ACCEPT: Access to Couple Counselling Especially for the Previously Trained

Introduction
There are many trained and experienced counsellors who have worked successfully with individual clients in a variety of contexts over a period of time, who then wish to acquire the specialist skills and knowledge to work with couples.  The ACCEPT Process is for those counsellors who wish to review, consolidate and extend their competence in couple work, with a view to extending their practice to working with couples on a regular basis.

Couple Counselling Scotland recognises and values the diversity of counselling trainings and routes to counsellor accreditation, which currently exist in the field in the UK, and wishes to facilitate access to professional development in couple counselling work to experienced counsellors from a wide range of professional backgrounds.

Initial application and acceptance
ACCEPT applicants will complete an application form and, if suitable, will be offered an interview to discuss their previous training and to assess their suitability for Couple Counselling - first at a local and then a national level.  All ACCEPT applicants must be sponsored by a local Couple Counselling Service.

Criteria:
4    An interest in working with people in intimate couple relationships.

4   Successful applicants will normally be COSCA or BACP accredited counsellors or have undertaken the level of training required in order to apply for accreditation that is 450 contact hours of knowledge and skills training.

4   In addition they will normally have completed a minimum of 200 hours supervised counselling practice.

4   We also require an acceptance of psychodynamic theory, although previous knowledge of this is not required, and an acceptance an integrative approach to practice.

4   Ability to cope with the requirements and written work of the process.*

4   A degree; or a professional qualification; or relevant work experience.

Qualities and Attributes:
4   Self-awareness, maturity, stability.*

4   Ability to form a helping relationship.*

4   Ability to cope with the emotional and intellectual demands of the work.*

4   Ability to make use of and reflect upon life experiences.*

4   Ability to present work ideas in the written form.

4   Ability to recognise and respect the diversity of potential clients' values, culture, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race,      disability and age*.

4   Prepared to confront and challenge own prejudice*

4   Ability to commit adequate time.

4   Appropriate timing in relation to significant life events.   

 * Denotes items which will be used as questions for reference purposes.

Mentoring
When a counsellor is successful in their application to join the ACCEPT process a mentor will be appointed who will work with the counsellor to review their current knowledge, experience and skills in relation to this field of work.  The mentor will assist the counsellor undertake a range of activities designed initially to prepare them for working as a couple counsellor and then to help the counsellor review and build on this experience.  With the mentor’s support the counsellor will undertake a number of assessed tasks and write a commentary on the process.  This will generate a portfolio of Joint Evaluation Activities (JEA) eventually leading to accredited counsellor status with CCS if completed successfully together with 300 hours of supervised counselling practice.

Learning Objectives include:
4      Knowledge of sociological perspectives of marriage and intimate relationships in 20^th/21^st Century

4      Understanding how the counsellors approach to counselling can be adapted to working with couples

4      A knowledge of theories of psychodynamic counselling and how they might apply to couples work

4      Skill development through role play practice sessions and counselling work

4      Developing awareness of possible challenges to personal beliefs and values

The ACCEPT counsellor will begin seeing clients as a volunteer with their sponsoring service once they have successfully completed the first 4 elements of the JEA.

Mentors will be experienced couple counsellors. The mentor will not normally be the supervisor for any couple counselling work the ACCEPT counsellor undertakes.  This will be provided separately by the sponsoring service.

Costs
The payment for mentoring and supervision will be a matter for negotiation between the sponsoring local service and the ACCEPT counsellor.

There will be an annual charge of £200 p.a. from CCS for each year a counsellor is on the scheme until the counsellor reaches CCS Accredited Couple Counsellor status. This charge will also cover the cost of the accreditation process itself.

For further information contact CCS or your nearest local service