Young clients' narratives of the purpose and outcome of counselling

This study explores how adolescent clients construct the purpose and outcome of counselling. A narrative analysis was performed on interviews with 22 clients (aged 16–18) who had used a school-based counselling service. The aim was to identify the purpose and outcomes that participants attributed to their counselling experience. The analysis identified four narrative forms that young clients used to describe counselling. These included ‘transformative’, ‘supportive’, ‘pragmatic’ and ‘disappointed’ narratives. Each narrative form constructed a different purpose and outcome for counselling. Engaging with clients' narratives about the purpose and intended outcome of counselling may allow counsellors to better match their expectations and approach to fit with their young client or to work with them to co-construct more flexible narratives that support helpful outcomes.     

Life Design Career Counselling with an Abandoned Adolescent: A Case Study

This article describes the value of life design counselling with an abandoned adolescent female. The participant was selected purposively from among a group of abandoned adolescent females who had expressed a need for career counselling. The life intervention comprised two 90-minute sessions per week over a period of a month. Life design data included collage, family constellation, life line, career style interview, asset map and life chapters. Following the intervention, the participant demonstrated career adaptability and an eagerness to take an active part in her evolving life story. Life design counselling has potential to meet the career counselling needs of children with neglect and abandonment experience.     

Psychosocial response to COVID‐19 pandemic in India: Helpline counsellors’ experiences and perspectives

The COVID‐19 pandemic presents a threat to physical and psychosocial health of individuals. In lieu of the subsequent lockdown and containment measures, helpline counselling becomes a viable method of accessing psychosocial services during the pandemic. The present paper describes experiences of counsellors working with a special COVID‐19 counselling helpline initiated by iCALL, a national‐level technology‐assisted counselling service of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, which aims to address the psychosocial impact of the pandemic and the lockdown. The paper is based on two focus group interviews held with 11 counsellors during the initial two months of the helpline's functioning. Findings of the study highlight the diverse profile of the callers, with individuals belonging to different strata of society and to marginalised communities. The nature of concerns presented by the callers were often a mix of psychological, relational and practical issues. The resultant distress emanated from an interplay of these factors with the relational contexts, their social locations and social structures the individuals were embedded in. This highlighted the need for conceptualising and responding from a psychosocial lens, whereby interventions involved traditional counselling approaches and strategies for addressing determinants of distress by connecting callers to required ground‐level resources. Counsellors’ engagement with this process impacted their professional and personal selves, necessitating the need for structured and continuous training, supervision and support. At a larger level, the counsellors’ narratives asserted the need for adopting a psychosocial paradigm for conceptualising and addressing mental health concerns in India.     

Metatherapeutic communication: an exploratory analysis of therapist-reported moments of dialogue regarding the nature of the therapeutic work

The purpose of the study was to investigate the nature of metatherapeutic communication (MTC), defined as dialogue between therapists and clients on the nature of the therapeutic work and the means by which it can be of greatest help to clients. Twelve counselling psychologists, working pluralistically with 35 clients experiencing depression, described on post-session forms moments of negotiation and collaboration around the therapeutic work. Two main dimensions of MTC were identified: the subject matter of the MTC and the temporal focus of the MTC. In addition, MTC varied by the time at which it took place. These findings provide a framework for understanding the nature of MTC in counselling and psychotherapy, and the opportunities for implementing it in practice.     

A qualitative study into the experience of mandatory personal therapy during training

A small scale qualitative study was carried out to investigate the experiences of attendees of a Masters Degree in counselling. The study used an in depth semi‐structured group interview and analysed the data using a form of grounded theory. The key findings suggest that personal therapy for trainees can be a positive experience and can enhance the process of becoming a professional counsellor. The findings are put forward in terms of a model illustrating how therapy can be of use to trainees. This involves the trainee experiencing the emergence of four key processes: reflexivity, growth, authenticity and prolongation.     

Counselling and well-being: on the road to realities

This article aims to discuss the rationale and some guiding principles for the realm of counselling in the fostering of well-being. After some brief observations of a theoretical nature, the principles analysed are: the revitalisation of counselling; the reflection on the concept of dialogue, including the notion of context; the perspective of counselling as social activity; understanding counselling and how it adjusts on the road to realities. From this perspective, practitioners view counselling as a social activity aimed at self-construction and life designing. In following that view, the idea of counselling as being socially produced is also examined. At the end, some considerations on the future of counselling are discussed.     

Counselling Psychology in Canada

Counselling psychology in Canada has experienced tremendous growth and greater recognition within the last 30 years. However, there is little empirical research on the practice of counselling psychology in Canada and the characteristics of Canadian counselling psychologists. We administered a 74 item questionnaire to 79 counselling psychologists who were members of the Counselling Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association, achieving a 35.4% response rate. The survey asked various questions organized under the headings of: Background Information, Theoretical Orientations, Professional Activities, Training and Career Experiences, and Future. Overall, these Canadian counselling psychologists seem to see the discipline as moderately different from clinical psychology and from counsellor education, and are largely satisfied with their choice of career in counselling psychology. Results further indicate that independent practice is the most common work-setting and that respondents spend a large share of their time providing individual, non-career related, counselling/psychotherapy of primarily a rehabilitative/treatment-oriented nature. A strengths-focused approach was also highly valued by the sample. The development of the field, distinctive characteristics of Canadian counselling psychology, the place of counselling psychology in the Canadian health care delivery system, credentialing, professional organizations, education and training issues, allied professions, opportunities for the field, and threats to the field are also discussed.     

