SUSSEX COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY NEWS AUTUMN 2017 www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
LGBTQ ISSUES IN COUNSELLING
ECOTHERAPY: HOW IT CAN CHANGE YOUR PRACTICE PETS AS THERAPISTS: DO THEY WORK?
NEWS !AND VIEWS, MEET THE NEW CHAIR, AGM NEWS, SCAP SEMINAR PROGRAMME,
Training at Wealden College from beginner’s level to post graduate: Counselling training Introductory level Certificate in Counselling Skills (60 hours – evenings or weekends format) BACP Accredited Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling (2 years - weekdays)
Psychotherapy training Introduction to Transactional Analysis - TA 101 (2 days) Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy (4 years - weekends or weekdays format) – leads to UKCP Accreditation as a Psychotherapist – fully internationally recognised
Programme of Short Courses and CPD workshops Our constantly updated programme of short courses offers a broad range of one and two day workshops for trainee and qualified counsellors and psychotherapists (see our website)
Specialist trainings: Trauma Therapy at Certificate and Diploma level Animal Assisted Therapy at Certificate and Diploma level
Supervision We offer supervision for counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists from beginning to post graduate level Please contact us for more information Wealden College of Counselling and Psychotherapy 2 Quarry View, Whitehill Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1JT 01892 655195
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INSIDE
WELCOME...
4 SCAP news Meet the new chair of Sussex Counselling plus AGM news
Welcome to our Autumn issue. Sussex Counselling is delighted to announce that it has a new chair, Jeanie Civil, who was unanimously elected to the post at our AGM held in Brighton in June. In this issue find out more about Jeanie and her vision for taking SCAP into the future. We also give further details of our extensive training programme over the coming months, which includes CPD opportunities as varied as self care for counsellors, and whether there is a place for nature in the counselling room. SCAP’s Cathy Warren talks to Jess Bayley of the Ecotherapy Centre in Stanmer Park Brighton about her forthcoming seminar on the issue for Sussex Counselling. We also further examine animal assisted therapy, how animals can and have helped humans for thousands of years. John Baxendale from the Wealden Institute gives a brief history as well as outlining what therapies do today. SCAP member Chloe Foster talks about how counsellors can understand LGBTQ clients in today’s society. Adrian Gorman explains Reality Theory and how it helps him with clients who have negative self talk and/or excuse making. Eileen Palmer interviews Edmund O’Brien about his experiences as counsellor in Sri Lanka. She also embarks on a new column, interviewing counsellors for just 15 minutes. In her first coffee break interview Eileen talks to former SCAP Online News and Information Officer Katherine Travis about her training in NHS IAPT services. All this plus our latest news, diary and other events.
5 Is age just a number? SCAP AGM seminar 7 The coffee break interview Eileen Palmer chats to Katherine Travis 8 Rainbow counselling Meeting the needs of LGBTQ clients 10 Negative self talk How Reality Theory can help 12 Challenging excuse making 14 Counselling in Sri Lanka One man’s experiences 16 Ecotherapy How can we bring nature into our work? 18 Animals as therapists How does it work?
Astrid Stubbs AUTUMN 2017 Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCAP) News is the quarterly magazine for counsellors and psychotherapists working in and around Sussex who are registered members of SCAP. Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy News is the official journal of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Views expressed in the journal and signed by a writer are the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Publication in this journal does not imply endorsement of the writer’s views. Similarly publication of adverts does not constitute endorsement by Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy. Contributions are welcome with a £20 book voucher for original material. Please email items for news, diary, feature or review to magazine@sussex-counselling.co.uk Deadline: 23 October for Winter 2017 issue. Advertise in SCAP Newsletter Full page colour £80, B&W £78. Half page colour £55, B&W £48. Quarter page – £36. Book online at www.sussex-counselling.co.uk.
