Home Groups: Integrating Peer Support and Clinical Care in a Community Mental Health Center

With peer supporters now comprising one of the most rapidly growing components of the mental health workforce, group interventions that combine their expertise with those of more traditional mental health providers are needed. An example of one such intervention, developed and implemented at a large community mental health center for individuals with serious mental illnesses, is presented. Called a “Home Group” and co-led by peers and clinical psychology interns, this intervention provides unique learning opportunities for peers and trainees and many potential benefits to group members. Vignettes to illustrate the model are presented and the potential therapeutic and empowering aspects of this innovative and promising approach are identified and discussed.     

Public perception of the professional titles used within psychological services

Background and aim: There have been several calls for adopting an empirical approach investigating public opinion concerning the differentiation between the professional titles ‘counsellor’ and ‘psychotherapist’. The present research makes a first step to addressing this issue. Method: Sixteen interviewers, recruited across the UK, interviewed 450 members of the public in 57 UK district codes. Age, gender and education were monitored for sampling purposes. Results: The findings indicated that around two thirds of the public perceive the professional title ‘counsellor’ to be distinct from the professional titles ‘psychotherapist’ and ‘psychological therapist’ and for these latter two titles to be almost identical. About one third of the public perceive the opposite trend, and one tenth is undecided whether these professional titles are distinct or indistinct. Conclusion: These results have implications for the debate concerning the structure of the Health Professions Council (HPC) Register in the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists.