Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 Dip HE Therapeutic Counselling & PG Dip Counselling and Psychotherapy Frequently Asked Questions How do I find a placement, therapist and supervisor? The Practice Learning & Employability Unit hold Directories of placements, therapists and supervisors who are approved as suitable to work with students on the counselling diploma courses at the University. Students can drop into the Unit between 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday and browse through the Directories or we can send you the information as attachments by . You will need to choose placements and individuals that you think you might like to work with and contact them directly to make arrangements. The Practice Learning & Employability Unit address is as follows: The Practice Learning & Employability Unit CL605 (sixth floor), Calverley Building Leeds Beckett University LS1 3HE Counsellingplacements@leedsbeckett.ac.uk How many placements do I need? You only need one placement. Occasionally students will do more than one placement if they are unable to achieve the required hours in their first placement or if they want to gain experience in different settings. However this is something that usually happens later in the course and would need to be discussed with your tutor. When should I start my placement? You should make sure all arrangements are agreed with your placement organisation before you start the course but you should only actually begin your placement in October or November once you have started the course and had a chance to discuss the course requirements in more detail with your tutor. There are also a number of tutorials at the beginning of the course which help you prepare for placement which it is important that you attend before you begin. There is also a formal agreement which you will be expected to sign before you begin placement. This is called the Four-Way Agreement and is also signed by your supervisor, placement manager and course tutor. You will be given a copy of the agreement when you begin the course. Can I find my own Placement? You can find your own placement which would need to be approved by the University using a Self Source form available from the PLEU upon request. You can not start a self sourced placement until you receive confirmation this has been approved.

2 When should I start with my therapist or supervisor? We advise that you begin your placement, therapy and supervision all at the same time in October or November. There are a number of tutorials at the beginning of the university course which help you prepare you for your placement and explore expectations of therapy and supervision which it is important that you attend before you begin. There is also a formal agreement which you will be expected to sign before you begin placement. This is called the Four-Way Agreement and is also signed by your supervisor, placement manager and course tutor. You will be given a copy of the agreement when you begin the course. How many placement applications should I make? Applying for placements is very competitive and very much like applying for jobs. It may take a few applications before you are successful. Therefore we advise that you complete several with a view to securing one placement. What is the application procedure for placements? The application procedure varies from placement to placement. As with applying for a job you will need to contact the placement organisation and find out from them what their application procedure is and their deadlines for application. Some organisations have their own application forms whilst others request CVs or statements, some may have a formal interview procedure whilst others may prefer a more conversational approach. Is there anything I need to know for interview? You will be expected to be able to talk about your experience and your understanding of counselling and to know how many hours you need to undertake on placement with clients. All placement organisations will expect you to undertake research into the work of their organisation and to have an awareness of their client base and their needs. We have had feedback in the past from some organisations that some students have been unsuccessful in securing placements due to a lack of research - so be prepared! How many hours do I need to complete on placement? The course requirement is that you complete 100 hours counselling clients. On average students do three one hour client sessions a week. In general it should be no less than 2 client hours a week. However, when students first begin placement they will usually start with one client hour a week and build up to more hours. How many hours of therapy do I need to undertake? The course requirement is that you complete 20 hours of your own personal therapy. Completing your own therapy is vital to developing the self-awareness and the understanding of the therapeutic process required to be an effective therapist. How do I choose a therapist? Selecting a therapist is a very personal decision. Whilst we provide you with a list of approved therapists it is important that you choose your own therapist and identify someone that you would be comfortable to work with. For useful advice on choosing a therapist and questions to ask at your first meeting please check out the BACP website link

3 Can I change therapist? Once you have started work with your therapist you will be expected to commit to the relationship and stay with that one therapist. Sometimes difficult feelings towards the therapist can be an important and therapeutic part of the relationship and you will be expected to work through any issues that arise within the relationship. However if you have concerns about the therapist or their professional conduct or something is worrying you about the relationship it is important that you raise this with your course tutor and supervisor who will help you to make a decision to continue or change therapist if appropriate. You should always consult with your supervisor and course tutor before ending the relationship, or changing therapists. Can I change supervisor? A settling in period of a few weeks at the beginning of the supervision period is allowed where you can opt to change supervisor but once after this point you will be expected to stick with the relationship. The Supervisor is there to challenge as well as to support you in your role as trainee counsellor and as with the therapy relationship sometimes difficult feelings towards the supervisor can be an important part of the relationship and you will expected to work together through any issues that arise. However if you have concerns about the supervisor or their professional conduct or something is worrying you about the relationship it is important that you raise this with your course tutor who will help you to make a decision to continue or change supervisor if appropriate. You should always consult with your supervisor and course tutor before ending the relationship, or changing therapists. Can I change placement? Once you begin your placement you would be expected to complete your placement with that organisation and honour your agreement with them. However if you feel that the placement is not meeting your learning needs or is in breach of their agreement you should discuss this with your supervisor and course tutor who will help you decide whether to change placements. If there is an issue with a placement it is important the University is aware of this so they can address the problem. You may take on additional placements if you are able to manage that without it affecting your studies. If you wish to do this you should discuss it with your supervisor and tutor first. How many hours supervision do I need to undertake? The course requires students to have fortnightly one-to-one supervision whilst you are undertaking placements. This must be at the ratio of one hour of supervision to every eight hours of client work (this includes DNAs (Did Not Attend) and cancellations). The course requirement is consistent with the BACP supervision requirement for therapists in training. What is the difference between a therapist and a supervisor? Your therapist will work with you to look at and explore your own history and feelings and the ways that they impact upon your life and your personal relationships. This relationship is completely separate from your placement and is for the purposes of your personal development and understanding of the therapeutic process.

