293 – EAP Counselling

Why Hire an Accountant – How to Handle Negative Feedback

In Episode 293 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly discuss this week’s three topics:

• Firstly in ‘Ethical, Sustainable Practice’, we take a deep dive into Employment Assistant Programs or EAP counselling.
• Then in ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Kassim Harunani about why you might hire an accountant as a counsellor in private practice.
• And lastly in ‘Student Services’, Rory and Ken look at how to handle, receive, and process negative feedback.

EAP Counselling Pros and Cons [starts at 03:28 mins]

The EAP are there for companies to be able to support their employees, and you might be interested in playing a role in that. In this section, Rory and Ken take us through some pros and cons of working as a counsellor for EAPs:

• The services provided by the EAP will be paid for by the company, not the client themselves.
• This means the service might come with certain limitations such as the amount of sessions you have, how your notes are kept and who sees them.
• When providing EAP counselling, you might get the opportunity to work with a wider range of presentations.
• It will provide a regular income.
• There is the chance for an EAP client to become a private client if they have the means, and decide they would like more sessions with you.
• In EAP counselling, there can be quite a bit of flexibility in terms of working hours and whether you work online/by telephone.
• Check what rate you will be paid – if the rate is lower than your own private sessions, weigh up if you are working enough hours to make up for this difference.
• When providing EAP counselling, you’re required to work under the EAP’s rules, and possibly under their contract.
• You may be provided with an internal supervisor.
• Look into how and when you will be paid.
• Be clear about any niches or specialties you might have to help with your chances of referrals.

Why Hire an Accountant [starts at 31:44 mins]

In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Kassim Harunani, Counselling Tutor’s own accountant, about why you might consider hiring an accountant as a private practitioner.

The key points of this discussion include:

• An accountant can use their experience and specialty to help you focus on your own.
• They will know what expenses you will be able to claim, e.g. can you use your company card to pay for fuel when travelling to a meeting?
• It’s good to have a separate bank account for your business. This gives credibility and makes it easier to administer that account to your accountant.
• Banks will prefer for you to have a business account, and will look for it if you decide to take out a loan.
• Being a sole trader vs. a limited company – there is a difference in the way you are taxed on your profits depending which route you choose. There are more expenses that can be claimed as a limited company.
• You can discuss this decision with an accountant, looking at your business plan.
• If you use cash, keep receipts and records. Try to avoid holding cash and bank it when you can.
• You can only claim on training courses if they are a requirement of your workplace or are directly benefiting your business and your clients.
• If you decide to look for an accountant, look for one that belongs to a professional body.

How to Handle Negative Feedback [starts at 57:02 mins]

As a student, you are likely to receive both positive and negative feedback, and learning to accept it will be a vital skill. In this section, Rory and Ken offer advice on how you can go about receiving and processing negative feedback:

• Any feedback is useful as long as you can dissect it.
• Are you able to see it as constructive feedback?
• Think about what feelings come up for you when receiving feedback, is there any transference involved?
• How much pressure are you putting on yourself?
• Take emotion away from the feedback and look at the facts.
• Look at where the feedback is coming from – is it just an opinion, or is it qualified, constructive feedback. Is it helpful?
• You can decide what parts of feedback you want to take on.
• There is no failure, just first attempts at learning.
• Think about how you can give feedback from a place of kindness.

Links and Resources

Counselling Skills Academy

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision

Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide

Counsellor CPD

Counselling Study Resource

Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide

Counselling Tutor Shop

Facebook group

Website

Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide

Online and Telephone Counselling Course