4 Jeanie aims to grow SCAP membership The new chair of Sussex Counselling Jeanie Civil The new chair of Sussex Counselling is Jeanie Civil, who was elected to the post at the AGM held at the Holiday Inn in Brighton in June. Says Jeanie: “Chair of SCAP, who would have thought it! All those decades ago as a PE teacher, on rainy days in the changing room listening to the many teenage anxieties, without any counselling theories or training. I remember very clearly the experience of supporting young girls who in those days who were destroyed by being pregnant outside marriage! Often forced to leave home and then have their babies adopted.” Since then Jeanie has gone on to train many counsellors. Hundreds have trained with her on certificate in counselling courses for teachers, social workers, and school nurses, the Diploma in Counselling Course at Salford College of Technology (now University of Salford), Manchester College of Building (later Manchester Polytechnic) and Tameside College of Art and Technology. She also ran training courses in psychotherapy for doctors. Jeanie has taught at Somerset Staff Management College for Further and Higher Education, and Practical Counselling Skills and Advanced Counselling skills for Lighthouse Professional
Development, CEM, and Network Training. When she moved to Sussex, she worked as volunteer for Arun counselling service in Littlehampton. And she has broadcast for Careline in Manchester on her sexuality at work research. Jeanie has also worked in a women’s prison and was the first woman ABBA coach, ABBA referee and England team manager for women’s basketball. She says: “I want to continue organising exciting affordable seminar events for members and non-members and increase our membership and, most importantly, to concentrate on being a supportive organisation for all our members as counsellors need counsellors,” adds Jeanie. The committee gave a round of applause to outgoing chair Andrew Faulconbridge for his work with the commitee in the last two years. Committee members elected at the AGM are Jan Irwin, Claire Baker, Andrew Faulconbridge, Jo Moore, Cathy Warren and Rita Brophy. If you’d like to get involved with the committee why not come along to a meeting and find out more about us and what we do? Contact us on membership@sussex-counsel ling.co.uk
Sussex Counselling seminar programme Ecotherapy: How nature can affect our practice with Jess Bayley; 26 August, 2017. Self care for Counsellors; Tutor Jan Irwin; 9 September 2017. Price £25 for members and £30 for non members. Symbolic Sand Tray Stories for Therapists; Tutor Carol Lloyd; 21 October 2017. Are we really Person Centred? Tutor Chris Molyneux; 25 November, 2017. Therapy Wars and Pluralism: The Road to Peace? Tutor Jay Beichman; 20 January 2018. Gestalt - Theory into Practice; Tutor Jeanie Civil; 24 February 2018 The Creative Power of Myths in Therapy; Tutor Isabella Florschutz; 24 March, 2018. Newly-qualified counsellors - a supportive workshop. 21 April, 2018. Find out more and book online at www.sussex-counselling.co
SCAP NEWS
Preparations for the future - is age just a number? Eileen Palmer reflects on SCAP’s AGM seminar on ageing Dr Lizzie Ward, one of the country’s most respected academics on ageing, pictured, delivered an interesting presentation about the issue in contemporary British society. She began with a questionnaire intended to challenge our assumptions and misconceptions regarding ageing. For example, did you know that by 2030 there’s expected to be 6 million people in the UK over the age of 80? And one in four babies born today are expected to live over the age of 100? While there are 10,000 people in the UK age 100 or over today, by 2050 that number is predicted to be well over 250,000. Lizzie went on to highlight the implications of such figures on society in general, and for the ageing individuals themselves. She spoke of the research she and her team have conducted with older people, to discover the difficulties people encounter as they become very old. Some of these involve other peoples’ perceptions of old age, making unwelcome assumptions about ‘them’ lumping old people into a stereotype, thereby removing much of the humanity of each person.
Other difficulties the researchers outlined were new feelings people have to contend with as they age. She highlighted how people begin to feel less visible, less able or needed. Most people questioned would agree they did not ever want to be a burden on their family or friends but feared this may happen.
ourselves for demographic shifts and the implications of working with increasing numbers of much older people. We must maintain knowledge and awareness of the impact older family members have on family dynamics and be prepared for clients’ emotive issues regarding healthcare provisions, fundings and accessibilities to services. This seminar proved such a compelling subject Lizzie was asked to stay longer to answer more questions from
We must prepare ourselves for the implications of working with increasing numbers of much older people Lizzie’s research methods use willing older aged participants - one of the main reasons her studies are held in such high esteem. Her national award winning booklet As Time Goes By, which outlines a number of the qualitative research findings, can be accessed via Dr Lizzie Ward at the University of Brighton. For counsellors and psychotherapists this type of research is of enormous importance. We must prepare
the floor. There were strong feelings aired, real concern for the future, requests for more information about ageing in society and individual ageing. Eventually we had to be firm and bring the questions to a close. The seminar ended with a heartfelt round of applause, and a promise from Lizzie that she would consider a longer seminar for SCAP .
Book your place on all SCAP seminars at www.sussex-counselling.co.uk.
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Boarding school syndrome conference How counsellors can help survivors Sussex Counselling will have a stall promoting its work at a high level conference on boarding schools and surviving the syndrome on September 9. The day conference will look at Broken Attachment and Childhood Trauma and takes place at the University of Brighton, Varley Park Conference Centre, Coldean Lane, Brighton. The conference is aimed at psychotherapists, counsellors, mental health workers,
boarding school survivors and other interested people. Speakers include: Nick Duffell, Joy Schaverien, Alex Renton, Thurstine Basset, Anni Townend, Olya Khaleelee. Conference tickets are £95.00, which includes access to all sessions, including workshops, refreshments and a hot and cold buffet lunch. Tickets are selling fast so booking is essential at htttps://delegate.brighton.ac. uk/boarding school
Mindfulness training for university students A new research project at the University of Sussex is offering students the opportunity to experience mindfulness training, with the aim of helping them cope during stressful times of the academic year. The Sussex Mindfulness Research Project is a collaboration between the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex and the Sussex Mindfulness Centre, which is part of the local NHS trust. More on the centre at www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/mindfulness
Identity - Can you tell me who I am? conference Identity: can you tell me who I am? is the title of the BACP Online Webcast: Private Practice Conference on 23 September. The event will explore a range of themes surrounding the question ‘Can you tell me who I am?’ with emphasis on the issues faced by practitioners and the newer challenges associated with our public and private selves. Price: £25 for BACP members, £50 for non-members.To book, please visit www.bacp.co.uk/webinar
Protect and promote counselling Over the past two years, BACP has engaged robustly with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as it has updated guidance on depression in adults. And BACP has welcomed the fact that the latest draft guidance continues to support the case for counselling as an effective intervention for the treatment for depression in adults. But BACP stresses that it’s important that members take the opportunity to respond to the ongoing consultation on NICE’s Depression Guidelines, which closes on 12 September. Find the consultation at www.nice.org.uk/guidanc e/indevelopment/gid-cgw ave0725/consultation/htm l-content.
