Training and Research in Counselling

Formal counselling training in Britain began with the preparation of school counsellors in universities and relied largely upon American models. Early courses were highly didactic but over the last decade practical and experiential aspects have taken precedence. Basic counselling training has now been extended into the preparation of many workers, voluntary and professional. Counselling research also had academic origins, but has broadened to include many different work settings. Much of the published research has been in the form of surveys of counselling services, but some detailed studies of process are noted. There is a need for research to be increased, and the gap between research and practice shortened, if counselling is to demonstrate its relevance to contemporary needs.     

An Evaluation of Training in Basic Counselling Skills

A 60-hour course to train community-health professionals in the basic skills of counselling families of children with disabilities was evaluated. Three groups of diverse professionals (25 females and 1 male in all) were trained. The overall approach followed the didactic-experiential programme of Truax and Carkhuff (1967). Teaching methods included discussion, role-play, and feedback. Hypothesised changes occurred in trainees as a result of the course in contrast with a non-training waiting period. There were significant improvements in theoretical knowledge, self-perceptions of counselling ability and counselling behaviour. Evidence from a sub-group of the sample indicated that changes were maintained for up to nine months afterwards. The validity of the results is further supported by a separate study demonstrating benefits in families with whom the trainees subsequently worked. It is concluded that such courses are cost-effective in enhancing the professional skills of health-care workers.     

Counselling for Tolerance

Tolerance is not neutrality, nor should tolerance in counselling be equated with a spiritual and emotional vacuum. Tolerance applies to style rather than stance, and a counsellor needs a conception of the ideal — broadly speaking, a moral position.
Originally proclaimed against religious and political tyranny, the political ideal of tolerance has in the twentieth century become confused with permissiveness, and is thus sometimes charged with generating many of the ills of modern society, including crime and family breakdown. Counselling has become the universal remedy, replacing punishment and compulsion.
The counsellor needs
(a) a view of human nature
(b) a conception of what is good for those possessing that nature.
Constants in the first mean there cannot be too much variation in the second. Society is varied and plural, so the counsellor must be non-judgemental, but while this means accepting the person , it does not necessarily mean endorsing the conduct.
A distinction is drawn between therapeutic and philosophical counselling; the latter considers a problem , where the former focusses on the client , but both may fall short of offering a holistic view. Counselling may also exacerbate some of the problems of modern life by too readily accepting the conditions which cause them. Some ethical problems raised by confidentiality and informed consent are discussed. It is concluded that the counsellor must be tolerant, but not morally ambivalent, nor a relativist.     

Pastoral Counselling

The beginnings of the modern pastoral-care and counselling movement in the 1960s are reviewed, in particular, the attempt to integrate theology with the behavioural sciences, and the theories born of that integration with the practice of pastors and religious leaders. The developments of the last ten years are explored and the tensions of the movement analysed. Pastoral counsellors' contribution to counselling in general in the United Kingdom, and to pastoral ministry both here and overseas, is assessed.     

Individual-Centred Cognitive Counselling for Study Problems

An argument is developed for basing study counselling more closely on relevant principles of the cognitive psychology of studying. This can and should take into account the inter-relationships between study processes and the student's emotional state, and offer help with both in an integrated way. Finally, the advantages of an individual-centred approach are emphasised. A good grounding in relevant cognitive principles enables the counsellor to apply these to the problems of the individual student, rather than merely to offer standard advice on studying.     

Youth Counselling

Youth counselling and advisory work takes various forms in various settings. Against a background of key trends affecting the lives of young people, the range of such services is outlined. Particular attention is paid to generalist youth counselling and advisory agencies, to guidance and support in the Youth Training Scheme, and to relevant work in the Youth Service. The importance of promoting autonomy, and at the same time responding to wider social and political influences on individuals and services, is emphasised.     

Counselling studies

It is proposed that a discipline of 'counselling studies' be considered as an extension of counselling and a contribution to social guidance. Likely features of such a discipline are suggested, including a focus on the individual person, interdisciplinarity, humanistic values, applied and theoretical dialectic, critical attitude and dynamic nature. Questions of suitable name, location and goals are considered. Some indication of possible contents is given in the article.     

