Use of Homework in CBT - Timing of Communication in Asynchronous Counselling

Episode 187 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast opens with Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly talking about the strengths and weaknesses of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and in particular the use of homework in this popular modality. 'Digital Counselling Revolution' then looks at asynchronous therapy - specifically the timing of communications when working in this way. Last - in 'Practice Matters' - Rory speaks with counsellor and tutor Simon Heath about ecotherapy, in particular walk-and-talk therapy.

Use of Homework in CBT (starts at 1.45 mins)

The term 'homework' may carry negative connotations of school and its academic pressures for some people, but CBT homework is intended as a supportive part of the therapy that both increases its effectiveness and promotes client autonomy (through encouraging clients to 'become their own therapist' between and after sessions).

Rory describes the origins of CBT, describing how US psychologist Albert Ellis developed Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT) - the earliest form of cognitive-based psychotherapy - in the 1950s.

As a young man, Ellis lacked the confidence to talk to women of his own age. He decided to try to tackle his shyness by going to Central Park in New York and making himself talk to 100 women. This helped him become more confident about talking to women and he managed to alter what he saw as his irrational fear.

Ellis's experiment was an early example of CBT homework, which may focus on the client challenging their perception. Ken and Rory discuss other examples of such experiments and other possible types of CBT homework.

They also compare and contrast the non-directive modality of person-centred therapy and the active-directive CBT. CBT has a strong base in research, helped by its measurability (due partly to the setting of a specific goal for therapy).

You can download a handout on CBT session structure and use of homework here. And the Counselling Tutor website has lots of other resources on CBT - simply go to the 'Theory' tab on the top menu bar or search for what you require using our special tool on the website.

Timing of Communication in Asynchronous Counselling (starts at 15.00 mins)

Asynchronous communication is when you send a message without expecting an immediate response - for example, using text, social media, email or online forums. Email and text therapy are forms of counselling that use asynchronous communication.

It is easy to think that it's fine to send an email at any time of day or night, but it is good practice to contract with the client on when you will do this - partly to avoid them being left emotionally 'open' for a long period after sharing their intimate thoughts and feelings by message, and partly to reduce the chance of them experiencing the black-hole effect.

The latter phenomenon was named by American psychologist John Suler (1997); it refers to the uncomfortable phenomenon of sending an email and not knowing whether or not it was received and read.

Ken and Rory talk about the importance of clear contracting for email/text therapy; the skills needed; and how to work safely, ethically and professionally in this way.

Professional training in working online is vital, and you may wish to consider taking our Online and Telephone Counselling Certificate course. The course exceeds 80 hours of guided learning, and the learning outcomes are mapped to the BACP's 2021 competencies for telephone and e-counselling.

Most of the course is self-directed learning via online lectures and resources; this means that you can work at your own pace, and complete the course with no external time pressure.

Walk-and-Talk Therapy (starts at 27.15 mins)

Rory talks to Simon Heath, who has recently recorded a lecture on Ecotherapy for our Counsellor CPD library (which offers hundreds of hours of on-demand lecture...

Counselling Training in Australia - Managing Digital Footprints

In Episode 186 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Rory Lees-Oakes interviews Torrie Hall, a final-year counselling student from Australia. 'Digital Counselling Revolution' then focuses on the importance of managing digital footprints when working online, before - in Practice Matters - the presenters discuss attachment styles, and how important understanding your attachment style is for counsellors.

Counselling Training in Australia (starts at 2.00 mins)

Rory talks to Torrie Hall, who is a final-year counselling student in Australia, working towards her Diploma of Counselling through TAFE (technical and further education), an Australian government institution. This will enable her to become a registered counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association.