Counsellor vacancies Sussex Kidney Unit at Royal Sussex County Hospital is recruiting for two part time counsellors in late August/early September. Watch out for details on NHS Jobs. For more details email renal.counsellors@bsuh. nhs.uk
The coffee break interview Eileen Palmer grabs a quick chat with Brighton therapist Katherine Travis, who works for the NHS in IAPT services Q What is your counselling work history? In the counselling field I worked for six years as a Samaritan: I’ve worked in prisons, gained an MSc in Psychology then continued studying for a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling at UEL. I’ve been working for the last eighteen months as a Psychological Practitioner in an NHS Primary Care service (IAPT). Q What counselling work are you doing at present? I was accepted on the CBT trainee course within the NHS IAPT services which is a paid job with training attached. This is in Primary Care in West Sussex. I started this in April. I have a private practice in Hove and other locations in East Sussex and these are on hold whilst I’m in training with the NHS. Q What are the hours and the client load? I spend two days at the university studying the approach then three days at the clinic seeing ‘patients’. Generally clients are referred
as patients in an NHS setting. I am building up to twelve patients a week: at the moment I have six. That’s two patients a day. During those days I also have triage assessments, so I have patient contact with two or three other patients a week by phone or in person. Q How does the therapy progress? The GP can refer or people can self refer by phone or online via the NHS website. Following the initial assessment the type of treatment required is decided, if any. The treatment is termed ‘stepped care’ which means patients are offered the most appropriate treatment for their symptoms of anxiety and depression. For example, Low intensity CBT is the lowest intervention someone may need and high intensity CBT is more in-depth and more sessions are offered. Q What’s your experience of this type of work? I think it’s great to work in a service that’s accessible to everyone. It can be a heavy caseload but the work is
interesting and stimulating. We work with adults from age 18 upwards. I’ve recently worked with a patient who was 91 years old. There’s no age limit at all. The training is stringent and continually assessed. It’s a post graduate diploma accredited by BABCP, the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. Q What are your plans once the course has finished? I plan to pass the course, then apply for jobs within the NHS IAPT service. A job isn’t guaranteed at the end of the course in the NHS so I may look elsewhere for work. I would then maintain my private practice and combine that with CBT work within an organisation. The diploma will definitely enhance my portfolio. Katherine was SCAP’s online news and information officer, a voluntary role, as are all committee roles in SCAP. We’re grateful for her input and wish her well in the IAPT training.
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RAINBOW COUNSELLING Gender and sexual diversity in the counselling room: SCAP member Chloe Foster on how we can understand our LGBTQ clients in today’s society
Over recent years in England there have been many progressive changes in laws and a rise in media coverage of issues relating to the lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) community. Today there are numerous LGBTQ characters on soaps and many celebrities who have ‘come out’. There have also been changes in laws, which now allow same-sex couples to marry (2013), and gay and bi men to donate blood (2011). Gender reassignment has been added as a protected characteristic to The Equality Act (2010). These are just a few of the changes we have seen happen
over the past 5 to 10 years. Although a lot of these changes have been positive, there are still many people who these laws do not protect. For example, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act only allows people who identify as either male or female to marry. This excludes everyone else who identifies as a gender that is non-binary. There is a 12-month celibacy clause on the law change to allow men who have sex with men to donate blood. And although gender reassignment became part of the 2010 Equality Act it took until 2015 for Stonewall to extend its campaigning to include trans people.
This shows us that although our society is becoming less homophobic, biphobic and transphobic, we nonetheless continue to live in an environment that is heteronormative and cisnormative, meaning that most people assume, unless corrected, that we are straight and cisgender. This can make it incredibly hard for some LGBTQ clients to live their life, as, alongside countless additional challenges, they have to think about whether or not to ‘come out’ in each new situation as well as thinking about what pronouns to use for themselves or a partner. Many clients report that they want their counsellor to have lived experience of what it feels like to live as LGBTQ, and are accordingly choosing to seek out LGBTQ-identified counsellors. This is shown in the number of applications to Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard counselling service, which regularly exceeded capacity. As a means of meeting these specific needs of LGBTQ people, SCAP member Chloe Foster has set up a counselling service run by and for LGBTQ people, called Sussex Rainbow Counselling. Chloe, who believes in the importance of self-disclosing, identifies as lesbian. In her work within the local LGBTQ sector at MindOut (LGBTQ
mental health support), Allsorts Youth Project (LGBT youth service for under 26s) and LGBT Switchboard (LGBT helpline and counselling service), all the clients Chloe worked with accessed support with these services because the staff were LGBTQ-identified. It is of course important to recognise that not all LGBTQ clients will choose to see an LGBTQ-identified counsellor, and also that gender and sexual diversity may be brought into the room by clients regardless of whether or not they identify as LGBTQ. Through Chloe’s experience of working in the LGBTQ sector she strives to open up conversations with other counsellors around gender and sexual diversity, and she leaves a few questions for readers to ponder: Do you ask your clients what their preferred pronouns are? If you haven’t asked, how do you know you are using the correct pronouns when you talk about them in supervision,she asks? Have you ever tried talking to your peers about a partner without using a pronoun? Have you ever talked to your own counsellor about your own sexual orientation or gender identity, and have you ever questioned either of these?
