Live on line Vaule of supervision event.

This even is going a head on Sunday 26th July.

If you would like a free ticket to this event to join myself and John Wilson on Sunday evening between 7.30pm & 9.00pm you can sign up here.

You can also get more information on this online experiment and see mine and Johns profile as we will be facilitating the event.

Look forward to seeing or hearing and chatting to you on sunday evening.

Live broadcast

I am looking forward to doing a live broadcast on line with John from wilson counselling at the end of July date to be confirmed the topic will be supervision, will come up with a better title than that.

When I know the details of the live online event I will post details here at twitter.

Start stop start stop

What has been happening to me as I write this blog, I have things I want to say about stuff that happened today when I was running some training. I found myself starting to write then I stopped and deleted everything, then started again, deleted and then decided to write about my process.

How do I feel right now?

Bloody frustrated! I just want to blog about what I observed and what happened. So I am thinking of away of writing about what I want to explain., so here goes.

See I started and deleted so what's that about! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! feeling even more frustrated now. Whats stopping me? confidentiality? maybe that's what it is. Maybe I need to own this then write.

I have seen some reactions today that has highlighted how skilled I am at dealing with people's issues. I have seen people (none counsellors) react to self harm, suicide and rape that really surprised me. I guess I was surprised as I deal with these issues on a day to day basis's and those issues don't surprise me, when someone tells me they are self harming etc.

I don't want to blow my own trumpet, I think it just comes from the training I have done and the experience I have gained over the past 7 years.

Again I have been typing and deleting. Time to close this entry.

I quess we all have different skills in the work place and they have skills that I don't have and I have skills that they don't have. So its not a reflection on the people, its a reflection on the training they have had. So I hope that the training they had today helped them gain a few more skills on how to deal with people.

More process! I have read and reread this enty for reasons I'm not sure about at this time. I have even changed and retyped parts of it and that something I dont do as I tent to write then publish....this has been a bizar procces for me.

If any one want to throw some light on my process please do....!

Online counselling

I have spent to day putting together a proposal forward for getting online counselling up and running in the organization I work in. I have this meeting this coming Friday.

I am a great believe that online counselling is really at the beginning in the counselling/supervision world. So I'm very excited to be part of it.

I spent time last week end talking to people that already have online support on offer. We need to drag our ass into the 21st century and support the clients are service doesn't reach at this time.

There are counsellors out there that are not interested in online counselling/supervision and that's fine by me. I just think as a service and a profession we need to move into other mediums as more and more people use the Internet to communicate.

I dont think the internet will ever replace face to face counselling or will it one day?

A evening with Keith Tudor and friends

I am now sat in a Premier Inn in Sheffield after spending the evening with Keith Tudor and also being in conversation with Colin Lago, Pete Sanders.. at Temenos in Sheffield.

What a Fantastic evening after driving up from Southampton this morning and meeting my good friend John Wilson from Wilson Counselling who also runs onlinevents which broadcasts live video and interviews with key people in the counselling world.

I have been speaking to people who are excited about on line counselling and online supervision. this got me to thinking that the Internet in counselling is so so under used and it seems that the counselling world is at the beginning of this Internet thing!

I'm so excited about the future in counselling when it comes to on line work.... there will be counsellors out there that will not be interested in on line work and that's fine, more work for me.

I have also heard people say we don't talk (Communicate) anymore! Hello! yes we do, we just use a different platform to do this...things move on keep up.

On Friday last week I had what I believe was my most challenging client to date. When I say challenging I mean the issues he talked about and the things I saw were very very extreme.


This all happened when I was called to deal with and emergency. I’m not going to say anything else about it as I don’t think it is important, what is important is the point I’m trying to make.


I am going to explain the following the best I can, I know what I mean, it just might be hard to explain in words.

The whole incident got me to thinking about am I desensitized to clients issues and the stories I hear?

When someone tells me for example, they are self harming I have a reaction to that, I feel whatever I feel and I think whatever I think, the most important thing from those words are, I recognise the feelings and my thoughts I am having, because I know that I am comfortable working with self harm.