Torrie talks to Rory about:

similarities and differences between the Australian and UK systems for training to be a counsellor

her experience of remote learning

ethical bodies in Australia

the role of creative teaching

the structure of her course

clinical supervision

choice of modality

counselling placements

Managing Digital Footprints (starts at 15.15 mins)

The BACP has recently updated its competence framework for online and telephone therapy. The new framework recognises the advances in technology since the original publication and includes a number of new competencies, including the professional competence of 'knowledge of, and ability to work with, issues of confidentiality and consent, including data protection (GDPR) and ability to monitor own digital footprint and that of the clinical work'.

Rory and Ken compare digital footprints with physical footprints on the sand but note that the former is far less visible and much harder to remove. When working as online counsellors, we must therefore try to minimise our client's digital footprint, for example relating to:

payment arrangements

Phone bills

technology platforms used in therapy

information submitted to you by the client

cookies

search history.

Ken and Rory also talk about the dangers of facial recognition software and how important it is to be very careful with your own social media presence.

Understanding Your Attachment Style (starts at 24.05 mins)

We may be well aware of the value of knowing our clients' attachment styles, but are you aware of what your own is?

Attachment style affects how we relate to others, and so understanding your attachment style is essential knowledge for counsellors - especially when transference and/or countertransference come into play.

Drawing on the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, Rory talks about the four main attachment styles, and Ken equates these to Eric Berne's plain-language versions:

secure = 'I'm OK; you're OK'

insecure ambivalent = 'I'm not OK; you're OK'

insecure disorganised = 'I'm not OK; you're not OK'

insecure avoidant-dismissive = 'I'm OK; you're not OK'.

Ken and Rory discuss their own attachment styles, their origins, and how understanding your attachment style will advance your counselling practice.

Links and Resources

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Shop

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner's Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course

Special Edition - National Counselling Society: Autonomy-Centred and Process-Centred Counselling Practice

We broadcast a special edition podcast on the National Counselling Society (NCS) in March 2019. This followed questions posed by members of the Counselling Tutor Facebook group. Rory then revisited the NCS in October 2020, with more questions gathered from the Facebook group, and spoke to NCS Chief Executive Meg Moss.

In this third podcast about the NCS's work, Rory and Meg discuss the debate around autonomy-centred and process-centred counselling practice.

Meg explains the differences between these two, explaining that a process-centred counselling practice is based on the medical model, while an autonomy-centred counselling practice is based on an organic/holistic model.

The two terms - 'process-centred' and 'autonomy-centred' - were used by the NCS in its response to the strategic review by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) of the Accredited Registers Programme.

In the podcast, Meg describes the two terms as follows:

Autonomy-centred practice

Takes a phenomenological approach

Views each person as an individual

Sees the therapeutic relationship as key

Offers autonomy for both parties

Supports creativity

Is not measurable

Provides flexibility

Offers a space for wellbeing

Centres on equality and diversity

Considers the impact of society on wellbeing

Is a vocation

Process-centred practice

Focuses on symptoms

Aims to 'diagnose' and 'cure'

Looks to stop a specific thing from happening

Draws up a treatment plan

Involves box-ticking

Takes a set approach to dealing with a particular problem, offering a standard solution

Is more able to be measured

Is a profession

Rory and Meg move on to discuss regulating counselling and psychotherapy. Meg explains what the PSA and Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) are and do:

The PSA helps to protect the public through its work with organisations that register and regulate people working in health and social care. It is independent and accountable to the UK Parliament. Through its Accredited Registers Programme (set up in 2012), the PSA assesses organisations that register health and social care practitioners (e.g. the NCS) who are not regulated by law so that members of the public can choose a practitioner to meet their needs with confidence.

The HCPC protects the public by regulating 15 health and care professions. They set standards for professionals' education, training and practice; maintain a register of professionals who meet these standards; and take action if any registrants don't meet its standards. There were discussions in 2009 about the possibility of counsellors and psychotherapists becoming regulated by the HCPC, but this did not go ahead.