Chloe Foster is a BACP qualified counsellor and out lesbian who is experienced in working with the LGBTQ community and the founder of Sussex Rainbow Counselling, a new counselling service for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people. www.sussexrainbowcoun selling.com Hear Chloe on Radio Reverb’s LGBTQ show Out in Brighton. Search for Out in Brighton on Podomatic and itunes (episode on 21/3/17). Chloe starts at minute 40. Key dates for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality: www.stonewall.org.uk/abo ut-us/key-dates-lesbian-ga y-bi-and-trans-equality
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NEGATIVE SELF TALK The hidden behaviour of self talk is one of the barriers to moving on with clients. Adrian Gorman explains what it is and how Reality Therapy and making connections can help
Adrian Gorman ECP, is a registered psychotherapist and is the current the Registrar for the European Reality Therapy Psychotherapist (RTP) award. He has delivered training in UK, USA, Finland, Macedonia, Holland, Malta and Kuwait.
Ineffective self talk is not usually explicit, but rather implicit: that is to say, people do not verbalise the kind of statements given below, but certainly they are implied by their actions. Self talk can sometimes be more of an attitude or belief, a ‘theme’ in the way lives are lived. I have listed four ineffective themes, as well as the opposing effective self talk. One type of ineffective self talk or theme is ‘Nobody is going to tell me what to do…’ or ‘I’m my own boss...’. This self talk comes from people who are behaving anti-socially, always getting into trouble with the police, their parents, their spouse, their friends, their boss, or their school. This type of ineffective self talk has an opposite – which might be: ‘I’m most effective when I live within reasonable rules” (most rules in our society are reasonable) ‘when I live within the reasonable rules that people make, or even those I have had a share in making, I am going to be happier, I’m going to be more mentally healthy.’ Another theme or self talk is ‘I'm powerless’ or ‘I can’t’, ‘I am a total victim now and I always will be.’ This kind of self talk is heard (again maybe not explicitly, but implicitly), from clients who have low self worth and believe that their behaviour is a response to certain circumstances or other people’s behaviour (external locus of control), and that they have no control
over it. Again, this self talk also has an opposite ‘I can...’, ‘I have the power to at least make some choice in my life.’) The next type of self talk I hear regularly is linked to the ‘external control psychology’ that most of the world seems to embrace ‘I can control other people…, I can control my kids or I can control my spouse, my boyfriend, my girlfriend or my employees’ This, of course, is unrealistic, and I have met more than one unhappy person over the years who, even though they knew how their partners behaved before they married them, say to me ‘but I thought that I could change them.’ The opposite of this self talk is ‘I really can’t control other people I can only control myself.’ The other common self talk that I hear in Reality Therapy is - ‘Even though what I am doing is not working, I’m going to continue to do it.’ It’s a bit like looking for car keys in the same place 10 times. We do this as human beings: we search around and look in the draw, in our briefcase, in the pockets of our coat, and then we go looking in those same places again even though we know the keys are not there, hoping that they will miraculously appear. In situations where behaviour becomes stuck (in doing or thinking), a more effective self talk might be, ‘If this is not working, I will do something different.’
Reality Therapy In this therapy the model of ‘total behaviour’, self talk is part of the thinking or cognition component. A reality therapist’s role is to help clients see a connection with what they are telling themselves, to how this effects their other behaviour components - to help them understand that what they are thinking has an effect on their actions, their feelings and, indirectly, their physiology. Thus, through various processes the therapist is able to help clients self evaluate how effective this kind of self talk is to them. Only when they believe that their self talk is not getting them what they want are they able to make more effective choices in their lives. Encouraging and facilitating self evaluation is the cornerstone for helping clients explore whether it is their locus of control or their self talk that is preventing them from effectively meeting their needs or from making desired changes in their lives. To use a metaphor - if we are lost on a road while driving, but don’t know that we are lost, we are unlikely to change direction.
