004 - Equality and diversity - configurations of self - opening a session - CPD

In this weeks episode of the Counselling Tutor Podcast Ken and Rory take a look at equality and diversity and how this effects the counselling relationship. In Counselling Theory with Rory, configurations of self is explored and in Counselling Skills with Ken, Ken looks at the opening and closing of the counselling session.   Equality and diversity is defined    Nonmaleficence (do no harm) is an ethical requirement of the BACP, communicating with clients in a multicultural society is vital in upholding this principle “The practitioner has an ethical responsibility to strive to mitigate any harm caused to a client even when the harm is unavoidable or unintended”. The BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.   Embracing multiculturalism means having an understanding of the regulation governing diversity to eliminate unlawful discrimination, eliminate harassment, promote equal opportunity, respect and celebrate difference and promote good relationships between different groups.   As a student counsellor it is your obligation to understand the legislation that governs equality and diversity, Ken and Rory explore this in depth in this weeks podcast.   Configurations of Self   Rory explores the concept of ‘Configurations of Self’. This theory is relatively new and is linked to the Person-Centred Counselling. Configurations of self was developed by David Mearns and Brian Thorne.  It describes the philosophy that we develop various alternative personalities, or configurations, of self that rise up within us in certain circumstances.   ‘A configuration of self is a hypothetical construct denoting a coherent pattern of feelings, thoughts and preferred behavioural responses.   This is symbolised, or pre-symbolised, by the person as reflective of a dimension of existence within the self   Many writers have made reference to Carl Rogers’ ideas around conditional positive regard, the idea that a client may limit their own self-acceptance because of fear, shame, regret, embarrassment, anger, or a sense loss they have about themselves or others.   These negative emotions, or constructs, are sometimes referred to as ‘not for growth configurations’. In other words, the negative side of the personality, the emotional inner voices which brings psychological pain that may hamper both happiness and self-understanding.   By helping the client explore and examine these ‘not for growth configurations’ in a safe and non-threatening and non judgmental environment, it is possible for the client to process these feelings, thoughts and behaviours and begin the process of checking the reality and impact on their lives.   Opening and closing a counselling session   Click here to download the resources pack. The pack contains an auto file of the opening of a session, a transcription of that audio file and an partial assignment exemplar on the topic of opening a counselling session.   The top and tail of a counselling session can seem challenging for some student counsellors. Part of training to become a counsellor involves skills sessions being assessed and the top and tail of the sessions often account for a bulk of the marks.   Ken examines the structure of the opening and closing of a counselling session with an academic focus on hitting assessment criteria.    Ken references a live recording of a counselling session opening against a writer report on advanced counselling skills.   The first part of opening a session is to establish boundaries and a working agreement with the client.  Therapeutic Boundaries form rules of engagement; principles mutually agreed and put in place during contracting for both counsellor and client. “any good relationship balances the needs and wishes of both parties, and the counsellor needs clear structure at least as much as the client” Pg 129 skills in person-centred counselling & Psychotherapy Janet Tolan.   Next the counselling modality is outlined and explained and the client asked if they have any questions. This gives the client choice of whether they feel the modality suits them which in turn may lead to an opportunity for a referral to be made.   Health a safety forms a part of the session opening.  “Potential harm can be avoided or minimised by considering in advance the requirements, potential dangers and making provision.” (Bond. T 2003)   The clients safety is important. By outlining potential health and safety issues, such as a scheduled fire drill, the client feels valued which builds trust. If safety is overlooked and an emergency arises, it could be grounds for official complaint and a breakdown of nonmaleficence which is an ethical requirement meaning the counsellor do no harm.     Limitations in confidentiality   “The legal concept of confidentiality is based on the idea of equity, or fairness, in that a person who has received information in confidence should not take unfair advantage of it.” Peter Jenkins Counselling, Psychotherapy and the Law published by Sage 2007 page 101   Confidentiality is keeping information and process safe and private with transparency of who has access and under what condition. This supports respect, autonomy and fidelity and aids report building. Without confidentiality there’s no trust, a key factor needed for psychological contact.   Continued Professional Development   In the ask Ken and Rory section of this podcast we look at continued professional development. Ken and Rory discuss different types of CPD and outline potential dangers of mixing modalities while studying counselling.