Meg believes that the voluntary regulation scheme offered through the Accredited Registers Programme works well. She explains that the NCS is not specifically against regulation - especially if it helps protect and reassure the public - but it does have concerns about some potential consequences of this, including:

standardisation leading to homogenous practice

difficulties in regulating a role that by nature has a wide range of ways of practising

limitations to the scope of practice

cumbersome nature of the regulation process

people not wanting to train as counsellors, or qualified practitioners leaving due to regulation-related pressures and costs

push towards a hierarchical structure for counselling and psychotherapy.

Meg describes the basis for the NCS's stance on regulation, which is - as with the rest of its work - based on the results of seeking members' views on this, as well as its investigation and analysis of relevant documentation and actions.

Links and Resources

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

The Women Who Changed Counselling - Working with Eating Disorders

Episode 185 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast begins with Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly discussing influential women in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. 'Digital Counselling Revolution' then looks at how to choose online therapy platforms for therapists. Last, Rory speaks with counsellor Bernie Wright about working with clients who have eating disorders.

The Women Who Changed Counselling (starts at 1.25 mins)

In honour of International Women's Day on 8 March, Ken and Rory look at influential women in the field of counselling and psychotherapy.

The history of counselling and psychotherapy can seem to be dominated by men, but many women have made significant contributions to counselling theory and practice. Ken and Rory talk about the work of:

Jessie Taft, who helped develop the person-centred approach

Laura Perls, who was an important gestalt psychotherapist

Petruska Clarkson, who proposed the idea of intersubjectivity

Anna Freud, who looked at the fantasy lives of infants from birth

Melanie Klein, who worked extensively on child analysis

Margaret Mahler, who came up with separation-individuation theory

Francine Shapiro, who invented EMDR

Margaret Warner, who developed the concept of fragile process

A number of female clients and relatives were also particularly influential.

You can download a handout on the women who changed counselling here or through Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

Choosing Online Therapy Platforms for Therapists (starts at 14.25 mins)

Working online requires us to use online therapy platforms to communicate with our clients. Are you certain that yours is appropriate and secure?

While working by telephone may appear to be more straightforward in security terms than working via a video-conferencing platform, this may use VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Which platform is right for your practice and clients?

Rory and Ken advise against certain online therapy platforms that are owned by social-media companies, and that you should always read the terms and conditions - and licence agreement - very carefully for any software or platform you use.

In particular, you should read the provider's Data Processing Agreement (DPA). The Information Commissioner's Office requires providers to have a DPA in order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.

When looking for online therapy platforms for therapists, do be wary of free platforms, and take a good look at the difference between free and paid versions of the same platform: you may not have to pay much to gain greatly in terms of security and features.

Last but not least, don't assume that once you've read the DPA, that's that: the provider is likely to make changes to this, and it's vital to keep up-to-date with these.

Working with Eating Disorders (starts at 20.30 mins)

Rory talks with Bernie Wright, who has recorded a lecture on working with clients who have disordered eating for Counsellor CPD (our online library of lectures for qualified practitioners of counselling and psychotherapy).

Bernie notes that GPs may not be well informed on eating disorders, since little time is dedicated to this topic at medical school. She describes how counsellors in this specialist field are overwhelmed by the volume of referrals, making it an area you may wish to consider training in.

It would not be ethical to take on clients presenting with eating disorders without such training. It is not uncommon for clients initially to present with anxiety and/or depression but then to reveal eating disorders once therapy has begun: again, it is vital to be prepared.

Bernie notes that if clients are not feeding their body, mind and soul, then personal change is very difficult. This important specialism requires knowledge relating to both the physiology and the psychology of eating disorders.

Surviving Counselling Training - Returning to Counselling Practice

Episode 184 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast begins with Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly offering their tips on how to survive counselling training. Next, 'Digital Counselling Revolution' looks at GDPR for therapists, especially when working online. Finally, counsellor Paul Cullen provides a 'peek into practice' through a conversation with Rory about his work.

