Research in pastoral counselling: Retrospect and prospect

The emergence of counselling as a specialism practised by a number of different professions has had a marked effect on the understanding of the pastoral role of the clergy. Attention has been focussed on the nature of pastoral counsel-ling and a wide range of courses in 'clinical pastoral education' have been developed in Britain and in the USA. Examination of research to date suggests that boundaries between pastoral counselling and other areas of counselling are ill-defined, that personality variables may be a potent influence on the clergyman's understanding of his counselling role, and that training courses in counselling result in modified personality change. Suggestions about priorities in research in this area in Britain are offered, with a view to clarifying the relevance of pastoral counselling to the counselling services in the community as a whole.     

Some thoughts about a scientist-practitioner approach to assessment training in counselling psychology

Training effective scientist-practitioners has long been an issue of concern in counselling psychology. In a recent paper, Friedlander (1992) developed a useful prototype to foster science-practice integration in a counselling seminar. Drawing on Friedlander's prototype, the question of “how to foster science-practice integration in assessment” is considered. Some assessment reading lists and class exercises designed to illustrate such integration are proposed. These teaching materials are presented: (a) in hopes that they might prove useful for some assessment instruction purposes; and (6) in hopes that they might stimulate further thinking about how to best foster science-practice integration in counselling psychology assessment courses.     

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.     

Teaching counselling in universities: Match or mismatch?

University courses in counsellor training have mushroomed over the past decade. Questions are raised about the match between the culture of counselling and the culture of universities. A comparison is drawn between traditional university styles of pedagogy and the learning requirements of trainee counsellors. Issues relating to teaching methods and assessment procedures are examined. Kolb's model of experiential learning is offered as a framework for this comparison. Attention is drawn to the effect of moves towards the accreditation of prior learning upon the cohesion of student groups, and to the changes in curriculum occasioned by the move towards credit rating of university courses. On the other side of the coin, the niche which counselling has forged for itself in universities is seen as a vehicle for professional legitimation. It is concluded that the challenge faced by university counselling teachers is to find ways to resolve the tension between the two cultures     

Research on embedded counselling: An emerging topic of potential importance for the future of counselling psychology

A significant proportion of the counselling that people receive takes place within informal, situated encounters between service users and practitioners in fields such as nursing, medicine, teaching and social work. However, almost all of the research that has been carried out into the process and outcomes of counselling consists of studies of formal, contracted counselling and psychotherapy based in therapy clinics and offices. The competent and effective delivery of counselling that is embedded in a primary professional role, such as that of nurse, teacher or social worker, presents considerable challenges for practitioners. Research evidence around the process and outcomes of embedded counselling represents a valuable resource that has the potential to enhance the quality of counselling conversations enacted by practitioners in health, education, social work and other professions. An overview is provided of different types of research that has been carried out into informal and embedded counselling, and of the main themes that have emerged from these studies. Suggestions are made for the further development of this field.     

Counselling Supervision: The British context

Counselling/psychotherapy supervision is on the verge of a professional breakthrough in Britain today. Training courses are emerging, accreditation for supervisors is in progress and a Code of Ethics for Supervisors is finalised. Yet supervision is still little understood. There are few agreed definitions and certainly no agreed tasks, roles, or even goals of supervision. Conflict still abounds about whether it is more akin to therapy than to education, about whether or not it shold be evaluative, and about what areas of counselling it should cover. Supervisors are poorly trained in supervision and areas such as the legal implications and responsibilities of supervision not clear and often not even considered important. What research has been done is confined largely to United States and few attempts have been made to apply findings to Britain, e.g. how valid in Britain is the current research on Developmental Models of supervision which outline the stages through which counsellors in training travel.

Supervision is still tied to counselling theory despite its efforts to become a discipline on its own. Most supervisors in Britain seem to apply their theory of counselling to supervision setting. However, some of the conflicts are being faced and some questions raised about the future of supervision, about the kind of relationship involved, about its relationship to counselling. This article raises some current issues in the field and asks the kinds of questions that need answering before we are able to talk about a British understanding and application of counselling supervision.     

