What is it that makes a counsellor or psychotherapist competent? In Competence and Self-Care in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Gerrie Hughes offers a framework for understanding what being competent means for individual practitioners, both generally and in moment-by-moment work with clients. Divided into two sections, Part One, The Competent Self, and Part Two, Care of the Self, the book explores care and replenishment of the self as an essential requirement for maintaining competence. The Competence Framework presented here suggests that the three elements of Practitioner, Client and Context are essential factors for making good therapeutic choices, as well as offering a structure for reflection, either individually or in supervision. The eight principles that elaborate on these elements provide a route to explore competence that is relevant for any theoretical orientation and appropriate for practitioners at any stage. The reader is encouraged to make their own exploration of a number of factors that influence competence and to identify development of the self as both a necessary preparation for therapeutic work and as a continuing outcome of being a therapist. In addition, Hughes emphasises the importance of having a sound ethical framework and utilising professional structures as well as examining the contribution of supervision to the development and maintenance of competence. This book is an ideal choice for counsellors, psychotherapists, supervisors and trainers who wish to maintain a robust standard of practice, and for those employing them.

What is it that makes a counsellor or psychotherapist competent? In Competence and Self-Care in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Gerrie Hughes offers a framework for understanding what being competent means for individual practitioners, both generally and in moment-by-moment work with clients. Divided into two sections, Part One, The Competent Self, and Part Two, Care of the Self, the book explores care and replenishment of the self as an essential requirement for maintaining competence. The Competence Framework presented here suggests that the three elements of Practitioner, Client and Context are essential factors for making good therapeutic choices, as well as offering a structure for reflection, either individually or in supervision. The eight principles that elaborate on these elements provide a route to explore competence that is relevant for any theoretical orientation and appropriate for practitioners at any stage. The reader is encouraged to make their own exploration of a number of factors that influence competence and to identify development of the self as both a necessary preparation for therapeutic work and as a continuing outcome of being a therapist. In addition, Hughes emphasises the importance of having a sound ethical framework and utilising professional structures as well as examining the contribution of supervision to the development and maintenance of competence. This book is an ideal choice for counsellors, psychotherapists, supervisors and trainers who wish to maintain a robust standard of practice, and for those employing them.

This highly anticipated second edition written for students, clinicians, educators, and supervisors offers practical perspectives on the lifelong quest for personal wellness. Through conversational and deeply personal narratives, the authors reveal their self-care journeys at different stages of their careers, and 39 guest contributors—ranging from graduate students to counseling veterans—share how they overcome setbacks and prioritize self-care to maintain competent, ethical practice. Topics include practicing self-care throughout your career, strategies for managing stress, establishing personal and professional boundaries, enhancing relationships, finding meaning in life, and creating a realistic self-care plan. Firsthand accounts throughout the book have been updated, and new narratives have been added on self-care practices for healing from grief, self-care for grief counselors, staying committed to self-care, global self-care practices, permission to be, creating balance among chaos, making self-care nonnegotiable, contemplations at midcareer, and self-care planning. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website www.counseling.org *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]

Cover -- Half Title Page -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- About the Authors -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- 1. Valuing the Person of the Psychotherapist -- 2. Refocusing on the Rewards -- 3. Recognizing the Hazards -- 4. Minding the Body -- 5. Nurturing Relationships -- 6. Setting Boundaries -- 7. Restructuring Cognitions -- 8. Sustaining Healthy Escapes -- 9. Maintaining Mindfulness -- 10. Creating a Flourishing Environment -- 11. Profiting from Personal Therapy -- 12. Cultivating Spirituality and Mission -- 13. Fostering Creativity and Growth -- References -- Index.

Psychotherapy is an increasingly stressful profession. Yet therapists spend most of their time helping clients deal with their stress, not caring for their own. This book is designed as a tool for the experienced counselor, junior therapist, and graduate student, as the issues confronted and discussed herein are relevant to anyone in the field, regardless of experience or expertise. Dr. Weiss has written a book in an easy, conversational tone, filled with concrete examples and blending research findings, clinical experience and theoretical approaches into practical suggestions and sound advice. The book is divided into three parts, discussing therapist concerns and questions that are continually raised, and providing practical tools based on clinical experience and research findings. It will be useful to all mental health professionals who have felt the strain of their practice.

For decades Counseling and Therapy Skills has helped readers navigate from theory to practice on the path to becoming great therapists. The goal of this engagingly written text is to help beginning therapists learn skills without losing sight of the art of therapy. Great therapists are gifted at connecting with clients, achieving an almost artistic attunement. While there are many ways to do successful therapy, common factors include evocative empathy in a strong relationship focused on mutual, collaborative cognitive/experiential processing. Active, arousing, and evocative empathy encourages clients to explore their feelings. Learning to be ahead of clients allows therapists to bring the clients’ deep experiences to life, empowering clients to be problem solvers and giving therapists helpful, active roles. The first section of the book describes fundamental skills. “Observing Therapy,” a five-hour video recording of actual therapy sessions, accompanies the book. This learning tool demonstrates evocative empathy and is a guide for responding to clients. The final chapter in this section addresses experiential understanding, emergent modes of expressing empathy, mindfulness, presence, and being in the zone as a therapist. The second section offers practical advice about beginning therapy sessions, settings for therapy, ethical issues, different formats for therapy, and material on being a culturally competent therapist. The third section summarizes the latest research evidence on what makes therapy effective. It also explores the nature of emotional problems to give therapists a foundation for understanding why evocative empathy works. Counseling and Therapy Skills emphasizes material that the reader can use and translate into behavior. Woven throughout the text are the messages that therapy demands active involvement, empathy must be evocative, and the therapist must work at the leading edge of the client’s experiencing. Significantly updated, the depth and insights of the fifth edition benefit both beginning and experienced counselors.

Many practitioners consider setting up in private practice at some point in their career, whether full-time or alongside other employment. The Essential Skills for Setting Up a Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice provides comprehensive yet accessible coverage of all the major skills needed to succeed. Based on the authors' extensive experience, this book provides a valuable insight into how to minimise the risks associated with working privately, offering practical advice on how to keep a balance between self-development, personal health and meeting the needs of clients, whilst maintaining high standards and making a reasonable living. Acknowledging the fact that being a good therapist may not, in itself, be sufficient to be successful in self-employment, the authors discuss the need for sound business skills, professional development, self-knowledge and motivation. Divided into three sections, the book covers all the essential business, professional and personal skills and includes discussion of subjects such as insurance, finance, legal issues, marketing, stress management, security and retirement planning. The focus on skills and how to acquire and develop them makes this book an invaluable reference for all mental health professionals who are considering setting up their own private practice. This book will prove to be an invaluable reference for all mental health professionals who are considering setting up their own private practice.