Working with Risk in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Andrew Reeves is an Emeritus Professor in the Counselling Professions and Mental Health and Associate Affiliate Professor at the University of Malta.  He is additionally a Senior BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist, a Registered Social Worker and a Senior Accredited Coach and Coach Supervisor with EMCC. He is a past Chair of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Fellow of BACP and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE. He has published extensively on working in counselling and psychotherapy, and particularly in working with risk in a range of organizational settings. He is past Editor-in-Chief of the journal Counselling and Psychotherapy Research and has a long-standing commitment to ethics in the counselling professions, including in writing and research.

When confronted by risk it is common for us to lose the ability to think. This book offers a broad, realistic and grounded approach to thinking about risk. Risk is looked at from the vantage point of what is risky for the client and also for the therapist. The use of client vignettes and reflective exercises enable the reader to engage directly with their attitudes, feelings and also their responsibilities towards clients exhibiting risky behaviour. The book also embraces issues related to self- harm and risk in the context of mental health. Andrew Reeves has written a compact book that is useful to therapeutic practitioners but also to those teaching others about the nuts and bolts of addressing risk in the counselling room and other helping settings.

• IntroductionWhat do we mean by risk?Risk assessment: talking and ticking boxesWorking with a risk of suicideWorking with self-injury and self-harmThe danger of violence and harm to othersSafeguarding and child protectionMental health crisis: danger and opportunityUsing supervision to manage risks in the therapeutic processPositive risk takingConclusion: bringing it together