With the client I saw on Friday, I had thoughts feelings and a reaction to what I had just seen and heard, and because as far as I am aware at this point in time I have not felt, heard and reacted in this way before. So the reactions were all new to me and this gave me new feelings, thoughts and reactions to the new issues I had not heard before.

So what the hell is the point to the blog post.............? I don’t think as a counsellor I become desensitized to certain issues, I think I am use to the feelings and thoughts I have with certain issues and it may seem I am desensitized to them because I recognise my responses.


What am I thinking about as I write this? I am wondering if the client picked up on my reaction and I guessing he did at some level and there are loads of reasons why he wouldn't have too due to is distress. I know inside I was going 'FUCK' and on the outside staying professional and calm at the same time. None verbal communication is a whole new subject.

Any comments would be welcome.

Training day!

The training day was a complete success!

It still surprises me that some counsellors are scared to use tools in counselling like pens and paper, playdoh, stones and sand box etc. It seems to be in some HND courses, there is no training on creative tools at all.

The day started with a bit of hypnotherapy as the counsellors attending the course asked how hypno could help their clients that present anxiety. Not so they can perform hypno but can refer clients to the hypno service we run.

We then moved on to creative tools, at this time there was a bit of anxiety in the room, we used a scaling handout between 1 and 10 to catch this, so they could plot their anxiety throughout the day.

Some of the counsellors wanted a demo on how to use the stones in counselling. So that was for me to stand up to the mark. What we did was to split into pairs the three facilitators joined in too.

It was really good to show someone how there is a place for creative tools in counselling along with all the other skills the counsellors they already have.

I may well add the hand outs to this blog so you can print them off if you would like them.

Of course all tools are there for the client to use if they chose too.

Tools in counselling!

I think using tools in counselling like pens paper, stones, playdo or clay and a white board help so much with the clients process. You may or may not agree.

I find it really hard to hear counsellors that are scared or worried about using tools in there work. I know its all down to the client if they want to use them they can, I would not force a client to use tools if they didn't want too. I would give the client a choice, therefore giving the client the power.

I hear from trainees from person centered courses scared to use tools and even asking questions to the client. I don't know where all this Um and ah, as a person centered counsellor comes from? Rogers? I don't think so!

Watch the following and see what you think?

Carl Rogers part 1

Carl Rogers part 2

Hope you enjoyed the videos.

Anxiety

I have been involved today with the writing of some anxiety training we are offering to the volunteer counsellor at my place of work. We offer 4 trainings a year.

The whole day is going to be experiential, with creative tools and how they could be used with client that present with anxiety.

The day will involve me and the other facilitator to create some anxiety within the group on the day so that its live and real. I have learnt over the past years that some counsellors find it hard to use tools with clients, tools like stone work, play dough, drawing etc. So on the day of the training we will be using tools! I know the attendees and this will certainly tap into their anxiety. So looking forward to that. I like real live stuff!

The day will culminate with me offering a group supervision (1 and half hours) of the attendees to talk about the anxiety that came up and what it felt like to experience it, and offer them the chance to use tools within that supervision group to explore what it was like too. There may even be space for how a clients anxiety could impact on the supervisory relationship.

So many question so little time!

I found this its worth a read.

This is an interesting artical.

Are there women paedophiles?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8022861.stm

Let me know what you think.

Online Counselling Conference

For all you Counsellors out there interested in online Counselling you need to attend this!

You can watch this and get involved live in the conference from the comfort of your own home all you need is a Internet connection.

See who the Keynote speakers are, and the full programme.

This conference will be broadcast globally see how to attend online.

If you want to attend in person here's where to go.

You can even by tickets to the conference online

If you have any questions about OCTIA and the conference please contact John Wilson at john@wilsoncounselling.co.uk

Hope you can make it and I will see you online.

Counselling? processing?

Another thought....does the counsellor help the clients internal counsellor to do the counselling? as Counsellor I only spend 50 minutes with the client, they spend 6 days, 23hours and 10 minutes on their own.

