Adolescent Counselling Psychology

Theory, Research and Practice

Terry Hanley, Neil Humphrey, Clare Lennie, Terry Hanley, Neil Humphrey, Clare Lennie

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781136243271
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Psychotherapy
• Index: Psychology

Adolescent Counselling Psychology: Theory Research and Practice provides a thorough introduction to therapeutic practice with young people. As an edited text, it brings together some of the leading authorities on such work into one digestible volume.

The text is divided into three major sections.The first provides a context to therapeutic work with young people. This outlines the historical background to such work, the types of settings in which individuals work and the allied professions that they will encounter. Following on from this, the second section introduces the psychology of adolescence and provides an overview of the research into youth counselling. Finally, the third section considers more applied issues. Initially the infrastructure of counselling services is discussed before moving on to reflect upon pluralistic therapeutic practice. To end, the ways in which outcomes may be assessed in such work are described.

In covering such a wide territory this text acts as an essential resource to practicing counselling psychologists and other mental health professionals. It provides a foundation to the work that individuals are undertaking in this arena and advocates that individuals enter into therapeutic work in a critically informed way. At the heart of such considerations is the need to utilise psychological theory alongside research findings to inform therapeutic decision making.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Terry Hanley, Neil Humphrey and Clare Lennie

Overview

This chapter aims to provide the reader with a brief reflection upon the conception of this text and to provide an overview of what is to follow. Thus, the rationale for entering into this project is presented in the first instance before moving on to define some of key terms utilised within this text. Finally, the order of the text is presented. This attempts to give the reader a sense of our reasoning behind the structure that we have adopted in the book and the presentation styles used.

Rationale for the text

Before entering into the main content of the text we provide a brief rationale for this project. We have included this part because we hope to provide a transparent overview of its positioning in order to give you a sense of its general ethos and an idea of whether or not you are going to get on with it. We also hope that providing this overview will give you an idea of the parts of the book that you might dip into, although of course we hope that in dipping into the book we can entice you to engage with the whole text!

As the awareness of the needs of young people becomes heightened, support services have gained a higher profile. One major area of growth has been the emergence of therapeutic services for children, young people and young adults. This increase in prevalence of youth counselling services is not an indicator that being an adolescent has become more difficult within contemporary society. However, there is a clearer awareness that individuals can gain benefit from further support in navigating through this difficult life stage. Such services, although still not readily available to all, have become relatively commonplace within the environments that this group inhabit and, with this in mind, it is on this burgeoning area of development that this text focuses.

In a time when the notion of evidence-based practice has become a juggernaut that is difficult to turn, this text attempts to present an alternative way of utilising research when offering youth-friendly therapeutic services. This is not to challenge the potential that evidence-based models have, but to acknowledge that there are other avenues which may prove fruitful and first, reflect real-world scenarios more accurately, and second, provide a more rounded response to young people who are seeking support. With this in mind, this text aims to present a framework in which research can, alongside a multitude of other influences such as psychological theory and personal experience, be used to inform practice. Such a research-informed approach would contrast with research-directed approaches that are more commonly presented as a consequence of evidence-based models.

Unlike the more prescriptive nature of research-directed approaches of therapy, a research-informed approach could prove rather disparate in its make-up. Thus, in advocating therapeutic practice that can potentially be so varied, the pluralistic framework of counselling and psychotherapy, which was originally conceived by Professors Mick Cooper and John McLeod (2007, 2011), has been utilised to connect the thinking within this text. Such a framework provides a pragmatic harnessing feature in a world where so many individuals have been trained in a multitude of potentially helpful approaches of psychological therapy. Furthermore, it is felt that such a framework can: (1) acknowledge that different therapeutic approaches are likely to be suitable for different people at different points in their lives; (2) provide a means of working with an age group where pure models of therapy may prove less appropriate and are commonly utilised flexibly; and (3) enable practitioners to work to their strengths (e.g. utilising core therapeutic training, personal experience or professional background, continuing professional development and supervision as dynamic resources) rather than be constrained by rigid frameworks of practice.

Although we hope that this text is a relatively pleasant and informative read, the framework presented here does not provide a step-by-step guide to working as a counselling psychologist with young people. We do however feel that it can be part of the process that therapists working with this age group might use to bridge their core training, which is generally focused on working with older populations, when entering the field of youth counselling. In doing so, the content of the text outlines some of the core facets necessary for making this move. For instance, the three major parts of the text reflect upon the context in which such work is offered (Part 1: counselling young people in context), the notion of psychological change within this age group (Part 2: psychological change for young people) and core issues related to offering therapy to adolescents (Part 3: counselling young people in action).