Counselling training for tutors in higher education

Traditionally the relationship between tutor and student has been regarded as of great importance in higher education. With the recent growth of student services in universities, polytechnics and colleges, some tutors have felt redundant or de-skilled. This article describes a course which aimed to restore an important role to tutors by helping them to develop their skills and see their work in a wider perspective. The course was basically practical and did not aim to produce fully-trained cousellors. Rather, it explored the hazards of adolescence, practical skills in tutoring, and sources and techniques of referral.     

Counselling in dyslexia

This paper is basically a report of personal experiences. In Part one I shall describe and comment on some of the things which are said and done when parents bring their children to me to be assessed for dyslexia; in Part Two I shall consider what conclusions, if any, can be drawn which are relevant to counselling in general.     

Buddhism and Counselling

The relevance of the principles and practices of Buddhism to the field of counselling is discussed. Buddhist techniques have already been used by the helping professions in many settings (e.g. Japan, Sri Lanka). The extension of their use to a wider range of settings, and to a wider group of clients, is both feasible and desirable. In addition to the obvious relevance of Buddhist techniques to clients who have a Buddhist background, it is argued that they have a wider applicability. As Buddhism espouses the notion of a productive and healthy lay life, it offers ways not only of dealing with problems and difficulties, but also of improving psychological well-being in general. Examples are cited of relevant Buddhist techniques and their application. It is argued that, once systematically evaluated, many of these could profitably be incorporated into the repertoire of techniques used in present-day counselling and therapy.     

Transformation in Counselling

The view is put forward that counselling appears to be undergoing a transformation which renders the old distinction between counselling and therapy no longer meaningful or practical. This transformation reflects the psychic backdrop of our times; it has come about because the needs of people seeking help, as well as the needs of those counselling, have altered and developed. Increasingly, clients are acknowledging the need for radical change which involves exploration of all levels of their being. This transformative work, a moving across inner barriers and coming into wholeness, necessarily involves active awareness of spirit. Thus it is no longer possible to be a client-centred counsellor without being willing to address the spiritual dimension ofhuman-beingness.     

Executive Career Counselling

Executive career counselling is relatively new. Some of its implications are examined and a three-tiered approach by organisations is advocated. Executives are verbally fluent, and this highlights the importance of the 'opening paragraph' of words they use in counselling. Neuro-linguistic programming offers a useful set of tools to the executive career counsellor. Left-handedness, probably overlooked in most types of counselling, is briefly considered. However, counselling is not only about problems, but also offers executives a welcome chance to review their lives and careers.     

Responses to Marriage Counselling

The experiences of clients who received marital counselling from trained volunteer marriage guidance counsellors were investigated. Fifty-one clients from 42 marriages were interviewed and questioned about why they chose the agency, what expectations they held, what happened during counselling, how they felt about the counsellor, and what if anything was achieved through counselling. They were also asked how they had fared since. Rating scales were used after the interview to evaluate satisfaction with counselling, benefit from counselling, aspects of the counselling relationship, etc. The clients were also asked to do a card-sort of statements about counselling to determine what aspects had been valuable and disappointing. Some of the preliminary results of the study are presented and discussed.     

Counselling in Medical Settings

The slow development of counselling as an alternative to traditional treatment within the medical model is described. Counselling in medical settings has its roots in the work of the Marriage Guidance Council and the influence of Balint towards psychotherapy. 10-30% of all consultations in general practitioners' surgeries are related to emotional distress, yet the adoption and rise of counselling is more patchy than widespread. The factors which have hindered its expansion in the past are discussed, and it is concluded that its development in the future will depend largely upon pronounced changes in public health policy.     

Counselling and Sex Therapy

Qualified counsellors do not necessarily feel competent to work with their clients' sexual issues. It is argued that the principles underlying good sex are the same as those which underlie good counselling practice. It is also suggested that sex therapy in the form of a behavioural exercise programme - whilst valuable in many cases - is not necessarily the only way of working with sexual issues, and that other therapeutic approaches merit attention.