11 March 2015

Testimonials and truthfulness

Some clients tell me that it was reading my testimonials that gave them some reassurance that I might be a good fit for them. That said, it is the page on my site which gets the fewest hits, so perhaps isn't relevant to some of those looking for a therapist.

Whilst I have had some very positive feedback over my years of practising, the testimonials represent just a few of the positive outcomes. These are where a client has been willing to share some of their experience for future, potential clients to get an idea of why they found working with me useful.

However, I am aware that counselling/therapy does not always guarantee such positive outcomes and it is recognised that many service users are reluctant to give negative feedback in any industry. There have been occasions where a client has disengaged without informing me why. I have no idea of knowing whether it was because my service was not suitable for them, whether they perceived that I did something wrong or whether they felt uncomfortable about making changes in themselves. It could be any of many reasons and I do not try and assume what those reasons were. [Update 1st June 2015: I have made contact via email with some clients that cancelled and disengaged as a courtesy and to ask whether I should close their file. The several clients who have got back to me have said that they are in a good place following therapy which they found very useful, and that they felt they no longer required it.]

I do feel that it is perhaps disingenuous to imply that all my clients leave saying such glowing feedback, although the vast majority of people do report feeling better and that the issues brought to therapy have resolved or improved. But therapy is not for everybody nor am I the right therapist for all those who want counselling.

Testimonials can help a client form part of a picture they are building in terms of what to expect. My suggestions is to read as much as possible and about as many therapists as possible to make a truly informed choice.

12 February 2015

Accredited this, accredited that - the PSA's response to the accreditation confusion

counselling psychotherapy exeter - info on accredited register and accreditation

Two days ago I wrote about the Professional Standard Authority's (PSA) Accredited Registers (ARs), formerly known as the Accredited Voluntary Registers, asking why they had dropped the word "voluntary". In that post I mused on the confusion that inevitably arises around the word "accredited" in that we have the Accredited Registers within which a member or registrant may or may not have accredited status within the professional body they are registered with. For example, the BACP have an AR, so a therapist on that register can state that they are on an Accredited Register. That registrant will also have a certain level of BACP membership which could be ordinary member, accredited member or senior accredited member. I also mentioned the difference between the BACP and NCS's criteria for their individual members to achieve accredited status.

I asked the PSA what their thoughts were around this confusion and received a prompt response thus:

The Accredited Registers programme exists to assure the public that registers of people working in health and care are held to high standards. One way Accredited Registers improve standards in health and care is by giving registrants opportunities to develop their knowledge and experience beyond their initial qualifications. This is also a way for registers to differentiate themselves from each other, supporting members of the public to make informed choices.

The Professional Standards Authority is aware of the potential for confusion in the different uses of the word ‘accredited’. We are working closely with the Accredited Registers to prevent this confusion by providing clear information to the public. This will include a guide to different types and levels of qualifications in health and care, which we will publish in the coming months.

I asked the PSA for clarity:

I am a little confused by the first paragraph and the 'giving registrants opportunities to develop their knowledge and experience' part. My experience of being on the BACP Accredited Register since early 2013 is that I have to re-sign it yearly to confirm that I am attending CPD and am supervised and insured, in order to retain registration. However I do not see where developing knowledge and experience beyond qualifications comes into being on an AR. I would value an explanation of how this works in practice. I believe that I am perhaps missing something.

And their spokesperson clarified accordingly:

My understanding on the first paragraph is that Accredited Registers are free to offer registrants an 'accredited membership' or any kind of enhanced membership. The Authority welcomes these where they encourage registrants to develop knowledge and experience, helping to improve standards. BACP's accreditation and endorsement scheme is a good example.

So there we have it. There is an acknowledgement of the potential for confusion and, in the pipeline, some clarity and communication to help inform the public, which I look forward to sharing when the time comes.

Amanda Williamson Counselling in Exeter Reg MBACP Accred

10 February 2015

A new name for the Professional Standard Authority's registers for counselling and psychotherapy

Recently I was informed by my professional body, the BACP, that my logo to show my membership on their PSA Accredited (Voluntary) Register has been updated and I am to switch to using the new logo online by 31st March 2015 at the latest. The cut off date for updating literature is 30th November 2015.

Here is my new logo:

(Updated logo as of September 2018 I became senior accred in 2019)

So I quite like the new logo as it has the immediate gravitas lent to it by dint of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) actually being clearly labelled. Hopefully this will lead to more clients being aware of the existence of the registers and realising their importance. Secondly, the word "Voluntary" has been dropped from the register names entirely. This is interesting. I did wonder whether this was a step closer towards making statutory regulation easier for the profession to swallow (for more on the issue of statutory regulation read my post on the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy).