Surviving Counselling Training (starts at 1.25 mins)

Rory and Ken talk about various aspects of what it is like to go through counselling training, including:

what brings people to train as counsellors

the relevance of Chiron, the Greek mythological 'wounded healer'

possible effects of training on you as a person

possible effects of training on your relationships

importance of self-care

support available for people who have been out of the world of study for some time

how technology now supports the study

how Bloom's taxonomy is used in counselling course criteria.

Rory has written an e-book on surviving counselling training - you can download this here or through Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

Data Protection and GDPR for Therapists (starts at 23.15 mins)

In 2016, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was passed in the European parliament; in 2018, it became enforceable. The GDPR is all about data protection.

Ken and Rory talk about GDPR for therapists and the various aspects of this important piece of legislation, including:

when and how to register with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

how to ensure that your website is GDPR-compliant, e.g. in its cookie policy

how long you need to store counselling notes.

You can contact the ICO if you have any specific queries that you can't see answered on its website.

We have a lecture dedicated to GDPR for therapists in our Counsellor CPD library, and this important topic is also covered in our 80-hour Online and Telephone Counselling course.

Returning to Counselling Practice (starts at 33.30 mins)

Rory talks with Paul Cullen - a counsellor based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire - about his career to date. Having qualified as a counsellor in 2007, Paul worked briefly in private practice before taking some years away from the counselling profession to do related work.

In this interview, Paul shares his experiences of returning to counselling practice, including:

steps taken when returning to counselling practice

refreshing of his knowledge and skills through the Counselling Tutor Podcast

feelings on beginning client sessions again

the process of rejoining a professional body

his experience of taking the BACP's Certificate of Proficiency

what being a counsellor means to him

the rebuilding of his confidence

ways to counteract the imposter syndrome

effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on his work

his experience of working online

the contribution of our Online and Telephone Counselling Course.

Links and Resources

Counselling Skills Academy

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Training and CPD

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course

Keeping in the Client's Frame of Reference - Choosing a Video Background

In episode 183 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly share their tips on getting into and staying within the client's frame of reference. 'Digital Counselling Revolution' then looks at choosing a video background for your online counselling work. Last, Rory interviews integrative psychotherapist Emily Mitchell about her online therapy research, particularly on her findings about the relational aspect of online counselling.

Keeping in the Client's Frame of Reference (starts at 1.25 mins)

Rory and Ken discuss this important topic, covering a range of areas:

what a frame of reference is

what it means to be in the client's frame of reference

how to avoid your own frame of reference contaminating your attending to the client

skills used to support getting in - and staying within - the therapeutic relationship

the role of patience, and how this benefits the client.

How to keep in the client's frame of reference is a topic much discussed in the Counselling Tutor Facebook group. If you're not already a member of this group, why not come along and ask to join? There, you'll find over 36,000 students, practitioners, supervisors and students interested in the world of counselling and psychotherapy.

Rory has produced a free handout on the rules of therapeutic pacing - you can download this here or through Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

Choosing a Video Background (starts at 16.10 mins)

Whichever video conferencing platform you are using, you need to be thoughtful about the background that clients will see during sessions - and to be aware too of the background they show you.

In effect, the client is inviting you into their home (if that is where they are having their online therapy).

Ken and Rory provide a range of tips on video backgrounds, including the following:

Talk to the client during contracting about backgrounds, ensuring they have considered that you will be able to see theirs.

Avoid then commenting on the client's background.

Plan your background just as you would your counselling room.

Choose a neutral background.

Avoid personal items in your own background (e.g. family photos) and also any distracting items/colours or anything that might be triggering or upsetting for clients (this may vary between individual clients).

Test out your online background with a colleague before using it with clients.

Ken and Rory discuss in some detail the use of virtual backgrounds, including the pros and cons, when they might be appropriate, and how to explain your use of them to the client. Standard virtual backgrounds do have some technological shortcomings, and more sophisticated options are available.

Choosing your video background is one of the topics covered in our 80-hour Online and Telephone Counselling course, which has already trained thousands of therapists in online working. It is also included in our book, Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner's Guide.

