Professional Skills for Counsellors Series – serie

`Geraldine Shipton and Eileen Smith's contribution goes a long way towards filling a gap in the literature. As such it is invaluable for counsellors, trainers and supervisors working in an area of counselling which is now more usually to be found in the private sector but which, the authors argue on grounds of humanity and economics, should be available for all who need it... a valuable source for all those working with clients long term' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling

`The strength of this book comes from the authors' obvious extensive experience of undertaking long-term counselling. It is crammed with insights, observations and anecdotes that could only have come from people who really do know the tribulations and occasional joys of this type of work' - Clinical Psychology Forum

`The book pivots on six imaginary and convincing case studies, describing counselling within a variety of voluntary and statutory agencies, a range of client backgrounds, presenting problems, counsellor ability and outcome. These case presentations successfully lift the book out of the ordinary run of earnest contemplation of the counselling scene. The brain stays working; challenged and intrigued.... Rather like the best traditions in counselling, the book represents an astute balancing act. The structure, style and attitude of the book give the impression of an easy read but has has broad and deep ambitions. The co-authors achieve a digestible combination of new and old; intellect and feelings, skills and theory; good humour and hard work. They offer food for thought and development to readers from differing backgrounds and needs' - Sally Day, Psychodynamic Counselling

Counselling can be a long-term process, whether by initial design or because of the emergence of new concerns within work originally planned as short-term or focused. Occasionally, counselling is long-term by default, when the counsellor or client cannot face ending or when the counsellor cannot enviSAGE other ways of working with a client. This book examines the complex and varied issues which can arise, with an emphasis throughout on skilled, professional and ethical practice.

Encouraging trainees and practitioners to think about the day-to-day realities and issues of long-term work, the book considers working parameters and issues of definition, setting and orientation. It also focuses on assessing and managing the work, and discusses the practical and emotional concerns which will require thought as the relationship between the counsellor and client is established, develops, or falters and ends. Detailed case histories illustrate who might benefit from long-term counselling and give some sense of the nature of the relationships which may arise in long-term work.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the tasks and the processes of learning and writing required on counselling training courses and in the practice of counselling. The authors cover the entire period of training, from choosing a course to the early stages of professional practice.

The first part of the book discusses learning skills, methods and approaches, looking at, for example, the context for learning, motivation and experiential learning. Part Two focuses on course requirements, the form of written assignments - how to complete them and the difficulties that can be encountered - as well as the basics of writing, including language, form and style. The final part looks at the involvement of practising counsellors in continued learning and the kinds of writing that they may develop throughout their careers.

The author provides straightforward advice and guidelines about how a business can be set up and thereafter maintained successfully. Tax, VAT and accounting are explained clearly, and examples of budgets illustrate how to make the business perform. Business research, marketing and promotion, finding and using suitable premises, working from home, forming partnerships, dealing with insurance, legal and safety issues and other essential considerations are all covered in detail. The book also encourages a comprehensive assessment of the practitioner's emotional needs and physical health as well as financial security.

It is now widely accepted that the therapeutic relationship - referred to here as the counselling relationship - may be the most significant element in effective practice. Understanding the Counselling Relationship presents contrasting views of the relationship between the counsellor or therapist and the client, as held by practitioners from diverse theoretical orientations.

Each chapter clarifies and considers the elements of the counselling relationship which have most bearing on therapeutic practice. The strengths of each position are highlighted in terms of understanding, theory and skills. The relevance of certain psychological, sociological and research-based issues for practitioners from a variety of theoretical backgrounds are also considered.

`Beautifully written and well researched and full of useful structured exercise for therapists and clients, this is a combination of psychology textbook and counselling handbook - theoretical a, yet practical' - Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal

Counselling and the Life Course introduces counsellors to the concept of the life course as a multidimensional and multidisciplinary framework for thinking about clients' lives within and beyond the counselling setting. It aims to give counsellors an understanding of human development, and how it impacts practically upon their work with clients.

The book engages with the tension between, on the one hand, recognizing age and life stage as important dimensions of difference, and on the other, avoiding the pitfalls of age stereotyping and ageist discrimination. At the same time, Counselling and the Life Course shows how the concept of the life course can be used as a framework for considering the commonalities between different life stages. This provides a focus for counsellors of how to draw on their existing skills and expertise when working with clients of a different age and life stage to those with whom they generally meet. The impact of both counsellor and client age on the counselling relationship is also considered.

