First Steps In Counselling (A guide)

In this brief article, we will be discussing first steps in counselling, the first steps in counselling taken by counsellors, the purpose of first steps in counselling, and more information about first steps in counselling.

What is the First Steps In Counselling Book all about?

The First Steps in Counselling Books is all about the basics of counselling practice that happens in a supervised practice of a trainee in a 20 to 100 hours of supervision.

This kind of book covers the basic counselling theories to the establishment of a counselling relationship.

The contents in the First Steps In Counselling Book starts with an introduction to counselling. This will then be leading to the theories of this practice.

The First Steps In Counselling will also be covering the importance of developing oneself through counselling.

This kind of book will also cover the fact that there is a need to practice counselling in a helpful way.

The First Steps In Counselling Book will also be covering the ethical frameworks covered in the counselling practice.

This kind of book will also be describing who should counselling be for.

There is also the coverage on what happens in the counselling relationship.

There are also frequently asked questions on counselling in the recent generation

Contents covered in the First Steps In Counselling Book

The following are the contents covered in this kind of counselling book:

  • Introduction                                                                           
  • Chapter 1  ( What is Counselling)
  • Chapter 2 .  (Where do Ideas in Counselling Come From?)              
  • Chapter 3.   (The Importance of Self-Development)                                     
  • Chapter 4.   (Prejudice, Oppression and Counselling)                                   
  • Chapter 5.  (Counselling and Helping Attitudes and Skills)            
  • Chapter 6.   (What to do When You Reach Your Limits)                            
  • Chapter 7.   (Ethics and Counselling)                                                                       
  • Chapter 8.   (Support and Supervision in Basic Helping and Counselling)                                                                                  
  • Chapter 9.   (Counselling Contexts and Connections)                                   
  • Chapter 10  (Clients)                                                                                                
  • Chapter 11        (Who Does What in Helping?)                                                  
  • Chapter 12        (Some Questions for Counselling in the 21st Century)   
  • Chapter 13        (What Comes Next?)                                                                 
  • Chapter 14        (Endings)                          

You can buy this kind of book which is available on this website.

The author of the First Steps in Counselling Book

Pete Sanders is the author of this book and he has been a counsellor, teacher, and a clinical supervisor for 30 years.

He has written a lot of books that range from philosophical ones to mental health just like this kind of book. 

He remains to have an active interest in person-centred theory and the diminishing effects of distress in clients.

He has also been present as a speaker in several conferences and talks that are relevant to this book and practice. 

He is considered as a pre-therapy worker in the Soteria Network UK.  You can follow this author at https://twitter.com/@PeteSanders51

Reviews for the First Steps in Counselling Book

A reviewer bought this book due to all the good reviews surrounding this book. This reviewer was not regretting the attainment of this book. 

This reviewer also added that he or she already had an experience in the counselling and the reviewer found this book as reader-friendly which means it was understandable to any reader.

The reviewer also added that the book was not only talking about the basics of counselling but it also talked about the inner depths of counselling that the majority may not know.

Another reviewer stated that this book deserves to be read, especially those who are going through a counselling course.

The reviewer also added that the author didn’t leave anything amiss from the counselling field. 

This book is truly an obligatory material for those who are going through the counselling course. This book is truly worth your investment

Another reviewer stated that this was a bible for all counsellors and trainee counsellors.

Another reviewer stated that this book used simple language which makes it easy to understand.

You can learn more about the topics covered in your counselling course by buying this book on this website.

Other counselling books aside from the First Steps In Counselling Book

The following are other books that you might be interested in if you want to learn more about counselling:

#MeToo – counsellors and psychotherapists speak about sexual violence and abuse

This book has become a groundbreaking phenomenon when it tackled the issue of sexual violence in women.

This lead to the breaking of the silence surrounding affected women of this abuse which made it more revealing using this book. 

This is where counsellors and psychotherapists talk about their clients having these sexual violence experiences.

This will be containing dialogues between the client and the counsellor about their traumatic experiences in the counselling room. 

These counsellors and psychotherapists have formed a team of these mental health professionals who are advocating for the protection of women from sexual abuse.

This will allow other women who are reading this book to open up and feel that they are not alone in their struggles.

Contents:

  • 1: (Retribution)
  • (Seb Randall with Celia Urbach)
  • 2: (‘Survivors are everywhere’: our #MeToo, #WeToo journey.)
  • (Kaur with Deborah A Lee)
  • 3: (Lighthouses, rocky shores and safe harbours.)
  • (Concetta Perôt with Clarinda Cuppage) 
  • 4: (How we talk to girls about ‘sex’.)
  • (Taylor Broughton with Sarah J Wilson)
  • 5: (Sexual abuse and surviving within psychology.)
  • (Jemma Tosh with Fionnuala Dempsey)
  • 6: (Therapists’ lived experience in counselling and psychotherapy training.)
  • (Liz Smith and SaraTeresa Mollis)
  • 7: (Survivors of sexual violence training as psychotherapists in the UK. )
  • (Deborah A Lee with Peggy, Sam and Phoenix.)
  • 8: (#MeToo on the internet.)
  • (Tara Shennan with Haley Clifford)
  • 9: (Reconnection through dance movement psychotherapy).
  • (Amanda Light with Tina Johnson.)
  • 10: (Shattering the sounds of silence.)
  • (Reena Shah with Clarinda Cuppage)
  • 11: (While I was sleeping.)
  • (Andrew Pari with Katy Woodger)
  • 12:( ‘#WeToo’: groupwork as an act of solidarity and resistance.)
  • (Leah Salter with Emily Jacob)
  • 13: (Pushing, pulling and parts coming together.)
  • (Joy Farrimond with Emma Palmer)
  • 14: (Dirty secrets, ecocide and the specialness of the world all around.)
  • (Emma Palmer with Charleen Agostini)
  • (Concluding poem: #MeToo, by Clare Shaw)

You can learn more about the advocacies of this book by buying this book on this website.