Both group peer counselling and individual counselling reduce anxiety and depression,and increase self-esteem and overall life satisfaction in palliative cancer care

This study compared group peer counselling and individual counselling in relation to quality of life, well-being and perceived control in individuals receiving palliative cancer care. The study utilized a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design to assess the effectiveness of counselling type, in a sample of individuals diagnosed with breast, bowel or lung cancer. Nine females underwent group peer counselling and nine underwent individual counselling. Individuals were administered self-report questionnaires which included standardized subscales that measure quality of life in terms of psychological well-being and perceived locus of control before and after counselling. Both group peer counselling and individual counselling significantly increased self-esteem, self-reported levels of overall life satisfaction, and reduced anxiety and depression. Self-esteem, overall life satisfaction, and anxiety and depression were comparable in the two counselling types, both at outset and after counselling, however, individuals with internal locii of control scored higher for self-esteem on post-test, and lower for depression and anxiety, irrespective of type of counselling.     

Informal situated counselling in a school context†

The institutional regulation of counselling conversations does not always provide optimal conditions for counselling. Many teachers experience that some “normal” conversations develop into conversations which are of a counselling nature. Conversations which resemble counselling can be optimal counselling opportunities. In this paper we describe and develop these counselling conversations, which we call Informal Situated Counselling.     

Counselling in the workplace: How time‐limited counselling can effect change in well‐being

Background: Many employers provide counselling support on work and personal issues for their employees, but in times of economic pressure such services can be at risk if their effectiveness is not demonstrated. Aim: To evaluate whether time‐limited counselling in a workplace can effect sustained change in well‐being. Method: The study was carried out by a staff counselling team in a university setting. The Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental Well‐being Scale (WEMWBS) was completed by clients at the beginning and end of counselling, and at three and six months following. A non‐treatment comparison group completed the survey at the same intervals. Results: The results of our investigation show clearly that the effect of time‐limited counselling (average seven sessions) on distressed clients is positive. The evidence of our treatment group suggests that they acquire an increased sense of well‐being as a result of the experience of counselling with a significant statistical difference between pre‐and post‐counselling treatment group scores on the WEMWBS and consistently higher scores found post counselling. The improvement was maintained at the same level for at least six months following the end of counselling. Conclusions: The provision of time‐limited counselling by employers is an effective support for personal difficulties affecting work.     

Action: a bridge between vocational and mental health counselling*

A theory of goal-directed action is proposed as a conceptual link between vocational and mental health counselling. Originally emerging from the vocational counselling field, contextual action theory is presented as a critical conceptual link not only between mental health and occupational life but also between counselling practices in these domains. This specific application of goal-directed action to vocational and mental health counselling is addressed by describing counselling as goal-directed action, the five tasks of counselling it invites, and tools for supporting client goals, such as the self-confrontation interview.     

Making use of the vignette technique to examine methods of bereavement counselling: An exploratory study

Aim: The principal objective of this small‐scale study was to examine methods of bereavement counselling because of their lack of clarity. Method: The study made use of the vignette technique along with six semi‐structured interviews analysed by means of thematic analysis. Findings: Results showed that bereavement counsellors are using a multitude of different and diverse methods of counselling, characteristic of postmodernism. Advantages of these postmodern methods are that bereavement counselling methods are rich, creative, supportive, pluralistic and attentive to otherness. However, disadvantages of these postmodern methods have led to a lack of consensus amongst experts, unclear methods and an anti‐methodological way of working by counsellors. Implications for practice: Postmodernism is inherent in bereavement counselling. As a result no two counsellors work in exactly the same way because of the difference in their background and experience similarly it can be said that no one counselling method has exclusivity due to the diverse nature of postmodernism.     

Factors affecting self-referral to counselling services in the workplace: a qualitative study

The benefits of psychological support in the workplace (also known as workplace counselling) are well documented. Most large organisations in the UK have staff counselling schemes. However, it is unclear what, if any, factors affect employee decisions to use such schemes. This study has used a qualitative methodology to explore the reasons that make employees use workplace counselling. Eleven employees of a university in the north of England who had used the staff counselling service of their employer took part in the study. The employer had two schemes available: an internal staff counselling service and an external Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). A semi-structured interview was used with each participant and grounded theory techniques were used to analyse the interviews. The analysis resulted in the construction of a model of psychological help-seeking in the workplace. The main findings indicate that most participants were motivated to use their employer's counselling service by their prior positive experiences of similar or other type of mental health services. Other encouraging factors were: recommendation of service by others, a supportive environment and trust in the confidential ethos of the service. Conversely, negative preconceptions of psychological help-seeking and a perception of the employing environment as unsafe were shown to have been discouraging factors. The study concludes with suggestions for practice and for further research.     