Online Therapy Research Findings (starts at 28.25 mins)

Rory talks with Emily Mitchell, who has recorded a lecture for Counsellor CPD, our digital library for qualified practitioners.

Emily recently undertook a qualitative research study on the relational aspects of online therapy, finding that relational depth is still entirely possible.

The online therapy research used the subjective lived experience of six experienced integrative psychotherapists, who concluded overall that online therapy is different from face-to-face working, but is 'much more than second-best'.

Emily summarises the various themes that arose in her online therapy research, including:

what is seen and what is hidden

intimacy and distance

openness to connection

importance of attitude and skillset.

Links and Resources

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Making Reasonable Adjustments Online - Interview with NCS Chief Executive

Episode 182 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast opens with a discussion between Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly on the tasks of supervision in counselling. 'Digital Counselling Revolution' then focuses on making reasonable adjustments online. Finally, Rory interviews Meg Moss, Chief Executive of the National Counselling Society (NCS) about her work.

Tasks of Supervision in Counselling (starts at 1.55 mins)

Rory and Ken explore the tasks of supervision in counselling, which they split into four categories:

formative

normative

restorative

ethics

Explaining the meaning of each of these, they note that clinical supervision was originally based on the apprenticeship model. Supervision is not personal counselling, and the supervisor has a responsibility to both the supervisee and their clients, ensuring that all work is in their service.

Supervisors will look not so much at the content of what clients are bringing as at how the supervisee is working with this. Each supervisee-supervisor relationship is unique.

The presenters provide guidance on what to expect from supervision and what you take to it. Expanding on this, Rory has produced a free handout on the tasks of supervision in counselling - you can download this here or through Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

Making Reasonable Adjustments Online (starts at 14.00 mins)

'Reasonable adjustments' in the context of counselling are changes to remove or reduce the effect of a client's disability so they can access therapy. Ken provides the example of recording an audio file of discussing the counselling contract that can then be sent to a sight-impaired client to facilitate their review.

Ken and Rory discuss the importance of making reasonable adjustments, and how the nature of these may vary between face-to-face and online working.

It is acknowledged that change can be challenging for both clients and counsellors, but that the growth of online counselling is one that looks set to be sustained, even when it is possible to return to face-to-face working.

Key to successful working online is to have an online mindset, ensuring that you don't see online counselling as second-best somehow.

This is just one of the topics that is discussed in our 80-hour Online and Telephone Counselling course, which has already trained thousands of therapists in online working. It is also covered in our book, Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner's Guide.

Interview with NCS Chief Executive (starts at 27.05 mins)

Rory talks to Meg Moss, Chief Executive of the NCS, about her work. In particular, Meg responds to questions on:

her journey to get to her current role (which began six years ago, when she joined NCS as an administrator)

the changes she has overseen at NCS (two major ones of which are the COVID-19 pandemic and SCoPEd)

what a typical day looks like in Meg's diary (with Meg concluding that there is no such thing really, but that most days involve discussing and liaising with multiple individuals and bodies)

her hopes for the future in her current role.

Meg emphasises the importance of working in the service of members, given that NCS is a membership organisation. As part of this, a new Head of Membership Services has recently been appointed.

Links and Resources

Counselling Skills Academy

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Training and CPD

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course

Special Edition - BACP SCoPEd

NOTE: BACP has issued the following statement clarifying the reference made in this podcast to counselling and psychotherapy being considered high risk by the PSA: 

The PSA has not yet conducted a risk assessment of their accredited professions, and we would like to apologise for the error in communication. What we intended to convey was that the PSA is publicly committed to taking a risk assessment approach and that looking at the current list of voluntary accredited registers (not statutory regulated), it is quite possible that counselling and psychotherapy would be seen as higher risk when compared to some other occupations. The PSA's approach to risk assessment for statutory and voluntary registers was published in 2016, and you can read more on their website. You can also read about the SCoPed project here: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/advancing-the-profession/scoped/ 

SCoPEd (Scope of Practice and Education) is a project to set out the training requirements and practice standards for counselling and psychotherapy. It is much discussed in the Counselling Tutor Facebook group. In this special edition of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Rory Lees-Oakes interviews Caroline Jesper and Jens Bakewell of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Caroline Jesper is Head of Professional Standards at BACP. She has previously worked as a BACP Accreditation Assessor and as a Professional Standards Development Facilitator, developing BACP competencies and curricula. She is a supervisor and a BACP-accredited counsellor - and was a senior lecturer for many years, developing and delivering counselling and supervision training.

Jens Bakewell is an ecotherapist, supervisor and counselling trainer who works part-time in BACP's accreditation team, assessing applications for accreditation for individuals, courses and services.

Caroline and Jens answer a range of questions, which we list below, with some of the information they provided. To hear the full questions and their answers, please listen to the podcast.

 

Click any question below to see the answer.

Why is BACP not seeking government regulation of the profession rather than going down the route of SCoPEd?

Going back to 2012, statutory regulation was being discussed by the government, with the then Health Professions Council as the regulatory body. However, there were some difficulties reaching consensus on the professional standards.

Following a general election, the idea of statutory regulation (which would always be a decision to be made by Parliament rather than by a profession) was dropped, but BACP had realised that it made sense to prepare for the future possibility of this being raised again.

The Professional Standards Authority's current consultation has highlighted a desire for shared standards with different entry points for professions, together with an 'enhanced regulation model', which ranks professions by risk. The profession of counselling and psychotherapy is seen by the PSA as high risk in this model. SCoPEd again helps us prepare.

Would it not be better for BACP to align with the European Certificate of Psychotherapy (which is held by around 120,000 psychotherapists across 41 European countries) - or indeed the World Council for Psychotherapy - rather than having SCoPEd?

Given that different countries have their own legislation governing psychotherapy, it is not as easy as it might seem to work outside one's own territory. But BACP - which already has international recognition - may well link in with these wider initiatives in future. And SCoPEd will help it do so, and help individual BACP members to apply for the European Certificate of Psychotherapy if they so wish.

What does SCoPEd mean for students, qualified practitioners and accredited members? Might their work so far be wasted?

Stages in the Counselling Relationship - Referrals in Online Counselling

In Episode 181 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly talk about the different stages in the counselling relationship. 'Digital Counselling Revolution' then examines the process of making referrals in online (as opposed to face-to-face) counselling. Last, Rory interviews Maggi McAllister-MacGregor about a new lecture she has recently produced for Counsellor CPD on neuroscience and counselling.

Stages in the Counselling Relationship (starts at 1.30 mins)

Being aware of stages of the counselling relationship and the skills required at each of these is an important element of passing the advanced skills assessments that form part of all practitioner-level counselling training courses.

The counselling relationship can be seen as having three phases:

beginning

middle

end

Ken and Rory talk through the challenges and rewards of each stage, and the skills that are particularly pertinent at each. If you're not already a member of the Counselling Tutor Facebook group, why not come along and exchange views on this topic with other students, practitioners, tutors and supervisors in the world of counselling and psychotherapy?

While the field of counselling is an area for scientific research, so that we have an evidence base on which to base our practice, Rory notes that it is also very much an art.

He uses the analogy of the theatre to illustrate the three phases of the counselling relationship, from the characters' first appearance on stage to their leaving at the final curtain. Of course, for some clients, there may be a sequel - either with the same counsellor or with another agency, through the referral process.

You can also download a free handout on the stages in counselling here or through Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

Referrals in Online Counselling (starts at 18.05 mins)

Ken and Rory discuss how different the referral process can be in online versus face-to-face counselling.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that in face-to-face work, you will generally be working with clients from the local area, and so you can develop a detailed knowledge of local agencies and individuals there who may be helpful.

Once you are working online, however, clients may live at the other end of the country, and so you will naturally be less familiar with possible referral routes and processes.