The book includes an `Activity Trail' of structured exercises in order to encourage reflection on the concepts discussed and their relevance to clients, the readers themselves, and their counselling practice.

This book will help school counsellors respond more effectively to the challenging sexual issues of adolescence and to better understand the crucial role that such issues play in shaping teenagers' lives. Drawing on their years of experience in roles as varied as parent, teacher, coach, counsellor and administrator, the authors help translate knowledge into effective counselling intervention.

Find out how making yourself available to parents can mean a better life for students and their families. Includes a list of additional resources for further study.

For educators on the front line

Violence in schools is everyone's problem—when teachers can't teach and students can't learn, the community loses. Few educators, however, are prepared to respond adequately to violent and aggressive youth, let alone understand the strategies for creating a safe learning environment for students and faculty.

Bemak and Keys draw from their extensive national experience to offer innovative prevention and intervention programs for aggression and violence at school. In this comprehensive book, the authors provide practical principles and guidelines educators can put to work immediately in all types of school settings—urban, suburban, and rural.

This book offers a big-picture perspective as it provides specific in-depth explanation of:

This book is for school counselors, teachers, and administrators on the front line in the battle against escalating violence in today's schools.

Stressing ethical issues and the need to be aware of limits of competency, Anne Leigh provides straightforward guidelines. The sensitive, ethical handling of termination is also an important part of this book, backed up by clear examples and recognition of the emotional consequences of referral or termination for both counsellor and client. She examines the situations most frequently calling for referral, and the ways in which referral may take place responsibly and satisfactorily. The volume covers whether, how, to whom and when to refer on, as well as how best to receive referrals from outside agencies.

Stressing ethical issues and the need to be aware of limits of competency, Anne Leigh provides straightforward guidelines. The sensitive, ethical handling of termination is also an important part of this book, backed up by clear examples and recognition of the emotional consequences of referral or termination for both counsellor and client. She examines the situations most frequently calling for referral, and the ways in which referral may take place responsibly and satisfactorily. The volume covers whether, how, to whom and when to refer on, as well as how best to receive referrals from outside agencies.

`The comprehensive series of essays... is a timely contribution.... This book is about being professional and effective... a valuable multimodal life inventory for use with clients is provided' - Counselling, The Journal of The British Association for Counselling

What information will help you assess the therapeutic needs of a client? Could you identify a suicidal client? How can you tell whether or not you are working with appropriate clients? Answering these and other questions, this book sheds light on a crucial, but often neglected, area of counselling. The authors provide clear guidelines, backed up by practice points, which clarify the assessment, monitoring and evaluation of clients.

The book adopts a broad approach, transcending specific counselling theories and covering the main issues involved at key stages in the client/counsellor relationship - from the initial contact, through monitoring of the therapeutic programme, to ending the counselling process. Areas examined include: assessing the best type of therapy for each client; identifying the client's therapeutic goals; history taking; referral; and evaluating goal achievement.

Gladeanna McMahon is presenter of the ITV programme Dial A Mum.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of theories and concepts relating to group counselling and shows how differing theoretical frameworks can be used as a basis for practice.

Organized around the counselling process, the book considers the practicalities of establishing and running a group, raising awareness of its life cycle, its cultural location and many other diverse issues. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of therapeutic attitudes and philosophies as a basis for practice, and humanistic and existential approaches to group counselling are given particular attention. The author encourages readers to be aware of their conceptual framework and how it influences their work.

Counsellors and other mental health professionals will inevitably encounter clients who are difficult to work with because they do not comply with the basic requirements of forming a trusting relationship and accepting help or advice. Such clients can place an enormous strain on those who try to help them. This book sets out practical guidelines, backed up by examples and a sound theoretical base, for the management of these difficult, disturbed or disturbing clients.

The authors concentrate on the everyday difficulties of the transaction between practitioner and client in their respective social contexts, rather than locating the problems solely within the client, and indicate ways in which these difficulties can be successfully overcome.

Time-limited counselling - that is, the provision of effective counselling with limited resources and under strict time pressures - is becoming increasingly important as the demand for counselling increases, and the management of waiting lists and costs becomes a crucial concern.

In this clearly written book, which incorporates useful, illustrative examples, Colin Feltham outlines the specific practical and technical skills, strategies and knowledge counsellors must have in order to undertake time-limited counselling. Following an examination of the client's induction into counselling, he describes the most appropriate models for different clients and problems. Further chapters assess the management of time-limited counselling in different settings - including private practice - and look at research, training and supervision issues.

Squarely addressing the objections to the use of, and real problems in, the practice of this short-term therapeutic paradigm, the author argues that time-limited counselling can be justified not only on economic grounds but also ethically, philosophically, clinically and with reference to consumer preferences. He also identifies the common factors in successful short-term work that span different theoretical orientations.

Time-limited counselling - that is, the provision of effective counselling with limited resources and under strict time pressures - is becoming increasingly important as the demand for counselling increases, and the management of waiting lists and costs becomes a crucial concern.

In this clearly written book, which incorporates useful, illustrative examples, Colin Feltham outlines the specific practical and technical skills, strategies and knowledge counsellors must have in order to undertake time-limited counselling. Following an examination of the client's induction into counselling, he describes the most appropriate models for different clients and problems. Further chapters assess the management of time-limited counselling in different settings - including private practice - and look at research, training and supervision issues.

Squarely addressing the objections to the use of, and real problems in, the practice of this short-term therapeutic paradigm, the author argues that time-limited counselling can be justified not only on economic grounds but also ethically, philosophically, clinically and with reference to consumer preferences. He also identifies the common factors in successful short-term work that span different theoretical orientations.

Topics examined include: implications of funding; budgeting; staffing; location and furnishing of premises; daily working routines; how to ensure a competent, professional, safe and ethical working practice; and the sheer complexities of being a manager of therapists.

This book explores the essential skills needed to carry out effective telephone counselling - such as welcoming and establishing a relationship with clients; listening and responding; understanding silences; working with transference and fantasy; and recognizing and reacting to feelings - which are necessarily very often distinct from those involved in face-to-face counselling.

Maxine Rosenfield challenges the view that telephone counselling is a poor relation to face-to-face counselling, arguing that for certain clients it may be the therapeutic medium of choice. She examines the benefits to both clients and counsellors of working by telephone, and highlights the technical and practical issues of which counsellors should be aware. She also covers the relatively new concepts of group counselling by telephone and counselling by other media, such as e-mail or letter.

Counselling, Psychotherapy and the Law is the long-awaited Second Edition of Peter Jenkins' comprehensive introduction to legal issues in relation to counselling and psychotherapy in the UK. This text has been fully updated to include coverage of the key developments in the law that have had major impact on therapists' practice with regard to data protection and the management of confidentiality. The book breaks new ground by exploring in detail the relationship of ethics to the law and providing a framework for relating the BACP Ethical Framework to legal decision-making.

Key features of this new edition include:

"extensive use of case studies. These bring legal examples to life and give a human dimension to powerful ethical dilemmas such as seeking agreement to end medical treatment, or client's gaining access to their own confidential records

"key points, which provide quick summaries of complex material and reference guides for professional practice

"the multiple points of crossover and intersection of law and therapy. These are identified and explored, ranging from the use of narrative theory, to the provision of pre-trial therapy for abused children, to the role of the therapist as expert witness.

This new edition provides clarity and reassurance for practitioners at all levels about the exact nature of their responsibilities, and how these can best be managed, in order to enable them to comply with the law and focus on their therapeutic work with clients. Counselling, Psychotherapy and the Law, Second Edition provides an essential source of reference in a single volume, making a fascinating and complex topic understandable and bringing it to life.

Peter Jenkins, formerly a member of the BACP Professional Conduct Committee and currently a member of the Ethics Committee of the UKCP, has been described by Counselling at Work as 'probably the foremost authority on legal issues in counselling'. He is Co-Director of the Counselling and Psychotherapy Directorate at the University of Salford.

More reviews:

`Despite requiring real concentration, this is an essential read for counsellors and psychotherapists irrespective of background and theoretical orientation. Trainers, supervisors and agency coordinators especially would benefit from the up to date material contained here' - Therapy Today

`Peter Jenkins has consulted widely over the content of this book, both within the psychological therapies field and with legal eagles. [His] use of clear flow diagrams and comparison boxes enable the reader to identify the similarities and differences between professional and moral/ethical debates. It is a thoroughly researched and accessible text' - Association for University and College Counselling Journal

`a comprehensive overview of a rapidly evolving field. This book represents a helpful addition to practitioners' bookshelves as a reference work, but also a beneficial read to stimulate thoughtful responses to practical dilemmas. It provides a good support to both therapeutic and supervision practices across the spectrum of experience and theoretical models' - The Psychotherapist

