Dr Paul Sadler, Isabelle Gardner, Sarah Hart, Dr Shama Aradye, and Julian Nolan Abstract The aim of this pilot study was to assess whether an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) group could benefit the mental health of older adults (aged 65–84) in a community psychiatric setting. Ten older adults participated in a 6-week pilot ACT …
Category Archive: Abstracts
Clarifying a Muddy Pond: A Pākehā Therapist’s Account of Navigating a Critical Moment in the Integration of Narrative Therapy and Person-Centred Therapy
Sarah Penwarden Abstract In this paper, as a Pākehā[1]/non-Māori therapist, I reflect on my desire for integration between two diverse modalities: person-centered therapy and narrative therapy. Drawing on the dissonance experienced in a moment of a conversation where I responded solely with one modality, I question whether integration of diverse approaches is possible. I …
The challenges faced by university educators in Singapore when referring students to counsellors: An instrumental case study
Steven Ng Poh Yaip and Dr Ada Chung Yee Lin Abstract This study examines the difficulties faced by two university professors working in a public, autonomous university in Singapore, when referring students to counselling services. Educators typically observe how students interact and behave in class, and may refer students to counselling services. However, there …
Counselling Skills and Competencies Tool: Scale development and preliminary data
Jane L. Fowler, John G. O’Gorman, and Mark P. Lynch Abstract This paper reports on the development of the Counselling Skills and Competencies Tool (CSCT) as a practical instrument that can be used in teaching and assessing counselling skills and competencies. Members of an entry-level counselling course, experienced and beginning counsellors, and people not …
A snapshot of the counselling and psychotherapy workforce in Australia in 2020: Underutilised and poorly remunerated, yet highly qualified and desperately needed
Alexandra Bloch-Atefi, Elizabeth Day, Tristan Snell, and Gina O’Neill Abstract The aim of the 2020 workforce survey was to profile professionals affiliated with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) to inform future policy and service planning. PACFA is a national peak body for Australian counsellors and psychotherapists, representing 3,500 members across all …
Integrating the transpersonal approach into counselling: A semi-structured phenomenological inquiry
Malini Turner Abstract This study investigated the benefits of integrating the transpersonal approach in counselling practice. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to examine the data gained through semi-structured interviews with four social worker-counsellors. Results suggested that the transpersonal approach may provide counsellors with the benefit of using spiritual variables to enrich their practice. …
Tuning-in to clients: The use of semiotics in counselling
Thomas Mark Edwards Abstract Semiotics is about signs, but more so about meaning-making. It therefore has immediate relevance to counselling. The current paper not only seeks to introduce semiotics to counsellors but also to offer skills and methods to enhance the ways in which practitioners see, hear, and understand their clients via the use …
Advanced empathy: A key to supporting people experiencing psychosis or other extreme states
Richard Lakeman, DNSci, Adjunct Associate Professor, Southern Cross University Abstract The capacity to be empathic and communicate empathically are foundational skills of counselling and psychotherapy, if not all interpersonal helping endeavours. Empathy requires the capability, inclination, and capacity to take the perspective of others, appraise and understand their experiences without being overwhelmed, and communicate …