126 – Is Counselling Accreditation Essential?

10/12/19 • 36 min

126 - Is Counselling Accreditation Essential? Describing Feelings - Authenticity in Counselling In episode 126 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Ken Kelly and Rory Lees-Oakes discuss the use of feelings words. 'Check-In with CPCAB' then looks at the value of authenticity, both psychologically and physically. Last, the presenters debate whether or not professional-body counselling accreditation is essential for counsellors. Describing Feelings (starts at 1.50 mins) Many people in our society don't have a wide 'feelings vocabulary'. Culturally, talking about feelings has not always been encouraged, and this has perhaps contributed to the paucity of words we have to describe our emotions. But it is possible to develop our range of vocabulary. For example, while 'angry' is just one word, there are in fact many words that describe the different 'shades' of anger - for example, 'irritated', 'annoyed', 'furious' and 'enraged'. It can be useful for student counsellors to work actively on widening their range of feelings words, enabling them to communicate in a more fine-tuned way about different emotions and their intensity. Person-centred counselling as a modality places a particular focus on emotions, and their value in enabling us to learn to live more fully. Your reflective journal is a great place to practise and experiment with using a wider range of feelings words than you might usually. You can download a free Counselling Tutor handout on feelings words here. It is also available through the Handouts Vault and Counselling Study Resource (CSR). Check-In with CPCAB: Authenticity in Counselling (starts at 12.10 mins) Rory speaks to Ray van der Poel (Head of Business and Development) at CPCAB (Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) about the value of authenticity. Ray talks about research that links authenticity to physical wellbeing, as presented by Dr. Gabor Maté. As humans, we struggle to balance our drives for attachment and for authenticity, beginning when we are babies and are dependent on attachment to a nurturing adult for our very survival. Lack of authenticity is linked to chronic illness, with humans having four key risk factors in this respect: automatic concern for the needs of others rigid identification with roles and responsibilities suppression of negative emotions responsibility for others and desire never to disappoint them. Ray provides examples of scenarios that illustrate each of these risk factors, concluding that in forming attachments, we must not neglect our real self. Interestingly, we have more serotonin in our gut than we do in our brain! For those interested in learning more about the power of intuition, Ray recommends the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (Penguin, 2006). What's your view on the importance of being authentic? Do come along to the Counselling Tutor Facebook page and share your views and experiences. For more information about CPCAB, please see its website. CPCAB is the UK's only awarding body run by counsellors for counsellors. Free Handout Download Feelings List Click Here to Download Free Handout Is Counselling Accreditation Essential? (starts at 25.10 mins) In the UK, there is no licensing system for counsellors. This means that 'counsellor' is not a protected title and that anyone can therefore (legally, if not ethically) set themselves up as a counsellor. The various professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy have individual accreditation schemes that enable members to submit a portfolio describing their learning and work. Those who are deemed from this submission to be working to an appropriate standard are awarded accredited-member status. Ken and Rory debate counselling accreditation, which is often a prerequisite for employed counselling posts (though some too are satisfied by the person working towards accredited status).

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125 – How to Set Up a Private Counselling Practice

