Counselling Psychology training: Implications for ‘Self’

It is widely accepted that Counselling Psychology is underpinned by both Humanist and Post-Modern epistemologies, and that it holds the practitioner’s ‘use of self’ in the service of the therapeutic relationship to be paramount in the therapeutic encounter. Although Humanism and Post-Modernism can both provide theoretical pretexts for the use of self, these stances to knowledge can be experienced as in conflict with each other, and so generate ambiguity and conflict for trainees. The academic (University) contexts of training courses can feed into aspects of these epistemological conflicts in that they uphold individualist-objectivist stances to knowledge/evidence and styles of communication. In this paper psychological literature is drawn upon to explore how trainees are positioned by the discourses of ‘self’ and ‘development’ that are available to them, with particular reference to the discourse of ‘reflective-practice’. The concept of a plural and dialogical self is used to suggest augmenting the manner in which personal and professional development is conducted and assessed.

Existing literature indicates that individuals experience difficulties with disclosure. Disclosure involves revealing personal information about oneself, both verbally and non-verbally, that may be considered difficult or not disclosed previously, owing to one’s own negative feelings about the information, or a fear that others may respond judgmentally. Various research and theoretical models have aimed to provide explanations as to what facilitates and hinders the process of disclosure. However, to date, trainee counselling psychologists’ experiences of disclosure in personal therapy is under-represented, particularly within qualitative research. This research aimed to explore trainee counselling psychologists’ experiences of disclosure in personal therapy and its impact on personal and professional development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six trainee counselling psychologists in their final year of training and transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four master themes emerged from the analytic process: ‘Disclosing the self’; ‘The therapeutic process and disclosure’; ‘Process of disclosure’ and ‘Impact of disclosure: Personal and professional development’. The themes illustrate how trainee counselling psychologists’ initial difficulties with disclosure in therapy stem from their struggle with adopting a client role, their sense of the self as imperfect and a fear of rejection. Moreover, the findings highlight how this struggle results in the development of a divided and false self. The themes further illustrate how other factors within therapy facilitate and hinder disclosure, for instance, the therapist’s qualities and responses to disclosures. How and when disclosure takes place was also described by participants, illustrating that this experience is rather subjective. The participants also described how disclosure facilitated understanding of the self and the role of a counselling psychologist, enabling the integration of their dual roles. In light of these findings, suggestions for trainee counselling psychologists, qualified psychologists and training providers are made. These suggestions centre upon trainee counselling psychologists’ willingness to disclose, open discussions between therapists, trainees and training providers and additional training for therapists.

Counseling psychologists are a cogent fit to lead the movement toward a sex-positive professional psychology (Burnes et al., 2017a). Though centralizing training in human sexuality (HS; Mollen & Abbott, 2021) and sexual and reproductive health (Grzanka & Frantell, 2017) is congruent with counseling psychologists' values, training programs rarely require or integrate comprehensive sexuality training for their students (Mollen et al., 2020). We employed a critical mixed-methods design in the interest of centering the missing voices of doctoral-level graduate students in counseling psychology in the discussion of the importance of human sexuality competence for counseling psychologists. Using focus groups to ascertain students' perspectives on their human sexuality training (HST) in counseling psychology, responses yielded five themes: (a) HST is integral to counseling psychology training, (b) few opportunities to gain human sexuality competence, (c) inconsistent training and self-directed learning, (d) varying levels of human sexuality comfort and competence, and (e) desire for integration of HST. Survey responses suggested students were trained on the vast majority of human sexuality topics at low levels, consistent with prior studies surveying training directors in counseling psychology and at internship training sites (Abbott et al., 2021; Mollen et al., 2020). Taken together, results suggested students see HST as aligned with the social justice emphasis in counseling psychology but found their current training was inconsistent, incidental rather than intentional, and lacked depth. Recommendations, contextualized within counseling psychology values, are offered to increase opportunities for and strengthen HST in counseling psychology training programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

<p>本研究主要在探討將多元性別與社會正義單元融入諮商心理訓練之實踐經驗。研究分為兩部分：研究一聚焦於探討融入多元性別單元之影響，課程包含講座、閱讀與討論及性別自傳撰寫等活動。研究參與者為48名諮商心理科系研究生。課程後進行焦點團體訪談，並針對逐字稿與性別自傳進行主題分析。結果顯示五大主題：從衝擊到理解、反思自身性別經驗、肯定多元性別訓練的重要性、整合性別觀點與專業能力、及其他複雜感受。研究二在多元性別單元基礎上增加社會正義倡導訓練，課程除了講座外，包括反思校園性別不友善現象及設計倡導方案。研究參與者為30名諮商心理科系研究生，共完成八項性別正義方案並提交建議書給學校行政單位。課程後之焦點團體訪談逐字稿與性別自傳之主題分析包括四大經驗：性別偏見的覺察與覺醒、理解並體會多元性別者受壓迫經驗、提升性別相關知能、倡導行動中的體會。整體而言，兩個研究顯示多元性別單元對研究生具正面影響，加上社會正義訓練進一步強化其能動性，促使將所學轉化為行動。最後，針對未來在諮商心理訓練中納入多元性別與社會正義提出相關建議。</p><p>This study aimed to explore the experiences and practices of integrating modules on gender and sexual diversity, along with social justice advocacy, into master’s level counseling psychology training courses. This approach aligns with current trends in academic literature and ethical guidelines in the counseling psychology field, which emphasize the importance of enhancing future counseling professionals’ gender sensitivity and equity awareness, especially on topics related to LGBTQIA+ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other) clients. To achieve this goal, adopting a social justice stance to advocate for vulnerable clients who have experienced oppression at both the interpersonal and systemic level regarding their gender, and sexual orientations or identities is crucial, as these clients often lack access to resources and the power to express their opinions and needs, which are essential for promoting their psychological well-being. An emerging consensus among researchers and practitioners suggests that counseling psychology training should include components that address gender and sexual diversity, as well as social justice advocacy. Past research in Taiwan has typically focused only on integrating gender and sexual diversity into counseling training without incorporating social justice advocacy. To address this gap, the authors conducted two studies to evaluate the effectiveness of training that combines these two components. Study One examined the impact of integrating a Gender and Sexual Diversity Module into two counseling courses. Class activities included guest lectures, literature reading and discussions, and gender autobiographical writing. Participants comprised 48 graduate students enrolled in “Counseling Theories” and “Counseling Practicum” courses in a counseling psychology department at a university. Following the completion of all activities, the participants were divided into five focus groups for interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed alongside the participants’ gender autobiographies using thematic analysis. The results identified five major themes in the participants’ experiences: (1) From Impact to Understanding, (2) Reflecting on Personal Gender Experiences, (3) Affirming the Importance of Gender and Sexual Diversity Training, (4) Integrating a Gender Perspective into the Counseling Profession, and (5) Experiencing Mixed Feelings. Study Two expanded on the first by incorporating a Social Justice Advocacy Module. In addition to guest lectures, a four-week activity series was introduced into the class activities. These activities guided students to reflect on and examine the friendliness of current gender and LGBTQ practices on campus and then to design advocacy projects to present to school administrative executives. This study involved 30 graduate students enrolled in “Counseling Theories” and “Counseling Practicum” courses, also recruited from the same university department. After completing the activities and implementing the advocacy projects, focus group interviews were conducted and verbatim transcripts were analyzed along with participants’ reflections on their gender autobiographies. Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: (1) Raising Awareness and of Gender Prejudice, (2) Understanding and Empathizing with the Oppressed Experiences of Sexual Minorities, (3) Enhancing Gender-Related Competencies, and (4) Learning Through Advocacy Actions. Overall, the findings of these two studies suggest that integrating gender and sexual diversity modules into counseling courses can positively impact graduate students in counseling psychology. Furthermore, the addition of the Social Justice Advocacy Module can enhance students’ sense of agency, enabling them to translate their knowledge into practical actions, an ability urgently needed by counseling psychology practitioners. Even when advocacy outcomes may not fully meet expectations, learning experiences are nonetheless highly valuable for students. Finally, this study proposes recommendations for incorporating gender and sexual diversity and social justice advocacy modules into future counseling psychology training programs.</p>

Jackson and Scheel aptly elucidate the relevance of master’s level counselor training programs for counseling psychology doctoral training programs, highlighting key antecedents of the current critical period in our relationship. Counseling psychology has an essential role in the professional lineage of counseling master’s programs. Master’s training programs have been essential in generating the revenue necessary to sustain doctoral training in counseling psychology at many if not most of our institutions. This commentary suggests that it is imperative for counseling psychology to first acknowledge the professional abdication of our master’s programs—and then fight to remedy the situation through reconciliation, and recognition of the unique professional contributions and identity of master’s level counselors. The remedy requires aggressive action and legislative advocacy on behalf of our master’s programs. A case study in effective legislative advocacy follows, providing suggestions for actions that may serve to ensure our viability.

The British Psychological Society's Division of Counselling Psychology currently requires trainees who undertake professional training in counselling psychology to complete 40 hours of personal therapy, in order to achieve chartered status (British Psychological Society Board of Examiners in Counselling Psychology (2006). Regulations and syllabus for the qualification in counselling psychology. The BPS Division of Counselling Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/society_qual/counselling.cfm). Although there are several reasons commonly cited in the literature regarding the possible benefits of personal treatment for therapists, the research to date has been inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to explore trainee counselling psychologists’ experiences of personal therapy, and the impact it has on their personal and professional development. Eight trainees from the University of Teesside participated in a series of semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) which produced four themes. Although the findings suggest that personal therapy can be a valuable experience for the personal and professional development of counselling psychologists in training, it also contributes to an increase in their levels of stress, something which the British Psychological Society and individual training courses need to consider. Although the participants believed that personal therapy should be a mandatory part of counselling psychologists’ training, they also thought that certain changes to the current requirements would ease the intense pressure there is on trainees at present.

