Trainee Counsellors

After I hijacked the thread yesterday about Empathy, I thhought it would be fairer to start a new thread about counselling. Either to ask questions, share experiences or talk to other people who are training/have qualified.

At the moment I have passed 2 counselling qualifications and am a student member of the BACP. I am 6 months into my 2 year existential therapuetic counselling diploma which will make me a qualified counsellor when (if!) i pass it

From September I will start to see clients who come to the charity im involved with which terrifies me as there will be nobody with me to oversee it!

Before I was interested in the field, I actually had been brought up to beleive counselling was a bit rubbish and cant help people. Following this huge turn around, I can see why some people might be wary or sceptical about seeing a counsellor for the first time- so if anybody is considering it or would like some information about the process, anything at all to do with counselling- post here and hopefully there will be a few other people who will get involved apart from me

what does your charity deal with ?

its a local counselling charity that was set up by my tutor. we aim to provide counselling to people who need it but are unable to afford it- there will be a nominal fee for the client to pay. we have links with other organisations who rent out rooms from us so we can make slight profit to get more resources for the clients.

we rent a house on a residential estate so the clients are confortable with the fact they wont be making it obvious what they are going to the house for. we deal with any sort of clients and issues they may want to bring

The charity, that you are involved with, terrifies you? I don't think that came out right.....

So,... all you have to do is look at them, imagine them to be naked, and talk to them as if they were simply members of TFS.

Piece of cake!

urghh did i say it like that? that wasnt what i meant. the being alone unsupervised with a client sacres me- i wont know if i mess up was my concern.

ok so to summarise, im imagining a naked TFS member ok thats fine, im sure i can do that without too much trouble

now cake you say- yep i can get on board with that too! so basically me, client, cake, naked.... now see why does that sound like it might jsut be against my code of etiics?!

You sure have a way with bending thoughts.....

That may or may not be beneficial in dealing with your 'clients'...

And there is no way of knowing where that will get you on TFS.

to bend thoughts here might well be quite funny, with the right people who get my humour i envisage some good conversations!

clients wise id say keep away form that- well, naked cake situations are definately best avoided with a client but here? well, that a whole different ball game!

Nowhere have I suggested a naked-cake encounter, and what do you even know about baseball?

I mean, your present pleasures include throwing Sprite in a half-filled basin, and threatening to pull the plug!

The one thing every psych professor/practitioner has agree with me on is that talking to clients and learning about it in the classroom are two very different things.

But once you talk to a couple people and figure yourself out you'll do perfectly fine. I have all confidence in you for what it's worth. It's a Baptism by fire, so to speak. I think you're far more prepared for yours than I was for mine.


People that I've encountered seem to think that only "crazy" people see counselors and therapists. Not true. For many it's an outlet where there wouldn't be one otherwise. In a perfect world we could talk to our best friend or close relative about our problems. Unfortunately, things aren't always that simple. Which is why people like Sparklegirl (and hopefully me in time) exist.

hahahah you are hilarious!! as for baseball- seriously no knowledge & what i do have comes form playing (i say playing, i mean failing!) at the game on the Wii sad but true!!

i didnt dream the whole naked client scenario & you did say cake. dont get all Freud on my arse!!

i got zero pleasure from bathing Sprite! its quite traumatic for me i will have you know i have to bath him in my bath now- harder for him to scramble out of! id never pull the plug on my gorgeous much loved spiky little dude! hes toooo cute for me to do that

very true- its seen as a place people go who are nutters. it still has some stigma attahced which is such a shame that some folks dont get the help they so desperately need just becuase they wont admit it to people as thye feel there is something wrong with them. it can be traumatic to tell people close to them. i have experience of this myself & it rippeda massive hole in the family. things had to be admitted to that i would really rather not have said but i was forced to justify my reasons for being referred to a counsellor


thanks for the support, its really appreciated i do over worry about stuff, but with something liek this, id say thats a better way to be than so self confident & self assured so as not to realise mistakes have been made. i have every confidence in you- from what we have talekd about, you will make a very good therapist, it will jsut take time

Do you treat only farmers, or can anyone walk in off the street?

Where does the name Biodiversity and Agricultural Commodities Program (BACP) have its roots? Mutant Farmers having problems selling their vegetables? How did they all come to know your tutor?

hahaha bless, its British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy hun, but we will see farmers if they require help with veggie selling my tutor is a very wel respected counsellor, supervisor & trainer so she was the ideal person for the job

I knew that! I was just surprised to see how many other organizations use the same... BACP.

Congratulations on having a (working) head on your shoulders! You are cutting quite the swath here. Keep it up!

thank you kind sir its very much my sort of place & i intend on keeping it up!