Blog Archives

Christmas Gift Vouchers Available for Basic Counselling Courses

30/11/2015

This past week at CTL we have been getting enquiries from partners, husbands, wives, parents who want to gift towards the basic counselling courses we are running in 2016.

That means:-

The Basic Counselling Courses, which we run in January, April and July.

Our vouchers can be used against any of these courses so please pass this on, if you or someone you know is considering studying this introduction to counselling with us.

Please get in touch with us here to order your voucher.

With kind wishes.

Counselling Training Liverpool

Being Congruent - what does it mean?

23/11/2015

Congruence is one of the core conditions of person centred theory and it can often be over simplified in literature.

Today we're asking "what does it actually mean?"

Let's go back to the founder of PCT, Carl Rogers, who initially described this core condition as a realness, a genuineness, between the therapist and the client.

"The more the therapist is him or herself in the relationship, putting up no professional front or façade, the greater is the likelihood that the client will change and grow in a constructive manner. This means that the therapist is openly being the feelings and attitudes that are flowing within at the moment. There is a close matching, or congruence, between what is being experienced at the gut level, what is present in awareness and what is expressed to the client."

Being congruent is being in touch with and genuine about your experience - with yourself and with your client.

Being congruent means staying connected with self, client, space and time.

Being congruent is to share a persistent thought or feeling.

Rogers also stated:

"The therapist cannot expect, nor would it be wise, to share all feelings at all times, it is when a persistent feeling keeps welling up and is getting in the way of staying present with the client - that is when it is important to be congruent and share the feeling".

This is one of the challenges for being real and genuine in a therapeutic relationship (but also, not forgetting, our own personal and professional relationships).

Being with the feelings and attitudes that are flowing within the moment.

Meaning that the counsellor is openly experiencing the feelings and attitudes that are happening.

The counsellor has to be very centred and congruent in the relationship with themselves first, which is why there is always an emphasis on the personal development of the counsellor.

It begins here.

Practising your awareness of feelings and expressing them.

Take a piece of paper (or turn to your journal).

Write down how you would usually express your feelings in the following situations

Using Words

Without words

Write out your answers:

a) When you feel bored with what is going on
(how would you express your feelings 1) using words 2) without words

b) When you feel very annoyed with another person with whom you want to build a better relationship.
(how would you express your feelings 1) using words 2) without words

c) when another person says or does something to you that hurts your feelings.
(how would you express your feelings 1) using words 2) without words

d) when you are asked to do something that you are afraid you cannot do well and you want to hide.
(how would you express your feelings 1) using words 2) without words

e) when you feel angry with prejudices expressed by someone in a group, family, work colleagues.
(how would you express your feelings 1) using words 2) without words

It's always so beneficial to reflect more on your answers:

What have I learned about the way I express my feelings?

Would it be useful to change any of my ways of expressing?

Would it be useful for any of the others to change theirs?

We would love to know how you felt if you tried this exercise. Do let us know in the comments below? Did you have any 'aha moments?'

Places are filling on our Level 3 Fast Track Certificate in Counselling Skills. This starts on Sunday January 17th 2016, an intensive 23 weeks, every Sunday from 10am - 3.30pm Cost: £975 (inclusive of Residential). It is exactly the same as the full academic year but condensed in 6 months. Read more about the course here and send an email here to request more information.

Places are also filling up for our Basic Counselling Skills beginning January 13th, every Wednesday Evening: 6.15 - 9.15pm for 10 weeks. Cost: £125 (£100 concessions). Get in touch here if you'd like to apply.

Sign up to receive CTL News and receive our free Counselling Skills Assessment Sheet,
plus we notify you of our weekly blogposts and updates about counselling training.
Have questions? Ask us!

Exploring the five levels of empathy.

16/11/2015

0 Comments

Empathy

It is a term that in person centred counselling training is talked about at every twist and turn.

It is often described as walking in another person's shoes, entering into another person's frame of reference or having the ability to experience life as the other person does. by entering the person's world of thoughts, feelings, emotions and meanings.

However, more so in counselling, empathy is an expression of the regard and respect the counsellor holds for the client whose experiences maybe quite different from that of the counsellor.

The client needs to feel "held", understood, as well as respected.

To hold a client therapeutically means the counsellor is capable to accept and support the client through any issues, concerns, problems she/he can brings.

The ability to empathise with another is enhanced by being attentive to facial expressions, body language, gestures, intuition, silences etc.

Is it like Sympathy?

No. Not at all. Sympathy is not empathy.

Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone.

When we feel sympathy for someone we might view them with pity.

While pity makes a victim of the sufferer, empathy empowers them:

It's like ....."I have a sense of your world, you are not alone, we will go through this together".

