Background: Following recent moves to relax the requirements for clinical mental health trainees to undergo personal therapy, this qualitative project explored the effects of personal therapy on volunteer counsellors. Method: Interviews were conducted with 19 volunteer counsellors at a women's community centre, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Emerging themes included the importance of personal therapy for trainee development, key elements of personal therapy and the idea that personal therapy is ‘a double‐edged sword’. Discussion: Allowing for evident methodological difficulties in evaluating the impact of personal therapy on trainees, this study suggests that close consideration should be given to the potentially adverse effects of reducing requirements for personal therapy in clinical trainings.
AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank all of our participants, and all of those who work at the women's centre. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Middlesex University and the King's Fund. Long-term counselling in a women-only environment for socially disempowered women may be beneficial. A research-informed approach to counselling and therapy evaluation, which acknowledges the social context of psychological distress, should be taken across institutions.
An experiential model of supervision was developed from the data. This model complements existing models in the field. It could be evaluated and used alongside existing models in various training and supervision contexts. Findings are discussed in relation to the literature on clinical supervision.
Aims: Given the lack of research evaluating long-term counselling, coupled with the lack of women-only counselling services, the present study evaluated the long-term counselling service offered by a women-only community health centre. Method: The research ascertained: (1) the characteristics of 155 service users pre-counselling, (2) the views and experiences of 75 service users post-counselling, and (3) pre-post-counselling clinical change in 98 service users via the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation -Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Results: Unemployment, low income and reports of abuse were related to poorer mental health as measured by the CORE-OM. Content analysis of open-ended questions revealed that women felt supported, comfortable and gained insight through the counselling relationship. They also reported positive changes in their lives, relationships, health behaviours, and psychological wellbeing. Post-counselling improvements were found in CORE-OM scores. Conclusions: Long-term counselling in a women-only environment for socially disempowered women may be beneficial. A researchinformed approach to counselling and therapy evaluation, which acknowledges the social context of psychological distress, should be taken across institutions.
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