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CHALLENGING NEGATIVITY AND EXCUSE MAKING Persistent excuse making and negative thoughts are purposeful behaviour that can be challenged, argues Adrian Gorman, who explains how Reality Therapy can help
I was recently asked by a student counsellor to talk about how I deal with persistent excuse making and ‘negative’ thoughts from clients in my sessions from the perspective of a Reality Therapy approach. Of course there are many techniques that can help when working with clients who are continually making excuses, or who demonstrate unrealistic beliefs or negative self talk through their actions. Below are some approaches I have taken. As a therapist I am quite used to hearing excuses for why things are not working. Firstly it is important to acknowledge that people make excuses for a reason. Sometimes they want to ‘get off the hook’ for something they have/have not done, or sometimes they want to connect with other people and they think that excuse making is going to enable them to do so. Whatever it is, excuse making is a ‘behaviour’, and in Choice Theory and Reality Therapy, we teach that behaviour is always purposeful: to have an impact on the world, or to send a message to those around us. So it is important to acknowledge that excuses can often be valid, especially in the
mind of the person who makes the excuses. Nevertheless, persistent excuse making can take us in the opposite direction to where we want to go. There are a number of ways in which I might try to deal with persistent excuse making. One way I may consider is to directly ask my client: “If you continue to make excuses for this, or about that is this helping you? If you continue to put the responsibility on people outside of you”, “if you continue to see yourself as being put upon by other people, and as never choosing your own actions, is this really getting you where you want to go?” Sometimes it is necessary to challenge the client’s perceived locus of control (LOC) because people who make a lot of excuses tend to project the responsibility outside of themselves, and so they see their control as being dictated to them by other forces (‘it’s the full moon that sets me off’), or by other people (‘I can never get the work done when I am with him’). In these situations I might challenge the perception of the control they think they have by asking them: “Is it really true you have no control?” “Is it really true that in these
circumstances you have no choices?”. W h e n Vi c t o r F r a n k l (Austrian Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor) was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, he saw that he had choices even in those dire and dreadful circumstances. He had choices as to how he would see these experiences; maybe not choices about what he could do, but he did believe he had choices even if they were limited choices, and so he took responsibility for his own perceptions and he survived. Another way I might deal with excuses is to use stories or metaphors in my sessions. I have found that it can be very helpful with some
clients who make a lot of excuses to just pause for a moment and say to them; “your situation reminds me of a person I counselled or someone I worked with some time ago and this person did this, and they did that and even though their
Sometimes it is necessary to challenge the client’s perceived locus of control because people who make a lot of excuses tend to project the responsibility outside of themselves
circumstances were very oppressive, they chose to do this or they chose to do that” and then I might suggest; “your situation reminds me of that person.” In saying this, what sometimes slips imperceptively into their consciousness is something like “maybe I can do something better than I’ve been doing, maybe I can take responsibility, after all someone else did.” Of course what I am really doing is talking about the person in front of me but in a very indirect way, in order to get them to look at their behaviour, to look at their perceived LOC to it.”
Working with adolescents - a conference for parents and professionals The Enemy in My Head: Living and Working with Adolescents: helping young people make sense of parents, teachers, authority and themselves is the title of a workshop being held in Croydon on October 7. Led by Nick Luxmoore this is a workshop opportunity for professionals, parents and carers to share ideas, theories and life experiences. Young people’s behaviour is informed by conflicting feelings about their parents. What does this mean when trying to make sense of who they are and of the people who made them? How do we help young people develop a sense of themselves that allows for hate as well as love, shyness as well as exuberance, anger as well as kindness? Nick Luxmoore is a trainer, school counsellor, teacher, youth worker and psychodrama psychotherapist with more than 40 years’ experience working with young people, parents and the professionals who support them. He is the author of 10 books about living and working with adolescents and writes a blog for Psychology Today. www.nickluxmoore.com. The event takes place at Braithwaite Halls, Croydon from 9.30am to 4pm. Tickets cost between £65 and £75. To book visit https://tinyurl.com/y77vfu6v.
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Counselling skills for Sri Lanka’s traumatic legacy Eileen Palmer talks to Brighton therapist Edmond O’Reilly, who learned as much as he taught while supporting teachers and other professionals to help traumatised fellow citizens with counselling skills following the Civil War and Tsunami in Sri Lanka I was spending an enjoyable hour outdoors chatting at one of Kemptown’s interesting cafes, taking in the rich smell of freshly brewed coffee. The sun beamed bright as Edmond spoke of his journey last year to Sri Lanka, where he set out to pioneer voluntary teaching of counselling to teachers and other professionals. Edmond chose to travel to Sri Lanka because he wanted to see if there was anything that he could do to help in the country, still reeling after years of devastating Civil War. In 2004 Sri Lanka suffered an horrific tsunami from which people, already affected by war, were still recovering, many with profound trauma. Edmond began, with the help of an interpreter, to teach five counselling workshops to those in a position to counsel those suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues. He took an intake of breath as he told me about his time there. One of his hardest tasks, he explained, was in rapidly
learning something of the culture, the male, female divide, the acceptable and unacceptable, much of which was vastly different from life in the UK. He found that asking students to engage in experiential work was a struggle. They seemed to prefer to sit and listen rather than be active in experiential work. He also felt there was an undercurrent of fear and suspicion. Students were not comfortable talking freely or expressing their emotions. He told me that sometimes he would say something short and simple but the interpreter would speak for a long time, leaving him wondering what had actually been said. He wondered whether he’d transgressed the cultural code and the interpreter was trying to make the exercise more acceptable to those attending. After the first workshop Edmond was exhausted. He felt he hadn’t connected with the group: there seemed to be resistance or something similar.
The next day he asked the group leader what it was he wasn’t doing right. She smiled and simply said, ‘they like to play’. So Edmond started again, this time using ice-breaking drama exercises. Students responded warmly and enthusiastically.
