West Kent

Counselling Service Overview for prospective volunteer counsellors

An abstract of the Counselling Service Policy and Handbook

34 St John's Road Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3LW

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www.westkentmind.org.uk [email protected] 01732 744950 f 01732 453367

Registered charity 1044977 Company number 3024657 Registered in England

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Aims and objectives Purpose of the service West Kent Mind recognises the contribution and value of counselling in improving and maintaining mental wellbeing. The counselling service aims to make available counselling to anyone who can benefit from it and who is able to pay at least the minimum session fee. The use of volunteer counsellors makes counselling accessible to those who could otherwise not afford it, and also offers a professionally supervised placement opportunity for trainee counsellors.

The service we offer Counselling is offered to individuals in weekly sessions for as long as it is effective, with reviews every eight weeks. Counsellors work from a variety of humanistic/integrative theoretical models. The service is run in accordance with the Ethical Framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), of which West Kent Mind is an organisational member. Potential clients are assessed by the Lead Counsellor or a qualified counsellor attached to the service. There is no fee for the assessment session, and if counselling is deemed appropriate a fee is agreed for subsequent counselling sessions. The client is allocated a counsellor who will contact them to arrange weekly sessions at our centres in either Sevenoaks or Tonbridge. If counselling is deemed unsuitable, the client will be signposted to an alternative service.

Equality and diversity West Kent Mind is committed to the values of diversity and inclusion and to the principal of equal opportunity (including accessibility) in its widest sense and does not discriminate, in action or attitude, against applicants or clients on grounds of race, nationality or culture, gender, sexuality, marital status, age or religious beliefs. Counselling rooms in Sevenoaks are on the ground floor with wheelchair access via a ramp from the rear of the building and an adjacent disabled toilet. Unfortunately counselling rooms in Tonbridge can only be accessed via stairs.

Staffing Clinical responsibility for the service is with the Lead Counsellor, an experienced, qualified and accredited counsellor employed by or under contract to West Kent Mind and reporting to the Chief Executive. Managerial responsibility is with the Chief Executive. Volunteer counsellors will be on one of three tracks: Track 1 (Placement) Counsellors who are students of a BACP accredited diploma-level course, or a course accredited by a UK Council on Psychotherapy (UKCP) organisational member, or at the discretion of the Lead Counsellor and Chief Executive an equivalent level course accredited by an alternative accrediting authority, who have been deemed fit to practise by the course tutors and who are on a supervised placement as part of their training requirement. Counsellors on Track 1 are required to make a minimum commitment in terms of client hours and length of service, and are required to attend West Kent Mind supervision groups.

2 Track 2 (Volunteer) Qualified counsellors who are working towards accreditation and are able to make a minimum commitment in terms of client hours, length of service, and attendance at West Kent Mind supervision groups. Track 3 (Senior Volunteer) Qualified counsellors who are accredited or close to accreditation, and who wish to see one or more clients as a volunteer, possibly on a long term basis. Track 3 counsellors are not required to make a minimum commitment or to attend West Kent Mind supervision groups. They can choose to commit to a supervision group, or alternatively provide evidence of satisfactory private supervision arrangements. All counsellors and trainees must be BACP members or UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) members. This is to ensure that all counsellors are bound by a code of ethics and a professional conduct procedure. Administrative support is provided by West Kent Mind administrative staff, who are bound by the confidentiality policy of the organisation. West Kent Mind administrative staff are responsible for managing the fees collected from clients, for reporting to the Chief Executive on the income and expenditure of the counselling service, and for administrative tasks in connection with the cancellation or re-arrangement of counselling sessions and group supervision.

Requirements

Recruitment of counsellors

Track 1 applicants seeking a supervised training placement will be at the end of the first year or in the second year of BACP accredited Diploma in Counselling course, or at an equivalent stage of a course accredited by an organisational member of the UKCP, or at the discretion of the Lead Counsellor and Chief Executive at an equivalent level on a course accredited by an alternative awarding authority, and be deemed fit to practise by the course tutors. Track 2 and 3 qualified applicants will have a Diploma in Counselling from a BACP accredited course, or be registered with the UKCP, or at the discretion of the Lead Counsellor and Chief Executive have an equivalent level qualification from an alternative awarding authority. All applicants need to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, paid for by West Kent Mind. Any convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings disclosed will be considered in terms of relevance to the BACP Ethical Framework and will not necessarily prevent acceptance. Track 1 and 2 applicants must be able to attend fortnightly group supervision sessions, which are of up to 2 hours duration. Attendance is mandatory, as clients will not be assigned to counsellors who do not attend. Track 1 and 2 applicants must be able to offer a minimum of four client sessions per month for a minimum period of one year.