So what do I do in that 50 minutes? help them to focus? get them to talk about their feeling out loud. Unpack their head. so they can repack or through away what they don't want to repack.

I'm a great believer that the client does most of their processing away from the counselling room.

Not really got my head in counselling mode at the moment as it is half term where I work, so I have only seen two clients over the past 2 weeks! They will be back in force next week.

No Counselling stuff on this post . Just wanted to add this to my blog as I have been to give blood this evening.

It was the first time I had ever done it, there are a few questions to answer and your done. Giving blood is easy, well a pint pored out of me 5 minutes and I was done.

If you have never done it give it ago.

http://www.blood.co.uk/

Standing Still to move

Do clients move on when staying still?

I was working with some one today and talking about movement of the client within counselling. As I believe that sometimes the client moves forward when they say still. Think I need to explain what I am on about. I will do my best here goes.

I guess I am thinking about focusing on feeling. To me focusing is about staying still (in that moment) with that feeling and in this moment of stillness the client learns about themselves which in turn moves them on in self.

Its been a long day...lol

Bullying

I have been looking at a couple of websites today and found this web site. http://www.bullying.co.uk/ Its worth a look.

It would be great to add it to you site so people can link to if they come across your site looking for help.

I didnt suffer at all from bulling as a kid or adult but it is not always kids that get bullied. I work as a counsellor with young adults that have suffered bulling in early life and it still happens to them in thier work place.

I am now going to make a comment which maybe a bit difficult to hear for someone who has been bullied and keeps getting bulliede in later life. " what part do they play in allowing themselves to be bullied?" I have used this with many clients and they get a chance to look at themselves rather than blaming the bully for the way they feel.

Management v Counselling

I have a few thoughts about Counselling and I am not sure how to write them down so I am going to list them straight off the top of my head.

• Does business and money making, get in the way of a good counselling practise?
• Can management get in the way of a good counselling service?

I'm not sure what I am trying to achieve with this post or really what I'm trying to say. There is something about the powers to be (management) and what is best for the client and not them. Some time business comes before the client.

I hope this is clear, if anyone has any idea about what the hell I'm on about can you let me know thanks.

Work load

Right! I'm back into the thick of things at work. The counselling service is a busy as hell, its that time of year for us.

We have a large waiting list and a manager that would like it to be zero! I am a great believer that we need a waiting list to value the service and to show the higher management that we are worthy.

Anyway moving on from service issues and there are a few! I am going to offer on line supervision. This would involve Messenger or second life or even a web cam could be used. I have been using all these mediums for many years with family and friends so why not clients. The Internet as far as I am concerned has a big part to play in the Counselling and supervision world and I want to be involved in it.

So I am now going to make in roads to setting up on line supervision, if you would be interested in having online supervision email me covecounselling@ntlworld.com If you have any comments or any thoughts about online supervision please feel free to leave them.

Back to work

I am going back to work on Monday, back to clients and meetings and project work. I will return to a light work load for the first week back then full tilt the following week. Which means 16 client hours and supervising 4 supervises all this in 4 days work.

I am hoping that my blog will become more interesting when I get back to work as I will be in the deep end of the therapy world yet again.

My biggest interest in counselling is supervision I think in past blogs I have said that I am writing a book on supervision which I am in the middle of now its been on hold for a bit but now I am going to pick it up again. So watch this space!

Please feel free to leave comments.

The Unknow is now know.

Well I now know that I don't have cancer! what a couple of weeks waiting to find out tho. Not sleeping, no energy and feeling low and of course NOT working with clients..I have not been fit to practise over the last couple of weeks.

Its have been hard over the past couple of weeks to stay positive.

I work with clients and I know a lot of techniques and copying strategies to help them, it took all my effort to work them for me.

I always try to take the positive out of very thing I can but I was finding it hard to get any positives from this. The only positive was the experience of it all and maybe having a better understanding of clients in their own unknowness! how lost I felt how much a dream it felt. I know my experience will be different from the people I see but I have had a similar experience.