One of the exercises involved trust where one falls back trusting the others will catch them, or where someone is blindfolded and led through obstacles. To his relief this changed the whole feel of the situation; the students lightened up. A lesson had been learned! As the workshops progressed Edmond tells me he realised women and men didn’t like to work together. Nor would people of different statuses. At one point
a Tamil priest joined the group. When he entered the room all the women stood up and the men were reverential. They would not easily work in a pair or group with him. In the final workshop with a group of feminist women he sensed that they were unhappy. When Edmond asked them why one or two quietly came to him and said they’d really benefit from courses dealing with domestic violence and with adolescent children. Sadly, Edmond was scheduled to leave. He doesn’t plan to return to Sri Lanka but
he’s left with special memories of time well spent. He told me the experience was humbling and he learned that you cannot easily carry concepts from culture to culture, land to land. You have to watch, listen and be adaptable. Edmond O’Reilly spent five years as co-chair of Sussex Psychodynamic Therapies in Brighton, teaching counselling courses for many years in H.E. in London and Brighton. He now works in private practice in Brighton.
Sri Lanka remains scarred by a long and bitter civil war arising out of ethnic tensions between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority in the northeast. After more than 25 years of violence the conflict ended in May 2009, when government forces seized the last area controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels. Recriminations over abuses by both sides continue
Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCAP)
Contact Us Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy Group PO Box 308, Brighton BN2 0WA Editor: Astrid Stubbs: magazine@sussex-counselling.co.uk Advertising : advertising@sussex-counselling.co.uk Membership: membership@sussex-counselling.co.uk Chair: chair@sussex-counselling.co.uk General Enquiries: info@sussex-counselling.co.uk New Counsellors: newcounsellors@sussex-counselling.co.uk Paper Directory: paperdirectory@sussex-counselling.co.uk Secretary: secretary@sussex-counselling.co.uk Finance: finance@sussex-counselling.co.uk Website: website@sussex-counselling.co.uk Twitter: @SussexCAP Facebook: www.facebook.com/SussexCounsellingAndPsychotherapy Printed in the UK www.dpsltd.net
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Jess Bayley is hosting a special seminar for SCAP members on Saturday 26 August 2017 10am – 2pm, at the Wilderness Centre in Stanmer Park The seminar is called Ecotherapy - how can nature affect a therapeutic practice? Places are limited – book via the SCAP website www.sussex-counselling. uk by 15 August 2017. Price: £25 members, £30 non-members
Ecotherapy - how to embrace nature What is Ecotherapy and how can we bring nature into our work as counsellors and therapists? SCAP’s Cathy Warren asks Jess Bayley, Director of Centre for Ecotherapy, Stanmer Park CW Can you tell me about Ecotherapy and Ecopsychology? JB As I understand it, ecopsychology is the theory that being part of the world has an effect on us – and the fact that humans have an effect on the world which is not always positive can be troubling to us at a deep level. It’s the Gaia theory – we are part of the whole – and when we are disconnected this results in feeling less than whole, a sense that something is missing. Ecotherapy is the practical application of this. It’s an attempt to rebuild the connection – looking at how we can use nature to have a beneficial effect on health. I’ve seen this work in many, many cases. Often people aren’t aware until they try it that nature is what they have been missing; when they come here they have a chance to reconnect with that missing part of themselves.
CW How did you personally get involved in this field? JB Nature was always a huge part of my upbringing and when, in the final year of my degree, I felt completely burnt out I escaped to the West of Ireland, instinctively knowing that I needed to immerse myself in the woods and coastline and let nature wash over me. After three weeks I had gathered myself and I knew that I would never again live separately from nature. I worked in commercial agriculture for 12 years and have been involved in horticulture throughout, more recently moving into using it therapeutically and in the community. CW Tell me about the Centre for Ecotherapy? JB There are two sites – a ‘wilderness’ area for ecotherapy, which is part of Stanmer Organics at Stanmer Park, and an allotment site where we offer therapeutic
horticulture. The allotment used to be run by the NHS but when they withdrew funding their staff suggested the centre take it over. We offer training to practitioners and individuals in both ecotherapy and horticultural therapy; we have regular groups at both the allotment and the ‘wilderness’ site, including a rolling six-week programme for people referred to us from NHS mental health services. We are a not-for-profit social enterprise set up in 2014 and our aims are: 1) to bring nature-based therapies to the wider community 2) to offer a resource for practitioners and therapists to use, and 3) to undertake research to demonstrate the impact of ecotherapy. The results are very rewarding – a number of people are referred by NHS clinical psychologists to our six-week programme, some of whom have had a long term experience involving all sorts of treatments and therapies, and they have told me with delight; “this is the best thing I have done!” That inspires me. It’s not that the other therapies are wrong – it’s just that this is the thing they need. Our six week programme can appeal to people who don’t respond in clinical settings – it’s active, practical and informal, people learn skills and socialise and that builds
their confidence. Though most of our referrals so far are from the mental health sector, we are also open to and exploring work with people with learning difficulties and other groups. It’s early days – organisationally there have been difficult times over the last two years, but we now have a strong board and a growing volunteer base. CW What do you hope for in the future? JB I want to get counsellors and psychotherapists involved in order to provide one-to-one counselling in nature and to develop the research side to expand our understanding and demonstrate effectiveness. I am actively seeking people who’d like to be involved. I would also love to build ecotherapy into the school curriculum so that young people grow up with an awareness of their connection with nature and can use this in their lives. Counsellors working in schools might have the opportunity to use outside space as part of their work. This work is about being creative. Cathy Warren, MBACP (Accred) is a counsellor, coach and resilience trainer Find out more about the centre at www.centreforecotherapy.org .uk
