1st Edition
Short-term Counselling in Higher Education Context,Theory and Practice
As demand for counselling from students across Higher Education (HE) increases year on year, counselling services are continually seeking to explore creative ways of working under the pressure that results from this rise in client numbers. One of the most frequent responses to increased demand is limiting the number of sessions that individual students may have. Until Short-term Counselling in Higher Education, there has been no text which provides a contextual, theoretical and practical input to this evolving way of working.
This book explores constructive ways of providing very short-term counselling within a Higher Education context. Using case-studies, and employing up-to-date statistics from the sector, the book gives readers a clear understanding of the nature of the professional challenges, and offers ways of addressing these, including managing waiting lists, developing policies to facilitate timely intervention, and understanding the limitations of what short-term therapy can offer.
Short-term Counselling in Higher Education explores the implications of working in Higher Education counselling services in this very short-term way, and as such it will be an essential resource for counsellors, heads of counselling services and student services managers in Higher Education, helping to find ways of delivering effective short-term interventions within existing counselling services.
Context. Mair, The Rise and Rise of Higher Education and Therapeutic Culture. Theory. Coren, Short-Term Therapy: Therapy lite? Jenkins, Counselling in Higher Education Settings: Working with Risk, Confidentiality and 'Duty of Care' Issues. Practice. Dufour, Assessment: Laying the Foundation for Brief Therapeutic Work in HE. McCrea, Measuring Effectiveness in Student Counselling . Cowley, Groves, The Cardiff Model Of Short Term Engagement. Hunt, Lost in Translation? Working Therapeutically with International Students. Meyer, Working With Depression and Anxiety in a Short Term Setting. Anderson, Louden, Mind, Body and Brain: Working with Somatised Distress in University Students. Ames, Counselling Online in HE: Opportunities and Challenges. Tarren, Managing Demand and Surviving the Work.
Biography
Dr David Mair is Head of Counselling and Wellbeing at the University of Birmingham, and a BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist. He has worked in higher education for over 20 years and has a particular interest in encouraging and supporting diversity and equality as well as exploring how counselling can help to meet the needs of the current generation of emerging adults.
"Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. This readable and well-edited book is packed full of creative ways of making a little therapeutic help go a long way...Overall this is an important read for counsellors in HE settings." - Jane Cooper, Therapy Today
"This is an extremely timely book as it comes out when over 100,000 students are accessing counselling services per year throughout the UK HE sector, with demand both in terms of student numbers and expectations increasing on university counselling services. This book addresses the major issues and challenges faced by student service managers and counselling services in the HE sector. The chapters in this book are written by some of the leading therapeutic experts and Heads of University Counselling Services and give extremely thoughtful as well as practical insights into each of the topics covered. It is an essential book for anyone who works or is interested in the world of student counselling and student mental health today." - Alan Percy, Head of Counselling University of Oxford
"Universities in the UK, and across the world, continue to report increases in the numbers and complexity of students of all ages whose mental health and wellbeing are compromised during their studies. Whilst we remain committed to working with our students achieve the best possible experience and outcomes from their higher education we are doing this in an environment where resources have probably never been more challenged. Mair and associates have given us a critical and timely exploration of the ways we can manage these complex new demands. This work provides a vital new perspective on counselling in higher education and the ways we can work together to ensure our students succeed." - Ben Lewis, Director, Student Support & Wellbeing, Cardiff University Chairman, AMOSSHE The Student Services Organisation
"Short-Term Counselling in Higher Education offers an insight into the background and pertinent issues in the HE psychotherapy sector today.
With therapists in this field seeing approaching 10% of the HE student population per year, this timely book discusses the increasing use of student counselling services, clarifying the nature of the ultra short-term therapy offered, its effectiveness and the integration of approaches from lower to higher-intensity intensity interventions.
With a leaning towards the pragmatic and utilitarian, Mair brings together leading clinicians and researchers in the field. This excellent book describes the landscape of the HE counselling sector, clarifies the variety of approaches to the work and ultimately will develop skills of both experienced and new clinicians alike, who will ultimately be there to help our next generation transit through this important time in their development, should they need it." - Jeremy Christey, Chair, University and Colleges Division of the BACP Director, Students Against Depression, Practising Counselling Psychologist
