A pilot study into the experiences of counsellors in training

1. A pilot study into the experiences of counsellors in training A traditional dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA Psychological Therapies at Leeds Metropolitan University Damien Haigh

2. Structure of a Traditional Dissertation • Introduction • Aims and objectives • Literature Review • Research Question/Hypotheses • Methodology • Results and Analysis

3. Structure of a Traditional Dissertation • Discussion • Conclusions • Recommendations • Critical Appraisal and Reflection • Referencing • Appendices

4. The Purpose of the Study • A qualitative study into counsellors’ experiences on their training courses • Considering any differences between the experiences of male and female counsellors • Considering if any aspects of training are less helpful to women or men • Maximise the effective use of training by students

5. The Rationale for the Study • Following on from my own experiences on a Diploma-level course • Men use counselling less than women • Only 30% of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) members are men • Do these factors impact upon men’s ability to engage with training?

6. Objectives of the Study • Why women and men study counselling • If and how men and women experience training differently • Which parts of courses are helpful or unhelpful • What the long-term benefits of training are and • If courses are more suited to ways of working and self-expression which are viewed as “feminine”

7. Literature Review 1 • Men’s Low Uptake of Counselling • Gender Splits in the Mental Health Field • The Move Towards a Degree-Level Core Curriculum for Training and Possible Regulation of the Counselling Profession

8. Literature Review 2 • People’s Motivations for Studying Counselling • The Application Process and Initial Selection of Trainees • Self-Exploration and Personal Development in Training • Supervised Work with Clients • Acquisition of Counselling Skills

9. Literature Review 3 • Counselling Theory and Academic Content • Assessment and Initiation, and its Impact Upon Relationships on the Course • Training Methods • Outcomes and the Long-Term Value of Counsellor Training • Costs of Training

10. Literature Review 4 • Personal Distress Suffered by Trainees and the Impact of Counsellor Training on Personal Relationships • The Need for Further Research on Counsellor Training

11. Research Questions • What was helpful or unhelpful about training courses? • What was easy or difficult? • Would they have changed anything about their courses? • How did training prepare them for life and work as counsellors?

12. Methodology • Design of the Study • Research Sample: Characteristics, Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria, Access • Procedures for Data Collection • Method of Data Analysis • Ethical Considerations

13. Results and Analysis 1 • Participants • Reasons for Studying Counselling • Participants’ Initial Experiences on Diploma Courses • Relationships with Other Students • Valuing Previous Experience • Relationships with Tutors • Disruptions and Upheavals

14. Results and Analysis 2 • Course Ethos • Course Criteria and Assessment • Personal Development (PD) • Skills Acquisition • Academic Work • Fitting In, Getting it Right, Being Liberated or Dropping Out

15. Results and Analysis 3 • Gender • Age • Other Areas of Diversity: Class, Financial lncome and Race/Ethnicity • Advice for Future Students • Suggestions for Improvements to Courses • Benefits of Training

16. Discussion 1 • Benefits • Misgivings Compared with Initial Motivations and Expectations • Information given to potential students • Grouping and Ungrouping – Relationships with Others • Relationships with Tutors • Self-Exploration and Personal Development (PD) in Training

17. Discussion 2 • Course progression in PD • Personal Development – Group Dynamics and Mediation • PD Group Facilitation and Assessment • Contracting and Informed Consent in PD work • Learning Goals • Supervised Work with Clients

18. Discussion 3 • Acquisition of Counselling Skills and Skills Practice • Counselling Theory and Academic Content • Integration of Skills, Theory and Personal Development • Course Length, Course Progression and Levels of Training

19. Discussion 4 • Knowing and Not-Knowing – Criteria and Assessment • Costs of Training • Initiation: Fitting In, Getting it Right, Being Liberated or Dropping Out • Gender, and Men’s Low Uptake of Counselling • Other Areas of Diversity: Age, Class, Financial lncome and Race/Ethnicity

20. Conclusions • No clear gender differences emerged • No differences were noted in motivations or behaviour that led people to study counselling • Men and women alike reported many positive long-term benefits from training • Both male and female students experienced high levels of conflicting feelings on courses

21. Conclusions • Disturbances act as barriers to learning • Different students hold different expectations and assumptions • Courses do not always help students to address interpersonal issues, or their own personal or academic difficulties • Courses may also not give sufficient information about the demands of training to potential trainees

22. Conclusions • Students also wanted more support from tutors • Raised questions about tutor availability and staff-student ratios • Highlighted funding difficulties

23. Conclusions • Course environments and working practices did seem to be thought of as more suited to ways of working and self-expression viewed as “feminine” • This was mostly viewed in a positive light, and seen to affect men or women alike, and affect them in different ways

24. Conclusions • It is helpful to consider students’ individual needs based upon all aspects of identity, rather than isolating gender • All individuals have the potential to struggle with different aspects of courses • Their struggle may be seen in the context of “initiation” into a particular way of working

25. Conclusions • Students may experience tensions between counselling principles, and the need to prove themselves or fit in with a particular way of working • Tensions may also arise at organisational level because of the dichotomy between counselling principles and education methods

26. Recommendations • Further research on counsellor training will require ‘multiple levels of investigation’ • Training methods have not been sufficiently analysed in the past and may not have changed in response to students’ needs

27. Further Research Future research could: • compare students’ initial expectations with final outcomes from counselling training • consider different course approaches, providing wider comparisons of students views on different counselling models

28. Further Research Future research could: • explore students’ perceptions of course structures, assessing the impact of different areas of training and whether particular functions could be carried out in different ways • consider the importance of personal therapy for trainees during courses

29. Further Research Future research could: • explore the centrality of personal development groups in training, gathering more information about their immediate and long-term impacts • assess whether other forms of personal development activity or group work could help some students

30. Further Research Future research could: • identify how introductory and certificate courses help students with personal development, and consider whether students are sufficiently prepared for the demands of diploma courses • gain a greater understanding of how tutors and facilitators’ assessment roles change other aspects of their relationships with students

31. Further Research Future research could: • consider whether different facilitation styles have different benefits or problems • review the quality of course leaflets and prospectuses • consider whether tutors can explore difficult course dynamics more

32. Further Research Future research could: • evaluate how well colleges’ assessment methods meet students’ needs; and • consider the impact of individual differences or diversity on take up rates of courses, benefits from training and drop-out rates.