Related events and further information I attended one of Jess’s introduction to Ecotherapy courses and can wholeheartedly recommend the experience. A question our group explored was how can we build ecotherapy into our work with clients, and the range of possibilities was huge. We agreed the first priority is to keep our own connection with nature alive. A growing number of therapists are venturing outside the counselling room into the outdoors – but even if we don’t go that far, we can provide opportunities for bringing the ‘wild self’ in. We can all make sure we have in our counselling rooms living plants and items from nature – pine cones, twigs – these symbols can encourage the client to engage with this aspect of themselves and we can directly bring the question of a connection with nature into the room. CW
18 Professionals seem to increasingly recognise the benefits of using animals to help people. There is a growing body of research confirming the many benefits animals can bring to the therapy professions. Wealden Psychology Institute has been a forerunner since 1990 in this area; Joanna Beazley Richards has been using animals with her clients since then, and our training programme for Animal Assisted Therapy is becoming more popular. We know that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the indicators of successful outcomes in therapy, and this is one of the areas where animals come to the fore. They too seek a trusting relationship, and they are so good at knowing when it is congruent! The HeartMath Institute has recently found that the (human) heart sends out an electromagnetic field that changes with your emotions, and that the heart’s magnetic field can be measured up to several feet from the body. If this is true of human hearts it seems reasonable to believe that the same is true of other mammals, and experience of working with animals does confirm that an energetic connection is established. In a
For most of human history, animals have occupied a central place in theories and treatment of physical and mental health problems
recent dog training session, our dog handler taught us a very important lesson; dogs don’t understand many words; we like to think they do, but actually dogs read our energy, and that is how they understand what is happening. For most of human history, animals have occupied a central place in theories and treatment of physical and mental health problems. A number of reviews are available. (Serpell, Kruger et al). In ancient Egypt it was thought that injury or disease could be helped if not cured by being licked by a dog. Modern medicine clearly does not consider this a safe approach; however, animals, including dogs, are now considered of value in the treatment of both psychological and physical health difficulties. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung both believed that humans are born with an animalistic part to their psyche, and that this part becomes repressed and socialised out of them, such that it becomes buried in the unconscious, and in later life seeks expression often in unhealthy ways. The earliest reported use of Animal Assisted Therapy
ANIMALS AS THERAPISTS John Baxendale from the Wealden Institute on our long relationship with animals and the Animal Assisted psychotherapy training and client work offered at the Institute
(AAT) for the mentally ill took place in the early 18th century at the York Retreat in England, led by William Tuke, a well-known Quaker reformer. Patients at this hospital were allowed to wander the grounds which contained a population of small domestic animals. There has been much research on the positive effects of animals in recovery from physical illness. An example is Cole’s 2007 study on patients who were in critical care after experiencing heart failure. The patients were visited three different times over a period of three months by either a volunteer with a therapy dog, a volunteer by themselves, or the usual care that they had been receiving. The results showed a significant decrease in the cardiopulmonary pressure, neurohormone level, and anxiety level of those patients who received the 12 minute visit by the therapy dog. Although the most common form of animal is the dog, followed by cats, many kinds
Bibliography
of animals have been used in therapy. (Fine) I would contend that horses are being used more frequently today. An interesting quote from Totton is that ‘horses that have been abused develop great sensitivity to mood and atmosphere’. This I believe from experience to be the case; indeed the great majority of animals used at Wealden Institute are rescued, usually considered rejects by their previous carers. Animal Assisted psychotherapy does not aim to address specific issues. I see it as a holistic approach for healing of the body and the mind. Wealden Psychology Institute in Crowborough, East Sussex has been offering AAT since 1986, and trains AAT therapists. Our clients work with therapy animals, including donkeys, horses, goats, a flock of rare breed Wiltshire Horn sheep, poultry, a dog, rabbits and guinea pigs. Our AAT programme is based on Transactional
Analysis, and has incorporated Mindfulness based elements from the start. Perhaps the greatest influence on the content and philosophy of the course has been Claude Steiner by his writings on emotional literacy. A typical AAT session involving ego states would be the client spending time with an animal, sharing any awareness they have about how they were moving out of present contact and awareness, and starting to feel little and inadequate, or starting to move into ‘autopilot’ being ways of being ‘borrowed’ from a parent figure. A session might involve awareness of when they might make themselves or the animal not OK. The client would then be given time with a therapist to explore their awareness and ways they might integrate this new-found way of being into an adult ego-state, or update it with a grown-up, adult approach. A longer version of this article is available at uktransactionalanalysis.co.uk
HeartMath Institute, (2017) California. www.heartmath.org Serpell. J. A., and Paul. E.S., (1994). Pets and the development of Positive attitudes to animals. in A. Manning, and Serpell, J. A. (Eds) Animals and Human Society ; Changing perspectives (pp 127 – 144 ) London and New York. Kruger , K, Tractenburg, S., Serpell. J. A., (2004). Can animals help humans heal? Animal-assisted interventions in adolescent mental health. Philadelphia; PA, Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society Cole, K.M., Gawlinski A., Steers, N, and Kotlerman J, (2007). Animal-Assisted Therapy In Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure American Journal Of Critical Care. November, Volume 16, No. 6 Fine, A. H., ed. (2015), Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy; foundations and guidelines for animal-assisted interventions. Elsevier: London. Totton, N., (2011). Wild Therapy. PCCS Books; Ross-on-Wye. Steiner, C., (1997). Achieving Emotional Literacy. Avon Books, New York. Steiner, C., (2003). Emotional Literacy: Intelligence with a heart. Personhood Press. Fawnskin, California.
