Intercultural therapy..

Iwant to argue and give reasons inthis article as to why the conceptof intercultural therapy is beneficial

and enriching, not only to people ofcultural origins different from theculture they/we currently live in –real or perceived – but to clients,counsellors and society in general.

Development and definitions ofintercultural therapyIn order to assess the need for inter-cultural therapy, let us first discusswhat it is and how it developed.

Intercultural therapy is a growingfield in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy that applies aperspective which goes beyond theethnocentric perspective and whichtherefore is more holistic. Hence,approaches to therapy here are notlimited to Freud, Jung, Klein, Rogers,Bowlby, Peris or any other of the ‘big names’, but also include those of cultures from other parts of theworld: Africa, Asia, Latin and nativeAmerica and so on. Further, ‘new’cultures, ie cultures that have theirorigin in a diaspora and are thus theproduct of cultural contact, have animpact on the new discipline. Thereis thus a more holistic and widerfocus than in ‘mainstream’ therapy.

Intercultural therapy grew out of a number of critical developmentswithin the social sciences. Thedevelopment of black studies, firstin the United States, postcolonialstudies and cultural studies have allinfluenced psychology positively.Just as the aforementioned disciplineswere stepping out of Eurocentricboundaries, which were previouslyinvisible or hidden for many scholars

and readers, the same was happeningnow to psychology and counselling.Academics and activists pointed outthe euro- or ethnocentric boundariesof the discipline, and thereby introduced what has frequently beentermed intercultural therapy, inter-cultural psychology or interculturalcounselling. Another field that hasbeen important for interculturaltherapy is anthropology because itlooks at the practices of culturesaround the world. Despite its colonialroots, it has become an interestingform for cross-cultural debate, so it is now ideally suited to informintercultural therapy.

It is interesting that in the field of psychiatry, the same basicapproach and intention, ie to includeperspectives coming from outsidethe ethnic and/or national boundaries,is usually referred to as transcultural(‘transcultural’ is also sometimesused for counselling, but the mostcommon ‘combination’ of wordsdenoting the same approach is ‘inter-cultural therapy; and ‘transculturalpsychiatry’). And, just as with thepreviously mentioned disciplinesthemselves, the development of thisapproach does not only come frominside academia but often also fromoutside it. Black people in the west-ern diaspora – and/or anybody out-side their country of origin – haveexperienced, and been subjected to,behaviour-patterns by white peoplein their society of residence, whichhave not previously been expressed.

Often these behaviour-patterns,which seem to arise only in interactionfrom those inside a society towardsthose from outside – or from the

perceived outside – of the society,have been identified as racism. Thatgave rise to the question of whyracism should occur, why it is therein the first place. Examining this isvery important, and so the analysisand the awareness of racism andways to prevent it have been anotherreason for the development of inter-cultural therapy.

In therapy, the phenomenon ofracism often meant the recognitionthat black people and/or foreignershave not benefited from ‘ordinary’(ie ethnocentric) therapy to thesame degree, either because it didnot address their situation, orbecause it was not offered to themin the first place.

In Britain, intercultural therapy hasprimarily developed at Nafsiyat, thefirst centre with a specific interculturalfocus, set up by pioneer Jafar Kareem.A history and theory of the centreand the approach is in the book withthe same title: Intercultural therapy1.

The debate on intercultural therapydoes not actually criticise the therapeutic approaches of Freud etal per se. In fact, Freud’s underlyingapproach, which has now becomemainstream and even ‘ethnocentric’,is implicitly intercultural in itself. Thatis because Freud himself was, even inhis native Austria, somehow treatedas an immigrant, due to his beingJewish. So despite the interculturalorigin of therapy as such, the inter-cultural perspective is mostly implicitonly, usually overlooked in practiceand therefore goes unrecognised.Freud’s theory, coming from outsidethe ‘mainstream society’ has thus

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Intercultural therapyUrsula Troche explains why an understanding

is important for all practitioners

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been appropriated by the mainstreamand made for its use – rather thanfor the use of those outside themainstream, even though that iswhere it came from.

The need for intercultural therapyIntercultural therapy is always useful,I argue, and my argument followsalong three lines. I leave this open to discussion but I personally haveidentified three main points on howto show the usefulness, and indeedthe necessity, for intercultural therapy.The third, as I explain below, is myfocus here; simply because that areahas not been highlighted as much asthe previous two in current debate.

First, cases where lack of culturalunderstanding – or lack of impartiality– leads to misdiagnosis and misper-ception. Black people, for example,are more often seen as aggressiveinstead of assertive. Labels are wronglygiven, therefore black people are moreoften diagnosed as schizophrenicthan are white people2.

Second, the central importance ofstruggle with identity. People whodo not feel part of the ‘mainstream’society – and people of a ‘different’cultural background are over-repre-sented here – place more emphasison questions of identity. These peoplecannot identify with the dominantsociety, either because they do notshare their culture or their colour, or simply their power. They oftenfeel the emotional consequences ofdiscrimination, which may manifestitself in oppression of economicterms (see Alleyene3) or simply innot being accepted as naturally andunquestionably as ‘the others’ of‘the mainstream’ (ie, those who willnot be asked when they are goingback to where they are supposed to come from).

Third, and this is what I want tofocus on in this article, the greateravailability and means of interpretationof ‘problems’ or ‘issues’ lead to moreaccuracy in understanding oneself –native and foreign, black and white,alike. I will show with examples thatin different cultures, different parts

of the self come into view andtherefore, the more cultural references we look at, the more different perspectives of the selfcan be looked at.

Different ways of ‘knowing’ a personDifferent approaches of ‘healing’ – a word more widely used thanpsychotherapy in a global context – add to our overall knowledge ofthe self. Healing, apart from being a more cross-cultural term, alsobreaks the boundary between mental and physical problems, asmany cultures are acutely aware of the link between body and soul.Western approaches share thisawareness only to a relatively smallextent, ie in the notion of psycho-somatic problems. With all theknowledge of those other cultureswe have more access to tools ofhow to solve problems. And weavoid the problem of being ‘ethno-centric’ and therefore of losing the benefits of the wisdom of themajority of the world’s cultures.

I said earlier that non-Westernapproaches – as well as indigenousblack approaches – often make different interpretations from traditional Western psychotherapy.That implies that interpretation anddiagnosis is also a practice outsideEurope.