Application Suitable applicants will be invited to an interview with appropriate employees of West Kent Mind and the Lead Counsellor. Applicants will need to provide two references, and in the case of students one of these must be a tutor of the applicant's training course. Students must also produce a letter from their training institute affirming that they are fit

3 to practice. When all of the criteria have been satisfactorily met, West Kent Mind may offer a supervised placement or a post as a volunteer counsellor. Before initially working with clients counsellors will undergo an induction and training process, where they are to become familiar with the West Kent Mind policies and procedures that they are expected to follow. and also receive a basic training about risk and risk management. Track 1 and 2 counsellors will also be invited to attend a group supervision session.

Agreement Counsellors are expected to read and adhere to the Counselling Policy and Handbook. West Kent Mind agrees to pay for DBS checks, mandatory group supervision, and professional indemnity insurance which covers liability across the organisation up to £10m. West Kent Mind agrees to make every effort to meet the reasonable requirements of Track 1 student counsellor's training institutes, however no guarantee is offered that the charity can meet all the requirements of the training institute in respect of the number and suitability of clients offered, the number of supervision hours, and the writing and submission of reports on students. Counselling is on a voluntary basis and regrettably no payments can be made for counselling, travel expenses, subsistence, additional supervision or training except in exceptional circumstances as may be agreed with the Lead Counsellor and Chief Executive. However volunteers on Track 2 or Track 3 are able to claim a monthly allowance of £10 that can be used towards the cost of private supervision or travel expenses.

Termination of appointment Track 1 and 2 counsellors’ agreement will last for a minimum of one year and will be reviewed three months after counselling has began, when the agreement can be ended by either party without further notice subject to a satisfactory negotiated ending with any current clients. In the event that the counsellor is no longer able to maintain this commitment, a minimum of three months notice is requested where possible. If the Lead Counsellor has concerns about the standards of ethical and/or competent practice of a counsellor that cannot be resolved in group or private supervision with the Lead Counsellor, West Kent Mind may end the placement without notice, where possible with a satisfactory negotiated ending with any current clients.

Referral, assessment and allocation Referral Potential clients can self-refer to the service by telephone or online through the West Kent Mind website. Referrals may also be made through a GP or another professional, in which case we will contact the client to arrange an assessment. The assessment appointment is confirmed in writing, and the potential client will also receive an information sheet about the service (see Appendix A).

Assessment The assessment session is conducted by the Lead Counsellor or a qualified counsellor attached to the project. The assessment is initially to determine the client's needs and suitability for the counselling service, and then to provide the client with information about

4 the service, to determine the appropriate fee, to ascertain the availability of the client for sessions, and to conduct a risk assessment. As part of a well known mental health charity, the counselling service attracts a varied client group that can include people with significant mental health diagnoses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, OCD and others. Our counselling is not always intended to have an impact on, or be a treatment for, significant psychiatric illness. People with these kinds of difficulties can also experience problems with mild to moderate anxiety or depression, relationships, stress, bereavement and other life situations. These are problems that may or may not be connected to a major psychiatric illness. Such potential clients may therefore be deemed suitable for the service, however counsellors must be aware of the limits of the service they can provide.

Allocation The Lead Counsellor will allocate the client to a suitable and available counsellor taking into account experience, gender preference and any other appropriate factors. The counsellor will then be responsible for familiarising themselves with the assessment, contacting the client and arranging the first session.

Counselling agreement The agreement between counsellor and client (see Appendix B) needs to be established in the first session, and also client consent before any sessions can be recorded. The counselling agreement is an important document which makes clear to both client and counsellor the terms under which counselling is undertaken. It includes reference to confidentiality and the circumstances under which confidentiality might have to be broken, timekeeping, policy and fees for cancelled sessions, the boundaries of the counselling relationship, and the importance of endings.

