Assessment in Counselling - DIY versus Professionally Built Websites

In Episode 261 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back with this week's three topics:

First in 'Theory in Practice', we look closer at assessment in counselling.

Then in 'Practice Today', we have Daragh Mac Loughlin from Web Healer speaking about the differences between a DIY website and a professionally built one.

And lastly in 'Practice Matters', Rory continues the series by speaking with Rachel King, Professional Conduct Officer, and Meg Moss, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the NCS (soon to be the NCPS), about professional conduct procedures for counsellors.

Assessment in Counselling [starts in 02:40 mins]

When it comes to your first meeting with your client, you're going to need to get a sense of what they're here for, and where they are. One of the ways to do this is through assessment.

The key points on assessment in this section include:

For assessment, you can use forms such as CORE-10 and PHQ-9.

These questionnaires aren't just for showing that a client has progressed, but when used correctly, they can help you to identity exactly what your clients issue might be.

These forms need to be interpreted, not set aside.

Examples of the info you can gather from holistic assessment includes:

Presenting issues.

Personal history of a client.

Any personal relationships you need to know about - what support they have outside of counselling.

Health and lifestyle.

Any issues or challenges they may be facing.

Any medical or psychiatric history that may effect counselling.

Ethnicity, sexuality, and/or disabilities.

Previous experience of therapy.

The clients' goals.

The clients risk profile.

Remember that assessment isn't diagnosis

Do your competence levels match what the client's expectations are?

You can use assessment to help build rapport - showing unconditional positive regard, engaging in dialogue rather than being cold and clinical.

Allows client and counsellor to track progress.

Gives insight into life of client, anything that influences who they are.

Keep in mind that the answers the client is giving you may not be honest ones - trust has not yet been built.

DIY versus Professionally Built Websites [starts at 20:02 mins]

In this week's 'Practice Today', we have Daragh Mac Loughlin from Web Healer discussing website building.

The main points of this discussion:

A good designer can translate you and your practice into a website that is appealing, easy to digest, and easy to navigate.

It is a visual representation of your practice.

A website should be working with you to make your practice that bit easier, rather than being something extra you have to think and possibly worry about.

You want your website working to the best of its ability to help your potential clients get to know you and your practice, and to get in touch.

You can customise tools to fit you.

SEO (search engine optimization) is an essential part of getting your website seen, you want people who know how to get your website as high as possible on Google searches.

Consider how long it would take you to built your own website and weigh up whether it is worth your hourly rate, when a professional may be able to do it in a shorter time.

Professional Conduct Procedures for Counsellors [starts at 40:30 mins]

In this week's 'Practice Matters', Rory speaks again with the NCS (soon to be NCPS). This week he discusses professional conduct procedures for counsellors such as the complaints process with Rachel King and Meg Moss.

Some key points of this discussion on how to be best prepared for, or hopefully avoid the event of a complaint include:

Having a complaints process is essential for public protection and helps to make counselling a more trustworthy profession.