From directive expert to non-directive partner: A study of facilitating change in the occupational self-perceptions of health visitors and school nurses

A group of health professionals participated in a ten-week course in counselling skills for working with families whose children have special needs. A comparison group received no such training. Occupational self-perceptions were measured during training and at one-month follow-up. Significant shifts were found in perceptions of self as 'expert' to self as therapeutic 'partner'. In particular, training produced positive changes in self-perceived counselling skills, internal locus of control, and self-esteem. It was concluded that training conceived along interdisciplinary lines can promote a belief amongst health-care professionals in the efficacy of working in partnership with families; that such an effect provides further support for working in such a way; and that appropriate provision of similar courses therefore should be incorporated into strategic health-care planning.     

Ripples in the pond: A qualitative study of graduates' perceptions of the impact of counselling training upon their work within the core professions

A small-scale qualitative study was conducted in order to examine the value of counselling training when incorporated into a person's established professional role. Questionnaires were sent to graduates from an MA/diploma in counselling course in order to identify those who had continued working within their core profession. This was followed by in-depth exploration of the issues through a focus group and interviews. Twelve respondents, from a variety of work settings, took part in this second stage. Results indicated that counselling training had impacted on all aspects of their work role and that there can be a benefit of such training in the workplace. Participants developed a tripartite understanding with regard to the self, clients and the organization, and change was experienced in each of these three dimensions. A larger-scale study, among graduates from a number of courses and also among employers, is indicated.     

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.     

Oppression within the counselling room

This paper suggests that the oppression experienced by disabled people in society is sometimes replayed in the counselling room by counsellors who are unaware of their own disablist attitudes and prejudices. Whilst the provision of Disability Equality Training (DET) within counselling courses would ameliorate the problem, I believe that disabled people would be most empowered by a counselling approach which recognises the potential for oppression within the counsellor‐client relationship. One solution may be the creation of a new counselling approach (disability counselling) which includes the social model of disability as one of the foundations. An alternative solution may be found within the emerging counselling approaches that treat counselling as a social and political process and place emphasis on developing comprehensive anti‐discriminatory practice.     

The context of counselling: A neglected dimension of trainings research and practice

The context of counselling includes such factors as the physical environment of the counselling room, the emotional climate of the counselling agency, the relationship between the agency and the community it serves, and the cultural beliefs and values which inform both counsellor and client. It is argued that these factors can make a difference to the relationship between counsellor and client, and the process and outcome of counselling. It is suggested that contextual issues have been largely ignored in counselling theory, research and practice, and that increased attention to context has the potential to contribute to the creation of more responsive and effective counselling services.     

Career development of counsellors

Unlike nursing or social work, counselling is not yet a statutory profession and there is no obvious career progression route. To explore the ways in which graduates of a counselling programme use their training a questionnaire was sent to 143 counselling students who had completed a minimum of Diploma level training. The questionnaires were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The key findings are that students embark on counselling training for both professional and personal development. The majority find some paid work. Many are engaged in unpaid counselling work, either solely or as well as paid work. Counsellor training is seen as providing good preparation for work but inadequate preparation for the job market. Some recommendations are made for training courses.     

A Controlled Explosion? a Decade of Counselling Training

The dramatic increase in size of counselling courses in Leicester is illustrated. Opportunities and problems created both by their location within an adult education programme and also by large numbers are outlined. The incentive for innovative development as a result of working with such large numbers is suggested. Questions are raised about the relationship between quality and quantity, especially for the depth of personal and professional learning.     

Counselling in career self-management courses for the mature executive

The place of various aspects of counselling in two-week courses designed to help mature professional and executive people revive their careers is described. Various strands of a web of counselling activities are built up to show how the total effect is greater than the sum of the parts. Some possible future developments of the approach are outlined.     

Is Student Counselling a Profession?