Seeing as the PSA have been so responsive to questions I have previously put to them I thought I would stop guessing/assuming and ask them why the change of name. I was given the following response:

“In December 2014, Accredited Voluntary Registers became Accredited Registers. The Professional Standards Authority made this change following feedback from stakeholders , who found the word ‘voluntary’ confusing. We have also made it clearer that it is the Professional Standards Authority who has accredited them by including our name within the Quality Mark.

“People working in health and social care must make a personal decision to belong to an Accredited Register. The Professional Standards Authority advises members of the public to use people who belong to an Accredited Register.”

Confusion… yes well I can see that the word voluntary is possibly a bit confusing there, one could think that the register referred to therapists working in a voluntary capacity.

Something else I think is confusing is the fact that the BACP and NCS (National Counselling Society) both have membership categories for their individual membership referred to as "accredited". For BACP members this means the following:

"(Accreditation) is for individual counsellors and psychotherapists who have successfully completed 450 hours of professional counselling/psychotherapy training with an integral student placement element, have been in practice for at least three years, and have accumulated a minimum of 450 hours of practice covered by at least 1.5 hours of supervision per month. Applicants must be Registered MBACP Members."

Many people are told to "look for an accredited counsellor" in recognition of the criteria required for BACP accreditation.

For NCS members to be accredited it appears that the requirements are pretty much the same as for basic individual BACP membership.*

So on top of this, we have the "Accredited Register". It is my understanding that there are clients who are understandably confused and assume that because a therapist is on an Accredited Register that they are an accredited therapist.

I have asked the Professional Standards Authority for their thoughts on this and will report back soon.

* I think loosely speaking these are the rough equivalents membership statuses between the BACP and the NCS:

BACP Student member = NCS member

BACP registered membership (Reg MBACP) = NCS Accredited Member

BACP Senior Accredited = NCS Fellow

It is my understanding that the criteria for UKCP membership is the requirement of more extensive training than either BACP or NCS individual/basic membership.

Please let me know if this is any way inaccurate.

17 December 2014

The goose is getting sad

I just wanted to write a short post about Christmas. Yes, yes, there's articles aplenty about Christmas and how to cope with it.

So I wanted to reassure those of you that might be feeling less than magical about the festive season that you are not alone.

There are reasons why this is the busiest time of year for my counselling service and here's a few of them:

Bereavement - Christmas is a prime time to miss a loved one who's no longer with us. The gap left can be made even more unbearable during the holiday season when everybody is pressurised into celebrating the presence of family and friends

Loneliness - all those cheery adverts showing huge family gatherings and parties just highlight this

Family issues - again, those films and ads show us how we're supposed to be doing it. But maybe our family is dysfunctional, antisocial, abusive, absent or just pretty annoying

Money - oh dear, all those gifts, that special food, those nights out…our finances get a hammering and there is so much pressure, especially when there's kids involved

Winter blues - Christmas is allegedly based on a Pagan festival celebrating the return of the light aka the Winter Solstice. The thing is, that lack of light can cause winter blues or even SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and a form of mild depression. That's not conducive to having a festive spirit is it?

I am receiving enquiries daily. This doesn't happen in the Summer. There must be a reason for this…

Maybe, just maybe, Christmas is actually rubbish for quite a few of us.

Amanda Williamson Counselling Service in Exeter, Devon. BACP Registered and Snr Accredited Counsellor.

2 December 2014

New Premises from 1st January 2015

I am delighted to have secured a new room for my therapeutic practice which is only a stone's throw from my existing room. I am moving for various reasons, one of the most important being that I have built my practice up enough to take on my own room full time. I have enjoyed sharing my previous room with a dear friend and colleague but the time has come to take this important step.

This last week has seen me sourcing and organising furniture and I'm looking forward to making this a pleasant space with a welcoming and professional feel.

My new address from 1st January will be as follows:

Room 2
Second Floor
49 North Street
Exeter

This room is about 3-4 minutes walk from my existing premises.

The new room is above Milestone Estate Agents. Enter the front door, follow the stairs up to first landing. You will see a second flight of stairs to the right which take you to the second floor. My room is Room 2. There are other therapists working on this floor, all of whom I hold in high esteem, so I will have their company and support.

Please note that that there is no dedicated waiting area on these premises to protect the confidentiality of our clients.

There is a Cafe Nero on the High Street in very close proximity to North Street where there is Wi-fi should you arrive in advance of your session and need somewhere to wait.

The front door closes late afternoon. For clients with late afternoon/evening appointments please text me as you arrive so I can come downstairs and let you in.

Amanda Williamson Counselling Service in Exeter, Devon. BACP Registered and Accredited Counsellor.

Amanda Williamson Coaching and Counselling Service in Exeter, Devon

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