This may sound negative becausethe person-centred approach hasalready established itself as beinganti-interpretation and anti-diagnosis.But I argue first that even the person-centred approach is not free frominterpretations, and second thatinterpretation is not a bad thing: itmerely states that the person thinkingis shaped in some cultural framework,either his/her own cultural frame-work, or a combination of culturalframeworks including his/her own.The person-centred model has ingeneral not seen the need to developsensitivity to structural difference, ie culture, probably because it arguesthere is no such need because it isclient-led anyway – an interestingpoint that needs further debate.

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The person-

centred model has

in general not seen

the need to develop

sensitivity to structural

difference, ie culture,

probably because it

argues there is no

such need because it

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An interpretation can follow anassumption – which may well bejudgmental, but an interpretationcan also be due to knowledge. Innon-Western cultures this knowledgeis usually derived from spirituality.And it also shows that different cultures may ‘pick up on’ differentparts, or aspects, of one’s characteror one’s personality. Let us look atsome examples of the benefits ofdifferent interpretations.

Freud believed in a three-fold structureof the self, as we know: the ego, theid and the superego. African beliefsystems, on the other hand, believein the person as related to his or hercommunity as well as the person asrelated to his or her ancestors. It is a highly interactive way of viewingthings, because the person is seenusually in relation to an other orothers – but that difference to the‘other’ is not in terms of oppositionbut in terms of complementarity. Asmuch as it is interactive, it may soundrestrictive in other cultures (is a personnot also important on their own/intheir own right?) but in fact, this viewdoes not mean to be restrictive, thepurpose is to have an arena wherethe person can know him/herselfand develop him/herself, includingspecific talents and character. Anindividual accustomed to this view is thus less likely to suffer from‘inner emptiness’ and ‘being lost’,unhappiness and low self-esteem,because knowing what to do in lifebrings inner strength and satisfactionto the soul.

Within Africa, there are again differentbeliefs. In Congo, for example, theperson’s shadow contains the self-concept4 which sounds like an interesting psychological constructionand means of interpretation. These aredifferent ways of ‘knowing’ a person.

There are many different kinds ofspiritualities which all have a similarpurpose in ‘finding out’ about a person, in gathering knowledgeabout a person.

In the traditional areas of most, ifnot all, parts of Africa, a baby will be

‘analysed’ with the help of ritualeven before birth. Each individual issaid to be born to a purpose: ‘Whena woman is pregnant, a hearing ritualis performed. In this ritual, elders askthe unborn child, who are you... whatcan we do to ease your journey?5

The psychological effect of this ritual is recognised: ‘The absence of awelcoming village around a newbornmay inadvertently erase somethingin the psyche; that loss, later in life,will be felt like a huge gap.’5 Thispurpose for each person is alsoreferred to as ‘predestination’:‘Illness and health may depend on keeping in harmony with one’spre-life accord.’6

An equivalent – or perhaps an alternative – way of finding out abouta person’s soul may be astrology in sofar as it also ‘finds out’ the characterof a person (though it may lack thepsychological effect of the ‘welcomingprocess’ within the ritual).

Tropical astrology (ironically the one widely used in the West) looksprimarily at the month I was born in,my star sign. This leads to assumptionsabout my character. The Chinesehoroscope, by contrast, would lookprimarily at my year of birth andwould find that the qualities of thatyear correspond with all those bornevery 12 years after me. The Dagaracosmology of Burkina Faso – thesame African group of people asdescribed above – would also lookat my year of birth and would findthe qualities of that year correspondto all those born every five yearsbefore me and all those born everyfive years after me.

So, all these different cultures seeme through these different eyes, asthose cosmologies or ways ofthought emphasise different qualitieswithin me, have different ways ofanalysing me and I may developaccording to what is seen by thepeople who surround me. But if I then get stuck or feel restricted, I may benefit from looking at my self differently, by trying to look atmyself with different eyes. These,too, are different ways of ‘knowing’

a person. Thus I can understandmore of my self, my self in differentcontexts. I do not want to dismissany of this, rather I like to see howall of this is a puzzle and how I canput the different pieces together.The examples also show how thereare in fact many truths, and howhighly postmodern interculturaltherapy is.

Here is another example of variedinterpretations of the same ‘problem’.I used to squint with my eyes. Myleft eye was ‘looking outwards’ sothat my overall vision was larger thanthe ‘normal’ vision. A transpersonalcounsellor interpreted that to meanthat I was able to perceive life witha ‘larger’ vision, that I was able toarrive at conclusions which were too‘far away’ for others to grasp. A healertrained in Indian chakra and aurahealing, however, interpreted squintingto mean that I was trying to overlooka problem in my life, that I did notwant to face a problem head on7.

The fact that I ended up having nota single explanation for my problem,but two explanations, originatingfrom different frames of under-standing, broadened my view. I feltenriched, and acknowledged bothinterpretations to be part of thetruth, as stated earlier.

The therapeutic value of knowingIt can be argued that the above-mentioned techniques and spiritualitiesof ‘knowing’ a person can have ananti-therapeutic effect because theypin the person down into a particularrole. However, I want to argue, thatthis criticism only arises on the surfaceand is only temporary, because therecomes a point when we want to knowwhy. In all kinds of therapies in theWest, the ultimate purpose is forclients to ‘find out’ about themselves,to get to know themselves and tounderstand themselves. When aclient arrives at that point, healingbegins and the person’s confidencegrows. And this is where mostapproaches the world over meet:when understanding is accomplished,the person heals, changes, makesprogress.



All possible approaches to this same problemor concept of self are different means to the same end, so to speak, differentaspects of the same whole. Some may ask whether many diverse interpretationsare confusing, but I think that – just likemulticulturalism itself – diversity of interpretation is enriching. In trying tounderstand all these different frameworkscultures and ways of thinking, we find more and more truths and more and moreways of being, which may liberate clients,especially those who are from diverse cultural backgrounds. Further, as clientsbenefit more from psychotherapy, theywould also feel more attracted by it in the first place and not reject it as irrelevantto them.

As much as we all belong together as ahuman people, all our backgrounds, culturalvalues and interpretations also belong ideally together and have something to say to each other. We all have to give toone another and take from one another. �

Ursula Troche is a counsellor specialising incultural diversity in therapy and counsellingat Goldsmith’s College, University of London.

This article was originally published inIpnosis No 17, Spring 2005 and is reprintedhere with permission of the author.

References

1 Kareem J, Littlewood R. Intercultural therapy, 2nd

ed. Blackwell; 2000.

2 Fernando S. Mental health, race and culture, 2nd

ed. Palgrave; 2002.

3 Alleyne A. Black identity and workplace oppression.

Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. July

2004;4:1.

4 Jacobson-Widding A. The shadow as an expression

of individuality in Congolese concepts of personhood.

