Personal development (PD) groups are a key feature of many counsellor training programmes. Personal Development Groups for Trainee Counsellors: An Essential Companion is a comprehensive and accessible study guide written by experienced tutors and lecturers to support students with their PD group work and other personal development activities, helping students to get the most out of these experiences. This essential resource is aimed primarily at those who are new to counsellor training. It will also be useful for anyone who wants to understand more about the nature of PD groups and how these can be used effectively. Case studies, questions and activities encourage readers to reflect on different topics and on themselves, including looking at how to improve self-care and how mindfulness can help. The book looks at the historical background to PD groups; how they can be used effectively, and also real-life experiences from both tutors and recent students. Other chapters invite the reader to develop their self-awareness through gaining an understanding of how ethics, relationships and identity are developed. There is a discussion about the merits or otherwise of mandatory personal therapy for trainees and also a discussion about the use of supervision. Finally, other important aspects of personal development are discussed including personal therapy, supervision, self-care and mindfulness. Personal Development Groups for Trainee Counsellors will be of use to counsellor trainees on undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas to introduce them to PD groups and other essential activities. It will also be highly informative to those who are on counselling certificate courses to introduce them to aspects of personal development, as well as for tutors to support them in their work as PD group facilitators.

This book provides the answers to that all- important question: what are personal and professional development and why are they necessary for counsellors? This new edition explores: @! the importance of personal development and the core concepts that underpin it @! the aims, commonalities and differences of personal development in different settings and levels of training @! the key differences in theoretical approaches and their implications for personal development @! communication and relationships between counsellors and professional organizations, society, and the ′virtual′ world, with all its demands on identity, privacy and congruence. @! the trainee and trainer and the challenges of personal development. Packed full of vivid accounts of personal experiences, questions and points for reflection, this book will prove an essential companion for anyone wishing to grow personally and professionally as a therapist. Hazel Johns is a Fellow of BACP, and has been for many years a trainer, supervisor and BACP-accredited counsellor.

The personal development group is a feature of many counselling and psychotherapy trainings. How does it facilitate personal development? Could it be more effective? Looking from the perspective of the student, this book offers an insight into the workings of the group and the communications that take place within it. The complex relationship between group and individual is explored in the wider context of culture and society. Through examples and exercises, readers can learn about themselves as they learn about the group processes that they are experiencing. Chris Rose charts the course of a PD group through various stages, dealing with fundamental themes such as conflict, authority, resistance and difference. The task is always to keep in focus both the individual experience and the group process. This dual perspective provides group members with important resources to understand and make better use of their own PD group. The elusive task of personal development is vital to the formation of competent counsellors and psychotherapists. Any course that has a PD group will benefit from the understandings that the book can offer, irrespective of theoretical model. This book encourages students to engage with their own development in a pro-active and informed manner. It invites them to challenge attitudes and assumptions in a thoughtful self-reflexive style. This book also provides an introduction to group work that will be valuable for those who are no longer students but are curious about what happens in groups. Whatever the stage of development, there is material to engage and stimulate the reader.

Aimed at professionals working with groups that are developing social skills and exploring relationships, this photocopiable handbook is a vital collection of workshops covering specific themes. Each theme is clearly divided into warm-ups, main exercises and closures. Intended to help professionals save on preparation time, the organisation and format of this book reflects its highly practical content.

Have you been asked to keep a personal development portfolio or reflective journal? Are you struggling to know where to start, how to write or what to include? If the answer is ′yes′, this book will provide you with a straightforward route in, telling you all you need to know about writing reflectively for your own personal and professional development. Offering staged exercises, case-studies, examples and ideas for self-directed learning, this book will lead the reader along an exciting journey of written self-awareness, covering: - the background - what exactly is reflective writing and why is it important - the decisions - when and how to start - the practicalities - the essentials of writing reflectively - the stumbling blocks - dealing with obstacles and difficulties - the long haul - maintaining reflective enquiry as a lifelong habit This book is an essential how-to guide appropriate for all undergraduate and postgraduate trainees, whether they are approaching the topic from a psychodynamic, person-centred or CBT perspective. It will give trainees all the tools they need to become mature reflective practitioners. Jeannie Wright Director of Counselling and Psychotherapy Programmes at Warwick University. Gillie Bolton is a Freelance consultant in therapeutic & reflective practice writing and author of the bestselling Reflective Writing, 3rd Edition, SAGE 2010.

Mick Cooper and John McLeod pioneer a major new framework for counselling theory, practice and research - the ′pluralistic′ approach. This model breaks away from the orientation-specific way in which counselling has traditionally been taught, reflecting and responding to shifts in counselling and psychotherapy training. As accessible and engaging as ever, Cooper and McLeod argue that there is no one right way of doing therapy and that different clients need different things at different times. By identifying and demonstrating the application of a range of therapeutic methods, the book outlines a flexible framework for practice within which appropriate methods can be selected depending on the client′s individual needs and the therapist′s knowledge and experience. This is a must-read for anybody training or practising in the counselling or helping professions - it should not be missed!

Personal development is integral to much counselling and psychotherapy training. Self-awareness and critical reflection are also vital for developing effective therapeutic relationships. This uniquely focused sourcebook offers a fascinating range of approaches to the challenging and sometimes elusive task of self-development and self understanding. This textbook begins by introducing four core ways of seeing the 'self': as multiple, contextual, open to change, and always in relation to the 'other', and finishes by bringing together a range of specialist practitioners to explore different pathways to self understanding. Self Awareness and Personal Development provides hands-on resources for the ongoing project of exploring the self. It is an invaluable text for students, trainees and practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy.