Counselling Skills: Practice and Reflections

What do counselling skills look like, and what goes on for the counsellor during the work. This video presents a brief demonstration of counselling practice with a client, 'Tara' (played by an actor), who has come to counselling with low mood and problems with studying. The practice is based on 'person-centred'/'Rogerian' principles but with a change-focused emphasis. In particular, the work aims to help the client REFLECT on their issues, RE-EVALUATE how they are doing things, and RE-DECIDE their choices and actions--so that the client can find more satisfying and fulfilling ways of being. As part of the reflection process, there is a particular emphasis on 'resonating with'--and helping the client connect to--feelings and emotions. This is so that the focus of the work is on the issues that are of most importance to the client. The demonstration is interspersed with reflective comments from myself, as counsellor. I describe what I'm thinking, feeling, and experiencing as the counselling is going on; what I am trying to do; how I evaluate my own practice; and how my interventions and responses relate to counselling theory and practice. The video is aimed at students just starting out on counselling and counselling skills practice, as well as more experienced practitioners interested in seeing the 'nitty-gritty' of how other therapists work. It may also be of interest to counselling clients and other lay-people who are intrigued in understanding more of the aims of counselling and the counsellor's own inner process. More details of my work, including publications, research articles, and videos, can be found at mick-cooper.co.uk The video was put together by my daughter, Maya. Her website is here: https://www.mayakatherine.co.uk/ . Do contact her ([email protected]) if you are interested in commissioning your own video. Many thanks to Tara Ahmed for playing the role of the client. Her spotlight number is 9410-7863-9529 If watching this video raises any mental health issues or concerns for you, you should discuss these with your GP/doctor. You can also find a counsellor at https://www.bacp.co.uk/search/Therapists . For immediate, life-threatening mental health emergencies in the UK, call 999 or go to the nearest A&E department. For urgent but non-life-threatening crises, call the NHS on 111 and select the mental health option. Unfortunately, I cannot respond to individual, personal comments or requests regarding mental health issues.