In: Jackson, Karp et al. Personhood and agency.

The experience of self and other in African cultures.

1990.

5 Some S. The spirit of intimacy. Ancient teachings

in the ways of relationships. Newleaf; 1999.

6 Idemudia S. Mental health and psychotherapy

‘through’ the eyes of culture: Lessons for African

psychotherapy. Published online at

www:inst.at/trans 2004

7 College of Light: communication during seminar:

Healing chakras and auras: 28/11/04. The Ladbroke

Rooms, Telford Rd, London W10.


I was a bit surprised that the article on boundaries (Beingclear about boundaries, Jonathan Coe, The IndependentPractitioner spring 2008) was so conservative, in the badsense. It quotes the psychoanalyst Pope who is notorious as an over-controlling writer in the field. The whole ‘slipperyslope’ argument has been disputed in the major work on thesubject by Lazarus and Zur.

Nor is there any awareness of the important ethical pointsmade in, for example, the excellent book by Len Sperry, wherehe distinguishes between a ‘rules and standards’ approach –where there is a belief in a book of rules somewhere – and a deeper appreciation of the quality of the relationship and a deeper care for the interests of all parties.

There is an air of panic about the whole article which I donot care for, and which I think is misleading.

Dr John Rowan www.johnrowan.org.uk

Jonathan Coe responds:

I hope that practitioners do feel a sense of urgency aboutimproving client protection as there has historically been asignificant avoidance of the hurt caused by serious boundaryviolations in the psychological therapies. The reality regardingthe so-called ‘slippery slope’ is this: all sexual boundary violations, barring straightforward assault, are preceded by a series of increasing boundary crossings. The research evidence for this is clear and is backed by the experience of the thousands of people who have called our helpline.However: of course crossings do not of necessity lead to violations. I agree that Lazarus and Zur make some usefulpoints but for me their contributions are incomplete and far from definitive. If Sperry is saying rules or appreciation,then I think this is very much mistaken and would say that an awareness and commitment to each is both vital and possible. Of course there is a book of rules (and quite righttoo) and we all need to make sure it doesn’t get too long. An overly rigid approach can be very anti-therapeutic it istrue, and Glen Gabbard, the American psychotherapist andleading writer in the field, has struck an excellent balance in his book Boundaries and boundary violations in psycho-analysis. Readers may be interested to know that a newAmerican TV series has been providing perhaps the best ever small screen account of psychotherapy, and of boundaryviolations ‘In Treatment’ is available free on iTunes.

Jonathan Coe, Chief Executive, WITNESS

Letters



Responding to the raising ofenvironmental concerns inrecent editions of therapy

today1 and inspired by ElizabethHewitt’s article regarding ‘the consulting room’2, I have beenprompted to consider how the roomin which we offer therapeuticengagement contributes, beneficiallyor otherwise, to an enhanced experience of wellbeing for our clients,ourselves and the environment.

Consider the room in which you work.It may be a separate space in yourhome, a borrowed multi-functionalroom in a community building, adesignated room in a medicalhealthcare setting, or somewheresimilar. How do you go about shapingit as a therapeutic space? What arethe visible tools of your practice? Is there a clock, a box of tissues anda waste bin, what kind of seating isthere and how is it positioned? Arethere official documents and signageon the walls? Depending on yourmodality there may be a flipchart,materials for creative expression – colours, sand, clay, cushions, arequired amount of floor space androom for movement and relaxation– a whole variety of possibilities.

Consider now – is there a window?What view does the client see fromit? What view do you get? Are thereplants or flowers in the room? Ifthere are pictures, what are they of?

In two of the rooms that I currentlywork from with clients, one has a

window looking out onto a busyroad, and the other looks out to acar park, although in neither casecan clients see out of the windowwhen sitting in their bright red ordark green chair. One room has aflipchart on the wall, a desk and agraffiti image picture, and the otherhas a low table with a basket ofpebbles on it and a small print oftrees on the wall behind the client’shead. Both rooms are multi-use.

I also work from a room used only forcounselling. Although spacious, ithas no windows, no natural lighting,and no plants. There are many post-cards and tactile objects in theroom, and in writing this piece I haveconsidered them more closely andfound that the images and objectsare largely abstract, plastic andbrightly coloured.

Hopefully, these questions regardingwindows, plants and pictures haveengaged your curiosity, so what relevance do they have for therapy?

The biophilia hypothesis3 suggeststhat we have an innate emotionalaffiliation with nature, the nature ofwhich we are a part and from which,in Western urbanised society, we havebecome increasingly disconnected.Ecopsychologists work from thepremise that it is this disconnectfrom an integral part of ourselvesthat contributes to increasing levelsof mental ill-health and to increasingstress on the Earth. Therefore it is anecessary task of therapy to bring

this disequilibrium into awarenessand to create opportunities forredressing this balance.

So, given that there is much that we already do as therapists whichinfluences the context within whicha therapeutic alliance is establishedand maintained, a range of researchsuggests that there are some simplesteps we can take that may potentiateand enhance the healing and therapeutic environment for clientand therapist alike, in addition tobeing beneficial for the environment.

PicturesWith regard to pictures, Jules Prettyand his colleagues at the Universityof Essex4 have built on previousstudies, which suggest that picturesof natural landscapes can reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety,thereby providing some respite andincreasing access to our naturalresourcefulness. Using the Profile of Mood States questionnaire andthe Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale,they found that images of pleasantrural views have a beneficial impacton health and mental wellbeing.

This study also highlighted how, eventhough most of the landscape in theUK has been altered and influencedby human activity, our concepts of‘nature’ and ‘natural’ are significantlyconsistent across a diverse population.Images such as water, trees, spatialopenness, blue sky and clouds, grassand greenery, can positively enhancemood and boost self-esteem.

Green roomsConsider the room in which you work,

suggests Selena Chandler – it may well

have an impact on the therapeutic process



These themes were also reflected in an art competition organised byMind5. Participants were asked todesign an artwork that wouldimprove a space they were familiarwith ‘for better mental health’, and10 of the 12 finalists producedimages of nature.

I wonder then, is it possible for youto gather together some photos,postcards, shells and stones and foryou to bring images of nature intoyour counselling room?

ViewsSimilarly, both Ulrich6 and Kuo7

report that the view from a window,when it is of trees and greenery –and in some cases only a smallglimpse of these – can beneficiallyaffect rates of sickness and distress.Such views can lower the demandfor pain relief, reduce impulsive,aggressive and violent behaviour,improve concentration, bufferagainst stress, and reduce irritabilityand frustration.