There are Five Levels of Empathy
(Truax and Carkhuff 1967 Communication Scale)

Level 1 - low level (little or no awareness of feeling).
Level 2 - moderately low level (some awareness).
Level 3 - reciprocal level of empathic responding (accurate reflection of client's message reflected at the level in which it was given - paraphrasing with the appropriate feeling word).
Level 4 - moderately high level of empathic responding (reflecting not only the accurate feeling but the underlying feeling).
Level 5 - high level of empathic responding (accurate reflection of feeling, plus underlying feelings in greater breadth and depth (also for some interpretation such a deep disappointment or long range goals).

Let's take an example: Read this statement and think about how you would respond.

"University is awful. I don't know why I came here. My life back home was a lot more fun."

Now look at the 5 levels of response in relation to this statement.

Level One: "You worry to much. You have to remember that university isn't the same as college."

Level Two: "I can see that you are upset, but you'll adjust after a while."

Level Three: "You're really unhappy here at university."

Level Four: "It sounds like you are not only disappointed with your university experience, but you are also feeling homesick."

Level Five: "It's clear you're disappointed. Your experience at university is not what you expected to be. I'm wondering if you're feeling a little self-doubt regarding your decision. It sounds like this disappointment has stirred up a lot of conflicting feelings for you about where you're heading."

Carl Rogers (1969), the founder of person centred counselling, concluded that the important elements of empathy are:

- the therapist understands the client's feelings
- the therapist's responses reflects the client's mood and the content of what has been said
- the therapist's tone of voice conveys the ability to share the client's feelings.

It is only when you can really be open, clear and sensitive to the emotions and feelings of others, that authentic counselling begins.

Empathy is a way of being, which is all about entering into the other person's private world and how they perceive it.

It is about really understanding.

“To be with another in this way means that for the time being, you lay aside the views and values you hold for yourself in order to enter another's world without prejudice. In some sense it means that you lay aside your self and this can only be done by a person who is secure enough in himself that he knows he will not get lost in what may turn out to be the strange or bizarre world of the other, and can comfortably return to his own world when he wishes. Perhaps this description makes clear that being empathic is a complex, demanding, strong yet subtle and gentle way of being.” Carl Rogers (1967) On becoming a person.

Stay in touch with us and get our
Counselling Skills Assessment Sheet
** For Free**

0 Comments

Our 3 tips for attending a Counselling Residential

9/11/2015

0 Comments

The Residential is a compulsory part of the level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills and level 4 Therapeutic Diploma course in Counselling.

The aim of the Residential weekend will be to build upon the learning experience during the course.

It is time away for your own personal development and this is enhanced because you are away from your usual environment, your family, friends, work colleagues. You will be with your counselling colleagues.

All residentials will be different for every counselling training organisation but one thing remains the key to them all and that is the student's self-development. How that is delivered is down to the planning of the training provider.

At CTL you will experience two full days away on the glorious Isle of Anglesey, all your food and accommodation is included within your course fee and you will have comfortable rooms to relax and unwind after the day sessions.

The actual content will be experiential and delivered in very various ways, this may include guided visualisation, creative arts expression and small group discussions.

You will have much to contemplate during the weekend and also after the Residential has finished.

This will also be an appropriate time to write reflections in your counselling journal, which will then help you when you complete your assignments. Students were left with much to think about and reflect on well after the Residential had finished.

Take a look at what some of the students had to say about the weekend:

"A good personal learning experience"

"A very thought-provoking set of workshops, which will lead to long-term processing"

"Really worthwhile. Hard work but the digging deep was worth it"

"A great opportunity to learn more and to develop as a group"

"Great fun and eye opening - a good part of the course"

"A great opportunity to fully immerse yourself into the counselling 'bubble'"

Our 3 Tips for attending a Counselling Residential.

1. If you have any needs for your time away on the Residential then make these known to your Tutor: Whether this may be dietary, food intolerance, a sleeping need, a travelling requirement, or learning requirement.

2. Of course, you will take your journal with you to write up notes and reflections. However, consider creating an audio reflection perhaps before you attend, and also at the end of each day Sometimes you can feel quite tired to write, but last thing before you go to bed is an ideal time to talk about how your day went and what you noticed. You will be so glad of all these reflections when you come to write your personal development assignment and your Residential Reflection assignment. If you have a iPhone/android, you can record this directly or download an APP before you go.

3. Immerse yourself in your own Self Care. Sometimes when we have to organise childcare or even parent care, we can feel guilty at taking this time out. The residential is an opportunity for you to engage in your own self-care, which is something that becomes a hugely important component of being a counsellor in practice and is also in the ethical guidelines. Embrace these 2 days away, stretch out in bed, get good sleep, eat well (and you will because the food is wholesome and hearty), walk along the beach and play! You will feel uplifted and energised by the time you get home. You may feel tired but it will be a good tired.

Stay in touch with us and get our
Counselling Skills Assessment Sheet
** For Free**

0 Comments