Training and Training Standards

The surge of interest in psychological therapies in GP settings makes this book timely and important for the development of this field in the 21st century. As well as the suggested syllabus for training counsellors and psychotherapists (agreed by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Forum for Primary Care), the book deals with much wider issues. Chapters deal with practitioner issues - both student and professional - management issues, and the provision of supervision and mentoring for the new counsellor as well as planning Continuous Professional Development. Chapters dealing with the history of the remarkable rise in these services help set the context of the rapid development of primary care counselling. The term 'primary care counselling' denotes the context of primary care within which psychological therapies take place and encompasses practitioners from a wide variety of therapeutic traditions. The emphasis throughout is on thorough going preparation of the new counsellor/therapist to meet the proper counselling standards required in primary care practice. It will be of value to students, course providers, counselling practice managers, supervisors as well as those who commission services and general practice doctors.

Douglas Hooper is a clinical and counselling psychologist with a long interest in psychological therapy in primary health care and the need for good training and competent practice. He has chaired the Forum for Counselling and Psychotherapy in Primary Care for a number of years, bringing together all the main professional groups. Philippa Weitz is a qualified teacher and psychological counsellor (MSc in Psychological Counselling from the University of Surrey, Roehampton) with twenty-five years of private practice and primary care experience, as well as training and mentoring within mental health. She is currently Commissioning Editor for the UKCP Book Series, Managing Director of Philippa Weitz Training Ltd. and co-founder of the London Online Therapy Centre. She was Executive Director and co-founder of the Counselling and Psychotherapy Forum for Primary Care. She was also Head of The Conference Unit (Mental Health Sciences) at St George's Hospital Medical from 1990-1997 and subsequently director of Mole Conferences.

CONTRIBUTORS, AN A-Z OF ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR ACRONYMS, PREFACE: REPRESENTING THE PATIENTS' INTERESTS, INTRODUCTION, Part I, 1 The History of Primary Care Counselling,  2 Why Go to All This Trouble? 3 The Link between Training and Good Practice and the Implementation of Training Standards: What Does This Mean for Employers? Part II, 4 Fitness to Be Trained: The Selection of Trainees and Course Content: A Trainer's View, 5 What Is Appropriate Training? An External Examiner's View of Training, 6 Training Counsellors to Work in Primary Care, 7 Training for Competency: Finding the Right Course for Working in Primary Care, 8 Towards Regulation? 9  Training Standards for Supervision in Primary Care,  10 Placements and Mentoring for Primary Care Counselling in Today's NHS, 11 Continuing Professional Development: Fit for Practice. PART III, 12 Fitness to Practise: Selection for Primary Care: Choosing and Supporting the Competent Practitioners: A Service Manager's View, 13 Professional Liability Insurance: Protection for the Public, Protection for the Therapist, 14 Opportunity or Threat? What Is Happening to Psychological Therapies in the NHS? A View of Primary Care as New Relationships Emerge, SUMMARY: WHAT NOW?  Appendix.