Investigation of the effect of group counselling based on schema therapy on academic expectation stress in high school students

This research is a preliminary evaluation study to determine whether group counselling based on schema therapy has an effect on academic expectation stress in high school students. In this study, a 2 × 3 split-plot design was used. The Academic Expectation Stress Inventory was applied for data collection purposes. The effect of group counselling based on schema therapy on academic expectation stress was tested using a two-factor ANOVA for mixed measurements. As a result of the analysis, the intervention*time effect was found to be significant with regard to academic expectation stress. The findings obtained in the study reveal that group counselling based on schema therapy creates a significant decrease in adolescents' academic expectation stress level, and this decline continues, as shown in the follow-up test. As a result, it can be said that the group counselling programme based on schema therapy, which was developed as a preliminary evaluation study, has the potential to reduce the academic expectation stress level of high school students.     

Client perspectives: The therapeutic challenge of domestic violence counselling – a pilot study

Aims: This qualitative pilot study explored the perceptions of four female domestic violence clients regarding counselling they had concluded in order to identify a preliminary client‐preferred domestic violence counselling approach. Method: Semi‐structured interviews asking about significant events during counselling were held. An adapted grounded theory and narrative methodology was used. Results from the analysis were reviewed with two of the participants. Participants were offered additional counselling support if required after the research interview. Results/Findings: Domestic violence clients found starting counselling particularly difficult after years of keeping the abuse to themselves. Participants actively withheld and managed information for several sessions and needed to know they had time to explore their experiences. The counsellor being consistent and non‐judgemental, and understanding domestic violence and its effects was helpful. Having a clear ending was appreciated by the participants. Discussion: The initial development of the therapeutic relationship benefited from active discussion of how domestic violence could affect behaviour and emotions. Good early therapeutic relationships showed elements of the three main psychological schools. Participants benefited from a pro‐active discussion of endings. A key limitation of this research is the small sample size. Implications for practice: The research suggests that counsellors would benefit from knowledge and skills from different psychological schools and specific training in domestic violence. Allowing flexibility on the number of sessions available to clients may be helpful. Conclusions: Further work is required to explore these preliminary findings. However, early indications suggest that domestic abuse clients may benefit from non‐time‐limited specialist counselling services.     

The effectiveness of university counselling for improving academic outcomes and well-being

The work discusses the effectiveness of the counselling treatment to enhance student academic success. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (66 students who had completed counselling treatment) or a wait-list comparison group (44 students). The Adult Self Report (ASR) by Achenbach and Rescorla [2003. Manual for the ASEBA adult forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families, University of Vermont] and the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45) by Lambert and Hill [1994. Assessing psychotherapy outcomes and processes. In A. E. Bergin & S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (pp. 72–113). New York: John Wiley] were applied before and after the counselling sessions. Data show statistically significant decrease in the ASR clinical scales for both internalising and externalising problems after counselling as well as in the OQ-45 scores for distress symptoms and relationship difficulties. Compared with the control group, the students who received counselling exhibited a significant recovery regarding their progress with their studies.     

The advantages and disadvantages of a brief intervention strategy in a community counseling service

Abstract

The Isis Centre, a long-established NHS open-access counselling facility in Oxford, experienced excessive demand for service. This placed strain on the capacity to deliver, and an unacceptably long waiting list resulted. A brief intervention strategy limited to four counselling sessions was shown to reduce the waiting time. This outcome study tests the hypothesis that the strategy was sufficiently clinically effective to warrant its continuing availability to those who wished to be seen more quickly, rather than waiting for an open-ended contract. Counsellors assessed outcome on clinical parameters and clients were retrospectively asked their views on the acceptability of the method and its usefulness.

There was a high level of correlation between clients' and counsellors' assessment. One-quarter of the study group had an experience classified as ‘useful and sufficient’. However, half felt the experience ‘useful but insufficient’, although this group also thought the intervention provided more than temporary relief. For one quarter, the experience was not helpful, but for some of these it prevented a long, unnecessary time on the waiting list.

While a brief intervention appears to be an effective strategy in delivering a counselling service, further work is necessary to target those most likely to benefit and those for whom a longer-term option should be sought from the start.     

Buying into the profession: looking at the impact on students of expert videotape demonstrations in counsellor education

From analysing qualitative questionnaires, a group interview, and instructor interviews this study explores the impact of viewing expert demonstration videotapes on students’ learning processes, their identification as counsellors, and understanding of the counselling profession. Commonly, students selectively choose what they see and how they see it. They describe a process of ‘shopping’ and ‘buying into’ specific theoretical, practical, and professional perspectives. Additionally, students give suggestions for the most helpful use of expert demonstration videos in counsellor education. The paper concludes with key questions for further study.