Professional boundaries Counselling is not an emergency service, and counsellors are not expected to have contact with clients outside of scheduled sessions except in connection with the administration of sessions. Communication between clients and counsellors can be via West Kent Mind administration staff or directly. Counsellors may share a personal mobile phone number and email address, however these can only be used for the scheduling of sessions and not for counselling or emotional support. Counsellors are expected to have read and understood the BACP Ethical Framework and are expected to adhere to it. Specifically, counsellors are expected to act with integrity in carrying out their role, to be diligent in maintaining confidentiality, and not to enter into personal, sexual or financial relationships with clients. Counsellors may not exploit their work with West Kent Mind for personal gain, for example by promoting a private practice or contacting clients for advertising purposes.

Supervision All counsellors, psychotherapists and supervisors must have regular and on-going formal supervision for their work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework. Counsellors on track 1 or 2 must agree to attend fortnightly group supervision sessions of the West Kent Mind counselling service, and clients will not be allocated to counsellors who do not

5 attend. Group supervision will be from a humanistic/person-centred theoretical base, however counsellors are encouraged to share the perspectives of their own training. In addition, counsellors are encouraged to consult the Lead Counsellor at any reasonable time if an issue or dilemma arises for which they recognise the need for support and advice from an experienced counsellor. West Kent Mind recognises that best practice in counselling requires that the roles of supervision and management are separate from each other, however this presents a difficulty for a small service using volunteers and a Lead Counsellor who performs both clinical and routine managerial functions. If a conflict arises between these functions then the Lead Counsellor has clinical responsibility for the service and the managerial responsibility is with the charity's Chief Executive. In the event of major concerns on the part of a counsellor or the Lead Counsellor that cannot be resolved in supervision, the matter will be referred where possible to an independent supervisor working for the service. Where this is not possible or does not resolve the issue, the matter will be referred to the Chief Executive. Counsellors need to take personal responsibility for ensuring that their supervision arrangements meet both the requirements of the BACP and those of their training program, and in particular that they have opportunities for consultation outside of the counselling service, for example by having additional private supervision or supervision within their training program. The supervision provided by West Kent Mind must not be considered to be automatically sufficient to meet the BACP requirements. If a counsellor requires additional supervision for any reason, it will be the sole responsibility of the counsellor to arrange this. If a counsellor on track 1 or 2 has other supervision arrangements they are still required to attend the group supervision provided by West Kent Mind.

6 Appendix A - Welcome to West Kent Mind Counselling

Welcome to West Kent Mind Counselling We want you to have the best possible experience with our service. This information sheet explains how the service works, how to get the best from it, and what to do if things go wrong. Please keep this important information safely.

How it works You have been offered an assessment appointment with a senior counsellor from our team, which is free and usually takes around 35-45 minutes. At this meeting you and the counsellor can discuss your difficulties and decide if counselling is appropriate. If it seems that counselling is not appropriate then we will try to make an alternative referral or signpost other sources of help. If counselling is appropriate then you will be asked about your availability for sessions, and agree a session fee based on your ability to pay. You will then be assigned to one of our counsellors, who will contact you directly to arrange the first session. The initial agreement will be for a fixed number of sessions, after which you and your counsellor will review your work and decide how to proceed. Counselling can continue for as long as you and your counsellor feel that it is effective and you are both available.

Our counsellors Our counsellors are volunteers. Some are qualified and experienced, others are at an advanced stage of training. All have regular supervision, have undergone a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure, and have professional indemnity insurance for their work through West Kent Mind. We recognise the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Our counsellors are members of the BACP or UKCP, meaning that they are bound by a code of ethics and subject to a professional conduct procedure. Our service is run in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework, a copy of which can be provided on request.

What to expect from us You can expect your counsellor to listen carefully and non-judgementally to your concerns, to show empathy (the ability to put themselves in your shoes), and to create an atmosphere in which you feel safe to talk openly about your thoughts and feelings. Counsellors do not normally give advice, though they may have ideas for you to explore. Sessions are strictly confidential, however there are some limits to confidentiality which will be discussed with you in the first session. Your counsellor will give you ample notice of holidays or other absences, and will only cancel at short notice in exceptional circumstances beyond their control. Counsellors cannot offer support or friendship outside of the agreed sessions, and will not have contact with you except in connection with the scheduling of sessions.

