305 – Reasonable Adjustments in Counselling
Couples Counselling – What to Do about Gifts from Clients
In Episode 305 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly take us through today’s three topics:
- Firstly in ‘Ethical, Sustainable Practice’, we look at the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments in counselling.
- Then in ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Claire Ratcliffe about her observations of being a couples counsellor.
- And lastly in ‘Student Services’, Rory and Ken discuss what to do about gifts from clients.
Reasonable Adjustments in Counselling [starts at 02:55 mins]
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When working with certain clients, we may need to consider making small adjustments to our practice that can have a huge impact on their experience.
The main points of this section on reasonable adjustments in counselling include:
- Some neurodivergent clients might want to bring noise-cancelling headphones to sessions to help mute background noise. Some may also prefer to wear sunglasses for light sensitivity.
- Small adjustments like this can make the experience much better for clients.
- Think about whether you might need to make adjustments to session structure, such as factoring in a break.
- To know what reasonable adjustments in counselling might be needed, take advanced preparation – gain this knowledge about your clients as a part of your intake process.
- Normalise requests for reasonable adjustments to help a client feel more comfortable asking for these things, and reduce their anxiety.
- Partake in constant CPD to ensure you’re not using outdated vocabulary or language.
Theory to Practice is sponsored by
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Couples Counselling [starts at 27:46 mins]
In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Claire Ratcliffe about her work as a couples counsellor.
The key points of this discussion include:
- Due to a reduction in stigma, there is now a large amount of inquires from couples looking for more support.
- The relationship dynamic of your parents can have a large impact on your own relationship.
- Clients can understand themselves more through transactional analysis.
- You’re working with them to discover their own individuality and being able to express their own feelings and needs.
- What do they want their relationship to look like and how far away from that are they?
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What to Do about Gifts from Clients [starts at 53:25 mins]
Receiving a gift can be a lovely thing, but it can be complicated when the one gifting it is a client. In this section, Rory and Ken suggest some actions you might want to take if you receive a gift from a client:
- Ask your agency/organisation if they have any policies on gifts.
- Check with your practice manager.
- Receiving a gift, especially as a student, can be affirming.
- Recognise when a gift is inappropriate within its context, e.g. being added to a will, or a particularly expensive gift.
- Have a clear policy in your mind of what to do when you receive a gift – this will prevent you being put on the spot.
- Discuss with your supervisor.
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Counselling under the Equality Act 2010