These findings draw on the idea thatviews of nature are restorative forour brains, requiring less focused anddirected attention than is usual in ourday-to-day lives, and as such theyare linked to being better able tocope with major life issues. Dr Bird8

suggests that this gives individuals ‘a better chance to make difficultdecisions, to regain some control in their life and to be better able to cope in general’.

Consider, then, are there times whenyou can draw back the windowblinds, or open a window or door tolet the sounds, sensations and smellsof nature into the counselling room?

PlantsIn relation to plants there is evidence9

to suggest that people keep indoorplants, or put up pictures of land-scapes, to protect themselves againstthe negative effects of stress, as theyfind them calming and relaxing. Notonly do plants and flowers helpreconnect us to the changing seasonsand the ongoing cycle of life, specificvarieties such as aloe vera, spider

plants, ivy, chrysanthemums, azaleasand poinsettia can also make it possible for us to ‘breathe a littleeasier’10 by reducing airborne toxinsand directly improving the quality of the environment.

So, what opportunities are there foryou to enliven the room in whichyou work with a vase of flowers or a potted plant?

Green roomsTherapists in the UK are beginning tospeak more openly about their eco-therapy-based interests and practice,and to extend their awareness of thepsychological benefits of outdoorgreen space and reflective activity innatural places, and more practitionersare beginning to actively explore thepossibilities of working therapeuticallyoutdoors with nature. Alongsidethese developments there is alsomuch to be gained from diffusingour human-nature, indoor-outdoordisconnect by consciously bringingwider nature into our therapy roomsin both the intangible, process formssuggested by Mary-Jane Rust11 andthe more tangible, object forms suggested here.

By bringing nature into our therapyrooms we enhance the environment

not only for our clients and ourselves,we can also offer nature’s presenceas a gift to those other people whoshare these spaces. In so doing wecan enter into an ecologically beneficial feedback loop whereby in being nurtured by nature we alsobegin to be nurturing of nature10. �

Selena Chandler is a contemporarypsychotherapist and an accreditedpractitioner of the Institute ofOutdoor Learning. She offers therapyindoors and outdoors for a variety of clients and has research interests in working therapeutically outdoorswith people experiencing depressionand with women survivors of sexualviolence. Email: [email protected]

References

1 Brayne M. Climate change and a couple of

needy clients. therapy today. December

2007; 4-7.

2 Hewitt E. The consulting room: whose is it?

therapy today. February 2007; 29-31.

3 Roszak T, Gomes M, Kanner A (eds).

Ecopsychology: restoring the earth, healing

the mind. USA: Sierra Club Books; 1995.

4 Pretty J, Peacock J, Sellens M, Griffin M.

The mental and physical health outcomes of

green exercise. Int. Journal of Environmental

Health. 2005;15(5):319-37.

5 Mind in Action Bulletin. March 2007; 8-9.

6 Ulrich RS. View through a window may

influence recovery from surgery. Science.

1984;224:420-1.

7 Kuo FE, Sullivan WC. Aggression and vio-

lence in the inner city: effects of environ-

ment via mental fatigue. Environment and

Behaviour. 2001;33(4):543-71.

8 Bird W. Natural thinking: investigating the

links between the natural environment, bio-

diversity and mental health. RSPB; June

2007.

9 Heerwagan JH, Orians GH. Humans, habi-

tats and aesthetics. In: Kellert SR, Wilson EO

(eds). The biophilia hypothesis. Washington

DC: Island Press; 1993.

10 Clinebell H. Ecotherapy: healing ourselves,

healing the earth. USA: Fortress Press; 1996.

11 Rust MJ. Climate on the couch.

www.mjrust.net 17/11/07.

The view from

a window, when

it is of trees and

greenery – and in

some cases only

a small glimpse

of these – can

beneficially affect

rates of sickness

and distress

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The purpose of this article is to look at attachment and itsrelevance to counselling practice.

I do not intend to look at the differentforms of attachment in the mannerof John Bowlby nor to restrictmyself to the attachments thatoccur between people. My ideas do encompass everything fromattachment to a favourite pair ofshoes to the loss of a child.

Since I have been practising as a counsellor it has struck me thateveryone’s problems have an attachment to something at theheart of it. I am always reluctant to claim 100 per cent for anythingbut I suspect that it does apply toall the clients seen by counsellorsand psychotherapists.

The attachment may be to a possession, a person, health, a belief,a job, a way of life or life itself. Ittherefore follows that if the client’sproblem stems from attachmentthen the practice of non-attachmentwill lead to a reduction or removalof the problem. I do not mean thatthe practical nature of a problem willbe dealt with but the psychologicalconsequences will be. For examplethe consequences of the loss of ajob may be financial, status, loss ofself-esteem and anxiety. By learninghow to be non-attached to the consequences of losing the job, concerns about status, loss of self-esteem and anxiety will disappear.The practical problem of lack ofmoney may remain but that maybecome easier to resolve if the solution no longer has to result in replacing all that has been lost.

I will return to the favourite pair ofshoes. They may appear to be thebest ever but like all possessions theydeteriorate through use. Eventuallythey become too tatty to wear, theowner is upset and decides to buyanother pair just like them.Unfortunately the fashion hasmoved on and they cannot bebought. If the attachment is strongthen so will the distress be and thefutile effort to find a new pair will begreat. By letting go of the attachmentone is no longer upset and is free toenjoy the next pair.

At the other end of the scale is thedeath of a child and at first sight it is hard to see how non-attachmentis realistic here. At this point I feelthat it is important to discuss whatnon-attachment is not.

It is self-evident that strong attachments form between people.It would be foolish to deny or criticise the bonds that developbetween husband and wife or parentand child for example. Without thisour children would not be nurturedto a time when they too can playtheir part in maintaining the humanrace. Attachment can therefore be a positive thing. The attachment aclient may make to a therapist willoften be valuable while the clientworks through his or her problems.When the work is done the abilityto detach from the therapist willavoid a prolonged dependency.

Pain is introduced when the attachment becomes inappropriate.The husband or wife is required togo away for a few days for work

reasons. The spouse gives the othera really hard time over it. They partangrily and are still upset when theyare reunited. There has been novalue to either party by the effectsof that spouse’s unreasonableattachment to the other who wasrequired to go away.

This example could be seen fromthe opposite point of view. Where ajob is always taking the person awayto the extent that home life is beingdamaged from the attachment tothat job, then this too may becomethe issue.

Getting back to the death of a childone would expect a parent, howeverpsychologically strong, to be deeplydistressed and for the child to beremembered every day of the parents’lives. Any therapist who has workedwith bereavement will be familiar withhow strong the denial stage can be1.When a bereaved parent keeps achild’s room just the way it always wasit has sometimes been referred to asa shrine. Yet the truth is usually thatthey cannot accept that their childhas gone for ever. The child may needthe room and possessions again!

AttachmentLetting go can help clients move

forward, explains Jack Allen



If any person is to work through abereavement then passing throughthe denial stage (where it occurs) isimportant. This is about letting go ofthe attachment to needing the onewho has died to still be with them onthis planet. The amount of sufferingwill be decreased to the extent thatletting go of that attachment occurs.This has got nothing to do with forgetting the person, which is neither realistic nor desirable.

My final example to illustrate what Imean by non-attachment is in relationto a teenager’s room. Very few parents

who have got beyond the teenagestage with their children will nothave experienced the problem ofthe untidy room. Do you battle withyour children daily building up yourstress level as you go or do you shutthe door on it and leave the teenagerin their own mess?

The latter way does have advantagesif your aim is to reduce stress andconflict. However if you do shut thedoor but have not let go of yourattachment to your teenager beingtidy then the stress level remainshigh. Non-attachment is letting goat all levels of your being if serenityis your goal.

The basis of these ideas is not new asthey are at the core of the Buddhistreligion2 and can be found in ancientphilosophy as was discussed in CPJin July 20053 in relation to stoicism. I have found it valuable to use theidea of attachment/non-attachmentin my practice. Some clients havefound this concept illuminating intrying to understand the way theybehave and how they might moveforward.

If total non-attachment is the goalthen it will be beyond most of us.However the more we are able tomove in this direction I believe theless pain we will suffer. It is like anyone seeking therapy. The clientdecides how far they are prepared togo and where they will compromisesaying that they can live with thisnow. However there will always bethe next step. �

Jack Allen MCS(Acc) MBACP is an integrative counsellor. He has workedin that capacity for eight years withCruse Bereavement Care. He is also a supervisor. Email:[email protected]

References1 Kübler Ross E. On death and dying.

Routledge; 1989.

2 Sangharaksita. A guide to the Buddhist

path. Windhorse; 1990.

3 Robertson D. Stoicism – a lurking presence.

CPJ. July 2005.

Books available forreviewThe following books are available for review. If you would like to revieweither of these books (and the bookis then yours to keep) please contactthe editor at the address on page 1.

Counselling and psychotherapy incontemporary privatepractice, edited byAdrian Hemmingsand Rosalind Field, published byRoutledge.

Infidelity, a practitioner’s guideto working with couples in crisis,edited by Paul RPeluso, published by Routledge.

Statutory regulation updateMany AIP members have expressedconcern about the status of theanticipated regulation of counsellingand psychotherapy. Sally Aldridge,head of regulatory policy at BACP,provides up-to-date information onwhat is happening, and what thiswill mean to all BACP members. To keep abreast of the most recentdevelopments, you are advised tocheck the BACP website regularly(www.bacp.co.uk). Updates andinformation will always be postedthere at the earliest opportunity.

AIP conferenceAs a prelude to the AIP conferencelater this year on the topic of‘Professionalism and supervision:preparing for the future’, the autumnissue of The Independent Therapistwill have as its focus ‘Supervision: anaspect of professionalism’. If thereare areas you would particularly likeus to address, please contact theeditor. Alternatively, please send inyour contributions on this (or anyother topic) to the editor at theaddress on page 1.

The more

we are able to

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the less pain we

will suffer

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Making sense of theworld around usJulie Wales, counsellor of parents and carers

of disabled children for a small support group

in the voluntary sector in Cheltenham, offers

her thoughts and some suggestions

The Independent PractitionerSummer 200810

My children sometimes struggleto make sense of the worldand the world struggles

to make sense of them. They havespecial needs ranging from mild to severe, but they also have great perception of others and caringnatures (mostly) unless one transcendsinto a ‘Kevin’ teenager mode. Thenwe all take cover and sit it out.

As a parent and a counsellor it strikesme that in counselling clients –whatever issues they face – they, too,are struggling to make sense of theworld. They ask ‘Who am I? Whatshould I do?’ They confuse body language, gestures and facial expressions and conclude their own answers without finding out the real reason someone respondedin the way they did. Personalisation,generalisation and other defencesare their way of coping in theirstruggle to express themselves topeople who may judge them and sothey keep quiet and are never reallyheard. This is no criticism, but areflection on our way of coping withlife as a ‘disabled’ family and theworld around us.

We rush around in today’s modernsociety without really taking much

notice of other people’s feelings orjust slowing down enough to listento someone by hearing their ‘pain’and observing their body languageand facial expression. In counsellingit is sometimes ‘hearing’ what is notsaid and using advanced empathyand understanding of others that ishealing and developmental to theclient. Some people walk aroundholding emotional ‘pain’ within theirbodies and it can be held anywherephysically from the head to the toes.It is only perhaps when a crisis occursthat we are jolted into a reality checkof how we live our lives and how wewould like to be different and wishwe were doing things differently.

Our bodies tell us to slow down whenwe get tense muscles, physical illnessor ailments, headaches or sheerexhaustion and sleep deprivation.Our mind is constantly whirring away,night and day, never really resting,even through sleep.

You can easily recognise when you’resuffering from an imbalance. Symptomssuch as constantly being tired, feelinglike you’re running uphill all the timeand getting nowhere, feeling like youhave no choices, no control whenlife seems to be happening to you

instead of you feeling that you’remanaging it; when you can think of more things that aren’t gettingdone than are; when you see morenegatives in your life than positives.

Special needs people, young or old,and the emotionally fragile andexhausted clients are our vulnerablemembers of the modern society,whom we need to take care of andnurture so they can reach their fullpotential. It is a courageous thing tobe able to take that first step toapproach a counsellor who is astranger for help. Counselling, bothcognitive and humanistic, can givethese client groups their lives backand enable them to see their world abit clearer and come out of the ‘fog’.

Alongside counselling a client canlearn to relax at their own pace andstyle. Sometimes we need to be taughtor reminded ‘how to’, as below.

Learning to relaxMany people find that learning torelax helps them reduce worry andanxiety. It can also help improvesleep and relieve physical symptomscaused by stress, such as headachesor stomach pains. Learning to relax is a skill and takes practice before it


can be done properly.

You may already have learned arelaxation exercise or you may wantto try a relaxation or yoga class at anadult education class or other centrenear you. If not, here is a guide on howto relax. This exercise should takeabout 15-20 minutes. However, ifyou have only five minutes to spare,five minutes is better than nothing.