All in all its a chapter to close now, I still have to have a couple of more scans to to confirm findings as these are just run of the mill tests.

So back to work for me on Monday starting of slowly and then picking up to full client load next week.

Log kept

I have kept along of the experience of whats happening to me right now, which I will post on here. The blog is not the right place to do this right now.

The Unknown.

Just thought I would add this short blog. I will be blogging about the unknown real soon. I'm in the middle of a medical unknown right now that's why I have not been blogging much.

I will know about the unknown this coming Thursday and will blog about the experience and its effect on me and my work which is very important to me.

Counselling from Counselling.

What do we get from counselling clients? I guess you have been asked that question before? I answer it different everytime I am asked it, must be how Im feeling at the time of the question. And how many counsellor answer it honestly?

I always question myself about why I am a Counsellor.

Back from the USA

Well I'm back in the good old cold grey dull, I could go on! Had loads of time 9 hours in fact, so I had a bit of thinking time. To be honest I slept most of the way home....I did spend a bit of time thinking about the blog I left a couple of weeks ago about wheather or not as counsellors we work in the present? as every second passes, we will never get that moment back, its in the past. I guess that's why people take photos! Of which I take loads took around 400 while I was away and video too. This will let me catch that moment in a picture, I don't think it will hold the feeling of that moment, but will give me a different feeling when I look at it in the future, which will create a different feeling. Anyway need to sleep right now! thanks for reading my blog, please and comments if you like. have a great week end.

Last post

Sorry about the last post, I was doing it from my phone and couldn't see the bottom of the screen so I was guessing what I was typing.

Anyway, I have taken care of some of my anxiety by upgrading my flight to first class cost a few pennies, oops! its about looking after me! Something that some counsellor find hard to do, not me! I think that I I'm a better counsellor when I take care of me. I go to work more relaxed and seem more chilled out with clients.

So if your working hard as a counsellor, take sometime out in your day to look after you.

That's me signing off now for a couple of weeks, I will try to blog from the states if the Internet is up and running at the villa!

Take care!

anxiety!

i'm sat in the hilton hotel at gatwick airport, as I'm off to the states in the morning.

Been feeling strange today and I have been trying to work outlined what it is. I think that I have put my finger on it, its anxiety, not about flying but about being sick. I do not travel well at all, been like it since I was a kid and have carried it into adult hood. So how can I reduce my anxiety? for me I don't think I can answer it. It takes a lot of concentration not to be sick. Not sure where this is going while I'm typing. its great to experience anxiety because I do really suffer with it! only. Could thi

Do we ever work in the present?

Do we ever really work in the present with our clients?

Just been thinking about it a bit today, well quite a bit really. If I ask someone how they are feeling right now, has the moment passed? even by asking someone that question dont they have to think about it in that moment and not the one we asked them about?

Sorry if this this is not clear, I am typing it as it comes into my head. It makes sence to me but then I am thinking it....in the moment or not!

Comments welcome!

Still in the Office!

Its 6 in the evening and im still sat at my desk, need to catch up on my notes after messing about on the internet for a bit...opps!

Im sat here typing of course and looking at all the counselling books we have on the shelf.. loads of them from person centered to CBT....can a book really teach you how to be a counsellor? Let me type that again...can a book really teach you how to be a counsellor? and do you what I dont think they can! (you may disagree) I must admit I dont really like books and dont read many about counselling..Im a hands on learner! and I am sure there are people that will read this and think I talking rubbish and thats fine. Everyone learns in different ways!

Will add more to this when I get home!

Not well

Does feeling unwell effect are ability to work with clients?

I am feeling unwell today and working with clients, is it a good thing to do? I'm not sure of the answer to that question for everyone but I can answer it for myself.... I think I was there and listening with took a lot of concentration, due to my pounding head. The feeling in my head is like I am pissed, (I'm not by the way lol) Don't think I could work with clients if I needed to run to the loo every couple of minutes tho.

The body and brain are amazing, I'm going through a few things in my personal life right now and too cut a long story short, I am really enjoying being on my own right now, even tho I'm married and happy ( I like space). So is it my body or brain or both sending me a message to go home and enjoy the space before my wife comes home from work? Not sure about that was just typing out loud.

