June 5th 2009: Perspective

We divided into two groups to work on the idea of working in a voluntary setting where we would use our counselling skills, in order to garner opinions of the usefulness of such a service with a view to developing it.

Group A worked on how to obtain the info.
- Questionnaires of current users. before and after counselling to check improvement or alleviation of symptoms.
- Large sample group to properly represent diversity of population
- Random phone calls.
- Mail drops
- Phone calls at random

The need for a balanced approach was important to ensure opportunity for potential client base.

Group B then looked at what a client might need to know about the counselling service.
- How does it work?
- Confidentiality.
- Comfortable setting.
- (To existing clients) what would you change?
- How did you find a specific helper?
- Appropriateness of helper.

There are a number of organisations interested in the quantitative and qualitative outcomes of such information gathering: NHS, GOVERNMENT, POLICE, MEDIA, FUNDERS, BACP.

The NHS for example, is interested in forms of help that change behaviour. But of course, different therapies help in different ways.

CBT can effect change in the short-term to alleviate symptoms.

Psychodynamic counselling aims to promote change by the use of insight and understanding.

Person-centred counselling is about effecting change through growth.

There is a need for evidence-based practice to determine the most effective treatments and to improve well-being. Also to establish fairness in terms of provision.

There is a tension between QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIVE research.

That is to say, the QUALITATIVE EXPERIENCE of being counselled can only be useful when comparing broadly similar experiences of mental health issues. Thus, a specific group only may be targeted, which may give evidence that is limited in use.

Whereas, the QUANTITATIVE approach may be more wide-ranging, randomised and constrained within very specific time-frames: before, after and in six month's time.

If the gathering of such evidence becomes part of the routine habit of practitioners then awareness of changing trends can inform one's practice as a counsellor.

We then moved on to skills practice. Namely paraphrasing and clarifying. That is to say that the client speaks and the counsellor paraphrases (repeats back to client what the client has just said but in a different way) and clarifies (clears up a particular point for the edification of client and counsellor).

SCENARIO: Client to speak about their personal development goals or experience of homework on the course. M, L, V and I took it in turns to do this. I had no problem expressing myself on the goal-setting and discovered to my embarrassment that L and M were both intimidated by me because I always knew what I wanted to say whereas I always feel I am struggling toward meaning. This is very interesting if not a little disconcerting, certainly puzzling. Intimidating others is not part of a counsellor's remit, I think. M spoke of updating his technical skills. L spoke about the struggle to return to essay writing after many years away. V acted as counsellor to L. Funnily enough L kept looking to M and I but was not aware that she was doing so. I found this activity difficult to achieve, clearly it requires practice.

I have decided to keep a separate journal for my eyes only in order to more reflective. Not that it hasn't been a useful thing to keep this blog but I think a deeper quality of reflection is only possible at a very private level.