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Counselling in organisations: What is the experience of the lone counsellor?
Abstract
Aims: To explore and understand lone counsellors' experiences of working in organisations, and to indicate means of enhancing this. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants and subjected to a qualitative, grounded theory analysis (Glaser, 1992; Glaser, 1998). Findings: Lone counsellors felt lonely, isolated and stressed in the workplace. The ‘lone battling’ behaviour adopted in an attempt to seek acceptance within the organisation and meaningful relationships with likeminded others in the counselling community was only partially successful. The lone counselling experience is understood to be a product of the tension inherent in organisational dynamics. Discussion: The findings help to confirm the belongingness hypothesis proposed by Baumeister and Leary (1995) that states that the need to belong is a fundamental motivation. Implications: The relevance of these findings to the training and employment of counsellors and other lone workers is discussed as well as areas for further research.
... There is limited research into feelings of isolation and loneliness in therapists. Winning (2010) explored the lived experience of lone working counsellors (i.e., those working in organisations without other counsellors as colleagues). Participants in this study identified isolation as one of the biggest challenges they facedisolation because of their environment, as well as social isolation and feeling professionally isolated from their peers. ...
This paper explores therapists' use of social media, including the author's reflections about the potential risks and benefits to therapists, and their work. These reflections are discussed in the context of the author's own social media use, as a therapist, which includes establishing #TherapistsConnect, an online community of therapists from around the world. Therapists' use of social media and their online presence can be part of a broader political process, which can help address issues such as therapist isolation, and challenging harmful narratives around therapy. The author argues for the importance of reflective practice when engaging with others on social media, and establishing an online presence as a therapist.
Rationale: To date, relatively little research has explored alternative practices to those of the mainstream professional bodies within the field of counselling and psychotherapy. Aim: To explore the rewards and challenges of being an Independent Practitioners Network (IPN) participant. Method: Seven semi-structured interviews and five questionnaires from a self-selecting sample were subject to thematic analysis, alongside the researcher's participatory observations. Findings: IPN is a vehicle for multiple areas of support for a diverse group of practitioners, who encounter challenges from its structure, a high turnover rate and external forces. Discussion: Despite the limitations of selection bias, the findings provide a rich insight into an alternative model of practice. Conclusion: The IPN and the issues raised in this study have implications for all practitioners. Areas for further research are discussed.
A hypothesized need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships is evaluated in light of the empirical literature. The need is for frequent, nonaversive interactions within an ongoing relational bond. Consistent with the belongingness hypothesis, people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds. Belongingness appears to have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. Other evidence, such as that concerning satiation, substitution, and behavioral consequences, is likewise consistent with the hypothesized motivation. Several seeming counterexamples turned out not to disconfirm the hypothesis. Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation.
This multisource field study applied belongingness theory to examine whether thwarted belonging, defined as the perceived discrepancy between one's desired and actual levels of belonging with respect to one's coworkers, predicts interpersonal work behaviors that are self-defeating. Controlling for demographic variables, job type, justice constructs, and trust in organization in a multilevel regression analysis using data from 130 employees of a clinical chemical laboratory and their supervisors, the authors found that employees who perceive greater levels of desired coworker belonging than actual levels of coworker belonging were more likely to engage in interpersonally harmful and less likely to engage in interpersonally helpful behaviors. Implications for the application of belongingness theory to explain self-defeating behaviors in organizations are discussed.
This article considers the case for providing a counselling service for organisational employees, and reviews the forms that such facilities might take. While counselling facilities have been available in the community for a long time (e.g. as “pastoral care”), the provision of these services within organisations is a relatively recent phenomenon.
A qualitative study was conducted into the experience of student counsellors working as lone counsellors or as members of a small team in higher education colleges. The data, gathered through semi-structured interviews of eight participants, all of whom were responsible for the management of their counselling service, revealed the complexity of the student counsellor's role. While the one to one work with clients was seen as the primary task, the significance of the counsellor's involvement in the organisation was not to be underestimated. Issues around case load, support and relationships with colleagues, which can be problematic for counsellors working in organisations generally, were highlighted for those working as lone counsellors.
Levels and sources of stress, as well as coping strategies, were assessed in 101 West Midlands clinical psychologists by means of a postal survey. As expected, GHQ caseness levels for qualified psychologists were lower than for those in training, although qualified psychologists reported that they felt as stressed as trainees. As hypothesized, women and those with less experience reported higher stress levels. Junior men reported higher stress levels than more senior men; however, no such differences were found for women. Those psychologists who were ‘cases’ were also less likely to live with a partner. As expected, the most frequently reported coping strategies were behavioural, which mostly involved talking to others, and avoidance coping was associated with a poorer mental health outcome. Factor analysis of a self-report stress survey identified seven factors; being responsible for supervising trainees accounted for the greatest variance in stress ratings. Psychologists indicated that better support from colleagues and better NHS management were the factors most likely to alleviate stress.
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