Ken and Rory describe solutions to this, including the search tool on Helplines Partnership's website, which allows you to search for UK agencies by keyword, topic and region.

If you are actually making a referral yourself, rather than simply signposting clients to agencies for self-referral, it's vital to ensure that you follow the Caldicott Principles. This important set of principles was developed in 1997 following a review (chaired by Dame Fiona Caldicott) of how the NHS handled confidential patient information.

This topic is covered in more detail in our new book, Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner's Guide, and our course, Online and Telephone Counselling, which has already trained thousands of therapists in online working.

Neuroscience and Counselling (starts at 31.15 mins)

Rory talks to Maggi McAllister-MacGregor about neuroscience in the world of counselling and psychotherapy, including:

how long the discipline of neuroscience has been around

technological developments in the last 20 years

what neuroscience can tell us about how the human brain functions

the brain-body connection

the role of the vagus nerve

neuroscience in trauma

application of neuroscience to counselling practice

psychoeducation of counselling clients, and effect on psychological contact

possible areas for future research.

Our online Counsellor CPD library offers hundreds of hours of on-demand CPD lectures, training and resources to support your continuing ...

Idiosyncratic Empathy - Interview with ACTO Chair

Episode 180 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast opens with Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly discussing the skill of idiosyncratic empathy. Then, in 'Digital Counselling Revolution', Rory interviews Adrian Rhodes, Chair of the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO). Finally, in 'Practice Matters', we have another guest - this time Kairen Griffiths, speaking about teenage brain development.

Idiosyncratic Empathy (starts at 1.30 mins)

In the Student Check-In, Ken and Rory explore idiosyncratic empathy, which is particularly relevant in both skills practice and written assignments.

Areas of this topic covered in the discussion include what it is and what it is not, examples of interventions that would show strong idiosyncratic empathy, and examples of those that would not (for example, 'rescuing' responses).

Understanding the term 'idiosyncratic empathy' can be made easier by breaking it down into the two words it comprises. The term was coined by person-centred therapist Jerold Bozarth, who asserted that empathy was dynamic, changing in line with the individual client and their specific situation.

This takes empathy to a deeper level, beyond the mere reflection of words to a more personal and individualistic level that is different in each therapeutic relationship. In other words, empathy is as varied as the different clients we are likely to meet.

You can download a free handout on idiosyncratic empathy here or through Counselling Study Resource (CSR). And if you're keen to learn more about this important skill, you might like to get hold of a copy of Ken's book, Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide, which includes a whole chapter on idiosyncratic empathy.

In the CSR, you can also hear explanations of the full range of counselling skills - with audio files illustrating them in simulated sessions.

Interview with ACTO Chair (starts at 17.10 mins)

In Rory's interview with ACTO Chair Adrian Rhodes, you can hear about:

the history of ACTO

its founding members

ACTO's purpose

membership levels and what they mean

benefits of ACTO membership

similarities and differences between face-to-face and online therapy

the therapeutic relationship when working online

client presentations for which online therapy is particularly helpful.

You can read more about ACTO on its website, which there are plans to develop in the near future.

You might also like to consider our full course, Online and Telephone Counselling, which has already trained thousands of therapists in online working.

We are a recognised ACTO Online Training Provider and this course enables counsellors who successfully complete it to join ACTO at Level 1, with a subsequent option to take the assessment for ACTO Level 2 Professional Membership.

Teenage Brain Development (starts at 32.40 mins)

Rory talks to Kairen Griffiths, who has recently recorded a fascinating lecture for Counsellor CPD on teenage brain development.

Kairen and Rory talk about what you need to know to be able to work with teenagers or their carers, including:

how and when the teenage brain develops

the ways in which the development of the teenage brain may affect mood and behaviour.

The lecture will be invaluable for counsellors working with teenagers and also for those working with adults whose presenting issues relate to teenagers, supporting you to be able to offer ideas and strategies to help both these client groups.

Links and Resources

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Shop

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner's Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course