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Personal Development in Counselling and Psychotherapy
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Personal Development in Counselling and Psychotherapy

First Edition


July 2012 | 184 pages | Learning Matters
There is an increased emphasis on self awareness and self care in counselling and psychotherapy training, with a focus on how the therapist as a person affects the therapeutic outcome. This timely book responds to these complex issues and is designed to help counselling students, trainees and graduates with integrating their personal development into their professional planning. There are chapters on bringing the Self into therapy, choosing the right training and how to succeed as an accredited practitioner. Activities and research summaries throughout give this book a fully-integrated approach ideal for busy students.
 
Introduction
 
What is Personal Development?
 
The 'Good Enough' Therapist
 
Trust and Support for Personal and Professional Growth
 
The Anatomy of Healing
 
Theory and The Therapist as a Person
 
Accountability and Transparency
Marie Adams
Placing Ourselves in Context: Research as a Personal Narrative
Beverley Costa
A Therapeutic Journey Across Cultural and Linguistic Borderlands
 
Being a Listener with a Voice
 
Taking Charge of Your Own Learning and Development
 
Conclusion

This has been a valuable resource in supporting counselling certificate students in understanding the vital significance of the personal development of the therapist. The chapter focussing on 'trust and support for personal and professional growth' stimulated a particularly useful exercise for students involving application of the ethical principles of counselling and psychotherapy to themselves eg Am I being true to myself?(Fidelity). The chapter on 'reflective writing' was used to help students to think about ways that they might explore personal and course material in their learning journals. The 'therapeutic journey across cultural and linguistic borderlands' assisted exploration of working with difference in the therapeutic relationship. A useful resource for students and tutors.

Ms Helene Baker
counse, City Lit
February 21, 2013

Good book for exploring what personal development means/entails in counselling training. Will be recommending.

Ms Stephanie Revell
Health and Wellbeing, University of Cumbria
November 13, 2012

I have passed this text to the tutor who facilitates the experiential group ... very welcome and useful addition as there is a lack of material from this perspective.

Ms Raje Suzanne Airey
Counselling Dept, Colchester Institute
October 9, 2012

Whilst personal development is often held up as the lynchpin of counselling development courses at level 4 and above there are comparatively few texts which provide a systematic and well-researched overview of what this is and how it may be effectively undertaken. Bager-Charleson's latest work does that and will be essential reading on BACP-accredited and other courses

Mr Arthur Dixon
Professional Studies, Darlington College
September 27, 2012

This is a brilliant book! I am recommending it for my students because it clearly links reflective and reflexive practice and challenges practitioners to think creatively.

Ms Jane Macaskie
School of Healthcare, Leeds University
September 6, 2012
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