The first chapter-- Comprehensive Assessment for a Multicultural Society-- examined contemporary underutilization of conventional assessment, a defining historic function of professional psychology, and introduced comprehensive assessment as a necessary rationale for understanding the unmet mental health and social care needs of increasingly diverse resident populations. This final chapter provides a practice model for multicultural competency training addressing these needs for quality services to racial/ethnic populations within a human science aegis. A contemporary national health care debate invokes private and public sector responsibilities, cost-containment, and provision of insurance coverage for a larger percentage of the population. A similar controversy within professional psychology reflects value paradoxes within the larger society (Sue, 1983) that continue to restrict access to health and social care services for racial/ethnic minorities and poor persons. During the same time period, assessment practice per se has been increasingly disparaged and restricted in managed care while many psychologists continued to use culturally inappropriate monocultural instruments for these populations resulting in incomplete information and misdiagnosis. A societal context of political conservatism, biological determinism, and attribution of problems to persons rather than society in mid-twentieth century America minimized early training resources for cross-cultural psychology, primary prevention, and community (Dana, 1987). Professional psychology training was available historically primarily for White male students. Medical socialization absorbed mental health services within health care and mandated patient compliance for diagnostic rather than evaluative assessment. These beliefs contributed to deficiencies in Boulder model science and practice objectives and were mitigated to a limited extent by subsequent Vail model programs that included women students and professional socialization for community practice (Dana & May, 1987). Ultimately critical ratios of women and racial/ethnic minority students were largely responsible for developing multicultural psychology and providing social justice training in counseling psychology. An early assessment proposal emphasized the importance and meaning of experienced ownership of this service delivery process as a personal self-efficacy resource contributing to positive learning, healing, and growth outcomes (Dana, 1985). A human science predicated on intentionality, phenomenal level descriptions, and shared endeavor affirmed the necessity for understanding the uses of power, knowledge of self and others, and clinician humanity within a human science professional psychology (Dana, 1984). Human science contributions in other wealthy countries from cultural anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, cultural psychology, indigenous psychology, and multicultural psychology now provide an interdisciplinary framework for an applied psychological science within a global perspective as a moral imperative and national priority. This chapter presents multicultural assessment practice guidelines predicated on client-clinician power-sharing, an enlarged range of assessment objectives, and quality training consistent with advocacy and responsibility for health, mental health, and social care services for all residents. These specific stepwise guidelines provide essential contents for competent professional services to multicultural populations. Although these guideline components have been repeatedly described in research and practice literature, they have not been systematically or routinely incorporated in assessment training programs designed to provide multicultural assessment competency. These ingredients include measurement theory, cultural knowledge, language skills, social etiquette and communication styles, interviewing, instruments, test interpretation, reports, and ethics.

Scholars within the field of counseling psychology have for some time now articulated eloquent and compelling calls for attending to social justice in the social sciences. To date, counseling psychologists have been at the forefront of addressing social justice issues in research, practice, and professional development. The present study advances empirical perspectives on social justice by testing the external validity of M. J. Miller et al.'s (2009) social-cognitive model of social justice interest and commitment in a sample of 229 doctoral trainees in counseling psychology. Present findings support the ability of the model to explain, in part, counseling psychology trainees' social justice interest and commitment. In addition, the present study provides novel findings that demonstrate the direct and indirect ways in which program training environment and personal moral imperative relate to social justice interest and commitment. Study limitations, future directions for research, and implications for training are discussed.

This Major Contribution, consisting of four articles, critically evaluates the status of training in counseling psychology, especially at the entry level, and offers a model for moving the field forward. In this first article, we provide a rationale for the contribution, laying the foundation for the subsequent three articles. Specifically, we ask the questions, Do training programs in counseling psychology produce the desired results? and Is the prevailing paradigm of training effective in developing counselor competence? Then we report on the research showing a disappointing relationship among training, experience, and expertise. We conclude by inviting the profession to engage in honest self-reflection about the status and future direction of training in counseling psychology.

The purpose of this article is to propose competencies that are necessary to conduct research in counseling psychology and to propose curricular modifications that will aid the acquisition of those competencies. To understand better the present status of research training in counseling psychology, programs approved by the American Psychological Association were surveyed to assess the research design and analysis curriculum of those programs, research articles in the Journal of Counseling Psychology were examined to determine the types of analyses commonly used, and the literature discussing research training in counseling psychology was reviewed. Generally, it was found that many students are not well trained in procedures that are commonly used in counseling psychology research and that the present level of training attenuates the quality of research in counseling psychology. To obtain the research competencies necessary to conduct quality research, a curriculum containing didactic and experiential components is recommended.

