Welcome to Counselling Skills – Level Three Week Two Personal Development for Counselling

Session Objectives  Check in with yourself and the group.  Discuss and record your understanding and thoughts about personal development.  Consider some views and dimensions of personal development for counselling  Identify and discuss a range of personal development activities.  Read and discuss an extract from a PD journal.  Share ideas about how you may record your PD experiences throughout the course.  Collect course work from last year.  Homework Create a Personal Coat of Arms reflecting your Values and beliefs, greatest achievements people you admire favourite things

Check-in Spend a few moments on your own, in silence. Remember the first session. Recall something which you learned during or as a result of that session. You may wish to share that learning with the group.

Personal Development.  In small groups discuss and record your understanding and thoughts about personal development for counselling.  What is it?  Why is it important?  How can it be achieved?

Training to be a counsellor – what does it involve? Professional Issues Counselling theories Counselling environment Ethical practise Skills practise – peer and tutor evaluation Work placements Personal therapy Personal development

Personal Development for Counselling "Personal Development is not an event but a process, life-long and career long: it must and will happen incidentally before and after any training course, through all aspects of life and work... in counselling training it should be purposeful, integrated and at the heart of the learning journey to become a counsellor". (Johns 1993). Johns, Hazel. (1993:preface) Personal Development in Counsellor Training. London: Cassell.

Importance of Personal Development for counselling “... an unaware counsellor leading an unexamined life is likely to be a liability rather than an asset" Dryden and Thorne. 1991; cited in Johns, 1991 p.3

Carl Rogers on Personal Development "The degree to which I can create relationships which facilitate the growth of others as separate persons is a measure of the growth I have achieved myself" Rogers, Carl (1961) On becoming a person London: Constable

Goals of Personal Development for Counselling Connor identifies three domains for PD: Intrapersonal (relating to yourself) Interpersonal (concerning relationships with others) Attitudes and Values Adapted from Connor 1994 in Johns 1996, p58-9

Intrapersonal Development - Objectives: To develop an understanding and appreciation of self To become aware f and utilise personal strengths and assets. To become aware of blind spots, bl;ocks and vulnerabilities To identify areas to work on in personal counselling To appreciate experientially the significance of developmental stages in PD.

Interpersonal Development - Objectives: To understand areas of strength and areas for development in a range of interractions To gain confidence in appropriate self sharing To develop skills in giving and receiving feedback To facilitate growth in self and others To develop helping relationships with clients To continuously reflect upon successes and setbacks and to use it as a basis for setting realistic objectives for development. To develop an internal supervisor.

Attitudes and Values - Objectives: To become aware of personal assumptions and beliefs To explore and clarify attitudes and values To develop core therapeutic qualities To be aware of ethical and professional issues and expectations in counselling To develop a personal code of professional ethics.

How is Personal Development Achieved? Writing Reading Reflection Paying attention to critical incidents Personal Counselling Supervision Tutorials Peer Groups Encounter Groups Creative activities Creative writing or journaling Skills Practise Sessions Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) Time-Lines or Life-lines Johari Window Guided Imagery Mindfulness/meditation

A Journal Extract Read and discuss an extract form a PD journal. Source: Sanders, Pete (2011) First Steps in Counselling. 4 th Edition Ross- on Wye: PCCS Books

Homework Design Your Personal Coat of Arms including: Values and beliefs Greatest achievements People you admire Favourite things

Information. If you have received your certificate, then you may collect your portfolio from the Haven. Please sign a slip confirming collection. N.B. The course is 33 weeks long with 4 Saturday workshops. The final date of the course is 20 th June, 2013