I have worked with a low-cost counselling service for a long time. I did most of my student counselling hours there. So, when we started the negotiation process, I said I was able to offer more hours as a volunteer. I suggested that maybe I could add some value to the service by doing my Work Based Learning there, and they were very excited about it.
We debated a lot of areas where I could help improve the counselling service, and as much as we’ve landed on something for now, it could change over the next month. The interventions I can offer could bring about some good changes even in the short term. What we’ve focused on is the assessment process for clients and how they are allocated to student counsellors. I’ve spent quite a few hours in that space, and we’ve been discussing how we can change and improve the assessment process to align clients with the right student counsellors.
To take it a step further: when I was a student counsellor there, I remember seeing clients over an extended period and thinking, “Am I doing a good enough job?” My research project was on routine outcome measures, and now I get to implement them in the review process. How that’s going to work still depends on what unfolds over the next few weeks. Part of the negotiation was that I have an essay due, so I asked to focus on that, and then give the project my full attention in May.
From the assessment point of view, it’s been fantastic. I now have that initial meeting with clients online or by phone, and I’ve learned a lot about how I can best help clients—or even recognise when I’m not the right person for them. That’s been a big takeaway for me. Going forward, I’ll be looking at how I work with clients throughout the process, including how I carry out reviews with them, which is the next step. I’m excited about what May will bring.
This work is helping me professionally. I’ve not been a counsellor for a long time, and these kinds of experiences are very important to me. They’ve helped me see what a counselling service can offer and how I can contribute to it. It’s still a journey that I’m taking with them.
The existing relationship with Karen, Counselling Service Manager, made the initial setup quite easy—there was already an understanding of how we work. She didn’t need to learn who I was or what I was about. One thing I didn’t mention earlier: we’re looking at how we could involve student counsellors in this process going forward. I feel prepared for potential ethical challenges that may come up in that space, even though I can’t say for sure what those will be yet.
To sum up, the negotiation centred on assessment processes and outcome measures within the counselling service. I’m very grateful for the opportunity. For me, this experience is strengthening my identity as a counsellor and preparing me for better practice in the future. My private practice has been pottering along this past year, and this project is giving me the confidence I need. I hadn’t really understood before how much goes into the background work of counselling—the reasons behind a solid assessment upfront, rather than just interviewing someone and saying, “See you next week.” There’s a lot more to it, and now I feel better equipped to set things up properly for clients from the beginning. From that perspective, it’s been incredibly useful.
