Personal Development In Counsellor Training

This book provides the answers to that all- important question: what are personal and professional development and why are they necessary for counsellors? This new edition explores: @! the importance of personal development and the core concepts that underpin it @! the aims, commonalities and differences of personal development in different settings and levels of training @! the key differences in theoretical approaches and their implications for personal development @! communication and relationships between counsellors and professional organizations, society, and the 'virtual' world, with all its demands on identity, privacy and congruence. @! the trainee and trainer and the challenges of personal development. Packed full of vivid accounts of personal experiences, questions and points for reflection, this book will prove an essential companion for anyone wishing to grow personally and professionally as a therapist. Hazel Johns is a Fellow of BACP, and has been for many years a trainer, supervisor and BACP-accredited counsellor.

There is an increased emphasis on self awareness and self care in counselling and psychotherapy training, with a focus on how the therapist as a person affects the therapeutic outcome. This timely book responds to these complex issues and is designed to help counselling students, trainees and graduates with integrating their personal development into their professional planning. There are chapters on bringing the Self into therapy, choosing the right training and how to succeed as an accredited practitioner. Activities and research summaries throughout give this book a fully-integrated approach ideal for busy students.

Personal development (PD) groups are a key feature of many counsellor training programmes. Personal Development Groups for Trainee Counsellors: An Essential Companion is a comprehensive and accessible study guide written by experienced tutors and lecturers to support students with their PD group work and other personal development activities, helping students to get the most out of these experiences. This essential resource is aimed primarily at those who are new to counsellor training. It will also be useful for anyone who wants to understand more about the nature of PD groups and how these can be used effectively. Case studies, questions and activities encourage readers to reflect on different topics and on themselves, including looking at how to improve self-care and how mindfulness can help. The book looks at the historical background to PD groups; how they can be used effectively, and also real-life experiences from both tutors and recent students. Other chapters invite the reader to develop their self-awareness through gaining an understanding of how ethics, relationships and identity are developed. There is a discussion about the merits or otherwise of mandatory personal therapy for trainees and also a discussion about the use of supervision. Finally, other important aspects of personal development are discussed including personal therapy, supervision, self-care and mindfulness. Personal Development Groups for Trainee Counsellors will be of use to counsellor trainees on undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas to introduce them to PD groups and other essential activities. It will also be highly informative to those who are on counselling certificate courses to introduce them to aspects of personal development, as well as for tutors to support them in their work as PD group facilitators.

This book provides the answers to that all- important question: what are personal and professional development and why are they necessary for counsellors? This new edition explores: @! the importance of personal development and the core concepts that underpin it @! the aims, commonalities and differences of personal development in different settings and levels of training @! the key differences in theoretical approaches and their implications for personal development @! communication and relationships between counsellors and professional organizations, society, and the 'virtual' worl.

Personal development is integral to much counselling and psychotherapy training. Self-awareness and critical reflection are also vital for developing effective therapeutic relationships. This uniquely focused sourcebook offers a fascinating range of approaches to the challenging and sometimes elusive task of self-development and self understanding. This textbook begins by introducing four core ways of seeing the 'self': as multiple, contextual, open to change, and always in relation to the 'other', and finishes by bringing together a range of specialist practitioners to explore different pathways to self understanding. Self Awareness and Personal Development provides hands-on resources for the ongoing project of exploring the self. It is an invaluable text for students, trainees and practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy.

`A helpful guide for newly qualified counsellors. It gives some comprehensive ideas and tips for further development... a useful book' - Self & Society `Conveys valuable information... Paul Wilkins writes well... With the current emphasis by accrediting counselling organizations on the importance of ongoing personal and professional development, this book would be a salutary place to start on such a journey' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling The personal and professional development of therapists is essential to continued good practice. This book explores just what is meant by `personal and professional development' and why it is so important f

Personal development is integral to much counselling and psychotherapy training. Self-awareness and critical reflection are also vital for developing effective therapeutic relationships. This uniquely focused sourcebook offers a fascinating range of approaches to the challenging and sometimes elusive task of self-development and self understanding. This textbook begins by introducing four core ways of seeing the 'self': as multiple, contextual, open to change, and always in relation to the 'other', and finishes by bringing together a range of specialist practitioners to explore different pathways to self understanding. Self Awareness and Personal Development provides hands-on resources for the ongoing project of exploring the self. It is an invaluable text for students, trainees and practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy.

`This thoughtful and thought-provoking book is essential reading not only for those involved in the training of counsellors within the person-centred approach, but also for individuals who may have simplistic, dismissive or otherwise ill-informed notions of the depth of self-awareness required of the person-centred practitioner and the far-reaching challenges offered by the approach. For counsellors who define themselves as "person-centred" but who have had no substantial training, it should be compulsory reading′ - British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Person-centred counselling probably requires more training - and a greater intensity of training - than most other mainstream counselling approaches, but until now no one book has concentrated solely on the principles, practices and requirements of training person-centred counsellors. Dave Mearns has drawn on the lived experiences of both trainers and trainees to demonstrate the potential range and importance of training in this field. The material covered includes selecting and supporting trainers, selecting course members, skills development, supervision and other professional issues - essential features of all counsellor training, but of particular relevance to the person-centred approach. Written expressly for both trainees and trainers, this book also extends and develops current thinking within the approach, and will be a valuable resource for all person-centred practitioners.