insightful and encouraging, so people have the time and space to ask questions, share their challenges, and walk away with the answers they need to progress their research.
My work has been published as various outputs including: books, chapters, journal articles, reports, newsletters and blog posts, and I have extensive research experience in topics including policing, communities, victim experiences, social media, and cybercrime.
I have also written and published on qualitative research including the books: Reflexivity in Criminological Research, Reflexivity, and Crafting Autoethnography.
Previous Clients
Over the years, I have led research projects and trained thousands of individuals in qualitative research methods across academic institutions, corporations, and large-scale public sector organisations.
What My Clients Say
Bee, PhD Student and Researcher
"Introduction to Autoethnography is a 6-hour workshop packed with valuable information, a comprehensive reading list, and engaging discussions. I highly encourage anyone considering writing autoethnographic research to attend Karen's workshop before diving into any form of autoethnographic writing. Karen's deep knowledge and passion for autoethnography are evident in every aspect of the workshop. The group discussions were dynamic and inclusive, allowing everyone to share their thoughts. I want to extend a BIG thank you to Karen and everyone in the group. I hope our paths cross again in the future."
Gill Stewart, IFF Research
"Karen designed a tailored half-day of training for us, and the content, examples and activities worked very well. Karen’s expertise was obvious, and she was really helpful in suggesting how activities could be organised to cater for a large online group of varying skill levels. Everyone enjoyed the training: those learners that were less experienced felt reassured and more confident afterwards, and others were grateful to get clearer direction on distress protocols and what interviewers are and are not responsible for."
Charlotte Glynn, British Pregnancy Advisory Service
“I attended Dr. Karen Lumsden’s Introduction to Qualitative Research training. I am very new to the world of research, and she gave a digestible overview with relatable examples. There was plenty of opportunity for interaction and it felt like a great space to explore ideas and have discussions with other attendees. Attending this course will really help me on my way in my first research project.”
PhD Student in Social Sciences, UK
“As an international doctoral student in the UK, I felt lost in my research at some point. Luckily, I found Karen and had a chance to have coaching sessions with her. We worked together on qualitative research skills, academic life, networking, and publishing opportunities. After the sessions, I felt more confident and knew what I wanted to do as the next step for my research."
Dr Anna de Jong, School of Environmental Sustainability, University of Glasgow
"Dr Karen Lumsden led a one day qualitative interviewing workshop for a group of ECRs and PhDs students working in the broad area of tourist studies and tourism management. Karen was brilliant in this workshop. Karen clearly is an expert in this space, with immense knowledge on all facets of interviewing, built from working on a broad range of empirical research projects across sociology and criminology. Karen was also incredibly flexible with her approach to the workshop, ensuring that it aligned and evolved throughout the day, in line with the needs and interests of participants. There was also lots of scope for questions, ensuring participants walked away with really valuable, creative and, bespoke ideas regarding how they might respond to the challenges in their own research."
Dr Annie Irvine, University of York
“The course was excellent, and you made it an entirely warm, welcoming and accessible space for our group of Experts by Experience, who brought diverse interests, backgrounds and perspectives to the session."
Researcher, Lecturer and Consultant, UK/France/International
“A worthwhile and enjoyable investment! My coaching experience with Karen was timely, constructive, and concrete. Timely, because Karen was able to help me understand the particular academic context I was in and why. She walked me through approaches to refocus my attention and work on specific activities. She also helped me to reframe my different work streams and see the larger picture of how they fit together and collectively balance out. By raising key questions, she guided me in identifying evidence of my accomplishments. In the end, I now see opportunities instead of barriers, and can map out the next steps in my professional life.”
Dr Katy Stevenson, University of Plymouth
“Dr Karen Lumsden's Observational and Ethnographic Methods Course was thought-provoking, informative and engaging. Dr Lumsden tailored the course to our needs, was approachable in her manner and was interactive throughout, her course has enabled me to learn more about the history, principles, and practicalities of ethnography. I was able to actively engage with diverse colleagues from various fields, fostering collaborative learning and sharing valuable insights that enriched my understanding of ethnographic methods. The course strengthened my understanding of the ethical considerations in ethnographic research, particularly around informed consent, participant rapport, and reflexivity, ensuring I approach my research with a high standard of ethical responsibility. From this course, I have been able to plan some integral changes to my current research including the use of autoethnographic techniques to reflect on my personal experiences as well as conduct opportunistic interviews to gather authentic, participant-led narratives.”
Get In Touch
To learn more about how Qualitative Training can help you or your organisation, please fill in the contact form here and I will get in touch.
You can also book a complimentary virtual consultation call using my Calendly.
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