4 You Supervisor will support you professionally in your role as trainee counsellor. They will meet with you to discuss your experience on placement and any issues that arise or impact upon your work with clients. Supervisors are also therapists who have achieved supervisor status through completion of specific training. The following excerpts provide a more in-depth view of Supervision: Supervision is a formal arrangement for counsellors to discuss their work regularly with someone who is experienced in counselling and supervision. The task is to work together to ensure and develop the efficacy of the counsellor client relationship. The agenda will be the counselling work and feelings about that work together with the supervisor s reactions, comments and confrontations. Thus supervision is a process to maintain adequate standards of counselling and a method of consultancy to widen the horizons of a..practitioner. (Sue Wheeler, 2003). Collaborative supervision involves supervisor and supervisee(s) engaging together to understand and to explore supervisory material such as the relationship between counsellor and client, ethical issues and the supervisee(s) professional development. This is a joint process and it is understood that each person has something important to bring to the enquiry, for example professional experience, intuition, cognitive understanding, knowledge, wisdom and relationship with the client. (Paula Newman, 2010). References Newman, Paula (2010) Person-Centred Supervision, (Internet), Counselling Directory. Available from: < (Accessed 10 th July 2012) Wheeler, S (2003) What is Supervision, BACP Information Sheet S2 Can I choose my own therapist? You are required to choose a therapist from the Leeds Beckett University Therapist Network. If there are no suitable Network therapists within a reasonable travelling distance of your home then an application from a new therapist would be considered. The therapist would need to apply to join the Network and their application be approved by the Network Coordinator. If you wish to pursue this option you should contact the Unit with the name and address of the therapist and we will send them an application pack for the Network. The Network Coordinator is aware of which locations have a shortage of Network Therapists. Can I choose my own supervisor? You are required to choose a supervisor from the Leeds Beckett University Therapist Network. If there are no suitable supervisor therapists within a reasonable travelling distance of your home then an application from a new supervisor would be considered. The supervisor would need to apply to join the Network and their application be approved by the Network Coordinator. If you wish to pursue this option you should contact the Practice Learning Unit with the name and address of the supervisor and we will send them an application pack for the Network. The Network Coordinator is aware of which locations have a shortage of Network Therapists.

5 What do I do if I am already in therapy and would like to continue with my existing therapist? You will need to complete an Existing Therapist Relationship Form with the details of your therapist and submit it to the Unit. We will contact the therapist with an application pack for our Therapist Network. The application would need to be approved by our Network Coordinator. If the therapist is approved only the hours you undertake in therapy from the beginning of your course will be counted towards the course requirements. You cannot backdate your therapy hours from before the course start date. If the application is not approved you will be advised to terminate that relationship and work with a therapist already on the Network. Existing Relationship Forms are available on request from the Practice Learning Unit. There are no suitable therapists / supervisors in my location; what should I do? If there are no suitable Network therapists or supervisors within a reasonable travelling distance of your home the course team will consider an application from new therapists / supervisors. You would need to identify the therapist / supervisor yourself and the respective party would need to make an application to us and their application be approved. If you wish to pursue this option you should contact the Unit with the name and contact for your proposed therapist / supervisor and we will send them an application pack. What are the Network Criteria? Network criteria are listed below as essential (E) or desirable (D). Qualifications 1. (S&T) Accredited as a Counsellor / Psychotherapist with BACP, UKCP or BPS (E) 2. (S) Qualification in Supervision (E) Experience 3. (S) Two Years Experience as a Counselling Supervisor (E) 4. (S) Five Years Post Qualifying Experience as a Counsellor / Psychotherapist (E) 5. (S) Experience of Supervising Trainee Counsellor/Psychotherapists (D) 6 (T) Three Years Post Qualifying Experience as a Counsellor / Psychotherapist (E) 6. (T) Familiarity with Working with Trainee Counsellors/ Psychotherapists (D) Supervision 7. (S&T) Supervised to BACP Standards (E) Ethics 8. (S&T) Works in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework (E) 9 (S&T) Not subject to any professional complaints procedure (E) 10 Has indemnity insurance to 1million minimum Therapeutic Approach 9. (S&T) Theoretical Approach is Consistent with the Relational Approach (E) 10 (S) Has Sufficient understanding of the Relational Approach to be able to help students develop practice in this approach (S) Supervisor (T) - Therapist