This reflective report evaluates my personal and professional development at the end of my counseling psychology training. As I understand counseling psychology practice as a way of being, working toward qualification has contributed to my self-actualization process in the coalescence of my personal and professional experiences. First, I position myself as a psychologist practitioner who endeavors to be an applied ethicist in my practice, anchored in a humanistic value base and a social justice ethos. Second, I elucidate my application of anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice while reflecting on therapeutic relationships with clients and colleagues. Third, I discuss internal difficulties through a mindful and compassionate approach for helpful self-management and self-care. Lastly, I consider the realistic challenges in going into practice as a qualified professional. Thus, I hope to convey my personal and professional ethical stance as expressing the qualities of being a counseling psychologist.

The utility of personal therapy during counselling psychology training is the subject of much debate. This article is a trainee’s reflection of her experiences in personal therapy during training, and this is embedded within the wider literature. Whilst she acknowledges this is a subjective account, it is envisaged that it will nonetheless contribute to the ongoing debate. The personal view held by the trainee is that the mandatory requirement during training is necessary as it not only characterises the unique features of counselling psychology as a profession but it is a critical component of personal and professional development.

BackgroundMany professional training courses in counselling psychology are now presenting a number of therapeutic models, with the expectation that trainees will demonstrate a way of working with clients that incorporates features of each.AimsThis pilot study sets out to find out the perceptions of trainees around the process of learning a number of therapeutic approaches.MethodSix trainees were interviewed in-depth about their training, in relation to the therapeutic models presented and expectations of practice. Three course directors and three experienced counselling psychologists were also interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsA key theme was that trainees often find developing an integrative stance quite a challenge. They tend to feel that courses could approach this aspect of their learning in a more explicit and systematic manner. On the other hand, conflicts in the training constellation between course, supervisor and practice context were seen as stressful, but very growth promoting.ConclusionsCounselling psychology trainees often experience the requirement to integrate a number of approaches to be quite challenging. Understanding and facilitating this process is worthy of further exploration. Finally it is suggested that trainees are often limited in the extent to which they articulate psychology as a foundation for their practice and identity as a counselling psychologist. It is suggested that there is scope for further development in this area. In particular, psychology can serve as a more explicit framework for integration, which potentially makes counselling psychologists unique within the therapeutic market place.

In developing this special issue on training in clinical and counselling psychology, we have aimed to achieve several things. First, we wanted this special issue to reflect the fact that there is substantial disagreement about what it is that clinical and counselling psychologists most need to know. Taking only the example of psychotherapy, there is no consensus as to whether relationship variables, client variables, or technical variables are most important to determining the outcome of psychotherapy. Depending on how we judge the relative importance of these variables, the kind of training that we provide our students can be expected to vary substantially. In this issue, the debate about ‘what really matters’ is carried forward in the papers by Andrews, by Groth-Marnat, Roberts, and Beutler, by Horvath, and by Richards. We also wanted this special issue to reflect the fact that the model that ostensibly underpins our training courses the scientist-practitioner model - is of uncertain value. Some of the problems are identified by O’Gorman, and the way our discipline’s approach to science has constrained clinical psychology is highlighted by Blampied. So what is it, if not our training model, that facilitates effectiveness as a professional? The paper by Orlinsky, Botermans, and R0nnestad identifies what practicing psychotherapists perceive to have been the major influences in their development, and the paper by O’Donovan, Dyck, and Bain reveals what our students believe contributes to effective training. Atkins and Christensen review research that brings into question the effectiveness or necessity for advanced training in psychology. Whatever we may perceive to have been responsible for our effectiveness may, in fact, be a misperception. Finally, we wanted to know how we could improve what we do. Although most authors make recommendations for training courses, Lambert and Hawkins in particular describe a client-monitoring process that can improve the effectiveness of supervision. We believe that we have achieved our aims in this issue, but we have done so only with the assistance of many other

Counselling Psychology training is a very important aspect of the profession of counselling psychologists. In Europe there are countries that do not include such training in their educational system with the result that a lot of Psychology graduates must move to a different country in order to qualify as counselling psychologists. A number of students who completed their first degree in Greece have studied, and still are studying, counselling psychology at a doctoral level in the United Kingdom. The present study interviewed students that have completed their first degree in Greece and are currently studying Counselling Psychology at a British higher education institute. A thematic analysis was conducted and 4 main themes emerged: Professional Identity, transformative learning, research and training for research, and feelings. In conclusion, all the participants expressed ideas that their move to a British institute was a very good choice for both their training and their professional development.