1. A pilot study into the experiences of counsellors in training A traditional dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA Psychological Therapies at Leeds Metropolitan University Damien Haigh

2. Structure of a Traditional Dissertation ● Introduction ● Aims and objectives ● Literature Review ● Research Question/Hypotheses ● Methodology ● Results and Analysis

3. Structure of a Traditional Dissertation ● Discussion ● Conclusions ● Recommendations ● Critical Appraisal and Reflection ● Referencing ● Appendices

4. The Purpose of the Study ● A qualitative study into counsellors’ experiences on their training courses ● Considering any differences between the experiences of male and female counsellors ● Considering if any aspects of training are less helpful to women or men ● Maximise the effective use of training by students

5. The Rationale for the Study ● Following on from my own experiences on a Diploma-level course ● Men use counselling less than women ● Only 30% of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) members are men ● Do these factors impact upon men’s ability to engage with training?

6. Objectives of the Study ● Why women and men study counselling ● If and how men and women experience training differently ● Which parts of courses are helpful or unhelpful ● What the long-term benefits of training are and ● If courses are more suited to ways of working and self-expression which are viewed as “feminine”

7. Literature Review 1 ● Men’s Low Uptake of Counselling ● Gender Splits in the Mental Health Field ● The Move Towards a Degree-Level Core Curriculum for Training and Possible Regulation of the Counselling Profession

8. Literature Review 2 ● People’s Motivations for Studying Counselling ● The Application Process and Initial Selection of Trainees ● Self-Exploration and Personal Development in Training ● Supervised Work with Clients ● Acquisition of Counselling Skills

9. Literature Review 3 ● Counselling Theory and Academic Content ● Assessment and Initiation, and its Impact Upon Relationships on the Course ● Training Methods ● Outcomes and the Long-Term Value of Counsellor Training ● Costs of Training

10. Literature Review 4 ● Personal Distress Suffered by Trainees and the Impact of Counsellor Training on Personal Relationships ● The Need for Further Research on Counsellor Training

11. Research Questions ● What was helpful or unhelpful about training courses? ● What was easy or difficult? ● Would they have changed anything about their courses? ● How did training prepare them for life and work as counsellors?

12. Methodology ● Design of the Study ● Research Sample: Characteristics, Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria, Access ● Procedures for Data Collection ● Method of Data Analysis ● Ethical Considerations

13. Results and Analysis 1 ● Participants ● Reasons for Studying Counselling ● Participants’ Initial Experiences on Diploma Courses ● Relationships with Other Students ● Valuing Previous Experience ● Relationships with Tutors ● Disruptions and Upheavals

14. Results and Analysis 2 ● Course Ethos ● Course Criteria and Assessment ● Personal Development (PD) ● Skills Acquisition ● Academic Work ● Fitting In, Getting it Right, Being Liberated or Dropping Out

15. Results and Analysis 3 ● Gender ● Age ● Other Areas of Diversity: Class, Financial lncome and Race/Ethnicity ● Advice for Future Students ● Suggestions for Improvements to Courses ● Benefits of Training

16. Discussion 1 ● Benefits ● Misgivings Compared with Initial Motivations and Expectations ● Information given to potential students ● Grouping and Ungrouping – Relationships with Others ● Relationships with Tutors ● Self-Exploration and Personal Development (PD) in Training

17. Discussion 2 ● Course progression in PD ● Personal Development – Group Dynamics and Mediation ● PD Group Facilitation and Assessment ● Contracting and Informed Consent in PD work ● Learning Goals ● Supervised Work with Clients

18. Discussion 3 ● Acquisition of Counselling Skills and Skills Practice ● Counselling Theory and Academic Content ● Integration of Skills, Theory and Personal Development ● Course Length, Course Progression and Levels of Training

19. Discussion 4 ● Knowing and Not-Knowing – Criteria and Assessment ● Costs of Training ● Initiation: Fitting In, Getting it Right, Being Liberated or Dropping Out ● Gender, and Men’s Low Uptake of Counselling ● Other Areas of Diversity: Age, Class, Financial lncome and Race/Ethnicity

20. Conclusions ● No clear gender differences emerged ● No differences were noted in motivations or behaviour that led people to study counselling ● Men and women alike reported many positive long-term benefits from training ● Both male and female students experienced high levels of conflicting feelings on courses

21. Conclusions ● Disturbances act as barriers to learning ● Different students hold different expectations and assumptions ● Courses do not always help students to address interpersonal issues, or their own personal or academic difficulties ● Courses may also not give sufficient information about the demands of training to potential trainees

22. Conclusions ● Students also wanted more support from tutors ● Raised questions about tutor availability and staff-student ratios ● Highlighted funding difficulties

23. Conclusions ● Course environments and working practices did seem to be thought of as more suited to ways of working and self- expression viewed as “feminine” ● This was mostly viewed in a positive light, and seen to affect men or women alike, and affect them in different ways

24. Conclusions ● It is helpful to consider students’ individual needs based upon all aspects of identity, rather than isolating gender ● All individuals have the potential to struggle with different aspects of courses ● Their struggle may be seen in the context of “initiation” into a particular way of working

25. Conclusions ● Students may experience tensions between counselling principles, and the need to prove themselves or fit in with a particular way of working ● Tensions may also arise at organisational level because of the dichotomy between counselling principles and education methods

26. Recommendations ● Further research on counsellor training will require ‘multiple levels of investigation’ ● Training methods have not been sufficiently analysed in the past and may not have changed in response to students’ needs

27. Further Research Future research could: ● compare students’ initial expectations with final outcomes from counselling training ● consider different course approaches, providing wider comparisons of students views on different counselling models

28. Further Research Future research could: ● explore students’ perceptions of course structures, assessing the impact of different areas of training and whether particular functions could be carried out in different ways ● consider the importance of personal therapy for trainees during courses

29. Further Research Future research could: ● explore the centrality of personal development groups in training, gathering more information about their immediate and long-term impacts ● assess whether other forms of personal development activity or group work could help some students

30. Further Research Future research could: ● identify how introductory and certificate courses help students with personal development, and consider whether students are sufficiently prepared for the demands of diploma courses ● gain a greater understanding of how tutors and facilitators’ assessment roles change other aspects of their relationships with students

31. Further Research Future research could: ● consider whether different facilitation styles have different benefits or problems ● review the quality of course leaflets and prospectuses ● consider whether tutors can explore difficult course dynamics more

32. Further Research Future research could: ● evaluate how well colleges’ assessment methods meet students’ needs; and ● consider the impact of individual differences or diversity on take up rates of courses, benefits from training and drop-out rates.