In Love with Supervision: creating transformative conversations

The authors dedicated to this book are very advocating for the counselling supervision technique.

These authors explain the different counselling courses and how trainees will be supervised in each course such as the Advanced Model and the Core Course.

These authors have been known to make speeches in conferences and workshops where they talk about love and relationships.

This book has an additional spice to it which is the cake recipes of one author of this book

Contents:

  • Part 1: (Sources)
  • 1. (Supervision: a way of life)
  • 2: (Philosophy and principles)
  • Part 2: (Courses)
  • 3. (The core course)
  • 4. (The seven-eyed model)
  • 5.( The group supervision course)
  • 6. (The advanced course)
  • 7. (The supervisory relationship)
  • 8. (Fear and love in supervision)
  • 9. (The Beast from the East: from rupture to repair to transformation)
  • 10. (Conclusion. Beyond otherness: supervision as spiritual practice)
  • Part 3: (Resources)

 You can buy this book on this website.

Questioning Psychology: beyond theory and control

The author of this book believes that there is something that is keeping us from understanding ourselves as people.

We tend to believe that psychological theories hold the key to who we are.

However, there is more about us than what the books say.

This is the problem faced by counsellors who would rather stick to the theories of the book.

These counsellors should be able to realize that experience is also important which they can get in counselling as they meet new people.

This is why these counsellors should start applying not only the counselling skills they have learned from counselling courses but also their experiences with clients.

The author stated that this book was many things like the experiences that he has garnered in his counselling practice.

He also made note of the methods and techniques that are being questioned in the counselling practice.

Having questions about some methods in counselling aren’t incorrect but they merely give an indication that people are truly different and they are more than the methods used in counselling that are trying to standardize people.

In this case, experience can outweigh books in the long run since people are always prone to change and as counsellors, it is important to adapt to that change.

Contents:

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Part 1 – (Science is dead)

1.( Life-giver)

2. (Misalignment)

3.( Paradigms lost)

  • Part 2 – (Beyond theory and control)

4. (The cult of personality theory)

5.( Diagnosis disorder)

6. (Personality by numbers)

7. (The delusion of a shared language)

  • Part 3 – (The impersonal is political)

8. (Welcome to the machine)

9. (It’s about the power)

10. (Fear itself)

  • Conclusion: (egoless practice)

You can do this by being more aware of yourself as a person and not rely on psychological theories by buying this book here.

Conclusion

In this brief article, we have discussed first steps in counselling, the first steps in counselling taken by counsellors, the purpose of first steps in counselling, and more information about first steps in counselling.

If you have any questions about first steps in counselling, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your questions.

FAQs: first steps in counselling

What does therapeutic counselling mean?

Therapeutic counselling is another term for psychotherapy which means it is a process that emphasizes change that happens in the environment of empathetic and motivating professional relationship.

This kind of counselling emphasizes the personality of the client and the method of this counselling. 

How many clients do counsellors see a day?

The number of clients counsellors can see each day depends on the counsellor.

Although most of these mental health professionals would prefer having to see 5 to 6 clients in a day.

Online counsellors are also having this kind of occurrence and they are more likely to find a balance between work and personal life.

How many counselling sessions do I need for healing?

The counselling sessions that you need are 6 counselling sessions.

Patients tend to take an active role when they want to identify how many counselling sessions they need.

This will also be based on the objectives of counselling and the level of distress of the patient. 

How many counselling sessions are needed for anxiety?

The number of counselling sessions that are needed for anxiety is 8 to 10 counselling sessions.

There are many kinds of counselling approaches that are used for this kind of mental health complication.

Although the most well-known methods are cognitive-behavioural therapy and exposure therapy. 

When should you stop therapy?

You should stop therapy when the client’s objectives have been achieved and they are having a mental state where they don’t need a therapist anymore.

In this case, the end of therapy is marked by the healthy mental wellbeing of the client. 

Citations

Goodreads. First Steps In Counselling: A Student’s Companion for Basic Introductory Courses.

PCCS Books. First Steps in Counselling: A students’ companion for basic introductory courses (4th edition).

PCCS Books. In Love with Supervision: creating transformative conversations.

PCCS Books. Living Well and Dying Well: tales of counselling older people.

PCCS Books. #MeToo – counsellors and psychotherapists speak about sexual violence and abuse.

PCCS Books. Questioning Psychology: beyond theory and control.

Waterstones. First Steps in Counselling: A Students’ Companion for Introductory Courses – Steps in Counselling Series (Paperback).