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What we expect from you Counselling is a shared endeavour that works best when sessions take place regularly and consistently. We ask that you give at least a day’s notice if you are unable to attend a session, and you will be asked to pay for sessions cancelled with less than a day's notice. If you do not arrive for two consecutive sessions without telling us in advance, we will assume you no longer want counselling. We understand that sometimes situations arise that lead to the cancellation of sessions, however if sessions are frequently cancelled then counselling cannot be effective and we will therefore have to end your counselling. Sessions begin and end on time. Counselling cannot take place if you arrive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you wish to end counselling you will be invited to attend one further session. The nature and quality of endings are important in counselling, as many people have experienced difficult or traumatic endings. If after ending you wish to resume counselling, a new assessment appointment will be made with a senior counsellor.

Taking care of yourself Occasionally during counselling difficult and distressing emotions can emerge. If these become overwhelming it is important that you let someone know how you are feeling. Think in advance about who you could talk to (for example a friend or relative). You can also call the Mental Health Matters Helpline on 0800 107 0160 or The Samaritans on 116 123 (both 24/7 and free from landlines and mobiles). In the unlikely event that feelings get worse and if you feel that you are at risk of harming yourself or others at any time, please make an urgent appointment with your GP or call either the Mental Health Matters Helpline on 0800 107 0160 or the KMPT Contact Centre on 0300 222 0123 and a trained advisor will support you to find help. If you have taken an overdose or you have harmed yourself call 999 immediately and ask for help, alternatively visit your nearest Accident and Emergency department.

Complaints If things should go wrong at any point with our service then we hope you can tell us about it. We view complaints as positive, as this is how we can respond to problems and make improvements. If a problem arises with your counsellor that you are not able to resolve in the sessions, you may contact the Lead Counsellor via the West Kent Mind administration office. If for any reason you do not feel able to raise the matter with the Lead Counsellor, you may contact the charity's Chief Executive, also via the administration office. In the unlikely event of a serious complaint about a counsellor or the Counselling Service, you may take the matter to the counsellor's professional body, either the BACP or the UKCP, or in the case of the Counselling Service, the BACP.

Finally... We hope that you have a positive experience with our Counselling Service. We welcome comments and feedback both positive and negative, so when your counselling is complete you will be invited to complete a simple anonymous evaluation form that can be completed on paper or online.

8 Appendix B – Information and agreement for client

Information and agreement for your counselling with............................................ Please read the following information and sign below to indicate your agreement. We agree to meet every .................day at ............... for 50 minutes for ...... sessions. The fee for each session is £ ........ Reviews of the effectiveness of the counselling will take place eight weekly. Our work is strictly confidential, however there are three important exceptions: § I have supervision, which means discussing my work with peers and senior colleagues who are bound by the same terms of confidentiality. This is an important safeguard for you, and important in the delivery of a professional, ethical and competent service. § I must break confidentiality in exceptional circumstances of urgency and seriousness, for example if I believe that you may cause serious harm to yourself or others, or if I become aware of serious abuse taking place, or of serious criminal or terrorist activity. In most cases I will try to discuss the matter with you before breaking confidentiality. § I must comply with court orders. For supervision and to improve my work, it can be helpful to make audio recordings of our sessions. Please read and sign the separate consent form if you agree, as I will not record without your permission. If you cannot keep an appointment please telephone 01732 744 950 as soon as possible. I will ask that you pay for sessions cancelled with less than a day’s notice. I will give ample notice of any periods when I am away. If I have to cancel a session at short notice this will be because of exceptional circumstances outside of my control. If you want to end counselling I ask that you have one further session. The quality of endings is important, as many people have experienced difficult or traumatic endings. If you wish to resume counselling you will be invited to a new assessment. As your counsellor I cannot be involved with you in any way outside of our agreed sessions. Our only contact between sessions will be about scheduling appointments. Please discuss any of these issues with me if you need clarification or explanation. I have read, understood and agreed to the above. Signed ............................................................................. Name ............................................................................. Date ...............................................