1 Find a quiet and relaxing placeChoose a comfortable chair whereyou won’t be disturbed. Make sureyou take the phone off the hook.You may need to explain to yourfamily or friends what you are doingso that they do not disturb you.Telling them may also reduce anyembarrassment you may feel.

2 Clear your mind Try to clear your mind of all worries ordisturbing thoughts. If these worries orthoughts drift back into your mindwhile you are relaxing, do not try tostop them, just let them float gentlyacross and out of your mind withoutreacting to them. Let your mind beclear and calm.

3 Practice the slow breathingmethodBreathe in for three seconds and

breathe out for three seconds, thinking the word relax every timeyou breathe out. Let your breathingflow smoothly. Imagine the tensionflowing out of your body each timeyou breathe out.

4 Relax your musclesFor each of the muscle groups in yourbody, tense the muscles for seven to10 seconds, then relax for 10 seconds.Only tense your muscles moderately(not to the point of inducing pain).Don’t try to relax. Simply let go ofthe tension in your muscles and allowthem to become relaxed. Relax yourmuscles in the following order:

Hands – clench one fist tightly, thenrelax. Do the same with the otherhandLower arms – bend your hand downat the wrist, as though you were tryingto touch the underside of your arm,then relaxUpper arms – bend your elbows andtense your arms. Feel the tension inyour upper arm, then relaxShoulders – lift your shoulders up asif trying to touch your ears with them,then relaxNeck – stretch your neck gently tothe left, then forward, then to theright, then to the back in a slowrolling motion, then relax

Forehead and scalp – raise your eyebrows, then relaxEyes – screw up your eyes, then relaxJaw – clench your teeth (just totighten the muscles), then relaxTongue – press your tongue againstthe roof of your mouth, then relaxChest – breathe in deeply to inflateyour lungs, then breath out and relaxStomach – push your tummy in totighten the muscle, then relaxUpper back – pull your shouldersforward with your arms at your side,then relaxLower back – while sitting, lean yourhead and upper back forward, rollingyour back into a smooth arc thustensing the lower back, then relax Buttocks – tighten your buttocks,then relaxThighs – while sitting, push yourfeet firmly into the floor, then relaxCalves – lift your toes off the groundtowards your shins, then relaxFeet – gently curl your toes down sothat they are pressing into the floor,then relax.

5 Enjoy the feeling of relaxationTake some slow breaths while yousit still for a few minutes enjoyingthe feeling of relaxation.

Practice once or twice a day for atleast eight weeks.

During the day, try relaxing specificmuscles whenever you notice thatthey are tense.

Recognising tensionMany people find learning to relaxdifficult. This is because being tensehas become a habit.

Write about the situations whenyou’ve noticed different musclesbecoming tense. You might havebeen doing something (such asshopping). Or waiting to do something (such as a test). Write in what it was. Write it in next to the muscles which became tense.

As you become more aware of whenyou get tense, add the situations to your chart. In those situations,practise parts of your relaxation routine to overcome the tension. �

The following is an excerpt from In praise of slow, by Carl Honoré: ‘How can I start slowing down?’

Embracing the Slow creed means rethinking your whole approach to life.

But everyone has to start somewhere, so here are five tips for decelerating:1 Leave holes in the diary rather than striving to fill every moment withactivity. Easing the pressure on your time will help you to slow down.2 Set aside a time of day to turn off all the technology that keeps usbuzzing – phones, computers, pagers, email, television, radio. Use the breakto sit quietly somewhere, alone with your thoughts. Or try meditating.3 Make time for at least one hobby that slows you down, such as reading,painting, gardening or yoga.4 Eat supper at the table instead of balancing it on your lap it in front of the TV.5 Always monitor your speed. If you are doing something more quickly thanyou need to simply out of habit, then take a deep breath and slow down.

In his well-researched and often amusing book, Honoré presents an eloquentcase for a thorough re-examination of priorities and shows how even subtleshifts in the way we live can have a very real effect on our wellbeing. The Guardian

The Independent Practitioner Summer 200811



Resolving conflictThe first goal when working toresolve conflicts is to deal with theemotional aspects: anger, distrust,defensiveness, resentment, fear andrejection. Only after these emotionalaspects have been dealt with andthe emotions have receded can thenext stage be reached: solving theproblems or differences whichcaused the conflict.

A. Focus on emotions1 Treat the other person withrespectRespect for another person is an attitude conveyed by specific behaviours. The way I listen to theother, look at him or her, my tone of voice, my selection of words, the type of reasoning I use: theseeither convey my respect or theycommunicate disrespect.

Unfortunately, a disagreement withanother person’s beliefs or values, ora conflict of needs, often degeneratesinto disrespect for both the otherperson’s ideas and his or her personhood.

In conflict we tend to descend to meet. There is an interpersonal

gravitation that tends to pull usdown to the level of disrespect for the other person. There is aninclination to stereotype the other.When this happens, we talk at eachother or past each other, not witheach other.

For many of us, an act of willpoweris needed to fight the gravitationalpull into disrespect. The exertion ofmoral force is required to treat theother as a person of worth withwhom we will enter into a dialogueas equals.

2 Listen until you ‘experience theother side’One of the best ways to communicatemore accurately during disagreementand to resolve conflict is to instituteCarl Rogers’ rule: ‘Each person canspeak up for him/herself only afters/he has first restated the ideas andfeelings of the previous speakeraccurately, to that speaker’s satisfaction.’

You listen and say back the otherperson’s thing, step by step, just asthat person seems to have it at thatmoment. You never mix into it anyof your own things or ideas, neverlay on the other person anything

that person didn’t express. To showthat you understand exactly, make asentence or two which gets exactlyat the personal meaning this personwants to put across. This might be in your own words usually, but usethat person’s words for the touchymain things.

The goal of listening is to understandthe content of the other person’sideas or proposals, the meaning ithas for him or her and the feelingshe or she has about it. That meansbeing able to step into the otherperson’s shoes and view from his orher point of view the things s/he istalking about. When the other personfeels heard, you have earned theright to speak your point of viewand express your feelings.

3 State your views, needs and feelingsAfter demonstrating respect for theother as a person and conveyingyour understanding of his or herfeelings and point of view, it is yourturn to communicate your meaningto the other. Four guidelines are useful at this step of the conflictresolution process:1 state your point of view briefly

Relationship therapist

Madge Holmes offers

ways to help couples

Resolving conflict and solvingproblems

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2 avoid loaded words3 say what you mean and mean whatyou say4 disclose your feelings.

