Cancer counselling in the United Kingdom

Abstract

A national survey of 289 people from a variety of professions (nurses, social workers, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, etc) involved in counselling cancer patients and their families within the United Kingdom obtained a response rate of 82%. The primary findings discussed in this paper cover a range of issues, including the working conditions and responsibilities of the counsellors, what professional qualifications they possess, the extent and availability of supervision and support, as well as the types of counselling intervention employed. Particularly disturbing was the fact that only 25% of our sample had any recognised formal counselling qualification and that 75% did not belong to any professional counselling organisation. In view of the wide diversity of qualifications, salary scales, responsibilities and working conditions and practices amongst the respondents, we propose that the National Health Service (NHS) should establish clearer guidelines as to the minimum acceptable qualifications for people employed as oncology counsellors, and that more adequate provision and resources are made available for training and supervision.