`This is a very honest book and should be essential reading for anyone beginning training as a counsellor. It will also be useful for experienced therapists to stimulate reflections on their own practice... to examine their work and to learn from errors. It is refreshing to witness the honesty and openness of the writers - especially so in the present culture, where many therapists set themselves up as flawless experts... I would recommend this book... it provides an informed and open discussion on the problems encountered by therapists′ - Clinical Psychology Forum Counsellors often struggle in their work with clients, convinced that their more experienced colleagues have not encountered similar problems and worries. In this volume, some of Britain′s leading counsellors give the lie to this myth. Writing openly and frankly, they share the painful lessons they have learned over the course of their careers as practitioners. The contributors′ combined experience proves that all counsellors, no matter how expert or well-known, have made mistakes, or faced challenges, and from them have had to learn aspects about the process of counselling - the hard way. The five `lessons′ from each contributor are placed in the context of the counsellor′s own particular circumstances, and a concluding section in each chapter links the connecting themes that emerged throughout their learning process.

`This thoughtful and thought-provoking book is essential reading not only for those involved in the training of counsellors within the person-centred approach, but also for individuals who may have simplistic, dismissive or otherwise ill-informed notions of the depth of self-awareness required of the person-centred practitioner and the far-reaching challenges offered by the approach. For counsellors who define themselves as "person-centred" but who have had no substantial training, it should be compulsory reading' - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling Person-centred counselling probably requires more training - and a greater intensity of training - than most other mainstream counselling approaches, but

Seminars by Professor Windy Dryden. See the man live and in action. To find out more and to book your place go to www.cityminds.com ________________________________________ SAGE celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Counselling in Action in November 2008. To view the video - click here ----------------------------------------------------------- The kind of book where any time you open it, you're likely to find something of current interest that relates to your practice and to issues you've been thinking about... If we regard the questions and answers as serving to stimulate thought and discussion.... then the collection serves a useful purpose indeed' - "Self & Society " Does counselling have to be long-term to be helpful? Should only women counsel women? How can you evaluate counselling? Is it easy to start your own private practice? In this highly readable book, some of Britain's leading experts offer clear answers to these and many other frequently asked questions. The resulting discussion ranges over all aspects of counselling, from practical and theoretical to personal and ethical matters. Some questions have straightforward solutions, others prove much more controversial. In both instances, the views represented here should go a long way towards encouraging deeper consideration of the principles and practice of counselling.

The Shadow and the Counsellor introduces the concept of shadow, the darker side to ourselves that we do not wish to acknowledge, or do not even recognise. It examines how it comes into being and explores its impact within counselling. The Shadow and the Counsellor is structured around a six stage model which is designed to help the counsellor recognise, confront and deal with their 'shadow' side. This can then be a framework for reflection and practical action. With case studies including short clinical examples to longer examples running through the book, this will give counsellors a new way of approaching their practice.

`At the risk of being directive, I would say you should buy this book. It contains some of the most stimulating and refreshing ideas to have emerged in the person-centred literature since On Becoming a Person '- Person Centred Practice Person-Centred Therapy Today makes a timely and significant contribution to the development of one of the most popular and widely-used therapeutic approaches. `This is a book that is rooted in the origins of person-centred therapy but stands at the cutting edge of new ideas developing in this tradition. It will reinvigorate those of us already immersed in this tradition. It should convince newcomers of the vitality and potential of this approach to thera

Counsellors frequently work with people who are under stress or who are distressed - but counselling them can itself be a highly stressful activity. This supportive book examines the sources of stress for counsellors and the practical strategies that they can use to overcome it. Stress may emerge in the work that counsellors do with specific client groups, in the contexts in which counselling takes place and in the educational process both for counsellor educators and for counsellors in training. In this book, practising counsellors with first-hand experience of dealing with stress examine the nature of the stresses that counsellors face in these different areas, detail the typical responses (both healthy and unhealthy) tha