There are some occasions when stepthree of the process (stating yourown views, needs and feelings) isunnecessary. Sometimes one personis upset and the other is not. Whenthe angry person vents his or herfeelings and is accepted and treatedwith respect the conflict may end.

B. Prepare to ‘fight’In order to resolve conflicts, thereare necessary conditions so that the ‘fight’ – the engagement – isproductive.

1 Does each of us have sufficientemotional energy for this conflict at this particular time?2 Who should be there? As a generalrule, the people who are involvedshould be there and the people whoare not involved should not be atthe scene of the conflict.3 When is the best time?4 Where is the best place?5 Refrain from surprise attacks. Thefight that begins with mutual consentand agreed-upon conditions (includingfocusing first on the emotionalaspects) is off to a good start.

C. Evaluate the conflictAfter the fight it is a good plan todiscuss with your fight partner howyou fought and what you learned.The following questions may help:� What have I learned from this fight?� Can I learn anything from this fightabout one or more of the things thattend to ‘push my buttons’ or pushthe other’s buttons? Specifically,what triggering event started thisfight?� How well did I (or we) use the conflict resolution process: preparation, respect, listening, stating my view, evaluation?� How badly was I hurt?� How badly was my partner hurt?� How valuable was this fight for mypartner and me in letting off steam?� How useful was it in revealing newinformation about myself, my partner,and the issue in contention?

� Did either of us change our opinionsat all? If so, what do I think of thenew position(s) we arrived at?� What did I find out about my ownand my partner’s fight style, strategy,and weapons?� Are we closer together or fartherapart as a result of this fight?� What do I want to do differentlythe next time I’m in a conflict?� What do I wish my partner would do differently the next timewe fight?

Solving problemsThe steps to solving problems arenot easy to follow. But if usedappropriately, they are effective.However, they are not effectiveunless the emotions are first dealtwith, as noted above in Resolvingconflict: A, steps 1, 2, 3.

B. State the problem in such away as to include both persons’needsThis must be stated in specific termsby both persons. Example: Person Awants to watch football on televisionon Sunday afternoons. Person Bwants to go out on picnics and hikeson Sunday afternoons. Once this isclearly stated in specific terms, aproblem statement can be made. For example: the problem is what we will do on Sunday afternoons.

C. Create alternative solutionsOnce the problem is clearly stated,then alternative solutions can be set forth. In this creative process all persons in the conflict shouldparticipate. All suggestions shouldbe listed. Think creatively – thewilder the solutions the better. Nodiscussion, rejection or evaluation of solutions should happen at thisstage. Creative thinking should continue until each person sees on the list several solutions whichmight be workable. It is vital to haveenough alternatives from which tomake the ultimate decision.

D. Evaluate alternative solutionsEach person in turn evaluates the listof solutions. Solutions which areunacceptable for any reason shouldbe eliminated, stating honestly why

they are unacceptable. It is essentialthat feelings and thoughts areexpressed during this time and thatthe other person listens while theprocess of evaluation goes on.

E. Decide on the best solutionEach person writes down the two orthree solutions they consider best, inpriority order. All persons then sharetheir lists. Discuss which solution isthe best of those on the lists anddecide on one from each list.Evaluate each of them. Usually onesolution will then appear better thanthe others. When the solution ischosen then determine (1) who willdo what; (2) when; (3) where; (4) howoften. It is important that thesespecifics are agreed on for the solution to work.

Example: Person A: I will watch onlyone game on Sundays and will go ona picnic or hike with you before orafter the match. I will decide onSunday mornings which game it willbe, will tell you, and will set a timeto go on the picnic or hike. Person B:I will let you watch a football matchand will not nag about it and willlook forward to going on a picnic orhike each Sunday with you.

F. Implement the solutionYou will need to act on the solutionto the problem long enough to giveit a sufficient trial period (in thisexample perhaps two or three weeks).Both persons will need to realise thatit not easy to act in new behaviouralpatterns. The payoff for making thesolution work is great, however.

G. Evaluate the processAfter the solution has been implemented for an agreed-uponperiod of time, both persons needto discuss and evaluate progress. If the solution needs adjustments,try to make them. Check to see thatall persons agree with the statementof the problem. The problem mayhave become clearer or may havedisappeared, or new problems mayhave arisen. If anyone is unhappywith the solution or feels it is unfairor won’t work, repeat the processfrom the beginning. �



The process of making a diagnosis, of assessing theproblem for which the client has sought help, is inlarge part influenced by the kind or level of therapy

that is available. Ordinarily, we are taught to think theopposite: that the diagnosis will determine the kind oftherapy offered. The economics of paying for therapy,however, often reverses the conventional wisdom in thismatter. Insurance companies, EAPs and their coverage

have a significant say in the matter of what can be provided in therapy, as does the financial resources of the client, of course.

The following schema therefore attempts to summarisesome useful distinctions in the process of making a diagnostic appraisal based on what kind or level of therapy is available to the client—for whatever reason.

Diagnostic assessment and levelsof counselling/psychotherapyRay Landon suggests some differences between

counselling and psychotherapy

Level of therapy Working with surfacematerial. Consciouslevel

Working with subconscious patterns

Working with the depth of the unconscious

Focus of therapy The pain The problem The person

Goal of therapy Healing, symptom relief,crisis management

Teaching, learning orbehaviour awareness and change

Working through childhoodcomplexes, growth anddevelopment

Intervention Medication, hypnosis, stressrelief, action taking

Cognitive-behavioural, systematic desensitisation,self-hypnosis

Psychoanalysis, analysis,archaeological

Diagnosis or assessment

Symptoms, complaints, thesuffering and sources ofsuffering

Habits or traits that maintain the suffering,maladaptive ways, personality disorders

Pathological complexes or patterns of fixated development. Clinical syndromes

Treatment goal Relief Change Self-actualisation

Length 5-10 sessions 10-20 sessions Long-term therapy



John CrewMA Dip. Couns. MBACP, BACP Snr. Accredited Counsellor, BACPAccredited Supervisor (of individuals)[email protected]

Ihave been working as a counsellorfor 20 years, initially in the voluntarysector and then, following

redundancy and further training, in private practice. Over this latter10 years I have continued to trainand have built up a thriving privatepractice as a counsellor, supervisorand trainer.

For several years I worked within acharitable counselling organisationwhich provided specialist supportfor adults abused as children. One ofmy roles was to train and supervisestudents on their second-year diplomaplacements, specifically to workwithin this emotionally demandingarea. I came to realise that the levelof support given during trainingfaded away once students qualifiedand moved on from the organisation.This replicates my own experienceof being very much on my own fromthe moment of obtaining my diploma.As I have become more involved insupervision and teaching/training (Iteach to diploma level), I have becomemore and more aware of the isolationthat can befall new counsellors movinginto organisational or private practice.