As is probably evident from the notes above, the major audience for this text is those people who have completed a generic professional therapeutic training and now find themselves working (or considering working) with younger populations. It is primarily focused upon situating such work within the discipline of counselling psychology; however, it is acknowledged that other professions (e.g. other applied psychology disciplines such as clinical or educational, counselling and psychotherapy) are also likely to find the contents of interest. Furthermore, it is hoped that the text is written in an accessible yet professional way that will enable those interested in the subject matter, but not directly familiar with such work (e.g. health professionals, teachers, parents), to benefit from its contents.

Note about terminology

Prior to continuing it is important to outline the stance that this text has upon two key terms.

First, the term ‘adolescence’ (or ‘adolescent’) is utilised to describe those individuals aged between 11 and 25 years. It is utilised interchangeably within this text with alternative terms such as ‘young person’ or ‘young adult’. Although some might use the term ‘children’ to describe those in the younger age of this spread, it is not used within this text.

Second, there are numerous words to describe the therapeutic activities of a counselling psychologist. Within this text the terms ‘counselling’ (counsellor), ‘psychotherapy’ (psychotherapist) and ‘therapy’ (therapist) are viewed as synonymous. It should be noted that, within the UK, the term ‘counselling psychologist’ is a protected title, and anyone utilising it should be registered with the Health Professions Council.

An overview of the text

The editors

To economise on words, we direct you to the list of contributors at the beginning of the book for a brief biography of each editor. In summary, however, each of the editors has a passion for supporting developments within this field and has been working for many years in this area as either a counselling psychologist or a researcher. It is this closeness to the subject matter that has led to the conception of the text.

The contributors

A great number of people have been involved in the writing of this text. Each of these individuals has been selected for their particular strengths in the area they are writing. They are mentioned in the overview of the chapters below and briefly introduced in the list of contributors at the beginning of this text.

The content

The three major parts to this book are outlined below. Within each part the chapters are briefly introduced and their content is described.

Part 1: Counselling young people in context

CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL CONTEXT (TERRY HANLEY, AARON SEFI, LAURA CUTTS AND CLARE LENNIE)

This chapter offers a conceptual framework for adolescent counselling psychology and examines the historical context of counselling young people. It includes the following:

•What counselling psychology is (and isn’t)
This part introduces how the term ‘counselling psychology’ is utilised in this text. It emphasises how it can be conceptualised in work with young people and outlines how such work differs from similar professions (e.g. counselling and clinical psychology). It then briefly introduces the dominant theoretical perspectives in this area and considers their influence on therapeutic practice. Additionally it provides an overview of the variety of approaches that practitioners may adopt with this client group (individual, group and family therapy) and emphasises the focus upon individual therapy within this text.

•A brief history of counselling for young people
This provides a chronology of the role of counselling in supporting young people over the last few decades. It begins by outlining the need for therapeutic work with young people and then introduces the different types of support that are now on offer.

CHAPTER 3: DIFFERENT SETTINGS (NEIL HUMPHREY, MIRANDA WOLPERT, MATT SHORROCK, AARON SEFI AND TERRY HANLEY)

This chapter focuses on the major settings in which youth counselling occurs. For each setting, experienced practitioners provide an insight into the different contextual factors of which individuals should be aware. The settings and authors are as follows:

•Counselling young people in clinical settings (Miranda Wolpert)
This section provides an overview of the key issues involved in counselling young people in traditional clinical settings (e.g. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). In particular it examines the impact of recent developments in policy and legislation on practice in this setting.

•School-based counselling for young people (Aaron Sefi and Terry Hanley)
This section describes the development of counselling for young people within schools. It introduces the way in which such services have developed and considers the political landscape in which they are situated.

•Counselling young people in the community (Matt Shorrock)
This section examines the variety of community settings in which young people can access counselling support. It explores some of the key issues pertinent to this type of work and provides some examples from practice.

•Online and telephone counselling for young people (Terry Hanley and Aaron Sefi)
This section introduces an often-ignored area of youth counselling. It reflects upon the development of mediated therapy and particularly focuses on the recent emergence of online counselling. As with other sections, the prevalence of such work is consider...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of illustrations
• List of Contributors
• 1 Introduction
• Part 1 Counselling young people in context
• Part 2 Psychological change for young people
• Part 3 Counselling young people in action
• Index