125 - How to Set Up a Private Counselling Practice Differences between Counselling and Other Types of Helping - Is a Level 4 Qualification Sufficient for Entering Private Practice? In episode 125 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Ken Kelly and Rory Lees-Oakes discuss the differences between counselling and using counselling skills. 'Check-In with CPCAB' then looks at whether a Level 4 counselling qualification is enough for setting up in private practice. Finally, the presenters explore how to set up a private counselling practice. They discuss what you will need to consider if you do decide at some stage to become a private-practice counsellor. Differences between Counselling and Other Helping Professions (starts at 3.15 mins) Not everyone who comes on Level 2 and Level 3 counselling courses wants to be a qualified counsellor. (These levels relate to the National Qualifications Framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland - the Scottish system is different.) Indeed, counselling skills are useful in many different professions, for example social care, health care, probation services and chaplaincy. How counselling differs from other types of helping is a regular topic on counselling courses, appearing often in exams and assignments, especially at Level 2. It can be very challenging for people who are used to helping in very different ways to become accustomed to helping in a counselling way. For example, many helping professions may have a 'fixing' role, focused on solving the person's problems for them. It is a huge change for those used to this mode of helping to understand that in counselling, the client has autonomy and responsibility for finding their own way of moving forward, with the therapist supporting them in this but specifically not offering advice. It would be unethical for another helping professional who is not a qualified counsellor to start a counselling process with a client, as there would not be a counselling contract in place, with a planned course of sessions to complete this process. All qualified counsellors work within the ethical framework of their professional body; this is vital to the provision of an ethical counselling service. In short, counselling courses at Level 2 and Level 3 are 'CV gold' in terms of the sought-after communication and listening skills they teach you - but it's vital to know your limits. Rory has written a handout entitled 'What Is Counselling?'. You can download this free of charge here; it is also available through the Handouts Vault and Counselling Study Resource (CSR). Check-In with CPCAB: Is a Level 4 Qualification Sufficient for Entering Private Practice? (starts at 13.45 mins) Rory speaks to Kelly Budd (Head of Qualifications) about whether a Level 4 qualification is sufficient for entering private practice. This topic is one that arises often on the Counselling Tutor Facebook page. She explains that in fact counselling is currently an unregulated profession in this country, meaning that anyone can - in theory - set themselves up as a private counsellor, though this would of course be unethical without the right qualifications and experiences. While technically there is nothing to stop a newly qualified Level 4 counsellor from setting up in private practice, Kelly highlights the additional demands and challenges that this presents over and above working in an agency setting. For example, in an agency, a senior counsellor may well assess all new referrals and triage them appropriately, allocating any more complex cases to more experienced counsellors. In private practice, however, you will have to assess all new clients yourself, and may be faced with significant complexity and risk. There is a huge amount of learning in agency working. Also, a private practice is a business, so running a successful one is not just about being a great counsellor - you also have to have knowledge and skills in business management.

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127 – Recording Therapy Sessions

127 - Recording Therapy Sessions Reasonable Adjustments for Students - Feelings on Breaking Confidentiality In episode 127 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Ken Kelly and Rory Lees-Oakes look at recording therapy sessions. 'Check-In with CPCAB' then looks at reasonable adjustments that can be made by centres to help establish a level playing field for all students. Finally, the presenters explore the feelings that might arise in the counsellor and the client when confidentiality has to be broken. Recording Therapy Sessions (starts at 2.15 mins) Recording therapy sessions is a key part of most counselling training, as a way of your tutor listening to your work to ensure that you are fit to practise before you begin your placement. Qualified therapists may also choose to record sessions so that they can play back and learn from them, and share these with their supervisors. Indeed, Carl Rogers and his colleagues used to do this regularly. It is natural to find recording therapy sessions stressful, especially in the early days of doing so. Ken and Rory provide tips to help you become more comfortable with this: Practise recording in peer sessions so that you become familiar with the feeling of having a recording device in the room. Use the right equipment when recording therapy sessions: neither mobile phones nor dictaphones are well suited to the task; instead, search online (perhaps on auction sites such as eBay) for 'handheld professional audio recorders'. Before you start recording your session, do a short test recording and check that this sounds clear (rather than starting your proper recording with an exchange about whether or not the machine is working properly). Ensure that any equipment you buy is digital - so that you can upload your recording to your computer, and transfer it electronically to your tutor. When recording your assessed session, work with a peer who you have worked with before, so that you have already developed a therapeutic relationship. Don't worry about how your voice sounds - our own voices always sound strange to us when we listen back (as we're not used to hearing ourselves 'from the outside'!). You might find it helpful to listen to your own voice recordings beforehand to get used to this. When listening back to your recording, focus on your interventions (not the client's story), looking at your responses, the skills used, and their effect on the client/relationship. You can download a free Counselling Tutor handout on choosing the right recording equipment here. It is also available through the Handouts Vault and Counselling Study Resource (CSR). Check-In with CPCAB: Reasonable Adjustments for Students (starts at 16.40 mins) Rory speaks to Kelly Budd (Qualification Service Manager) at CPCAB (Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) about reasonable adjustments in assessment. Some counselling students may be neurodiverse - for example, having specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia) or physical impairments (e.g. to sight). If these affect their ability to perform in a standard assessment, CPCAB can adjust the style of this to meet the candidate's needs and to ensure that there is a level playing field for all candidates. While CPCAB tries hard to make its exam papers as accessible to all as possible (e.g. by using fonts shown by research to be the most legible), you might also be able to have: a computer (rather than hand-writing) a separate room a reader and/or scribe an interpreter extra time special font types or sizes coloured paper. If you think you might need any such adjustments, it's really important that you tell your tutor as soon as possible, as they can take time to organise. Communicate what your issue is, how it affects your study, and possible obstacles you can foresee on the course. Each person's difficulties are unique, and so - while the tutor has a responsibility to treat these with understanding and to take appropriate action - it's up to you to m...