`An excellently edited book... It touches upon the core philosophical bases of psychodynamic/psychoanalytic, cognitive and humanistic counselling, and explores the complicated and sometimes contradictory nature of contracting within these approaches... The book is written in an accessible language and often uses very powerful imagery to underline its message... I found this book to be extremely stimulating, accessible and readable. I recommend it to all people interested in counselling, and particularly to students of counselling at all levels' - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

Contracts in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Second Edition is a practical guide to an essential area of professional knowledge and skills. Any kind of therapeutic relationship requires an agreement between practitioner and client at the outset. When contracting with clients, practitioners need to consider a whole range of factors including:

"goals of counselling

"theoretical orientation

"brief or open-ended counselling

"different personality types

"ethical and legal issues.

This book provides a unique guide to the nature of counselling contracts, why they are needed and how they are made. For the second edition, the book has been thoroughly updated to take account of the BACP ethical framework. Two new chapters have been added covering the legal aspects of contracting, and how to make contracts with trainees.

Contracts in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Second Edition is an authoritative source of information and practical guidance for trainees and practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy.

Charlotte Sills is Visiting Professor at Middlesex University, and Head of Transactional Analysis Department at Metanoia Institute, London

This substantially revised and updated second edition now also includes chapters on working within an anti-discriminatory approach with:

- refugees

-people with mental health difficulties

-people with disfigurement or visible differences.

While each thought-provoking chapter now:

-links theory to practice by providing case studies and extracts from therapeutic dialogues

-assesses the most recent research findings

-provides exercises for enhancing awareness and skills within each different domain or care setting

-presents references for further recommended reading.

Clearly written and accessible, Anti-discriminatory Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy is an indispensable addition to the toolkit of everyone either training to be or practising in the counselling and psychotherapeutic professions.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the tasks and the processes of learning and writing required on counselling training courses and in the practice of counselling. The authors cover the entire period of training, from choosing a course to the early stages of professional practice.

The first part of the book discusses learning skills, methods and approaches, looking at, for example, the context for learning, motivation and experiential learning. Part Two focuses on course requirements, the form of written assignments - how to complete them and the difficulties that can be encountered - as well as the basics of writing, including language, form and style. The final part looks at the involvement of practising counsellors in continued learning and the kinds of writing that they may develop throughout their careers.

The author provides straightforward advice and guidelines about how a business can be set up and thereafter maintained successfully. Tax, VAT and accounting are explained clearly, and examples of budgets illustrate how to make the business perform. Business research, marketing and promotion, finding and using suitable premises, working from home, forming partnerships, dealing with insurance, legal and safety issues and other essential considerations are all covered in detail. The book also encourages a comprehensive assessment of the practitioner's emotional needs and physical health as well as financial security.

It is now widely accepted that the therapeutic relationship - referred to here as the counselling relationship - may be the most significant element in effective practice. Understanding the Counselling Relationship presents contrasting views of the relationship between the counsellor or therapist and the client, as held by practitioners from diverse theoretical orientations.

Each chapter clarifies and considers the elements of the counselling relationship which have most bearing on therapeutic practice. The strengths of each position are highlighted in terms of understanding, theory and skills. The relevance of certain psychological, sociological and research-based issues for practitioners from a variety of theoretical backgrounds are also considered.

`Beautifully written and well researched and full of useful structured exercise for therapists and clients, this is a combination of psychology textbook and counselling handbook - theoretical a, yet practical' - Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal

Counselling and the Life Course introduces counsellors to the concept of the life course as a multidimensional and multidisciplinary framework for thinking about clients' lives within and beyond the counselling setting. It aims to give counsellors an understanding of human development, and how it impacts practically upon their work with clients.

The book engages with the tension between, on the one hand, recognizing age and life stage as important dimensions of difference, and on the other, avoiding the pitfalls of age stereotyping and ageist discrimination. At the same time, Counselling and the Life Course shows how the concept of the life course can be used as a framework for considering the commonalities between different life stages. This provides a focus for counsellors of how to draw on their existing skills and expertise when working with clients of a different age and life stage to those with whom they generally meet. The impact of both counsellor and client age on the counselling relationship is also considered.

The book includes an `Activity Trail' of structured exercises in order to encourage reflection on the concepts discussed and their relevance to clients, the readers themselves, and their counselling practice.