Decoding Criteria (starts at 1.41 mins)

Criteria – the requirements that counselling students have to fulfil in order to pass their qualification – can be really slippery. They are often couched in academic language that bear little resemblance to the everyday language we are used to.

It is helpful to start by looking carefully at the main verb in the instruction, for example ‘explore’, ‘compare’, ‘describe’, ‘analyse’ or ‘evaluate’. Ken and Rory dissect an example criterion, explaining what it means in plain English.

When addressing criteria, it is important to stick to the question and not to prevaricate: you will not get any credit for material that doesn’t answer the question, however good this might be.

Rory has done a lecture on how to decode academic language; this is available in the Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

Making Referrals (starts at 13.18 mins)

The Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions, published in 2015 by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy, requires us to work within our competence (in terms of both qualifications and clinical experience). This may require us to refer clients.

In Counselling Skills for Managers (PHI Learning, 2007), Singh gives five situations where the counsellor would need to refer:

• when the client’s presenting issues lie outside your proficiency (e.g. psychosis or adoption – the latter was covered in Podcast 58)
• when the counsellor and client do not gel for some reason, e.g. personality clash or transference
• when the client’s issues turn out to relate to someone whom the counsellor knows
• when the client is not ready to disclose their issues (e.g. they may need a different type of help from another agency first)
• when the client has done as much therapeutic work as they wish for now but is hesitant to finish (e.g. the sessions may be becoming more like cosy chats than counselling).

Rory goes on to offer some good-practice tips on making referrals:

• If you work at an agency, ask the staff where they would usually refer and make a list of the possible places, so you have a list ready.
• Always talk to your supervisor before referring a client.
• Before making a referral, always check that the client would like to be referred, and decide together who to refer to and the best timescale for this.
• Record what you have agreed and done in the client’s notes.
• Remember that making a referral is not a sign of weakness or incompetence on your part; it is a natural and important part of professional practice.

You can download Rory’s handout on this topic here, and it is also available on Counselling Study Resource (CSR).