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AUGUST 15 Animal assisted therapy. Wealden Institute. www.wealdeninstitute.co.uk/w p-content/uploads/short_cours es-1.pdf SEPTEMBER 2 Systemic Ritual, resourcing therapists using shamanic health approaches. Details: http://thewilburyclinic.co.uk /workshops-trainings-course s/ SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR AUGUST 26 ECOTHERAPY: HOW NATURE CAN AFFECT OUR PRACTICE with Jess Bayley Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
SEPTEMBER 19 Mood and Anxiety Research Conference. Sussex Education Centre, Hove. Details: www.sussexpartnership.nhs. uk/seminar-programme SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR SEPTEMBER 9 SELF CARE FOR COUNSELLORS with Jan Irwin Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk SEPTEMBER 23 Walking a tightrope:working with risky behaviours in adolescent clients. Hove.
www.brightontherapypartn ership.org.uk/events/walkin g-tightrope-working-risky-b ehaviours-adolescent-clients
NOVEMBER 16/17 Understanding Teenagers. The Link Centre. Details: www.thelinkcentre.co.uk
SEPTEMBER 27 Dementia research seminar. Hove.9.30am-12.30pm. www.sussexpartnership.nhs. uk/seminar-programme
NOVEMBER 18 Working creatively with children and adolescents. Hastings. www.counsellingplus.org/cp -event/working-creatively-w ith-children-adolescents/
SEPTEMBER 27 Depression, a free talk. wellbeing evening. 7-9pm. www.thelinkcentre.co.uk SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR OCTOBER 21 SYMBOLIC SAND TRAY STORIES FOR THERAPISTS with Carol Lloyd Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk OCTOBER 14 Safeguarding children in the therapeutic process. www.emotionaldevelopment .co.uk OCTOBER 14 Attachment theory. Hastings. www.counsellingplus.org/cp -event/attachment-theory-oc tober-2017/ NOVEMBER 11 Trauma training for therapists. therapies@thewilburyclinic. co.uk
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR NOVEMBER 25 ARE WE REALLY PERSON-CENTRED? with Chris Molyneux Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
NOVEMBER 26 Youth Self Harm. The Link Centre. Details: www.thelinkcentre.co.uk
SUSSEX COUNSELLING SEMINAR JANUARY 20, 2018 THERAPY WARS AND PLURALISM:THE ROAD TO PEACE? with Jay Beichman Details: www.sussex-counselling.co.uk
The learning environment is rich, safe & dynamic ~ explore, learn, ask questions, challenge & be challenged.
From the end of September, the Link Centre Training Rooms will be at Plumpton College, East Sussex.
ENGAGING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING WORKSHOPS AND COURSES Exam Prep / CPD group
6 days between Sept 2017 to June 2017 Once people have completed their formal TA training it can often be challenging to maintain momentum and focus in the exam prep period whether for diploma, accreditation or CTA. An ongoing group to support students on the final leg of this journey in a collegial environment that will give challenge, motivation and focus to achieve whatever your goal might be.
Introduction to Supervision
Friday 3rd November A one day workshop for those practitioners thinking about branching out into supervision, looking at how supervision differs from therapy, and looking at a model for understanding the supervision process.
Diploma in Supervision
Jan to July 2018 For those who already have significant experience working as a practitioner within their field and want to further their career and qualify as a supervisor. The course is for participants from different approaches to learn how to supervise both within their own theory and across other theoretical modalities. Six weekends and instalment payment scheme.
Understanding Teenagers
16th / 17th November 2017 A workshop designed for anyone living or working with teenagers – parents, teachers, youth workers, employers, family members. Together we will explore ideas and strategies to support you and the teens involved through the potential conflict, chaos and challenge at this life stage.
For more information or to discuss your requirements further please visit www.thelinkcentre.co.uk or call 01892 652487
Youth Self Harm
Sunday 26th November An introductory day to raise awareness and deepen knowledge of self-harm’s increasing role and function in children and young people’s worlds. Particularly relevant for school pastoral staff and those who work in youth, youth offending, social and health carer settings, supporting children and young people who self-harm.
Free Talk at Wellbeing Evenings
7pm – 9pm Wednesday 27th September – Depression Wednesday 29th November – Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
Weekend Introduction to Transactional Analysis
7th/8th October, 27th / 28th January, 10th/11th March A 2 day course for anyone interested in learning about themselves and others and how this learning can help in living a better life and relate with others more satisfyingly. A great starting point for those considering counselling / psychotherapy training.
Part-Time Counselling / Psychotherapy training courses
10 weekends a year between October and July leading to national and international accreditation. APPLY NOW FOR COURSES STARTING IN OCTOBER 2017
Coming up in brief
Therapy Marathon – January 2018 / Certificate in CBT – April 2018 / Certificate in Working with Couples – 3 x 2 days, March to July 2018
www.thelinkcentre.co.uk
SELF CARE FOR COUNSELLORS