The first years of practice are difficultwith the need to network to build a career, develop personal skills andapproaches and, at the same time,accumulate the hours necessary to move towards professionalaccreditation within a specified timescale.

During this time, the value of good,relevant, supervision and ongoingpeer and professional back-up is vital.

I have been invited to serve on the executive committee of theAssociation of IndependentPractitioners and I hope that bydoing so, I can be involved in developing the organisation toencourage newly qualified counsellorsto join the organisation and that we can between us develop such a support structure.

Wendy Halsall BA Hons, Dip Counselling, MBACP Snr Accred, UKRC [email protected]

I work as an independent practitionerin a private practice in ruralLincolnshire. I also receive referralsfrom employee assistance programmesand occasionally work with traumaboth in the UK and abroad. In additionI sometimes see clients at an

HIV/AIDS charity in Lincoln.

I have been a member of AIP since2000 and found their support andfriendship invaluable when I was firstsetting up my practice. I had originallyworked as a counsellor for staff and students in a college of furthereducation for 12 years and in 2000 I was made redundant as a result of the closure of the counsellingservice, due to major financial reorganisation by the college. After my initial shock and dismay, I realised that I would probably not be able to find another similarposition without uprooting myselffrom my family and the area that I love and decided to try and set up a practice on my own.

It took about two years to getestablished with a good caseloadand it was during this difficult timethat I was to find the members of AIPso helpful, generous and supportive. Ishall always be grateful to them andthat is why I am now willing andindeed keen to work with them. Ihave always enjoyed attending andparticipating in training days andnow accept that it is time for me togive some time to help to organisefuture events for others.

Knowing first hand how daunting itcan be to try to establish a successful

AIP executive committeeWe are delighted to welcome newly co-opted

members John Crew and Wendy Halsall to

our team. They have responded to our call for

interested AIP members to consider joining,

and will be working with us from now on



Happiness is neither a right nor a given, nor can it be attained in an instantas the happiness industry would have us believe. It is a slow process, butscientific studies show that certain behaviours can enhance our pursuit.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesrevealed that scans of people’s heads as they donated to their favouritecharity showed that giving money lights up the brain’s reward system inthe same way that receiving money does.

Absorption in a single skill activity such as learning a hobby or skillinstead of multi-tasking creates a ‘flow’ state of unselfconsciousness thathelps to develop our higher-functioning cerebral cortexes.

A study by Japan’s National Institute of Industrial Health of 600 workerswho had been taught to meditate found that they had improved emotionalstability, showed less anxiety and neurosis and had fewer nagging physicalailments.

Texas University studies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychologysay that people who nurture their sense of gratitude raise their energy,optimism and enthusiasm levels. An American Journal of Cardiology studyshows that gratitude boosts people’s heart health. There is a Tibetan sayingthat goes ‘The moment we are content, we have enough. The problem isthat we think the other way round: that we will be content only when wehave enough.’(Body & Soul, The Times)

Who needs a therapist? Astudy in the Early ChildhoodResearch Quarterly adds toa growing body of researchthat throughout life, talkingto oneself can carry significantbenefits. The new studyfound that 78 per cent ofchildren performed better onmotor tasks when speakingto themselves than whenthey were silent.

It helps adults too.Psychiatrist Paul Horton sayshis survey of 160 men andwomen shows that talkingto oneself can help to liftdepressive moods. Says BrettKahr, senior clinical researchfellow at the Centre for ChildMental Health, London, inhealthy people it can be a

way of approaching a problem from many different angles’.It is important to note, however, that only positive self-talk is helpful.

Other studies show that saying ‘I can’t do it’ isn’t going to help at all.

On the other hand… Talking may be helpful, but apparently writing is not always so. Novelist Patrick Gale states ‘Most novelists are mentally ill. Writing is a form of willed mental illness, a willed psychosis.’ However,he also says ‘writing is like therapy’ and that writing his novels has helpedhim to find ‘happy endings’.

News

practice, I have a particular interestin working in this area. It seems tome that many training courses arevery keen to attract new studentsbut are not so concerned abouthelping them after they graduate. I would be interested to know if anynewly qualified counsellors wouldfind it useful to have support in thisarea and if so, what sort of helpthey would find most useful.

The things I myself found particularlyuseful were the help I received concerning pro formas for notes,invoices and office stationery andsupport from my colleagues regardingworking in isolation, as I had previouslybeen used to working within a team.I also appreciated being able toattend the training days organisedby AIP as these are so relevant tomy work.

I have attended my first executivemeeting as an observer and was very impressed by the professionalattitude of the executive membersand by the support given by BACPstaff. Everyone is very enthusiasticand they seem to be so committedto giving a good service and workingtowards a successful organisationthat it is indeed a pleasure to beworking with them. �

It seems to me

that many training

courses are very

keen to attract

new students

but are not so

concerned about

helping them after

they graduate

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Exciting and different times lieahead for the profession ofcounselling and psychotherapy,

as regulation comes nearer. All of usneed to be using the time till thento get ourselves in the best possibleplace, ahead of it. AIP, the associationfor those working independently,either privately or as affiliates orwithin agencies, recognises the need, as professionals, to sharpenour image. We are well served byBACP, with the latest information on regulation, both through therapytoday and the BACP website, but weowe it to ourselves to ensure thatour counselling and psychotherapywork is as sharp and up to date aspossible, if we want to continueworking post regulation.

The AIP conference is another in ourseries of conferences focusing onprofessionalism. The 2008 conferencetakes supervision as the aspect ofprofessionalism in the floodlights.Delegates will be informed aboutimminent developments within thefield of psychological therapies andthe influences on independent practitioners and others. There willbe elements covering the following:on BACP accreditation and its links toregulation; links between supervisionand accreditation; recent researchinto the effectiveness of supervisionand the development of supervisionpolicy, especially relevant to membersof AIP and an overview of whatemployers are looking for from amodern independent practitioner.

Event detailsCost: AIP members £75; BACP members £90; Reduced fee members £60.Date: November 2008 (tbc)Location: London venue (tbc)Contact: To register your interestplease email [email protected] entitle your email ‘AIP conference’.

The AIP conference is sponsored by Howden Insurance.

The autumn issue of The IndependentPractitioner will feature supervisionas an aspect of professionalism: seebox on page 9.

AIP conferenceProfessionalism and supervision: preparing for the future


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