Moves towards professionalisation within student counselling are discussed as a case-study which may have wider applicability within counselling as a whole. The main approaches to defining a profession are described, and eight criteria are distinguished and applied to student counselling. It is concluded that student counsellors are some way from the 'ideal-type' profession. Account also needs to be taken, how ever, of moves towards some forms of deprofessionalisation' within the traditional professions. Current moves towards accreditation of individuals and courses within the Association for Student Counselling are welcomed.     

Qualitative approaches to research in counselling and psychotherapy: Issues and challenges

There has been a significant growth in interest in qualitative approaches to research in counselling and psychotherapy. Qualitative researchers in this field have begun to apply methods originally developed in disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and cultural studies. There are, however, a number of distinctive dilemmas and challenges associated with qualitative approaches to inquiry into the processes and outcomes of counselling. A set of key issues are discussed: relationships with research participants, ethics, reflexivity, methodological choice, communicability, perspective and obviousness. Some suggestions are made regarding the link between qualitative research and counselling practice.     

The ‘tyranny of time’: getting to the heart of the impact of educational cuts on the provision of guidance counselling in Ireland

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access ‘appropriate’ guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of ‘educational cutbacks’ from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one’s losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people – which they are entitled to.     

Psychotherapy in the United Kingdom: past, present and future

The 20th century, perhaps 'the age of Freud', has seen the development and growth of psychological therapies. The first half of the century was virtually the province of the psychoanalytic approaches, with the last three decades marking the flowering of many other approaches, and a gradual and general rapprochement between nearly all the major therapies. This history is traced, identifying the major players, including behaviour therapy and humanistic therapies challenging the initially dominant model. The rapid expansion in practitioners and training courses has led to questions of organisation, registration, and relationship between the therapies. The development of UKCP and BCP is examined, examining the size of the constituent elements within these major groupings, their relationship to each other and to counselling and the Independent Practitioners Network. Other developments such as psychotherapeutic studies within universities and the subsequent linking of some psychotherapy trainings to academic qualifications are referred to, while the relationship of British psychotherapy to the European and world scene is briefly described before the author hazards a prediction that it is integrative psychotherapy that will probably expand most in the new century, with counselling asserting its right to be an equal partner in the therapeutic endeavour.     

An evaluation of the long-term outcomes of small-group work for counsellor development

A questionnaire was designed which enquired into the long-term professional applications and outcomes of Rogerian small-group and Tavistock Group Dynamics training. The 92 respondents were graduates of either a Master's degree or a Diploma in Human Relations or Counselling Studies in a university course where a 'small-group' module was a compulsory element of the taught course. Respondents were drawn from graduates of these one-year full-time or two-year part-time courses over a 21-year period. All respondents were involved either directly in professional or voluntary counselling, in the application of counselling skills in their work, or in training in counselling and counselling skills at work. The respondents reported no loss of learning gains over time: ascribed the application of many specific counselling skills to the small-group training process; reported on the affective component of the learning process; and provided only minimal evidence of forms of psychological damage which could be directly ascribed to the experience. These outcomes have to be considered in the light of the relatively low response rate of 33% and the difficulties in monitoring the precise behaviour of the facilitators in the groups.     

An outcome evaluation study of a psycho‐educational course in a primary care setting

Rationale: To date relatively little research has examined the effectiveness of psycho‐educational courses provided in a primary care setting to adults with mild‐to‐moderate mental health concerns. Aims: To determine whether group psycho‐education could be a viable alternative to individual counselling by (1) assessing the clinical effectiveness of an 8‐week psycho‐educational course, and (2) examining the group outcomes in comparison with individual treatment outcomes from a previous study in the same counselling service. Method: A total of 57 participants attending a psycho‐educational course provided data over a 36‐month period, using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM) pre‐ and post‐intervention. A comparison was then made with the data of 58 previous participants of individual counselling evaluation, using the same CORE‐OM system. Results: Participants reported significantly lower levels of psychological distress after attending the course and these results are comparable to outcomes measured in the same service for individual counselling, indicating that group interventions could be considered a legitimate alternative to individual counselling, thus increasing cost effectiveness and reducing waiting times. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and further investigation are considered.