Becoming a counsellor or psychotherapist is a transformative and life-changing experience. Some trainees manage this process well, while others struggle to come to terms with the personal impact of their training. In What You Really Need to Know about Counselling and Psychotherapy Training, Cathy McQuaid provides an in-depth but accessible guide to the processes of understanding individual motivations for wanting to undertake training and choosing the most appropriate course. Backed by extensive research, the book explains the training process from beginning to end, covering topics including: entry requirements, course curriculum and terms and conditions of training; the training relationship and group process; the challenges of training; the outcomes of counselling and psychotherapy training. McQuaid leads the reader through the process of choosing a course, working with the course leader and with a group of peers and considering potential employment prospects upon completion. Prompting the reader to consider their own personal, professional and educational needs within the framework of training, this is essential reading for anyone thinking of training as a counsellor or psychotherapist and for trainers and training course providers.

Case-based knowledge forms an essential element of the evidence base for counselling and psychotherapy practice. This book provides the reader with a unique introduction to the conceptual and practical tools required to conduct high quality case study research that is grounded in their own therapy practice or training. Drawing on real-life cases at the heart of counselling and psychotherapy practice, John McLeod makes complex debates and concepts engaging and accessible for the trainees and practitioners at all levels, and from all theoretical orientations. Key topics covered in the book include: - the role of case studies in the development of theory, practice and policy in counselling and psychotherapy - strategies for responding to moral and ethical issues in therapy case study research - practical tools for collecting case data - ′how-to-do-it′ guides for carrying out different types of case study - team-based case study research for practitioners and students - questions, issues and challenges that may have been raised for readers through their study. Concrete examples, points for reflection and discussion, and recommendations for further reading will enable readers to use the book as a basis for carrying out their own case investigation. All trainees in counselling, psychotherapy and clinical psychology are required to complete case reports, and this is the only textbook to cover the topic in real depth. The book will also be valuable to people who intend to use existing case studies to inform their practice, and it will help experienced practitioners to generate publishable case reports.

Becoming a counsellor or psychotherapist is a transformative and life-changing experience. Some trainees manage this process well, while others struggle to come to terms with the personal impact of their training. In What You Really Need to Know about Counselling and Psychotherapy Training, Cathy McQuaid provides an in-depth but accessible guide to the processes of understanding individual motivations for wanting to undertake training and choosing the most appropriate course. Backed by extensive research, the book explains the training process from beginning to end, covering topics including: entry requirements, course curriculum and terms and conditions of training; the training relationship and group process; the challenges of training; the outcomes of counselling and psychotherapy training. McQuaid leads the reader through the process of choosing a course, working with the course leader and with a group of peers and considering potential employment prospects upon completion. Prompting the reader to consider their own personal, professional and educational needs within the framework of training, this is essential reading for anyone thinking of training as a counsellor or psychotherapist and for trainers and training course providers.

`This chunky little book is packed with interesting approaches to the currently fashionable area of client assessment.... This is a book for any counsellor or counsellor trainee′s shelf, a necessary reference for the sound professional′ - Counselling News `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 will be of interest to anyone who may be considering training for a career in counselling and psychotherapy.... This text provides the reader with a considerable amount of information that may be used to select and hopefully successfully complete the right programme of study pertinent to their specific requirements. It maintains a good balance of being honest about the often rigorous and intense task of completing training, as well as being kindly reassuring that success can be achieved if approached in the right manner with sound advice being given throughout on how this may be carried out effectively′ - Jacqueline A Lawrence, Counselling Psychology Review This highly practical and informative book is designed for all who are considering training in counselling, counselling psychology or psychotherapy. To secure work within these increasingly professional and competitive fields, candidates need to have the appropriate training and qualifications. While theoretically, and in practice, the professional groups have much in common, each has its own distinct training routes and qualifications which can be confusing for the newcomer. A Beginner′s Guide to Training in Counselling & Psychotherapy sets out clearly the range of options for trainees including the professional pathways and main theoretical models available to them. Drawing on their vast experience as trainers, practitioners and former trainees, the contributors provide insights into what to expect from training and offer clear advice to help the reader: - select the right training - identify personal qualities which make them suitable or unsuitable - make a successful application - get the most out of training This book is the ideal starting point for anyone considering training in counselling, counselling psychology or psychotherapy. Trainers who want to provide students with an overview of the training process will find this an excellent text to recommend as initial or pre-course reading.

Even in one session a therapist can make a difference. Single Session Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques presents the 100 main features of this way of working, providing an accessible, succinct overview of this way of working, based on the author's extensive work demonstrating the effectiveness of SST. Divided into 9 sections, guiding you through every aspect of the therapy, the book covers topic such as: The goals of SST Characteristics of ‘good’ SST clients Responding effectively to the client’s very first contact Creating and maintaining a working focus Making an emotional impact Both concise and practical, Single Session Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques will be invaluable to psychotherapists and counsellors in training and practice.

How can therapists integrate theories and practices from across the psychological therapies? This book presents a framework for understanding distress and change that can unite different orientations, along with sociopolitical perspectives. Its starting point is that therapy aims to help clients move towards the things they most deeply want. It shows how the actualisation of these ‘directions’ leads to greater well-being, and how this can be brought about through the development of internal and external synergies. Using in-depth cases, the book provides detailed guidance on how this framework can be applied. After reading this book, you’ll feel better equipped to understand, and work with, your clients’ directions—tailoring the therapy to their unique wants.

Understanding Bereaved Parents and Siblings is based on lived experiences and provides insight, ideas, and inspiration on how to support the bereaved, how to talk to them about their experience, and how to help people manage their own shock or grief. Part I of the book contains ten stories from parents and six from siblings sharing their experiences. Each narrator discusses their relationship with the person who died; what led up to the death; the impact of the loss on the speaker; as well as what helped and what hindered them in their grief. Part II is aimed at professionals and draws on various topics such as grief and bereavement models, transgenerational loss, resilience, protection, and creative ways of working with grief. The book will be an essential read for the bereaved and the professionals, family, and friends who are supporting them.

Mick Cooper and John McLeod pioneer a major new framework for counselling theory, practice and research - the ′pluralistic′ approach. This model breaks away from the orientation-specific way in which counselling has traditionally been taught, reflecting and responding to shifts in counselling and psychotherapy training. As accessible and engaging as ever, Cooper and McLeod argue that there is no one right way of doing therapy and that different clients need different things at different times. By identifying and demonstrating the application of a range of therapeutic methods, the book outlines a flexible framework for practice within which appropriate methods can be selected depending on the client′s individual needs and the therapist′s knowledge and experience. This is a must-read for anybody training or practising in the counselling or helping professions - it should not be missed!

The Person of the Therapist Training Model presents a model that prepares therapists to make active and purposeful use of who they are, personally and professionally, in all aspects of the therapeutic process—relationship, assessment and intervention. The authors take a process that seems vague and elusive, the self-of-the-therapist work, and provide a step-by-step description of how to conceptualize, structure, and implement a training program designed to facilitate the creation of effective therapists, who are skilled at using their whole selves in their encounters with clients. This book looks to make conscious and planned use of a therapist’s race, gender, culture, values, life experience, and in particular, personal vulnerabilities and struggles in how he or she relates and works with clients. This evidence-supported resource is ideal for clinicians, supervisors, and training programs.