All I know is that what happens in life has an impact on how I work with clients with what i bring into the room and what the client brings into the room meets on some level. Maybe its a negative meeting of 'stuff' or a positive meeting of 'stuff' hard to tell really, even the negative meeting can be positive! now I'm starting to lose myself!

Think what I'm trying to say is we all bring 'stuff' into the room even if you think you don't and if you think you don't you do...lol

This is getting worse and worse need to stop now! hope this makes sense? be good to hear your thoughts.

Sunday evening

Helped my sisiter move into her new flat today. Had a lazy morning before going round to help. No counselling work for me tomorrow as I dont work Mondays....arrrrrrrr!

Then into work Tuesday for a full day...meetings and clients.

I am very interested in supervision that is my real passion. I read some interesting stuff on the internet to day http://www.infed.org/biblio/functions_of_supervision.htm worth a read. Would be great to here what anyone has to say about it.

Enjoy!

What a busy day....had a bit of snow this morning and didn't come to much! They say it will snow here tonight but we will see. More rain I'm guessing.

Been busy with initial (assessments) of clients today. It's amazing to here how strong humans are, how some people cope with issues in there lives is outstanding.

I guess that's what makes my job so rewarding, seeing someone come back from the brink to being able to pull themselves thought to a better place....fantastic.

Been talking to a couple of supervisors today that are confused about responsibilites. Can I just say the following....

As a supervisor you have ethical responsibilities and these are distinct from ant legal responsibilities.

So for working emphasis on responsibilities of the supervisee not the supervisor! when working with clients.

Had supervision last night. lots of things going on im my life which is having a effect on my client work, not negative but is in the room with me. Aware of it and processing it in supervision, the in pack on clients that is.

3 Clients today then home.

Sat at desk watching the rain come down....no snow here on the south coast....and just 25 mins up the road the snow is 4" deep.

Hav spoken to a couple of riends this morning, they have 4 -5 inches of snow an its still coming down...and they are not at work!!!!

Looks like we may have the snow back for friday, so you never know may get another day off work!

Well the no snow this evening! so looks like I'm off to work in the morning.

Busy day a head, 4 assessments and 2 ongoing clients plus project work in between clients.

Working on offering supervision across the Uni to other members of staff. Think this would really help people that deal with students on the front line, offering support to other support staff and not just counsellors.

Also in the middle of reinstating group supervision as well as 1 to 1, group supervision has been on hold after reduction in core team staffing.

We already offer a training thing called 'hot potatoes' this training is to help staff deal with handling difficult situations. We have role plays for them to practise which are observed with feedback. The feedback we have about the training has been very positive.

If you are in Scotland and you need a name of a great counsellor, I can recommend this guy, cheak out his web sit at wilson counselling

Alittle snow and the south stands still.... Doesnt happen often.


Started the day by getting stuck in the snow and traffic on the south coast. Finally got to work at 10.25am. Good job I didnt have clients this morning, just team meetings so they can be rearanged. Hope I can get home? Better to be stuck at home then to be stuck at work.

I have a couple of trainings coming up in March I will post some of the useful stuff on my blog. First training in with Rape crisis and the next is with the NSPCC. I am involved with the development (renew) of our under eighteens policy.

Right back to me job, off to supervise someone now.

Right! here I go, Blogger up and running and just got my web site domain sorted. Needs a bit of work to get it up and running.

Although I am working at the Uni 4 days a week, I still have counsellors asking me to supervise them privately. I do get asked to offer training too. What with PD groups and my own supervision it all takes up my own time.

Anyway, I am sure I will get the hang of this as I go along, I hope to add information on counselling and supervision and maybe bits from my book to see what fellow blooger's think.

The Uni I work at was shut today because of the snow....so lets hope it snows more tonight.

Well what can I say? This blog will be about counselling and counselling supervision. Thoughts and feelings about the world of therapy.

Feel free to add you comments and feelings.